Ghost Knight King's Dungeon Project

Chapter 4 [The Earth-Eating Demon Worm and the Rotten Root Ball]

The ancient brick and stone temple ruins are embedded in the rock strata, buried by rubble and sand. Beyond the ruins lie a complex network of tunnels and underground chambers.

Contrary to Samael's imagination, the depths of the underground were not a dark, barren land, but a thriving underground jungle.

Rocks, soil, bioluminescent fungi, and a multitude of bizarre, primitive plants grow within the tunnels. Some plants hang from translucent, jelly-like pods, while others, when touched, release clusters of blue spore smoke. The green leaves of ferns and the fruiting bodies of fungi adorn the labyrinthine underground tunnels. The ground, reinforced by the roots of some plant, is as hard as stone bricks, remarkably free of any accumulated fallen leaves or decaying vegetation—it could even be described as clean.

From the Samael probe interface, the air had a high oxygen content and emitted a fresh, moist soil scent.

Talia, dragging her hammer and spear, silently led the way, her expression one of dejection and despair.

Samael, clad in ghost armor, looked around with great interest, circling Talia like a satellite. Sometimes he poked at the plants on the cave wall, sometimes he looked back at the path he had come from, and sometimes he tripped heavily over a stone with a clatter, got up and kicked the stone away, and continued to follow Talia, making the atmosphere lively again.

"Are you really that lively?" Talia finally couldn't help but laugh. "What kind of undead creature are you—you're more energetic than a living person."

“In my original world, I was the sun at eight or nine in the morning! I’m new to this new world, and everything is new to me!” Samael raised his arms, striking the pose of “praising the sun” from Dark Souls.

He held the bronze helmet close to the cave wall and tapped the strip-shaped excavation marks on the wall with his knuckles. "Was this tunnel man-made? How many miners would it take to dig such a large underground tunnel?"

"The ruins are embedded in the strata, and the paths cannot be dug by human hands. These are insect trails accidentally left by wild [Earth-Eating Demon Insects] when they travel through the strata," Talia explained. "Humans also call them [Eyeless Demon Dragons] or [Demon King's Riders]. They are the creators of the underground labyrinths in the wasteland. They have drill-shaped mouthparts with a hardness comparable to diamonds, hard spiral scales, and strong and powerful huge bodies. They are also the core and starting point of the underground city and underground ecosystem."

Samael activated the scanner and scanned the strip-shaped excavation marks on the cave wall for a moment:

[Excavation traces of a drilling-type artificial creature] An analysis description pops up on the virtual UI screen, along with a phantom image of a giant beast.

It was a gigantic worm, as large as a train, a combination of the sandworm from Dune and the Cybertronian mechanical worm from Transformers. Its entire body was covered with spiral scales that gleamed with a metallic sheen, and its head had huge, curved mouthparts like dragon teeth that meshed together to form a drill bit. Inside its mouth were countless sharp teeth arranged in a ring like those of a meat grinder.

[Drilling-type artificial organism, Type 1. Level 6 technological organism, capable of driving industrial and excavation biomechanical machinery for mining, excavation, and the construction of prototype alien underground colonies.]

[The methods of activation include, but are not limited to: etheric psionic signals (i.e., the psionic signals of space-descent beings), and psionic implant modifications.]

“Demons possess a unique talent: they can use psychic energy to control many lower-ranking races lacking intelligence. This includes the Earth-Eating Worm,” Talia said. “However, Earth-Eating Worms are very strong, and controlling them is extremely difficult, requiring considerable psychic talent and training. I haven't tried it yet—according to the tradition of demon monarchs, the heir to the throne should, in principle, train an Earth-Eating Worm during their coming-of-age ceremony to prove their ability, but that year, my parents passed away… many things…”

She sighed.

"Could you tell me more about the Earth-Eating Worms? You just said they're the core and starting point of the dungeon?" Samael's armor clattered as he trotted around to Talia's other side, changing the subject.

“Hmm… my father taught me some related knowledge. The underground tunnels of the Earth-Eating Demon Worms are the prototypes of dungeons and labyrinths.” Talia recalled, “These underground spaces will create a living environment for glowing fungi, enchanted plants and other creatures. After the rudimentary ecosystem of the tunnels takes shape, it will attract various low-level creatures to live in them, and biological activities will unknowingly modify the tunnel environment.”

