“Wow! That was really something else!” said Astrid, stepping up to examine the newly evolved Flora Whelp. “Your power as a Keeper is incredible. You’ve barely been here for 24 hours and you’ve already bonded with the dungeon core, gained two new monsters and evolved one of them!”

Astrid's eyes shone with genuine admiration, and I couldn’t help a feeling of pride at her admiration. However, I knew how important it was not to let this stuff go to my head. No matter how good her admiration—and my new powers—made me feel, I was determined not to let my new status turn me into an asshole. I would do my best to stay appreciative of my good luck.

“It seems to have happened pretty quick, you’re right about that,” I said.

Kyrine spoke. “You will find that gaining higher levels and more advanced evolutions for the monsters will take exponentially longer. This didn’t take long because the monster was at a low level. If you were to work on the Magma Ape, for example, that would take much longer because it has already gone through two evolutions.”

“It’s an amazing process that I’ve never seen before,” said Astrid thoughtfully. “Of course, monsters sometimes evolve on their own, but it’s a rare, sporadic process, spurred by a genetic mutation or a magical fluke—this intentional, linear evolution, chosen by you as the Keeper…” she shook her head in amazement. “Well, let’s just say I can’t wait to see what you do with this power.”

“That’s the effect of dungeons being back in the world,” I said with a broad grin. “You’re right, it’s pretty amazing.”

I felt like there was something she was not saying. She seemed to have something on her mind, something more than her amazement at the evolution process. She took a breath, held it for a moment as if about to speak, then let it out again, shaking her head slightly.

“What is it, Astrid?” I asked, knowing she wanted to get something off her chest.

“Oh, well, I’m not sure if it’s appropriate…” she stammered. She seemed embarrassed to speak, which was very out of character. What could it be that she wanted to say?