Len opened his as he finished another cultivation cycle. Three days of intensive tempering and cultivation had transformed his body.

  Each breath drew in the dense, pure mana that filled the ancient tree's chamber. His muscles, bones, and organs had been broken down and rebuilt countless times, growing stronger with each cycle.

  He reached for the watch he'd set aside, checking the time. "Rick," Len called out, his voice echoing in the hollow trunk. "Time to wrap it up. The people for Goran should be here in a few hours."

  Rick grunted acknowledgment from where he sat next to him cross-legged on the platform. The living wood's patterns still pulsed beneath them, feeding them concentrated mana.

  The mana rushing towards Rick calmed.

  Len stood, testing his enhanced strength. His body felt different - denser, more resilient. The tempering had pushed him well beyond his previous limits. He could feel the expanded pathways through his body, carrying nearly twice the mana he could handle before.

  ===

  You have reached —check tempering and cultivation

  He gathered his gear, the living armor settling naturally against his frame. The pieces had adapted to his improved physique over the past few days, growing along with him.

  He'd added bulk, his bones becoming denser and developing muscle. His shirt was tight over his shoulders and chest, his pants tight around his thighs.

  There was a weight to his movements.

  Feels good to be big again.

  Rick popped up from the platform and pranced over to his gear.

  He'd filled out too, both of them getting the solid build of one that dealt with the harshness of the world. Thick and solid without losing their mobility.

  "Damn that feels good!" Rick clicked his tongue as he pulled on gear quickly.

  "Still got a bit to go," Len said as he clipped his cloak on.

  Armed and armored he felt like he could take on anything and walk out the other side.

  Can't go in too confident. Armor was great, but even it could break. That was why he looked ridiculous with his armor plates over his living wooden armor and his mismatched as hell gear.

  Function over form was a dungeoneers motto.

  They checked one another's gear before descending the spiral path through the tree's interior.

  Len's enhanced senses picked up every detail of the ancient carvings as they passed - the history and knowledge of the Sylvani preserved in living wood.

  They emerged into the central chamber, leaving the renewal tree behind. Even the normal mana density of the dungeon felt thin in comparison.

  Len gathered up the condensing formation they'd used on the treant and the glowing flying insects while Rick gathered the cores and mana pieces into his blanket.

  Complete, they stepped upon the ground, shooting through the dungeon towards the village.

  They reached the armory to find the gear in their alcoves, the mana density in the tree had decreased, the wood grain patterns having dimmed somewhat.

  Len studied a bow in an alcove. "Uncommon grade."

  He looked over to Rick who was checking out staffs. "Same here."

  "So a bunch of mana and three days you get uncommon grade gear. That's not bad."

  "Once we get some expert level crafters that's not going to be hard though," Rick said.

  "Yeah but this doesn't need anyone and we don't have any experts other than you and I," Len said.

  "Well lets get this packed up and we can head to the dungeon entrance.

  "Leave three in the alcoves, use those as testers to see if we can increase their grade or ability with enough time," Len said pulling out a notebook.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Alright," Rick picked up the gear he'd pulled out and carried it into the training room.

  Len wrote down the common and uncommon gear's properties in his notebook - they'd need baseline measurements to track any changes from additional mana exposure.

  Rick finished just before Len did.

  "These should give us good information," Len said, closing his notebook. "The remaining pieces might reveal something interesting about how the Sylvani enhancement process worked."

  "Enchantment nerd."

  "Building nerd," Len said. "Shall we see what the other trees made?"

  They moved through the bridges and trees passages toward the alchemy tree chamber. The living walls pulsed with stored mana, casting soft green light across their path.

  The scents hit his enhanced senses - sharp, sweet, bitter notes mixing in the air. His improved perception picked up subtle differences he'd missed during their first visit. The stored compounds had grown more concentrated over the past three days.

  Len inspected the ingredient beds. The alchemical ingredients had flourished under the tree's influence. Leaves shimmered with intricate veins, giving off deep odours, stems oozed potent sap. Even the roots carried traces of refined mana.

  He plucked a leaf, crushing it between his fingers. The released oils were potent.

