Chapter 14 - Expanding the Dungeon
Some time has gone by since the dwarfs started to dive into my dungeon for minerals, monster corpses, and mana. While the dwarfen village developed splendidly, advancing rapidly in the metalworking profession, I too saved up for something great.
I was currently planning out the construction of my 7th zone. Saving up the necessary mana, crafting the environment, working out the ecosystem, and experimenting around with various creatures.
The plan was to attribute this zone to earth mana, finally going away from my fire-mana heavy sixth zone and my heated up first five zones. The problem was, that I didn’t have the necessary creature templates I wanted to inhabit my zone with.
Most of my creatures came from the surface and were attributeless or aligned with nature. The rest were fiery or volcanic in nature, a result of my volcanic environment.
Though not everything was in vain. During my experimentation, I had found two solutions for my problem. The first was a manifestation of earth mana, a race I named the earth elemental.
They were creatures born of mana. And were found in areas with a high density in a singularly attributed mana. In their center, a core would hold together their being controlling the manifested energy and forming its body. They were quite similar to me in function and let me come to an epiphany about myself.
Just as the elementals of different attributes, I myself was born of a high concentration of mana. Through further observation, experimentation, and comparing, I found even more information about myself.
It was only speculation but I think that a dungeon core is a kind of unborn elemental. An elemental core that had formed through a very high concentration of mana. But it wasn’t able to fully form its body, because of various reasons, such as not enough space.
Over a long time, this could then lead to the creation of a dungeon core. Sadly this thesis was still incomplete, and just that, a thesis. Nothing was carved in stone and I would have to further experiment and observe other similar lifeforms. Though the best would always be to maybe find another one of my species, another dungeon core.
I returned from my high concentration experimentation with a bit of sadness. Being alone for so long, without anyone to talk to, was getting to my core. To distract me I returned to the second solution to my lack of earth-attuned creatures.
This was a plan I had already, accidentally tried earlier in my life. I had once sent out a “pulse” of mana to celebrate a victory. And now I again took a look at what happened there.
What I hadn’t noticed then was the strong increase of creatures immediately after I send out the pulse. This would be something I would use to lure in creatures of the earth attribute.
To commence my plan I carved a concealed tunnel into a separate cave system. I didn’t want to scare the dwarfs by “sullying” their village with my “evil energy”. So I just send the pulse down a separate tunnel into a different cave system I had found while digging out the 7th zone.
The tunnel led to my first zone and was concealed so the dwarfs wouldn’t find it. I specifically send out an earth-attuned pulse of mana to mostly lure in earth monsters. With a wave of energy halve a month of mana cultivation was send, sacrificed for a little experiment.
I desperately waited for a reaction to my pulse. It would destroy me if nothing happened and I had just stupidly wasted nearly a month of cultivation.
Though to my delight, my pulse was quickly answered. After just 2 to 3 hours a hoot could be heard echoing through the tunnel. Besides it, hundreds of various beast calls followed through the tunnel. I just patiently awaited their arrival.
Once they entered my domain I quickly took a look at them. They ranged from underground spiders to various sizes of ants, or crystalline creatures of different tiers. Others were enormous worms or creatures delving in the shadows of the earth.
I was also quite surprised at the high amount of dark attributes the creatures had. After analyzing it for a while I summarised that the tunnel I bore led to a darkness attributed cave system.
Just as I planned the creatures made their way through my dungeon unobstructed. It was currently nighttime and the dwarfs were asleep, unknowingly resting close to one of the largest monster waves they would ever see.
The monsters went further into my domain, most of them started at tier 1 peek to tier 2. Weaker creatures were not lured in but scared away by the power of my mana pulse.
I fought the creatures the whole night and sometime of the next day. The furthest even got to the entrance of the sixth floor. But their efforts were in vain. They would have probably been able to defeat me if they worked together. But not only didn’t they do that but once the rush of the mana calmed down they began to prey on each other.
I was exalted by the amount of new and interesting creatures that were now in my ability to be summoned. Not wanting to wait any longer I adjusted the plans of my 7th floor to better fit the creatures and began the construction.
Over the coming two weeks I constructed the 7th floor. At the end of every day, I took a look at the dwarfs and my own dungeon. The dwarfs had advanced to the end of the 4th floor.
At the forefront, a team of experienced delvers used my dungeon exclusively to advance their cultivation. They dived in my dungeon every day and went as far as they could, there they would then cultivate.
Most of the other dwarfs simply grouped together into mining expeditions. In these, a group of miners would be protected by guards while mining the ores in the first and second zone. Though the rare expedition even reached the third one.
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Because of this, the dwarfs were advancing rapidly. The abundant resources, food, and mana allowed them to quickly develop their civilization. Vast resources enabled some to be wasted in experimentation and everyone could indulge in work because of the large amount of food. The increased tier and intelligence because of cultivation was just an adding bonus on top.
In the two months the dwarfs had settled down next to me they had approximately advanced two to three years in technology.
This technological advancement didn’t go unnoticed by me and I integrated it into the 7th zone. Speaking of which was now finally out of the terraforming state.
It consisted of a diverse environment, filled with various plantlife I got from seeds that I had found on the monster wave‘s fur and skin.
Once someone left the 6th floor through the tunnel at the top they would find themselves at a small spring. The tunnel with a stream in the center would be joined by dozen others until it ended in a gigantic cavern. Hundreds to thousands of tunnels humongous and minuscule, dotted the cavern's wall, floor, and ceiling.
The cavern formed a gigantic but wobbly V shape. At the V’s bottom-most point the delvers would enter. There a lake has been formed from the exactly 100 waterfalls flooding the area from holes in the wall.
