The tower had spent the entire duration of his absence feeding itself…
It hadn't just passively siphoned ambient mana from the atmosphere. It had actively devoured the mutant creatures that blindly charged the perimeter, processing their corrupted flesh and cores with the exact, passive, carnivorous hunger Ren had deliberately woven into its architecture.
It was massive now, and also terrifyingly thick.
The wooden roots that Ren vaguely remembered leaving as medium-sized structural anchors had engorged themselves. They had thickened into massive, iron-hard trunks that burrowed deep into the blood-soaked earth.
The entire structure radiated a heavy, predatory presence that it absolutely hadn't possessed at this level the day Ren built it. It looked less like a guard tower and more like a massive, hungry beast waiting in the dirt.
The moment Ren reported for duty, command immediately pinned a merit badge to his chest.