She suddenly paused and stopped talking.

“What’s wrong…” Samael was about to ask instinctively, but Talia suddenly slapped his helmet.

"Shh," Talia whispered. She raised her hammer and spear, and with a whoosh, swung it at a clump of ferns beside the tunnel.

Snapped!
The ferns were torn apart by the hammer wind, and a small creature the size of a football was knocked off the foliage and flew to the cave wall. It was flattened and stuck to the cave wall with a thud, its little legs and claws struggling in vain.

"【Rotten Root Ball】is a low-level monster. Different plant communities produce different forms of Rotten Root Balls. This type of Rotten Root Ball from the wasteland plant community is in the form of a rhizome, so it is also called 【Potato Boy】." Talia used her hammer spear to poke the thing up from the cave wall.

"The Rot Root Spheres were among the first creatures attracted to the underground worm tunnels... They are plant growths twisted and corrupted by the psionic overflow of the wastelands. After detaching from the plants, they roam around digging tunnels. The Rot Root Spheres use their roots to absorb and decompose the corpses, fallen leaves, and dead fungi in the worm tunnels, using excess roots to reinforce the tunnels. They also dig small tunnels to divert excess water into the lower soil, keeping the underground worm tunnels clean and maintaining a relatively comfortable environment." On the hammer and spear was a huge, withered, yellowish-brown potato-like thing, with tiny claws and feet like moldy potato sprouts, no eyes, and its skin covered in dirt. It had already been smashed to pieces by Talia's hammer, broken like a watermelon, revealing the hard, pale yellow flesh inside.

“Wow! That’s why the tunnel is so clean—it’s amazing.” Samael leaned over and turned on the scanner:
[Plant-type artificial life form, subspecies of wasteland. Decomposer, Level 0 technological creature, used as a cleaner, environmental maintainer, small-scale excavator, and basic laborer. Can craft and use low-level tools. Can be driven.]

[The methods of activation include, but are not limited to: etheric psionic signals, and psionic implant modifications]

A population size of less than 20 lacks collective intelligence; a population size of more than 50 is required to handle relatively complex tasks.

[Non-toxic, edible.]

[Scan complete. Relevant technology map has been completed, and the technological organism has been unlocked.]

[Can be artificially catalytically manufactured—required biological materials: living plants in a specific ecological community containing humus from microbial colonies.]

[Psionic Energy Reserves: 5.3 units.]

Talia poked at the potato for a long time, and finally sighed.

“I’m so hungry, let me eat something first,” she said wearily. “There are so many of these things running around in Father’s underground city, digging holes and carrying things like little porters and miners. Father says they’re edible, but I’ve never eaten them before—Father spoiled me rotten, and eating something like this was almost unimaginable for me before, but now…”

She waved her hand, igniting a pale flame, and then held the little potato up to the flame and spun it around.

The pale yellow, firm flesh of the potato emits a caramelized aroma, gradually turning golden brown with a few charred spots. It slowly cracks into small pieces at high temperatures, releasing a warm, tuberous plant aroma and exhibiting a dense yet crispy starchy texture.

Talia took off her demon horn helmet and placed it aside. She sat cross-legged on the ground to rest, chewing on bits of roasted potato.

"Is it delicious?" Samael squatted to the side in a standard frog-like squatting posture, looking on expectantly.

"I wouldn't dare say it's delicious," Talia said, her mouth full of potatoes, "but... it's not too bad either."

Although Samael was just a possessed armor, the drooling look in the shadows of the armor's eye slits still made Talia a little uncomfortable.

She casually broke off a piece and handed it over.

"Would you... like to try some?" Talia swallowed a mouthful of roasted potato chunks.

"Oh! Thank you, godfather! I've been wandering for half my life without finding a wise ruler. If you don't abandon me, I'd like to become your godfather!" Samael excitedly took the potato chunks and stuffed them into the gap in his helmet.

With a clang, the potato chunk fell out intact from the seam under his breastplate.

“…” Talia remained silent, suppressing a laugh.

"Why...why..." Samael choked back tears, sliding down to his knees to scoop up the potato chunks, and roared to the sky, "I want to eat too! Why! No! My sun...my sun has set!"

(End of this chapter)