Real treasure chests were also a necessity.
Lest anyone call him stingy.
Dalun Li created a wooden treasure chest, then took a magic leaf from the fourth floor.
Next, he took a drop of liquid from Tongmu.
This time, the skill he bestowed was [Insight lv2].
Once the Power Leaf was complete, Dalun Li threw it into the treasure chest and then tossed the chest randomly into a cave on the sixth floor.
Insight allowed the user to use mana to see through an opponent's abilities.
It was an exceptionally rare skill, one that humans could hardly obtain through training.
Eye-related skills were only acquired by a tiny fraction of people, making them extremely precious.
He would definitely need to continue nurturing Tongmu to obtain even more ocular techniques.
The same applied to the existing ocular skills.
By the time he finished these tasks, an entire day had passed.
Dalun Li checked his Earth Vein Power.
[Earth Vein Power required to create the next floor] 372.124/1000
...
The fourth floor base of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment.
Inside a newly built wooden hut, a man was currently studying a wooden branch dropped by a wood soldier and a wooden fragment from a wood armor monster.
"The mana content is much higher than that of the red copper masks; it's my first time seeing monster materials like these."
The man was the alchemical craftsman from the outside world, Fete.
Fete could no longer bear waiting for monster materials in the outside world, so he had risked hiring adventurers to come to the fourth floor base.
Compared to the first three floors, the forest base on the fourth floor was much more dangerous.
However, it also allowed him to obtain monster materials firsthand.
"Mr. Fete, what about the value?"
A few merchants who had also ventured to the fourth floor to purchase materials asked hurriedly.
"A wooden branch is worth at least 90 copper coins, and these wooden fragments are unprecedented—they could fetch 1 silver coin."
Fete gave his professional assessment of their value.
"There's already a chance these branches and fragments could be alchemized into magic items."
Magic items were tools that possessed mana.
They could exert weak special abilities, but the number of times such magic items could be used was very low—usually only a few times.
"Magic items!"
"Mr. Fete, are you certain?"
The merchants spoke with pleasant surprise.
Magic items were highly valuable and very popular among adventurers.
Their value was at least five silver coins or more.
Some rare and powerful magic items could even reach the value of gold coins.
Of course, consistently alchemizing magic items required considerable alchemical skill.
Alchemical craftsmen with such skill were often extremely scarce.
"I'm certain of my ability, but I'll need some materials to practice with."
"If you are willing to sell your stock to me..."
The several merchants fell silent.
These materials would fetch a high price if sold elsewhere, but if they could be turned into magic items...
Even if Fete charged a processing fee, they could still make a massive profit.
However...
"I can find some time later to alchemize a batch of magic items for you,"
Fete made a promise.
He had come here to improve his alchemical skills and eventually create true magical artifacts.
Now that a new type of monster material and a chance to practice were right in front of him, he would not let them slip away.
"Then we shall trouble you, Mr. Fete. I hope we have more opportunities to cooperate in the future."
One merchant spoke first, making his decision.
The remaining merchants, faced with the prospect of profit, also spoke up one after another.
Fete also allowed a smile to show.
...
The fifth floor.
Manfred drew his sword, cutting a wood soldier that had attempted a sneak attack into two pieces before leaping onto a nearby tree to provide support by slashing out Sword Qi below.
The continuous exploration had left Manfred somewhat fatigued.
In particular, the wetland swamp of the fifth floor consumed far more physical strength than the previous floors.
Inside the dungeon, there was almost no way to get proper rest.
At this moment, Manfred couldn't help but wonder.
How on earth did those monsters in the capital, who explored the depths of large floors for months or even half a year, manage to do it?
"River discovered ahead!"
Information came back from the scouts in front.
Manfred took a deep breath, remaining cautious.
In this stratum, danger was hidden beneath the water; they could not afford to be careless even when drawing water.
"Advance along the river, and keep a constant watch on the water!"
Manfred shouted loudly.
Within the team, Rhine was looking a bit weary.
There was no helping it; a mage's basic physique clearly couldn't compare to those two freaks.
A mage's specialized path was the storage of mana, so the degree of physical strengthening was quite shallow.
In contrast, both swordsmen and heavy warriors used mana to strengthen their flesh.
Being a woman made things even more difficult in a dungeon, which was why the number of women among adventurers was significantly lower than that of men.
Just as Rhine was silently preparing to endure, her body suddenly shuddered.
The mana within her body became uncontrollably restless.
This was a reaction caused by sensing a massive amount of mana.
The fifth floor was a special floor in any dungeon because it marked the end of a large floor section and contained a floor guardian.
A mage could serve as a locator on such special floors.
By relying on the vast amount of mana stored in their bodies, they could sense the presence of a floor overlord.
This was also why a mage was indispensable in an exploration team.
"Captain, there's a reaction!"
Rhine, sensing the change in mana, quickly shouted out.
Hearing Rhine's words, Manfred's spirit rallied, and he immediately issued commands.
"Split into groups of three and spread out to find the floor overlord's room!"
"Weiss, keep Rhine protected at all times!"
As soon as Rhine finished speaking, the exploration team began searching the surrounding area in an orderly fashion.
Dalun Li, who was watching all of this, hadn't expected that even if the boss room was hidden, it could still be located in this manner.
"Mages... they're truly troublesome."
"It seems I'll have to design future monsters specifically to counter mages."
The dispersed team searched systematically.
It took quite a while before one small team found a cave hidden beneath the river water.
Looking at the cave concealed within the river, even Manfred was a little speechless.
He quickly composed himself and began preparing for the floor boss raid.
He couldn't be careless.
Any floor overlord possessed incomparably powerful strength.
Even the weakest overlord in the entire dungeon, the one from the first large floor section, was no exception.
A floor overlord's room allowed a maximum of six people to enter.
Manfred selected three people from the team, positioning them at the left wing, rear-left wing, and rear-right wing respectively.
They were primarily responsible for protecting the mage, Rhine, while also handling some of the damage-dealing duties.
Weiss would act as the vanguard to attract the boss's attacks, while Manfred himself was responsible for offensive suppression and controlling the battlefield from the right wing.
Rhine, the mage at the center of the team, was responsible for the firepower output and weakening the boss.
After assigning the team's responsibilities, Manfred drew his sword, adjusted his gear, and approached the riverbank where the boss room was located.
"Let's go."
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