By the end of the day, all of Ordis’ minions had successfully reached level 6, with D. Ant managing to level up just before the day ended. This brought him a sense of relief, proving that his decision to let them hunt individually had been the right call. By avoiding shared experience, each minion was able to grow at a steady pace.

  He was pleased to see that their leveling speed hadn’t slowed too much compared to the previous day. The results reassured him that his strategy was working, at least for now. Watching his minions steadily grow stronger gave him a small sense of accomplishment as a dungeon master.

  However, he couldn’t ignore the reality that leveling up would only get harder as time passed. The experience required for each level would keep increasing, and soon, his minions might struggle to progress as quickly. If he wanted them to keep growing at a decent pace, he could only hope that his pn enhanced by the Size Blessing to other insects and small animals would work in his favor.

  “Either way, I’ll continue applying the Enhance Size Blessing on the first floor and the Growth Supplement on both the first and second floors,” Ordis muttered, committing to his pn. He spent 15 Mana to do so. After ranking up, his Mana regeneration had remained stagnant for two days. It was likely a side effect of the rank-up process, but finally, his regeneration had begun to accelerate once again.

  With the second floor now officially open, even though life there was still sparse, it was already contributing to his regeneration. The ecosystem was slowly taking shape, reinforcing the dungeon’s Mana regenaration.

  Previously, his Mana regeneration was stuck at one per hour, but now, thanks to these changes, it had improved—albeit slightly. Instead of taking a full 60 minutes to recover one Mana, it now only took 55 minutes. It wasn’t much, but every bit counted.

  Ordis concluded that the first floor had likely reached its limit for Mana regeneration, capping at one Mana per hour. If he wanted to accelerate the process further, he would need to ensure that life thrived on the other floors as well. The presence of living creatures seemed directly linked to his dungeon’s ability to recover Mana.

  With his recent rank-up and the emergence of life on the second floor, he specuted that his maximum potential regeneration rate could eventually reach one Mana every 30 minutes. This assumption followed a clear pattern he had noticed in his Dungeon System.

  If his theory was correct, then expanding life on each floor would be crucial. More creatures meant faster Mana recovery, and faster recovery meant more flexibility in developing his dungeon.

  “Well, I guess this makes perfect sense,” Ordis muttered, reflecting on his dungeon’s progress from the beginning until now. “What do you think, System?”

  [ Dungeon growth and mana regeneration are tied to each floor, with each having its own regeneration cap. The more floors unlocked, the greater the overall mana regeneration. Additionally, the presence and activity of living organisms within each floor will further enhance regeneration, allowing for even greater efficiency over time.]

  "Just as I thought… Okay then," Ordis mused, feeling more certain about his next step. "My focus now should be reaching 500 mana and creating a new floor. If my assumptions are correct, ranking up is most likely tied to dungeon expansion." The logic seemed solid—since his first rank up happened after he finally make a slight change in his dungeon.

  Despite having been a dungeon for less than a week, Ordis found himself adapting quickly to this strange new existence. The patterns in dungeon growth, mana regeneration, and evolution were becoming clearer. He had a strong hunch that his instincts were leading him in the right direction.

  Somehow, he was starting to grasp what it meant to be a dungeon. It was almost as if he might knew system’s mechanics without questioning him.

  “So we’re continuing hunting like always.”

  Ordis sent his minions back out to hunt, expecting another routine day of leveling. However, he quickly noticed something different. Up until now, he had meticulously micromanaged their hunts, carefully selecting their targets through his system’s map to ensure they only engaged in battles they could win. But this time, his minions had much better movement.

  Instead of waiting for his direct commands, they instinctively sought out appropriate prey, almost as if they had learned from experience. Their movements were more efficient, their attacks more decisive. Had they simply adapted from doing the same thing over the past two days, or was there something else at py?

  This unexpected development left Ordis both impressed and slightly happy. Were his minions developing their own instincts? Or better—were they getting smarter?

  "Either way, this works out better for me." Ordis, still curious about the change in his minions' behavior, decided to observe without micromanaging. Instead, he simply designated a hunting area and let them act on their own. To his surprise, D. Ant remained within the assigned zone and seemed to know exactly what to expect.

  D. Ant primarily hunted regur ants of simir size, never picking fights with creatures that posed a significant threat. What impressed Ordis the most was how efficiently D. Ant handled multiple opponents. At times, he even took on two enemies at once, cleverly ambushing one and eliminating it in a single attack before engaging the other.

  "Hm, I wonder if they can sense something I can’t," Ordis mused. There was something unnerving about the way D. Ant selected his targets. It wasn’t random—he always seemed to pick the weakest ones.

