The grass has taught me many things, least of which involve nocturnal monsters and the danger of stumbling on them. Actually, it seems that it taught me a better lesson: believe in the power of lazy gods who create worlds with glaring flaws or unusual evolutionary decisions. Either through the element of not having any natural predators or perhaps not needing to stay active, I discovered that there are many ranbi within totem-sight's distance of my dungeon entrance.

All of them are sleeping so deeply I could walk around beside them.

Of course, I used the discovery to kill quite a few of them. The kills I've been picking up actually got me to a total of twenty before I relented my murderous onslaught for further scouting. Nothing had appeared at night to kill me but there wasn't a need to risk summoning something anyhow. My previous nights had shown nothing came just at the mere presence of bodies.

So I got to wondering: what reason is there for the ranbi to constantly be surging at me, unending and ignoring their casualties?

Its evolution, of course.

I think.

Alpha and Beta Ranbi are supposed to be able to command other ranbi so it was a strong candidate for what might be causing this. The scale and weakness of the attacks made me think that wasn't the case, though, as no leader would mindlessly send soldiers to die without cause. Besieging my dungeon felt like an isekai assertion but it was more likely that I had yet to meet whatever made the native critters so worked up and ready-to-devour me. If it was a fire, my dungeon should be safe since we'd uprooted lots of the grass and made clearings. If it was humans, that might be bad particularly if they worshipped the Lady or just hated plants with a purpose.

The third option is that there's something in Kave that serves as a predator but doesn't proactively hunt. Or, if it hunts, it does so in a way that terrorizes its prey into acting overly aggressive to preserve its life. Neither idea is comforting but I personally hope it's the first one. Something that manipulates targets is deadlier than something that simply kills for survival, especially when the only defense I have is close-ranged magic or Bomber and Ivy.

It's also possible that the ranbli might be involved but I have no reason to think ranbi and ranbli are too different beyond their stature. In the morning, I'll have an opportunity to observe Bomber and see just how different they are.

Right now, though, I focus my efforts on digesting both information and bodies. The area around our clearing is largely without anything significant but I did spot a few landmarks that I can work from in the future.

On the eastern end of my current safe navigational grassland, there is an obelisk-like rock that's probably about twenty feet tall. I'm rough eye-balling it but there might be a chance it has resources. At the very least, I could probably get stone resources from it. Whether or not it gives something daily or I break it for a one-time amount, I need to try something once I get the confidence.

To the south, I found a pond. The first bit of water I've ever seen in my new life and I wish I hadn't. All of the water's surface is muddied and foul, swirling and moving with microscopic life the likes of which might be used as some pet project. After dipping my foot into it, I confirmed I can feel wet, though. So maybe it'd be worthwhile to see how bathing is if I can find a means to purify it.

Last but not least is something within my reach: Creeper Thorn.

And not just a single vine of it like the Creeper used to be. At least a hundred vines interweaving and strangling one another and the grass around it, almost entirely motionless with those tell-tale barbs deployed. Unlike the local ranbi and my pair, it actually looks to have the same colors as my old body but has the stats to deploy its thorns. Each thorn glistens with metal tops, some crackling against one another every once in a while.

Comparing it to my old self, I'm very thankful for how fast I learned to move. It also reassured me that I had been correct about the proper combat method for Creeper Thorn is to move slow and strangle. But unlike these strong and barbed ones, if I didn't move as fast I had then neither Bomber or Ivy could have kept me safe nor could I have helped kill anything.

Now, there is an issue with the stuff being here: for starters, I don't think it likes me. When I get close, the Creeper Thorn starts tightening and clanking its thorns like a warning call. If it reaches my zone, I don't know what it will do. Maybe it just ignores me and worries about the grass... but if this cluster is big enough, it could do far more than merely the food supply from my ranbi. It might eventually encircle and trap us. That threat alone makes it obvious what I should do: destroy it.

Another part of me, however, recognizes a potential here. Rather than attempting to kill the entire cluster that goes on much further beyond my allocated movement range, I should harvest it. Dried Creeper Thorn turned into traps so the logical step is to use the parts that grow close toward me as more trap and defensive material.

So I funneled my mana and cast Thorntwist. Suffice to say, there was a lot of grass sent flying everywhere when those needles shot through the air. Using it with my new body actually makes it have a much larger radius, now that I think about it; it's akin to laying a light flat on the ground instead of standing it up. Not true range but situational reach means that I can actually use it to defend all-around more effectively. Anyway... the carnage of plant life and many lengths of lesser Creeper being cut down into smaller individual pieces met me with familiar sound and pop-up.

[Quests]://Feature_Creep Resources and options are the beginning of many new adventures! But they also provide opportunity for new dungeons! To do that, you must extend not just your reach but your control over your territory!

Acquire Dungeon Edge Constructor

[Build 5 structures within your dungeon's claimed zone. 3/5]

???

???

Bonus Condition: Learn/Acquire Ability Magic Theorist.

Unlike before, this new quest window makes me want to head-desk. Both of my prior quests had been very straightforward and had rolled out features that made sense.

Now? Not only did it mention needing to acquire a Dungeon Edge, it mentioned things I hadn't even considered. While I have been clearing things out, it was more to feed my ranbi and make fortifications. The only three things I constructed were my bone towers... and all three were in cleared space.

So I guess, for now, it might be easy to assume the cleared ground is where my current claim is. But they had contributed towards giving me a Dungeon Edge? All I did was stack up some bones and I almost acquired one. Albeit good news, it leaves me unsure on what those question marks mean. Secret Conditions aren't displayed normally so those question marks must mean this is a new part of quest features.

The bonus condition just makes me frustrated: is it because my class is mage? How does learning magical theory in any way contribute to extending and acquiring control over my territory? Not to mention that so far, I had no idea how magic worked aside from the sensation and basic casting. I'd need an explanation on how exactly I still don't understand the theory but that could wait for later.

For now, looting. Uncoiling some of my branching vine-growths lets me easily collect the lengths of Creeper Thorn I broke apart. Surprisingly, the thorns went back inside? Drying them out supposedly makes them extend again so I suppose the best way to identify a Creeper Thorn's health might be related to how its thorns look.

... Is that why ranbi kept attacking me?

[Notification] Education point reached.

Acquiring ability...

Wait, what? What the hell is this-

[Notification] Kaden has gained Ability: Active Deduction.

Manager, Abilities... HOLY SHI-

Active Deduction Learned / Acquired Personal-type A mind is a foolish thing to waste, so use it!

When facing a problematic situation, gain 1% chance to discover the best possible outcome.

Cooldown of one month.

Wow. So... even though it has a cooldown of once per month, this ability lets me somehow find the best outcome? I mean, even at a one percent chance, that can change everything! It does suck that it has a month-long cooldown but that's fine.

... Maybe I'm overplaying its value but most reincarnated or different world experiences always draw on someone's prior life to give them an advantage. Those that don't, they're usually so overpowered that they never really are at risk.

My situation is far from either of those; it isn't as if I was stupid in my prior life, but saying that I was well-prepared is wrong. My intelligence was always somewhat capable but comparing me to those with extensive educations always made it obvious how selective my wit could be applied. Most of my skills were also very low mental-deduction: dry wood for fires, fashioning makeshift furniture and fixing things up as best I can with what I had.

This Ability is effectively a way to get specialized knowledge at a moment's notice. Even if it was just a way to clean up all the mess back at the circle, that'd be better than nothing.

Now, that aside? That Grey bastard better not make it pop for something stupid like opening a jar without proper hands.