Chapter 182: Introductions and Epiphanies

Words : 1231 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 182: Introductions and Epiphanies Surprisingly, the clean-up tasks were finished faster than they had predicted. But it was mainly because the tortoise, who was being followed and guarded by Jax, showed incredible skills or, probably, remorse. Tendrils flew from the small tortoise, which obviously stunned Jax, as well as two other onlookers, who suddenly had to stop their brainstorming and material collection. And just like that, the greedy-looking tortoise gathered all the lettuce before him into a pile. "!" Ollie imagined a dog house for a cage but was forced to abandon that idea when he realized that the tortoise could crash the entire place like a toothpick! And the change was immediate. Instead of thinking about designs and decorations, the little mechanic immediately scrapped it and thought of how to restrain that! But what was that in the first place?! When everyone came rushing over, Xavier figured that something must have gone wrong again. Obviously, this caught Luca’s attention, and he was about to start panicking again until he heard about his oversight. Oh! Yeah, he forgot about that! Not everyone could see what he bought, and he would have to explain just what the item was. "Host! Do you want to share the Item Descriptions with them?" Asked D-29, who noticed the Host’s attempt to describe what he had bought. Originally, they could see the contents of the Trove, but they would have to go to the underground floor to do this as they didn’t have D-29 at their beck and call. And if anything, they were only vaguely aware that there was another entity because Luca mentioned it in passing. A little too in passing when he kept on throwing around miracles of epic proportions. Until a sudden holographic window started to appear before each of them. [Sealed Terra Marble] [35,000CP] [Item Description: An artifact infused with guardian beast suppression runes. When activated, it creates a temporary spatial lock around the target, shrinking them while preserving their strength and life force.] [Instant Effect] [Preserves Beast’s Strength] [Temporary and Reversible] It looked like an item description. And that was shocking by itself. It was just that they were more surprised by the sudden appearance of a screen. And it sure as hell wasn’t their terminals. Even Xavier was shocked because while he was aware of Sid’s newest mini-boss, this was the first time it appeared in this form. But this was the Dungeon space and the domain of the little system that managed Dungeon 0029. "Luca, is this D-29?" Asked Xavier, who had even interacted with it before. Oops! The little chipmunk realized his mistake and immediately introduced the Dungeon’s system to his friends. "Yes, D-29 is my friend who manages this Dungeon space!" Said Luca, who was glad to introduce the system without fear of sounding weird. A small win! Because they could see the prompts now and won’t think he’s a lunatic. D-29, on the other hand, was slightly flustered—well, as much as a system could be—that it had been introduced to so many people and could only add poppers and confetti to its prompt interface. And that’s what greeted the stunned guild members. "So, brother, you’re saying it can communicate with us?" Asked Ollie, who was astonished by the celebratory change of the interface. "Only because you’ve permitted them to see the prompts, Host!" "Then is it impossible to communicate the same way we do?" "The same way might not be possible as I am only integrated with you, but there might be a few other ways, Host." D-29 was unsure if it was the right time to bring it up but decided to do it once confident of the possibilities. "Other ways?" Asked Luca, who was suddenly curious about this possibility. But the little system did not want to disappoint its Host. It wanted to remain a functional system and avoid similar fates to certain observable guardians. And so, D-29 decided on evasive maneuvers. "I shall update you when there is more certainty about the theory, Host!" Prompted the little escapist before closing down the prompts and hiding away, leaving the other guild members dumbfounded as it disappeared before they could even process its existence. "..." "..." Just to be safe. As D-29 was undoubtedly afraid of ending up like the giant tortoise! But what do you know? While some fretted over the sudden change, one tortoise was actually on the path to enlightenment. It hadn’t been that bad for the guardian beast, who realized the advantages of being this small, albeit belatedly. Because who wouldn’t have violent reactions after being treated like this?! Not to mention being rushed like a shaking rattle and then presented to these people, only to be ignored afterward! How unthinkable?! Huffed the now tiny tortoise, who could only reminisce about the past. He was once the majestic, mountain-sized guardian of the land, the mighty Sludgeborn Tortoise. He had faced many trials in his life—battles against monstrous invaders, centuries of solitude, and even the occasional meteor impact. But nothing could have prepared him for this. He had been shrunk. Not just by a little. No, he had been reduced from a mountain-walking deity to an arm-sized reptile! His grand shell, once a bastion of power and natural armor that could withstand storms, now fit snugly in the arms of these strange, chaotic humans. It was humiliating. It was disgraceful. It was— Wait a moment. His tiny, beady eyes locked onto the glorious, glistening leaf of something called ’lettuce’ before him. The humans—his "captors" (he was still debating if that was the right word)—had placed a single, ordinary leaf before him. But now, at this size? It was massive. It was a banquet. It was the kind of meal that, in his original form, would have been a speck of garnish at best. But now? Now, it was a feast worthy of a king. Slowly, deliberately, he extended his little tortoise neck and took a bite. Oh. Ohhhh. This was divine. The flavors! The crispness! The moisture content! Had plants always been this good? Had he been missing out for centuries simply because he was too big to appreciate it properly? Was this—dare he say—an advantage? The humans were watching him, whispering among themselves. He flicked his tiny tail, trying to maintain some dignity, but it was difficult when his little legs made an embarrassing scritch-scratch sound on the floor as he repositioned for another bite. "Look at him," one of those short humans cooed. "He’s so happy. Do you think he’s forgotten about the punishment?" Punishment. Right. That ’punishment’ involved being ordered to pick up these lettuce leaves that were scattered everywhere because that was to serve as his food. Truly, his captors were devious. He chewed thoughtfully. If he wanted to keep up this newfound lavish lifestyle—where punishment meant picking up food that now came in overwhelming portions—he would have to behave. Not too well, of course. Just enough to avoid actual consequences while still receiving ridiculous, overindulgent treatment. Yes. Yes, he could work with this. So, instead of continuing to despair, he had a plan he wished to execute. And it could start soon, maybe after eating this entire lettuce leaf! But he didn’t expect everything to come crashing down with the entrance of three new humans! Just how many despicable people did they have around here?!

Chapter 182: Introductions and Epiphanies

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