"I'm so thirsty. I didn't think this dungeon would have so little water; I should've brought more if I'd known."
On the first floor, an adventurer complained to his companion while continuing their journey and recording the map.
Although the local lord was selling maps outside, they were far too expensive.
Meanwhile, Dalun Li, located on the fourth floor of the dungeon, felt his eyes light up.
"They say the people possess great wisdom. I've got it."
From the lake surrounding the giant tree, Dalun Li separated a pool of water along with several strands of algae.
At the same time, he plucked a large handful of leaves.
Looking at the floating globule of water before him, the silver orb shone with a dazzling light.
It was the light of wisdom.
"Monster Creation!"
As the light flashed, the globule of water before him began to sway unsteadily, constantly twisting and contorting.
Magic power continuously condensed and formed within it.
Soon after, the globule collapsed into a puddle of sludge, splashing onto the soil of the ground.
Within the water, mimicked algae swayed back and forth.
[Name] Dalun Li's water lurker
[Level] lv4
[Skills] Camouflage lv2, Stealth lv1, Liquefaction lv1, Mild Poison lv1, Entangle lv1
[Description] A monster servant created by the unknown existence Dalun Li. A ferocious carnivorous monster that disguises itself as a water source to lure prey. Once the prey is close, it rapidly drags them into the water to drown them via Entanglement. Additionally, the mimicked water has anesthetic properties.
After the water lurker was born, it wriggled and stretched its algae toward Dalun Li, seemingly wanting to get closer to his light, yet it was also somewhat shy and didn't dare to approach.
"Very good, A-Shui. Perk up and don't disgrace your predecessors; I'm leaving the third floor to you!"
He teleported the water lurker to a location on the third floor and then proceeded to create another batch.
At the same time, he began to adjust the structure of the third floor.
The labyrinth still needed to exist, but since the mineral veins were an unknown factor, he needed to set aside a specific area.
In this area, Dalun Li created a cluster of trees and soil.
With the power of the fourth floor now at his disposal, he was finally able to create such things.
In addition to the water lurkers, Dalun Li also created a batch of normal water sources and planted glowing water weeds.
This way, the water lurkers wouldn't appear out of place.
There was no need to create any particularly special monsters for the third floor.
He could just modify the gargoyles from the second floor and toss them onto the third floor; they would still be useful.
The same applied to the mimics.
However, the number of mimics needed to be reduced so they wouldn't steal the water lurker's spotlight.
He modified the gargoyles, increasing their level by one and growing moss on their bodies, which also allowed them to control their own luminescence.
This took their Stealth to the next level and slightly increased their physical toughness, making them less fragile.
For now, he would make do with these monsters on the third floor, as it was all caves anyway.
When he developed the fourth floor, he would create a new batch of monsters based on the environment.
With that magic tool of his, the third floor probably still won't be enough to handle that Kroos.
Dalun Li planned to create a batch of monsters on the fourth floor specifically to counter him and take him down once and for all.
A steady stream of adventurers continued to enter the first floor.
Some of the adventurers who had entered earliest had bought maps and already reached the second floor, hunting for the red copper mask of the gargoyles to make money.
Other adventurers were on the verge of discovering the way to the second floor on their own.
News that the second floor contained materials for magic masks had already spread outside the dungeon.
This caused even more adventurers to gather toward the dungeon.
Around the hemispherical building, adventurers had already begun to set up camps.
Some quick-witted merchants from nearby had already arrived at the campsite to purchase the red copper masks.
This empty plain was attracting more and more people because of this dungeon.
In the nearby small villages, every household had temporarily turned into an inn, clearing out rooms for guests.
Some bold and clever villagers had already discussed it with their families and used their money to buy up large quantities of timber from other villagers at high prices.
Those with relatives who were carpenters also wrote letters to call them over.
It was estimated that before long, the tents around the dungeon would be replaced by houses.
The surrounding villagers would also gather to live near the dungeon, operating inns and restaurants.
Then, they would establish villages and small towns.
If the dungeon was large enough and could be explored indefinitely, it wasn't impossible for a city to be built in this remote place in the future.
It was still too early to speak of such things; a certain half-baked dungeon was still busily burying its head in work, creating gargoyles for these adventurers to grind.
Outside the dungeon, a brown steed was currently galloping over, carrying an adventurer clad in leather armor.
That adventurer had a head of foolish blond hair.
Blond hair was a symbol of nobility in the Geri Kingdom, but in the Lanxi Kingdom, people generally had black or brown hair.
Consequently, the Lanxi Kingdom was particularly hostile toward blond hair, believing that a foolish and arrogant head grew beneath it.
Conversely, black hair was a symbol of evil in the Geri Kingdom, where it was believed that the darkness of the mind seeped into the hair.
However, beneath that blond hair, the adventurer carried a bone greatsword on his back; the hilt appeared to be ground from bone, emitting a dangerous aura.
On one of his shoulders, he wore a silver pauldron.
Some adventurers here had already recognized the newcomer.
"Silver Bone Remel, he's actually here!"
"Did he make a deal with Lord Grey? Otherwise, how could the lord let him in?"
"He's someone who has conquered a twelve-floor dungeon with a party. Are we going to be left without even the scraps again?"
Remel rode his horse arrogantly, ignoring the discussions of these people as he approached the dungeon entrance.
As it turns out, some of the sayings in the Lanxi Kingdom aren't without merit.
Arrogance or stupidity—a blond is bound to have at least one.
"Is this the new dungeon? It seems it might be worthy of my sword."
Remel flipped off his horse and then tossed a silver coin to a nearby adventurer.
The latter hurriedly caught it and glared fiercely at the surrounding adventurers who were trying to approach.
"Watch my horse. Remember, watch it well."
Leaving those words behind, Remel rushed into the dungeon without looking back.
After the time it takes for a candle to burn, he walked back out and took out another gold coin.
After a moment's thought, he swapped it for a silver coin.
"Water and dry rations—who has some?"
It seems he isn't just arrogant; he appears to possess the other trait as well.
Rate on N.U.
