Chapter 134: 134: Symbiosis

Once the nestlings left the cave, I could see their teams displayed on the atlas. With the cave as the centre point I'd instructed them to move off in every direction and as they spread out to reach as far as they could go. So, for every snake I fed my venom, there was a tiny snake figure representing them on the atlas.

There were only 9 hours left for the quest, and at the time they left, I was still waiting on 8 nestlings. The goal for them was to hunt and improve their levels in the remaining time. But what I was really after was the added bonus of messing with Sensei by increasing the scope of the atlas, free of charge. 

Even now, the nestlings hadn't gone that far, but already the crappy map was showing the places they had passed in full colour.

Gone were the shadowy outlines that once plagued them and the atlas before me was quickly being filled in colour and information. I saw areas of rocky outcrop appear where the forest's green thinned out, as a team seemed to be encroaching on a barren cavernous landscape. 

Another team seemed to be up in the trees, and I could see the twisted lattice of leaves above that was normally hidden in the mist while another team seemed to have stumbled onto water.

My nestlings were simply too awesome. And so effective!

For now, most were still within the confines of the misty forest, but they were spreading out fast, and I was looking forward to seeing more diverse landscapes. If they succeeded in reaching the very edge of the Upper Stratum, I would be very happy and reward them with many treats for their hard work.

«You must feel very proud of yourself.» An unhappy voice cut through my musings.

Ah...maybe I had gone too far this time. Sensei's usual calm tone was dangerously low and rough. A voice that brimmed with anger but was trying very hard to not show it. However, what peeped through was unpleasant and scary. It was so strange to hear emotion in his voice, when he was supposed to be an impassive system.

"I have no idea what you mean." I replied innocently and continued to track their progress through the atlas. I refused to feel upset. What I really wanted to say was 'how does it feel to be outwitted by a snake' and then laugh in his face. Why was he angry when I had every right to use his tools as I pleased?

So what, if I had cheated him. He deserved it. 

«Don't pretend to be innocent.» Sensei grumbled. «This was clearly a calculating move on your part, and I have to say, it was well played.»

His wording was suspicious. Did that mean he was not upset?

«But you should have told me you were planning something this irresponsible.»

"What do you mean irresponsible? They were all fine and you said poison doesn't affect snakes of the same species."

«And what else did I say about it? Or were you not listening?»

I turned to face the wall. A certain uncomfortable conversation came to mind, but I'd since blocked out the details from my mind.

Sensei sighed. «Your poison won't kill them, but it will still affect them to some extent. It can make them bloodthirsty and seek to challenge opponents that are far stronger than them.»

Well, that wasn't so bad since they were in groups. Actually it was perfect – the more they challenged, the more they would level up!

«Don't forget your two guards are very close to evolution and now, they could fall asleep in the middle of battle.»

Oh.

"That's bad. That's really bad!"

I checked the six teams on the map and they each had split off in a different direction. And I just realized I couldn't tell which one was who. My instructions had been to hunt until every member on the team had experience, but if my poison made them bloodthirsty, they might target much stronger monsters and die in the process. 

Ophelia and Typhon were in danger! I had to recall them somehow.

«If you had told me, I would have warned you against it for this very reason.»

"I should go after them!" I exclaimed.

Luckily, I could trace each team and reach them even faster with [Mark].

But then I heard Sensei's sinister chuckle. «Relax. It would take more than one monster for them to evolve. Don't forget how difficult it was for you. With the kill split among members of the team, it may take even longer.»

Did he just say all of that to mess with me? This bastard!

I regretted ever feeling bad for him.

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If the nestlings were truly bloodthirsty like Sensei said, it may turn out to be a good thing. They might work together to take down foes greater than them and level up even faster. 

Although I was still worried about them, I decided to give them a few hours to hunt first. If any hadn't returned after a while, I would track them with [Mark] and bring them back. 

It may be hard to just stay and wait, but I trusted each captain I'd picked to keep their teams together. I may trust Typhon and Ophelia more than others and that was because they'd already proven themselves, but the others were pretty capable too. 

