It didn't take long after Remel entered the dungeon for Dalun Li to notice the fellow.
Dangerous.
Extremely dangerous!
He was absolutely no match for him.
On the fourth floor, Dalun Li suddenly floated up from his pedestal, spinning rapidly.
But he soon calmed down.
"So early... how could such a powerful guy show up this early?"
He couldn't afford to be anxious; the most important thing right now was to think of a countermeasure.
Dalun Li noticed that Remel hadn't purchased a map and was instead relying on his own exploration.
If that was the case, several floors of the labyrinth should be able to stall him for a certain amount of time.
In the process, was there any way to take him out with a dirty trick?
...Impossible.
His creations couldn't possibly be effective against such a being.
Furthermore, the power provided by the current floors made it impossible to create a monster capable of facing this guy in a direct confrontation.
Attacking in a swarm would just be like offering up snacks.
Stall for time, analyze the opponent's combat abilities, create more floors, and thereby create a monster that countered him to finish him off.
Dalun Li focused part of his attention on Remel while simultaneously letting the mimics of the second floor return to the field to hunt the solo adventurers entering that floor.
'Sorry, lone wolves, this is the last time; I'll compensate you in the future.'
Meanwhile, coins and equipment were gathered on the fourth floor, piled into small heaps.
The adventurers inside the dungeon continued their advance for two days.
Finally, Croton was the first to find the path leading to the third floor.
A slightly haggard Croton successfully reached the third floor, quickly establishing a base and assessing the situation.
Then, using the base as a center, he began a steady exploration of the surroundings.
Remel successfully reached the second floor and finished resupplying at the base there.
Kroos was still wandering around the second floor, but by the looks of it, he should be able to enter the third floor within a day.
Dalun Li successfully hunted some solo adventurers.
However, accumulating 100 points of Earth Vein Power required a significant number of adventurers.
Killing this many adventurers would definitely attract attention.
But over these two days, some adventurers with fairly high levels had entered the dungeon one after another.
The higher the level, the more Earth Vein Power their hunting provided.
But the risk of hunting them was also higher.
The mandragoras on the first floor had basically lost their chance, so he could only rely on the mimics on the second floor for the hunting.
As for the water lurker on the third floor, it hadn't tasted blood yet, but Dalun Li placed high hopes on it.
The mandragoras could be upgraded, but Dalun Li planned to place the upgraded mandragoras into the forest of the fourth floor.
That way, they wouldn't be so out of place and would be better at making people let down their guard.
On the fourth floor, a vine quietly approached the pedestal, struggling to get closer to the silver orb on the wall.
The orb turned around, looking at the vine before it.
The vine froze instantly, seemingly not expecting to be detected just like that.
"Idiot, your concealment of aura is still not enough; it seems you still need to go back into the furnace for remodeling."
The vine didn't expect to be scolded so harshly and retreated somewhat dejectedly from the pedestal into the grass on the ground.
[Name] Dalun Li's thief vine
[Level] lv4
[Skills] Stealth lv2, Camouflage lv2, Mimicry lv2, Silence Steplv1, Paralyzing Breath lv1, Fine Tendrils lv1
[Description] A monster servant created by the unknown existence Dalun Li. It can approach enemies silently to steal items. Compared to a monster, it is closer to a plant. It has no offensive capabilities, is basically harmless, and is cowardly.
This was Dalun Li's latest masterpiece, though it was still a semi-finished product.
Dalun Li planned to place it in the forest of the fourth floor to steal Kroos's magic tool.
After several days of voyeurism, Dalun Li had already discovered that Kroos's magic tool was a badge.
He also knew where the badge was placed.
As long as the badge was stolen, wouldn't the remaining Kroos be easy to handle?
He hadn't been in a hurry to create this vine.
But Remel's arrival had made Dalun Li feel a sense of urgency, forcing him to act ahead of schedule.
On the third floor, he had created a forest in the open area around the copper mine, where he could place the thief vine to steal the badge.
"Little Vine, although I sent A-Shui to the third floor, you're actually the one I think most highly of. Perk up and don't disgrace yourself."
Dalun Li encouraged the thief vine.
Although the latter's intelligence might not allow it to understand, it could still feel its master's encouragement and expectations.
Thus, it swayed its vine happily.
After all, all of Dalun Li's creations were filled with love for their creator and regarded receiving the creator's affection and gaze as the highest reward.
With this sway, its body hidden in the grass was suddenly exposed again.
"...Why does it feel like the intelligence of each generation is worse than the last? I feel like Little Man was still the smartest."
Transferring the several thief vines he had created one after another to the forest on the third floor, Dalun Li waited patiently for the fish to take the bait.
However, instead of Kroos, Croton found this forest first.
They both had the 'Cro' character in their names; their ancestors three generations back might have even been close relatives.
Dalun Li planned to test the effectiveness of the thief vine on this old guy first.
"Little Vine, go and steal two hundred bucks from this old geezer for me."
"If you can't steal it, I'll hit you."
The thief vine quickly suppressed the joy in its heart, as being able to do things for its master was the greatest reward.
It hung down along with the other vines on the tree, appearing completely unremarkable.
Croton was surprised by the forest appearing before him, and while exploring, he was incredibly careful.
Looking at the few vines hanging before him, he instinctively swung his sword in a slash.
The vines, which had zero offensive power or harmful intent, had basically put all their points into Stealth, and they were easily severed along with the other ordinary vines.
Killed!
"Little Vine!"
Dalun Li cried out in surprise.
But it was fine; Little Vine No. 2 nearby was still alive.
Wait a minute, why isn't it moving yet?
This is...
"It's scared stiff!"
Dalun Li almost laughed out loud and hurriedly began calling out.
Little Vine No. 2, having woken up, suppressed its fear and with a quiet movement, stole the coin pouch from Croton's person.
Croton didn't react at all and continued forward.
The vine curled around the coin pouch, relying on leaves to hide it, and remained motionless as if it were dead.
Even Dalun Li, the creator, couldn't tell if this thing was naturally gifted or simply too scared to move a muscle.
Compared to its ferocious predecessors, it was truly a bit of a disgrace.
But its ability was still top-notch.
"Retreat, retreat quickly."
As Croton left, Dalun Li hurriedly made the thief vine retreat.
At the same time, the vine on the ground was also recycled by Dalun Li.
After all, it was Little Vine No. 1; he had to revive it properly.
He opened the stolen coin pouch.
Peering inside...
A golden legend!
Rate on N.U.
