Although he intended to use this seed fossil as a material for Monster Creation, Dalun Li had no intention of being reckless.
First, he had to confirm exactly what kind of plant this seed fossil was.
Carefully placing the seed fossil on the ground, Dalun Li gently uncorked the bottle of water of life.
A surge of exuberant vitality gushed out from within.
It felt as if this entire desert was about to be revitalized under this life force, growing into a small oasis.
"It really is good stuff!"
Dalun Li gripped the bottle carefully, terrified of spilling even a single drop, and cautiously let one fall onto the seed stone.
The exuberant vitality of the water of life quickly permeated the interior of the stone.
That seed fossil, which had been withered and silent for who knows how many years, actually began to show signs of life, bit by bit.
Seeing that the water of life was effective, Dalun Li hurriedly poured more.
Soon, nearly half the bottle of water of life had been consumed.
On the seed fossil, the stone gradually became soft, soaking up moisture like a seed that had endured a long drought.
[Seed of the Death-Life Vine] The seed of the magic plant, the Death-Life Vine. Once it grows, it will frantically absorb and devour the surrounding vitality, causing irreversible damage to the environment. It will only produce a single life fruit and leave behind a new seed once the environment is completely destroyed. It is an absolutely harmful plant in the magic world and was believed to be extinct.
Dalun Li finally discovered the true identity of this seed fossil.
Could it be...
Dalun Li recalled the purple vines that had appeared on the fifth floor.
Those vines possessed a few characteristics of this vine, but they were absolutely incapable of altering or destroying the environment to this extent.
And from the sixth floor all the way to the tenth floor, it was all a desert...
Perhaps it was the masterpiece of this Death-Life Vine.
Even the forest on the sixth floor had been permeated by the power of this vine, causing special vines to spread out.
"What a terrifying vine; no wonder it was systematically exterminated by the magic world."
Thinking of the desert spanning five floors, Dalun Li felt a chill in his heart.
"However, this characteristic suits my current needs perfectly."
If this thing were to grow and spread, his current power might not be able to handle it; he would only be able to isolate the dungeon to prevent it from spreading to other floors.
But now, it was just a seed.
"Become the material for my new guardian obediently!"
Dalun Li placed the seed in front of him and put away the remaining half bottle of water of life.
Next, he brought over a branch from the substitution tree and a small stack of leaves.
He had plucked a large quantity of branches and leaves from the magic tree on the fourth floor.
Plant-type monsters were precisely Dalun Li's forte.
After all, plants were full of vitality, and since the Forest Stratum began providing him with power, every one of his monsters would incorporate plant characteristics.
This time, he did not use red copper, and he only brought over a single magic iron ingot.
Incorporating too many minerals might make a monster strong and hard for a time, but it was not conducive to long-term development.
Once a floor boss was created and integrated into a floor, it could not increase its level, so it didn't matter.
But a guardian obviously couldn't be made that way; incorporating a single magic iron ingot in moderation to improve hardness was enough.
With all the materials gathered, Dalun Li slowly floated up from the stone pedestal.
Silver light, now as substantial as physical matter and no longer as faint as it once was, showered down upon the pile of materials before him.
"Guardian, create!"
As the ability activated, the pile of materials merged with each other in an instant, growing rapidly.
The Seed of the Death-Life Vine, acting as the core, was decomposed and reshaped into the guardian's material before it even had a chance to sprout.
The magic iron ingot was torn apart and absorbed by the mass of plants, fully integrating into them.
The plants that absorbed the magic iron ore also underwent a special transformation, as leaves as hard as metal began to grow out.
His power was being consumed rapidly.
Dalun Li divided his focus, striving to control the guardian's specialized direction.
The Death-Life Vine's characteristic of absorbing and devouring life must be preserved.
Defensive power didn't need to be strengthened; he only needed to add protection to the core.
The powerful growth ability had to be reinforced.
He specialized the control ability over plants and specialized the plant's sensory abilities.
By combining the magic iron with the woody texture, he specialized its sharpness and, combined with devouring, derived a biting ability.
He bestowed it with Mimicry and vision...
Vision could not be added; it conflicted with the plant characteristics and sensory abilities.
Damn it, combine vision with sensory abilities, and based on the sensory abilities, bestow the characteristics of Insight and Dynamic Vision.
Specialize the Mimicry ability, and specialize it further.
Specialize the Shaping ability, and specialize it further.
Dalun Li could only barely manage to add these miscellaneous abilities.
However, the growth and control abilities of the vine plant remained the core, and Dalun Li did not weaken them by chasing after minor details.
Under Dalun Li's control, the guardian's form became closer and closer to a human shape.
The leaves mimicked skin and clothing on the outside.
Mimicked long black hair flowed behind its back, and long, pointed ears protruded from the sides.
A slightly heavy silver head armor covered the upper half of its head, obscuring the eyes.
It only allowed one to see the perfect lower half of the face.
The figure was tall and slender, stepping lightly upon the sandy ground.
Something resembling strips of cloth hung from its wrists, twisting like branches, and vine-like branches grew from beneath its feet.
Hand-drawn by Sisisishi: Zeno Dalun Li
[Name] pedestal guardian Dalun Li
[Level] lv10
[Skills] Plant Growth lv5, Life Devour lv5, Life Siphon lv5, Vigorous Vitality lv5, Malice Growth lv5, Perception lv4, Plant Clone lv4, Plant Control lv4, Bite lv4, Pierce lv4, Sharpness lv4, Regeneration lv4, Stealth lv4, Great Strength lv3, Poison lv3, Root Sprawl lv3, Flesh Devour lv3, Mimicry lv3, Shaping lv3, Dynamic Vision lv2, Insight lv2, Entangle lv2, Parasitism lv2, Life Storage lv1
[Description] A guardian created by the unknown existence Dalun Li to protect him. It possesses the evil power to destroy large areas of the surface. It has the ability to mimic and can blend in among humans. It is an extremely difficult monster to kill.
"My Lord, I offer you my loyalty."
The new guardian bowed respectfully.
She had mimicked a female appearance, and the head armor covering her head was also a part of her body.
It strengthened her sensory abilities and granted her sensory-based [Dynamic Vision] and [Insight].
At the same time, the head armor possessed powerful defensive and resistance capabilities.
Although the lower half of the face beneath the armor was exquisitely beautiful, there were no eyes on the upper half.
While she could mimic eyes to deceive others under special circumstances, she did not possess actual sight.
In its place was a powerful sensory ability that allowed her to perceive the entire surrounding environment.
She could even perceive colors and scents.
It was even more outstanding than normal vision.
"From today onward, you are the second guardian beneath my pedestal."
"Your name shall be Zeno Dalun Li."
Dalun Li bestowed a name upon Zeno.
Because Zeno's intelligence was very high, to prevent her from accidentally self-harming just because of him, Dalun Li had spent extra power to bestow her with a powerful sense of rationality.
This would allow her to restrain herself in various situations.
"Thank you... Master... for the name. I am willing to sacrifice everything to offer my loyalty to you, my Lord."
Zeno spoke softly. Her voice was strange at first, but she quickly adapted, mimicking a pleasant and cold female voice.
As expected of the rationality Dalun Li had personally bestowed; she seemed much calmer.
Crack.
That arm, as exquisite as white jade, suddenly fell to the ground, and the skin mimicked on its surface turned back into silver leaves.
"I apologize, my Lord."
Zeno carefully picked up the arm from the ground and reattached it to the stump.
In the blink of an eye, it grew back and mimicked an arm once more.
...I'll just pretend I didn't see that.
Rate on N.U.