Morgana had a similar temperament to Typhon and while Cygnus mostly kept to himself, he was smart enough to guide his team away from danger.

The ones I wasn't sure of were Artemis and Galahad, and I had paired each of their teams with one of the healers just in case. 

I was confident the nestlings were going to be okay, but I decided to watch the Atlas a little while longer to observe their progress, before I moved on to do other things. 

I'd been thinking about extending the cave for a while now. Eventually it wouldn't just be Ophelia and Typhon evolving, hopefully all 30 of my nestlings would too. 

And if that happened, our little cave would no longer be suitable. If possible I would prefer to find a new cave, but until then I could extend it by a few meters by eroding away at the walls with [Dimensional Box].

Now that the nestlings were outside, it seemed like the best opportunity to do so.

The cave had a rather uneven shape, from the opening that was placed high up on the wall, it had a curved, rather roomy interior. Roughly rectangular in shape, it extended further down the deeper you went. If I pushed back from the entrance wall, it would be difficult for the nestlings to climb down when they returned.

So, I started eroding the cave on both sides, making sure to avoid the sealed area in the back that housed the tunnel to the middle stratum. It would be a mistake to extend there, before my cave became the doorway to the hell that was the Middle Stratum and its gigantic monsters!

I thought about creating different rooms. Aside from the training area, there should be spaces for the nestlings to stay when they weren't training. 

Also, there had to be light! And some decorations!

The items in my [Dimensional Box] were perfect for this. The crystals from the mimic's cave gave off light and as I stacked many around the cave, it instantly gave off a cosy feel. Some of the supply bags had blankets and furs in them, so I used those too. The weapons, jewels, and armour I collected also made perfect decorations! 

Soon all the spots of the nestlings training area would cease to be of use so I left them unchanged, only extending the pit to make it much larger and deeper. Then I looked around at my handiwork. 

With the many plants and vines already present, it was like the spacious lair of a mythical forest creature! All that was missing was a kidnapped prince or princess. This was all perfectly functional, alright. The standard lair was cosy by default! I wasn't just creating some cosy lair for myself to sleep all day. 

I should have collected some skeletons too to ward off trespassers! What a missed opportunity!

In the middle of extending one of the walls, I encountered a particularly large piece of bedrock that blocked my path. It wasn't much of an effort to move it to [Dimensional Box] but because of its size, I was afraid removing it would cause the entire cave to collapse. 

It looked solid too, like it was part of the very structure, so I left it as it was and carved around it instead. However, as I extended past the obstacle, I realised there was nothing more beyond it.

I had burrowed so far, it seemed my cave had connected with another cave, and there was light coming from the other side.

My first thought was that it might be another snake's cave, but the vibrations I sensed from within told me there were too many creatures. So, I took a peek inside first to see.

What I thought was a snake's den was actually a much wider cave, with a wide hole in the ceiling where the twisty knotted roots of huge trees had crept inside. I scanned the cavern with [Heat Sense] and picked up multiple presences.

There was more than one type of creature residing inside. Hanging from the open roof of the cave were dark creatures that looked like bats, with leathery red wings and long spiked tail. They seemed to cover every spot on the rocky cave wall, and there was one sleeping next to the hole I opened.

It reacted to the sudden change in the air flow. However, even though its eyes were openly staring at me, it didn't attack. It seemed to not see me, but it hung so close I could make out its pointed ears and tiny sharp teeth.

The cave's second inhabitant was much smaller. From the open roof, I could make out multiple insect-like creatures that floated silently around the cave's opening. They had stick-like figures, with four pairs of silvery membranous wings that moved independently.

For some reason, the bat monsters did not attack or seem to notice them flying around. They would have made easy prey, yet they left them alone. 

I backed away immediately. 

It was better to cover up the hole I'd opened and just forget about it. 

But with so many winged creatures in one place, the temptation to grab one was just too much.

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