Lion Slash!

Designing a game map required a huge amount of time; taking one or two years was nothing unusual.

But Gong Qiying did not have that much time. He could only stitch things together in a simple, crude fashion.

After a round of brainstorming, the new Sain Underground City was complete.

The Upper Level combined [Fort Faroth] and [Blighttown].

Adventurers could open the fortress by rolling through poison pools and lighting three Flame altars, then challenge the boss within—the Twin Gargoyles.

[Gargoyle (Native Monster)]

[Mental Power Required for Summoning: 120]

[Health: C, Strength: D+, Intelligence: E, Endurance: D, Speed: D-, Combat Power: D]

After succeeding in the challenge, they could descend the stairs and arrive at "Blighttown," a decrepit village built atop sheer cliffs.

It gathered every devious design Gong Qiying could think of, to the point that quite a few traps in the Middle and Lower Levels overlapped with the Upper Level.

He had not placed a boss in all of Blighttown, only a few little surprises even more formidable than bosses.

The Mortality Rate of the Upper Level was estimated to reach around fifty percent.

The Middle Level combined [Pokémon], [Undead Town Outside the City], and [Great Tree Hole].

With Undead Town, filled with enemies such as hollows, at its center, the surrounding area was a forest formed by towering giant trees. The woods were full of waist-high grass, and Pokémon would randomly leap out from within.

There was still no budget for a boss here, so Gong Qiying had arranged an absurdly, ridiculously thick stone gate in Undead Town that was practically impossible to brute-force. Only by overcoming layers of traps, defeating elite monsters in two locations, and finding two keys could one open it.

Beyond the gate lay the Great Tree Hole, a map a thousand meters tall, with branches of every color crossing and twisting together. Adventurers would play a jumping game across the tangled branches. One misstep meant falling to their deaths; only those who reached the bottom alive qualified to challenge the Lower Level.

The Lower Level combined underground map designs from Souls-like games, such as the Lost Izalith Ruins, the various Catacombs and mines of Elden Ring, and more. It was an enormous mishmash.

The final boss was naturally the Furnace Knight. A C-rank monster was the most powerful unit Gong Qiying could currently use.

After defeating the Furnace Knight, adventurers could return to the Upper Level through the Teleportation Gate and leave the Sain Underground City.

Following Godwyn's example, Gong Qiying had also placed over a dozen complicated puzzle mechanisms before the hidden Lord Room. Every mechanism was accompanied by trap monsters, and the hellish map design disgusted even him.

But this way, at least his own safety would be guaranteed.

He had also placed some rewards throughout the various maps, and he was confident that these rewards were unique to the Sain Underground City and would definitely attract adventurers.

[Lord Panel]

[Gong Qiying/Godwyn]

[Health: E+, Strength: E, Intelligence: E+, Endurance: E, Speed: E, Combat Power: E]

[Usable Mental Power for Upgrades]

Gong Qiying stared at the panel for a long while, but in the end, he still did not use Mental Power on himself.

He could spend Mental Power freely to modify the map and hide a few more monsters, yet he would also refuse to upgrade himself in order to save on expenses.

In short, he spent money where it made him happy.

"My personal strength doesn't matter. I still have the Mimicry ability."

Level 2 Lord Authority unlocked an ability called "Mimicry."

Besides freely changing his appearance, voice, and so on, Gong Qiying could also spend half the Mental Power required for summoning to transform himself into one of the monsters in [Usable Monsters].

Summoning a Furnace Knight cost 800, while turning into one only cost him 400.

The drawback was that each transformation could only last twenty-four hours. Any remaining time after he canceled the transformation would accumulate and could be used next time.

"That'll do. It's impossible to make everything perfect in one go."

After making the final adjustments, Gong Qiying let out a long breath and collapsed onto the altar.

His Lord Room was completely empty, containing only an altar without a statue. He had no idea what it was for.

After feeling around for a long time, he found a small groove at the base of the altar. Its shape seemed somewhat familiar.

Gong Qiying thought back for a moment, then suddenly understood.

The groove was shaped exactly like the Lord's Ring!

He inserted the ring into the groove and gave it a twist. The altar immediately began to rumble.

[Insufficient Authority]

The sound stopped.

Gong Qiying shook his head. It seemed he would still need to upgrade his Lord Authority to uncover the altar's secret.

"Teleport, Upper Level entrance."

His figure blurred, and he appeared in the Upper Level the next moment.

The surroundings were pitch-black. In the distance, a fortress flickered in and out of sight among the trees. Beneath his feet, a dark green Poison Swamp mixed with shit-yellow sludge bubbled continuously, releasing a nauseating stench.

Anyone in such an environment would have their sanity plummet, but not Gong Qiying.

He even laughed.

"This looks way more spectacular than the Microscopic Model!"

Standing personally within a map that could only be seen in games, Gong Qiying was overwhelmed with emotion. It felt as though his dream had come true.

He spent some time examining every corner of the dungeon and found more issues. Sure enough, merely looking at a miniature model was not enough.

