Razum’s entire mind thrummed as it expanded and contracted as he needed it too. Bunches of mycelial threads split off to form complex mini-minds that performed minor tasks before relaxing back into the greater whole. Mind-attributed Aether flowed along the connections like they were normal Aetheric Conduits, spreading power the entire length of the connection.

  Razum’s experiments had born fruit. There were six of him now, five little clone bodies perhaps a third of his main fruiting body’s height. While weak they were considerably faster, as he had designed them to be when utilizing his newest Ability.

  [Mycelial Clone (Lesser)] was a Tier 2 Ability and it had been a surprise when he had stumbled upon the fact that those existed. The flexibility of the System continued to surprise him, acting in ways that were structured and ordered yet providing the tools necessary for holistic growth. He had suspected, of course, that his current abilities would be capable of growth but the truth was even greater than that.

  He had spent his time in the garden shoring up his foundations, quickly raising the skills [Aether Manipulation 1] and [Sporecraft 1] to their second levels. It hadn’t taken many experiments after that to realize that his abilities could be combined in much the same way to reach a higher threshold of power.

  That threshold was represented by [Spore Cloud] being combined with [Aetheric Cultivation] to produce the Tier 2 Ability [Spore Implantation]. The Ability let him infuse spores onto, and then into, a target via physical contact. Powerful when combined with the sheer variety of spores he had access to.

  [Waag-Burst] was next, though it was a bit strange. It also used [Spore Cloud] but it seemed like the spore aspect of the ability died when the Waag was introduced. Instead, it became more like a small explosion that popped into emerald existence whenever he used it. It had a decent range and by the size of the little craters he had left pockmarked around the garden’s walls, it would be a good increase to his combat capabilities.

  Those experiments had another purpose which was of course to suck up the rest of his Experience and bring his level up. Upon crafting [Mycelial Clone (Lesser)], which was actually a combination of his three spore and mycelium-related skills, he had reached level ten. Now he was utilizing his newest ability to bring monsters to life.

  His father had cultivated the garden with a truly dizzying array of fungi that occupied a massive underground cavern. The fact that all of it had been brought to this plane of existence along with his father proved how much of his own personal power Dug had infused into each organism.

  Now, Razum was experimenting with a few select fungi he had collected from the wider garden. There were three, to be exact. The first was a Ruby Sporecap, a mushroom with a vibrant red cap and pale stalk. Its mycelium network was particularly suited to extracting nutrients from blood and similar fluids making them a common sight after battles or in the forest from hunts.

  The second was from another section of the garden, where glittery spores lit up a deeply shadowed section. Glimmerhoods were fungi that liked the deep dark of tunnels and cave systems. The dwarves of his father’s old world had cultivated them, often attaching still-living stalks to their helmets or garments before heading into their mines.

  The third and final fungus was rather large. It was literally called a Goliath Arbor for its massive size and thick stalk, akin to a small tree as a matter of fact. Its spores were large as well, around the size of an acorn, and were utilized by a peculiar tribe of sapient squirrels as foodstuffs. The spores by themselves were completely harmless and they produced enough of them that they were never in danger of not spreading.

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  These three were the focus of his experiments and so far the results were promising. His mini selves were scurrying to and fro making sure that each specimen was remaining stable, his [Divergent Mind] fully capable of piloting each body and giving them separate tasks.

  Finally, he was going to make use of his Title, [Father of Monsters], and the first of his children was ready for him to begin. Before him, the body of a bipedal creature was laid out. All of it was Mycelial Fleshcraft, carefully constructed and kept alive through [Aetheric Cultivation].

  The form it took was rather like his own fruiting body as he had shaped it. This creature however wouldn’t need mycelium to move. Off to the side, where it had been discarded, was the corpse of his old experiment. Razum hadn’t felt any kinship with the monster since from the get-go it had been more of an accidental thing and not something he would willingly call his child.

  It had provided him with an excellent lesson in extremely basic bipedal anatomy as well as how mycelium could be used to approximate the same structures. If he had had any Experience left he probably would have gotten another skill but as it was he didn’t mind. His first child, therefore, would possess the ability to walk without needing an established mycelium network, unlike his own fruiting body.

  He had destroyed the previous Sporeheart with Waag and now was in the process of making a new one. A singular stalk descended from his gills and he clasped the spore as soon as it was finished growing. Immediately he poured Mind attributed Aether into it as it underwent its transformation into a Sporeheart.

  He had no idea whether or not his actions would have any effect on the intelligence of the creature but he would see soon. Along with his own Aether, he let Ten’Telo inject a portion of his growing shadowy mass into the creation. He had promised the Umbral Parasite the opportunity to spread and grow and it seemed proper that it would join him in his task of creating progeny.

  The organism was already helping keep the body properly aligned and was empowering the musculature of the child with its tendrils. The new heart pumped vigorously and Razum nodded to himself as he sensed the different attributed Aether being internalized and released with each contraction. Carefully, he placed the heart within his child’s chest and then brought his entire mind to bear.

  His clones slumped over as he brought the majority of his mind back from controlling them. The massive network of mycelium under the garden contracted as his Mental Matrix sought to bring order to chaos. As soon as the Sporeheart hit the chest cavity of the child it began to explode in chaotic growth without rhyme or reason except consumption.

  Razum’s great mind changed the equation. His fungal skills thrummed as he utilized his knowledge. His Aether bled from him as he used [Aetheric Cultivation] to its maximum. The Growth was forced to yield to the [Father of Monsters].

  The chest cavity was closed as mycelial flesh roiled into place. Thick armor-like growths sprouted from the shoulders and stomach. The cap grew short sensory stalks that would hang and flow in the wind. Muscles bulged as the Growth flowed through predetermined channels created for that purpose.

  It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t a person. The Growth could be directed but even carefully controlled chaos will find a way. The fingers became daggerlike, incapable of any other work than killing. The mouthlike slit became more cavernous with jagged growths appearing as teeth to rip and tear despite needing no such assistance.

  The internal mycelium network, reinforced by Ten’Telo’s child, held strong and firm. Whatever came in the future, Razum had prepared his first monstrous progeny to succeed. Black pitiless eyes opened and blinked even as a rough snarl broke free from its horrid mouth. Its red cap rustled as it looked around.

  Razum slumped, tired from the creation process, and felt the connection to his child snap into place. It flinched and turned to him and Razum was gratified to see greater intelligence in those pits than had been in his first experiment. The experiment had worked. If he had to guess, the creature standing before him was as smart as a canine or feline.

  That meant it was teachable.

  I am your father. You are Sangori, First of my Children. Now sit and watch.

  It took the weight of his mind on the bond but Razum got his point across and his commands were headed. Sangori didn’t quite sit as his body wasn’t quite made for it but his eyes followed Razum as he crouched low to the ground. His slimelike saliva dripped to the floor, his hunger ever-present. Present but caged as his father brought his fellow monstrous siblings to life.