Once someone had crossed the waterfall lake, by swimming, climbing, or by following the 100 ilands they would reach a muddy marshland. Large black willows, dark aspens, brown maple, or dark oak would fill the area.
The interconnected roots would build paths for the delvers to walk along. Once past the marshlands and across the muddy plains the center of the V-shaped cavern was found. Here a jungle of luminescent Trees, Mushrooms, mosses, plants, and even the rare crystal would provide the light for the rest of the cavern.
To continue, the delvers had to decide between the crystal paradise on the left or the brittle earth on the right.
On the left side, the crystal maze would house thousands of crystals, brightening or darkening the surrounding. Though the further they got from the center of the V-shaped cavern the more light-absorbing crystals they would find. Until they reached a forest of stalactites and stone trees.
The stone forest would create the end of the lef side of the cavern, only some tunnels or burrows continuing into the maze beyond.
If someone picked the right instead of the left side they would reach the brittle earth. There the cavern would consist of light stone, creating the perfect environment for its inhabitants, the worms.
After this, the delver would have finished his journey through the 7th zone. The largest and grandest zone yet.
So large even that I had to go over it once more to give me a better overview.
At the bottom of the V-shaped cavern, a lake was filled with waterfalls and dotted by islands. From it away towards the middle, marshland and a muddy plain would make the journey quite difficult.
In the center of the cavern, a jungle of luminescent plantlife would brighten up the whole cave. To the left was a paradise of light and dark crystals. Further in the light would be sucked away by the absorbing crystals and end in a maze of stalactites and stone trees.
On the right side of the V cavern, an area of brittle stone would create a perfect habitat for the worms.
With the terraforming finished I started to fill the zone with the creatures I lured in and experimented on.
The 100 lake was filled with various fishes, crustaceans, and inhabitants of other zones. Some snakes from the second zone and the anguillians from the third. On the islands various monsters such as crocigers and their tier 2 evolutions, subterranean crocigers would fill the area. They were a mixture of tigers and crocodiles, adapted to the water and the mess of marshes.
In the marshlands their evolution, Tier 3 peek, Ammuts, would hunt every delver. Together with the race of chokers, they would make the are a dangerous one.
The choker, strangler, and garroter, Tier 1 weak to Tier 3 weak creatures, subdued their prey by choking them. They were humanoid in form but had long arms and legs with soft bones and suction cups. Members of the octopus and snake families, which too lived in the area.
Within the muddy plains and preying on the marshes and luminescent forest were different species of ants. Ranging from the tier 1 giant ant to the tier 2 huge ant, with their queen counterparts.
Though at the top stood the sole predator ants such as Tier 3 gigants or Tier 4 Ankhegs. They stood at the ecosystem's top and even preyed upon the and ant queens.
In the center, various races from tier 1 and two would create a lively ecosystem. Living and walking mushrooms, the basidirons. Bioluminescent insects and poisonous plants. Or illusion gliders, crazy monkeys, and flying foxes. It was a confusing but wonderous environment, sure to amaze every intruder.
In the crystal paradise, tier 1 peek crystallin scorpions, and their parents Tier 3 weak Crysmals, hunted in the confusing mess. Further in the stalactite and stone tree maze was filled with dark aberrations of the spider family.
Various blackspawn, from tier 1 peek blackspawn to tier 3 peek blackspawn gloomwebs. They were a mixture of spiders with the blood of drakelings, resulting in horrific scaly 8 legs.
At their top stood the blackspawn corruptor, making the zone earn its challenge rating of tier 4 peek to tier 5. Supporting them were the double and triple spiders, with their many legs. Or their leader the Chwidencha at tier 3 peek.
Sadly for anyone delving this area specifically were the stalactites that weren’t actually all made out of stone. Stalactopuses, envelopers, and Darkmantles made the delvers wary of any stalactites they found within the 7th zone, of which there were many.
This dark illusion and camouflage monsters ranged from tier 2 weak to tier 4 weak.
Though of one thing, I was sure, the sure terror any intruders would experience inside the brittle earth. There, worms of different tiers would scourage through the soil in an ever-changing maze. They ranged from the digging worms of tier 1 and the burrowing worms of tier 2 to the excavating worm from tier 3 and tunneling worms of tier 4.
This creature was also what allowed me to get insight into what tier the worm was that went through my first zone some time ago. I now knew it to be a tier 6 boring worm, a scary realization to once have had something this powerful inside my dungeon.
Together with this realization I again took a look at the 7th zone. Crocigers and ammuts together with the choker race Inhabitat the marshlands and 100 lake islands. In its water fishes, snakes and eels swam around in abundance.
The muddy plains were filled with ants of various sizes. The luminescent forest was inhabited by hundreds of different species, dark to bright and calm to crazy. The crystalline area was inhabited by crysmals and scorpions.
Past the crystal paradise, Blackspawns, spiders, and fake stalactites would make the area a very dangerous one.
On the V-shaped cavern's right side was the brittle earth filled with thousands of worms of different evolutions.
The only thing remaining was to choose the guardian type. After going over the possible varieties I decided on a zone guardian. It let me infuse mana into every single monster making every single monster a minuscule guardian.
This made the whole zone stronger and not just a single creature. Perfect for the complex and confusing environment I created. Though the delver still had to be able to continue on further into my dungeon so I created a system similar to the triangular challenges.
Within every different area, 100 lakes, marshlands, muddy plains, luminescent forest, crystal paradise, stalactite forest, and brittle earth I hid keys. All of them were needed to advance further into my dungeon.
After having finished my new zone I went out of my trance-like state and had to calm down again. Creating a new floor always came with a lot of excitement. I went into a meditative state and prepared to realize all the things I oversaw in my creation of the 7th zone!!!