  Len walked into the room filled with natural vats formed within the alchemy tree's trunk. He rapped his knuckles against one, listening to the liquid inside. he tapped up higher.

  "Here let me," Rick said and tapped the wall.

  "They're all nearly full," he said.

  "As long as we keep supplying mana, we're going to have a steady supply of potions and Tenebrook will have a good selection of uncommon and rare ingredients," Len said, wiping the oil from his hand. "We'll need to set up regular harvesting runs."

  "Orchard?" Rick asked.

  "Yeah lets check it and the growing tree as well."

  Len followed Rick into the orchard tree's chamber. The living walls curved upward, forming terraced platforms filled with fruit-bearing plants. His enhanced senses picked up the rich scents of ripe fruit and fertile soil.

  Branches heavy with apples, pears, and exotic fruits he couldn't name stretched toward the light filtering down from above. Nut trees dotted the outer rings, their branches laden with pecans, walnuts, and varieties he'd never encountered before.

  "Three days of mana and look at this harvest," Len said, examining a nearby apple tree. The fruit was perfect - no blemishes or signs of pests. He plucked one, the flesh firm and fragrant.

  He bit into it, his eyes widening. "Wow, okay so that's not a normal apple. Increased stamina and mana regeneration. Subtle."

  Rick grabbed and apple and bit into it.

  "Common?" Len asked.

  "I think that's uncommon, going to depend on how long it lasts. Heck it could be Rare if we can eat more stuff and it doesn't negatively affect us," Rick said.

  "Cooking with higher grades of ingredients is a pain," Len sighed.

  "Complicated mess," Rick agreed. "Why we usually just do charred meat and vegetables. Cooking is one hell of a complicated skill."

  "Lets grab some fruit, Jorge and his people will probably appreciate some food after their trip," Len said.

  They raided the tree sampling as they went before they headed to the growing-tree. Inside, plants of all kinds thrived in a careful balance. Tall grain stalks swayed beside leafy vegetables. Vines wound up trellises, bearing everything from beans to squash. Root vegetables pushed up through rich black soil.

  "The Sylvani really knew what they were doing," Len said, crouching to examine how different plants supported each other. Nitrogen-fixing plants grew alongside heavy feeders. Tall plants provided shade for those that needed it. The entire system worked in harmony.

  His farmer upbringing and skill was singing in joy as he smiled at the plants.

  He spotted herbs and spices mixed throughout - both culinary and medicinal varieties. The growing formations carved into the walls pulsed steadily, maintaining optimal conditions for each type of plant.

  "Between this and the orchard, we could feed a lot of people," Len said, standing back up. "Once we get the farmers trained up on managing these systems, or replicating them back home it'll give us food security through the apocalypse."

  "Might be good to keep this all here to give us a back up and a second supply point," Rick said.

  "I'm worried that with them being in the middle of a dungeon that they could get damaged," Len said.

  "Yeah a strict no fire policy is definitely going to be in effect. I think this might be one of the dungeons we don't let others into," Rick said.

  "All this knowledge, this craft - just waiting here in the dark. Wonder if any Sylvani survived somewhere."

  The wall carvings had shown their decline, but not their end. Perhaps some had escaped before whatever catastrophe drove them to seal away their legacy in this dungeon. Or perhaps they were truly gone, leaving only these echoes of their civilization behind.

  ***

  They made their way back through the winding passages toward the dungeon entrance.

  They slowed as they reached the adhoc camping area they'd created with Lydia and her squad.

  Voices echoed off stone walls. Len recognized Jorge's commanding tone.

  Len spotted them coming down the stairs, a few talking with one another and studying the opening at the top of the stairs that allowed one to see over the whispering grove.

  Jorge left his platoon and walked up to Len and Rick.

  "Good to see you Jorge, Lieutenant," Len said, noticing the new tabs. This was Jorge's platoon.

  "Seems that all of us got a bump up the ranks," Jorge grimaced.

  The forty soldiers split up into squads and the logi's were checking out the stairs, the ground and everything that might impede them.

  "Well welcome to the whispering dungeon. She's got quite a few secrets," Len said.

  "Best to put out some security there are probably some dungeon creatures out there still, though we do have fruit that everyone can dig into while we brief you," Rick said.