  At one point, Ordis noticed D. Ant attacking a rger opponent. However, the fight ended quickly with a well-pced surprise attack. Somehow, D. Ant knew the bigger ant wasn’t as strong as it looked. That realization filled Ordis with excitement. His minions weren’t just growing stronger—they were becoming smarter and more capable on their own.

  His minions weren’t just getting stronger; they were making better decisions than he was. They could assess their enemies far more accurately than he could through his system’s map.

  “I wish I could do something like that too… Like in games, where you can see enemy stats, conditions, and weaknesses… Hm,” Ordis muttered. “Maybe I’ll unlock something like that after I rank up.”

  [Successfully analyzed the body of the Parasitic Wasp. You can now summon the Parasitic Wasp as a minion.]

  “Hm? What’s this?” Ordis muttered as a new system message appeared before him. He had been too focused on observing D. Ant’s behavior when he suddenly received an alert that a new minion type was avaible for summoning. The st time something like this happened was days ago when he first unlocked D. Ant. Since then, no new minions had appeared, so he assumed that his starting three had been a special bonus. Perhaps that was true, but now it seemed like he had to rely on his minions actively hunting and defeating other creatures to unlock new ones.

  Curious, he quickly checked the battlefield and noticed that one of his D. Mosquitoes had managed to bring down a Parasitic Wasp. His tiny flying minions weren’t just flitting around aimlessly—they were actively fighting and even taking down new enemies he hadn’t considered before. The realization made him pause.

  The Parasitic Wasp itself was nearly the same size as his D. Mosquito. But in the end his minion unlike regur insects, it possessed a degree of magical ability. This likely made its attacks stronger than an ordinary Mosquito thanks to magic, so at the very least, the attack stronger than most common insects. So his D. Mosquitoes had managed to eliminate it without any input from him.

  “That’s… actually kind of impressive,” Ordis admitted, his tone filled with surprise. “I never would’ve thought a mosquito could take down a wasp, but here we are.” He realized that his human biases had been limiting his expectations. In his mind, wasps had always been terrifying predators compared to mosquitoes, but clearly, his dungeon minions didn’t share the same assumptions.

  Instead of seeing threats based on human perceptions, his minions seemed to instinctively know which enemies they could handle and which they should avoid. Their ability to recognize weak targets and strike efficiently was a skill Ordis hadn’t taught them—it was something they had learned and adapted to on their own.

  Thinking about it, he couldn’t help but smile. Curious about his new minion, he immediately checked the stats of the Parasitic Wasp, eager to see what it could bring to his dungeon.

  Name: D. Parasitic WaspLevel: 1Rank: LesserMana Cost: 8 Mana Reserve per summonLifespan: 3 Days (unless sustained by the dungeon)Attributes:

  Strength: 3

  Speed: 8

  Defense: 1

  Magic: 2

  Intelligence: 4

  Abilities:

  Parasite Domination: Injects a parasitic egg into weakened or dying small insects, turning them into temporary subordinates under Ordis' control until the parasite fully matures. The host retains its original strength and abilities while under control.

  Precision Strike: Gains increased damage when attacking from stealth or ambush.

  Aerial Maneuvering: Superior agility in the air, making it harder to hit.

  Mana Sense: Can detect creatures with mana, prioritizing weaker magical prey for easier infection.

  “Uwa… It’s really expensive—four times the cost of an ant!” Ordis muttered, his gaze fixed on the summoning menu. However, as he examined the Parasitic Wasp’s abilities, he couldn’t deny its incredible potential. The skill Parasite Domination particurly stood out. Normally, parasitic wasps would inject their eggs into caterpilrs and other small insects, using them as living incubators. But as a dungeon minion, this ability had evolved into something even more sinister—it could take over the bodies of small insects and turn them into subordinates.

  “Yeah, it’s a bit pricey… but in exchange, I can gain extra minions,” Ordis reasoned. His minion limit was already restrictive, so the ability to indirectly expand his forces was invaluable. Even if these controlled creatures weren’t true dungeon minions, having extra bodies to use in battle was an undeniable advantage.

  Watching his minions adapt and evolve, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. It was becoming clear that his insect minions were far more intelligent than he had initially given them credit for. They were learning, strategizing, and even assessing threats on their own. D. Mosquito had already proven that by taking down a Parasitic Wasp without his intervention.

  But with this new opportunity came a difficult decision. He didn’t have enough minion space to summon the Parasitic Wasp without making a sacrifice. Ordis hesitated, weighing his options carefully.

  In the end, he made up his mind. “Sorry, little guy… but I need to see just how valuable this new minion is.” With a reluctant sigh, he dismissed one of his D. Mosquitoes, freeing up the resources needed to summon his newest and most unique minion yet.