"Raise this cliff a little higher, hide two more Goblins below, and put a white glimmer at the edge to lure the undead—pfft, lure the adventurers."

"Dong, dong."

The Bell Chime rang out again from somewhere unknown, interrupting Gong Qiying's train of thought.

Reluctantly, he closed the construction interface. Once the dungeon officially opened, he would no longer be able to alter the terrain and could only change the distribution of monsters.

"Let's look forward to today's earnings."

Bed City, a city built beside the Sain Underground City, gathered people who dreamed of becoming adventurers.

All this time, the Sain Underground City had given novice adventurers the satisfaction of clearing a dungeon with its low difficulty. Some people even came to the Sain Underground City for comfort whenever they lacked the strength to challenge other dungeons.

Thus, a group of people had come to regard it as a refuge for their spirits. In this dangerous world, only the Sain Underground City could give them a sense of security.

But that sense of security had now vanished completely!

The Adventurer's Guild hall was already in chaos.

"Waaah, my Sain Underground City! Why did this stupid mutation have to happen to it?!"

"Damn it! Doesn't this mean there isn't a single dungeon I can clear anymore? Do I have no choice but to go back to the countryside and farm?"

Besides the wails of a few freeloaders, capable adventurers had already begun forming teams.

A new mutation meant new opportunities. Information on the dungeon's maps, monster types, mineral and herb varieties, and more could all be sold for money. Moreover, the Adventurer's Guild had issued a mission to all members, offering generous rewards for investigating it.

So those confident in themselves were eagerly preparing to make their move.

But the smarter ones had already rushed to explore the dungeon with Teleportation Crystals!

For example, Jack, a Bronze Rank adventurer.

"Hehe, good thing I brought plenty of cannon fodder. No matter how powerful the traps are, I can force my way through with human lives!"

This despicable fellow had found nine companions through all sorts of means. Whenever he encountered a trap or ambush, he did not hesitate to sell the others out.

Relying on his sinister scheming, the bastard opened the fortress gate and even narrowly defeated the Gargoyles, becoming the first adventurer to reach Blighttown!

Now that he had no cannon fodder left, he planned to stop here.

"I've memorized the map of this area, and I know the monster types inside out. Selling this information will definitely earn me a fortune. Even if those nine cannon fodder gang up and beat me to death, it'll be worth it! Hehe, if someone is willing to hire me to explore with them, I can even point out the trap locations. As for the price... hehehe."

Before returning the way he came, he carefully searched the fortress interior again. Unfortunately, it was large and empty, with nothing inside. It seemed to have been built solely as a boss arena for the two Gargoyles.

However, Jack "luckily" found a treasure chest hidden in a corner. Excited, he quickly opened it.

It was a purple glimmer representing something precious. But when he picked it up and examined it, he froze.

"This is... a greatsword?"

It was merely a greatsword with an unremarkable appearance. Aside from its excessively heavy feel, Jack sensed nothing special about it.

His expression immediately darkened. "I went through all that trouble just to get a greatsword? This reward is way too stingy!"

"Whatever. The forging craftsmanship looks decent enough. Selling it should earn me something."

But something strange happened.

When both hands gripped the greatsword's hilt, an odd sensation appeared in Jack's mind.

Then he raised the greatsword high and brought it down fiercely. His body was carried high into the air by that force, rolling as he descended before slashing down once more with strength far beyond his own!

The ground shook, leaving behind a deep gash.

"W-What did I just do?"

Jack stood there stupidly for a long time, blankly staring at the greatsword. "Did I do that? Is this the power of a Battle Skill?"

Battle Skills were techniques warriors learned through countless rounds of training. Even the simplest Battle Skill required learners to devote a great deal of time to practice, along with a certain talent for comprehension. As a result, only a small minority could use Battle Skills.

A bottom-tier adventurer like Jack had neither the talent to learn Battle Skills nor the perseverance to practice them endlessly. All he knew was lockpicking and barely passable stealth.

Even though he had long since given up on himself, he had always secretly dreamed of using Battle Skills like the strong and slaughtering enemies to his heart's content!

Yet the moment he gripped the greatsword, knowledge of a Battle Skill called [Lion Slash] appeared in his mind. With a single thought, he had actually used it!

This greatsword allowed its owner to use a Battle Skill!

No practice required!

No talent required!

All it took was a pair of hands capable of gripping a sword!

At that thought, Jack trembled all over with excitement.

"A-a treasure! I've never heard of a weapon that comes with its own Battle Skill!"

"I'm going to be rich!"

Every one of his reactions was seen clearly by Gong Qiying.

Watching the dungeon through a Crystal Ball, he revealed a faint smile that said everything was going according to plan.

"I was right. Weapons with built-in Battle Skills really are rare in this world."

"Then what comes next is obvious. Once word spreads that 'the Sain Underground City produces weapons with built-in Battle Skills,' there'll be no shortage of visitors. Mental Power freedom is just around the corner!"

[Greatsword]

[Battle Skill: Lion Slash]

[Rating: E]

[Mental Power Required per Unit: 10]