Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

As soon as the taste of the food assaulted their taste buds, they couldn't help mumble in joy as their eyes became as big as saucers. Each of these foods had a unique taste that made children of their age crave it even more.

Seeing them rapidly empty one plate after another Simon gave a satisfied smile, though it scared some of the children near him as they hastily shifted their gazes away and made him quite depressed.

In his mind, Simon decided to work on his smile. It's just that whenever he tried to smile, his fangs would come out, giving him an evil or wicked look.

Simon looked at his side and saw Irene holding her chin with her hand as she watched the merry reaction of the children as they tried one dish after another. Even when she was dazed, she looked absolutely stunning. From her picturesque face to every movement she made was simply heart-stopping.

Suddenly as if noticing something, Irene arched her delicate eyebrows and her gaze shifted towards Simon. "You are staring. Is there something wrong" her crystal blue eyes reflected the dazed look of Simon.

Snapping back from his stupor, Simon cheekily stole a few more glances before shifting his eyes away as he laughed awkwardly. He had been caught staring at her. However, as fate had it, since Simon hurriedly shifted his gaze away, he failed to see the slight look of embarrassment that momentarily appeared on the pretty face of Irene.

-----

The next day, Simon was suddenly startled by an unexpected situation that suddenly emerged on his main floor. He walked out of his palace and ran towards the place where he felt the disturbance from.

Last night after the Forest Spring Spirit children filled their tummies with delicious food, they went back to sleep as their body was still too exhausted and battered.

Coming to the backyard of his palace, he was stunned to see the unexpected sight in front of him. The scene that lay in front of him was so astonishing and contrast from the usual that Simon didn't know where to start.

First off the pond of serenity that had clear sparkling water, now had a white mist surrounding and coming out of it. Speckles of mysterious lights danced around the pond and when Simon peered inside, he could see many sparkling gems and flowers at the bottom of the pond.

Secondly, the density of mana around the area was so thick that they became a foggy mist that drifted around the area. Simon had never seen the mystical energy that pervades every area of this world becoming so substantial as to form a mist.

Not only that, whenever he breathed inside the area, Simon could feel the thick density of manas, as well as the power inside him, becoming stronger and more active. Simon was sure that if he used magic inside the mist, the output would be much faster and stronger than what he could usually display.

Thirdly, the trees of mana which were previously fifty meters tall were now hundreds of meters tall. The leaves and branches of the trees were glowing, gathering and condensing the surrounding manas at a rapid speed.

The trees of mana were planted by Simon to increase the density of mana inside his dungeon. Increasing the density of mana very crucial in increasing the dungeon's rank. Not only that, many mysterious things and resources that are seen as treasures on the outside world, only grow in places where the mana is heavily concentrated.

The difference in the density of mana was also why higher-ranked dungeons provided more resources and treasure than what a low-rank dungeon could provide.

Feeling the sheer concentration of mana around the area, Simon couldn't help feeling excited. However, the next second it dawned on him and he became confused. No matter how incredible the growth buff provided by the pond of serenity was, this insane speed of growth was clearly unusual.

According to his estimates, it would have taken three to four months for the trees of mana to start growing and condensing mana from the air. But even then their growth wouldn't have been that exaggerated.

Carefully observing the area, Simon was sure that something must have happened while he was gone. Just when he was pondering over the question, Simon's gaze inadvertently went towards a scarlet crystal at the bottom of the pond.

The light of the scarlet crystal was so bright that it penetrated the fog and reached Simon who was above. "Hmm? What's that?" he glanced at the object with curiosity.

Since the pond of serenity had the highest concentration of mana, many mysterious objects have started growing at the bottom of it. The scarlet crystal was one of them. The mist covered the surface of the pond and hence Simon couldn't use analysis from here. If he wanted to know what it was he had to dive inside the pond.

Thinking for a while, Simon saw no harm in doing otherwise and quickly jumped inside the pond. SPLASH'¦ the moment he jumped inside the pond, a frightening amount of energy rushed inside him through all his pores.

"Guh'¦ bfftt" the energy was so pure and concentrated that he felt like lava was circulating inside his body. The pain was so excruciating that Simon felt like if he stayed inside any longer, he would be scorched. His pale white skin had already turned crimson from just staying inside the pond for a few seconds.

"Kuh'¦ just a little more" swimming towards the scarlet crystal, he hurriedly grabbed it and rushed out of the pond. There were many other things at the bottom, but Simon did not have the peace of mind to Analyse all of it.

"Huff'¦ huff'¦ what is going on? The pond of serenity wasn't supposed to be overbearing and contain such frightening energy!!" he looked at the pond with terrified eyes. At this moment, Irene's clear voice rang out from behind him "How was the experience inside the pond?".

Turning around, Simon saw Irene who had mysteriously appeared behind him. Making a bewildered face, he turned to look towards the pond again. The experience earlier was too shocking for him.

Aware of what he was thinking, Irene folded her hands across her ample chest and commented "The pond of serenity that you installed from the menu is no longer the same. After those changes, the pond contains a frightening amount of mystical energy that is deposited inside it through the earth. Even now the energy is still increasing and who knows what changes might occur in the future. All I know is that this pond of serenity might become one of your greatest assets and pillar for the dungeon".

Even without Irene telling him, Simon understood that the pond of serenity had been greatly altered and had many mystical abilities. When he was inside the pond, an excruciating amount of energy circulated inside him but at the same time, he could also feel himself getting stronger.

It's a pity that his current body was much too weak to go through such a baptism or else Simon would have chosen to stay inside the pond for a bit longer.

Though he was disappointed, he wasn't discouraged. If he raised his stats and physical body to a level that could endure that terrifying amount of energy, he would be able to avail the mysterious features of the pond. That was how much of a potential the altered pond of serenity had.

Simon sensed the marvellous changes that had occurred inside his body by just dipping inside the pond for a few seconds and felt exhilarated.

Staring at the pond of serenity with her crystal blue eyes, Irene said "The pond of serenity will be a great help for you to increase your strength in the future. The mystical energy is far more concentrated here than what you get by simply defeating monsters and levelling up."

"Not only that but it would also help in strengthening your physical body and skills". Since even Analysis couldn't tell her rank, Irene was far more knowledgeable than Simon.

Gazing at the pond of serenity covered in mist, Simon silently nodded at those words. Suddenly he remembered the scarlet crystal in his hand and shifted his gaze towards it. The crystal had an irregular shape and fit perfectly in his hands. It was smooth to the touch and glossed just like a polished gem.