Giant Tree Guardian

[Name: Giant Tree Guardian]

[Level: lv4]

[Skills: Nature's Spirit lv4, Earth Resonance lv4, Limb Weaponization lv3, Resilient Body lv3, Colossal Strength lv3, Shapeshifting Disguise lv3, Tree Spirit Summoning lv3, Root Regeneration lv3]

[Description: A lifeform condensed from the core of an ancient giant tree. A guardian of the Dungeon's layers, it possesses the ability to manipulate plants and commune with nature. Its enormous natural body grants it incomparably powerful strength, while its mana-filled trunk provides natural armor and extremely high resistance to physical and magical attacks.]

"I pulled gold on a single draw!"

Luo Ao looked at the monster's panel before him. Even its lowest-level skills were level three. Its nearly ten-meter-tall body gave the Treant strength no less formidable than a giant's, while the powers of the earth and nature continuously supplied it with energy.

Its limbs and arms could transform freely into all manner of weapons, and its ability to control plants was innate. Its plant-based traits meant that even if adventurers successfully defeated it, it only needed half a month to absorb nutrients and mana before recovering completely.

"Supreme Sovereign, I offer you my deepest respect."

The Giant Tree Guardian opened its eyes, lowered its head toward the great sphere of light before it, and regarded loyalty to the Sovereign who had given it life and purpose as something etched into its soul and consciousness.

"Not bad. The Fourth Layer will be yours from now on. Don't disappoint me."

Luo Ao responded. He had long expected the monsters he created to possess self-awareness, but all of them were absolutely loyal to him, so there was no need to worry about betrayal.

"Yes."

The Giant Tree Guardian pulled itself from the ground. Its massive body strode toward the nearby lake with heavy steps, rooted itself once more, and transformed into a great tree. As its canopy swayed, vast natural mana erupted outward. The surrounding ground began to shake, and tender sprouts pierced the earth, growing into trees five meters tall.

"Something still seems to be missing."

Luo Ao looked at the forest before him, thought for a moment, then reluctantly took a low-grade magic staff and a pile of ordinary equipment from the treasury. A treasure chest rose from the ground before the Giant Tree Guardian and condensed into shape.

How could he attract adventurers without a treasure chest? Luo Ao even moved one of the passages on the Fourth Layer here.

If they wanted to enter the next layer, they would have to defeat the boss first.

"Huh."

Just then, Luo Ao suddenly sensed something. His spiritual power swept toward the entrance leading from the Third Layer to the Fourth Layer, where he saw several round Puchis spraying spores as they entered, with vast amounts of mycelium spreading behind them.

"I nearly forgot about you, little fellow."

The Fungus Lord was the first monster Luo Ao had created. It had also been created using the Dungeon's own special resources, making it the monster with the greatest potential in the entire Dungeon at present and an important pillar of the Dungeon's Ecosystem Formation.

It simultaneously served as the decomposer, symbiote, and provider within the Dungeon's monster ecosystem.

"Keep growing."

He let the Fungus Lord reproduce and grow freely throughout the Fourth Layer. With its adaptability, the environment here would not affect it in the slightest.

Incidentally, once the Dungeon reached level four, the Fungus Lord's level cap had also increased.

It would probably level up successfully before long. As for the other monsters, if they wanted to break through their level caps, they could only rely on their own efforts.

Outside the Dungeon entrance.

A brand-new town was rising from the ground at a visible pace. With the power of magic, building an ordinary town was easy enough as long as one was willing to pay a sufficient price.

For example, the Adventurers' Guild that had been built overnight.

At that moment, numerous adventurers crowded around the quest board in the adventurers' hall, selecting suitable quests amid a constant hubbub.

"Need a vanguard, preferably a class holder."

"Any mages? A professional adventurer party is exploring the Second Layer. No rookies."

Inside the hall, adventurers recruited temporary teammates one after another, preparing to explore this brand-new Dungeon. The adventurers who had rushed over overnight from several nearby towns after hearing that a Dungeon had appeared were especially enthusiastic.

They spared no expense to buy maps of the First Layer from the Adventurers' Guild or others, all so they could catch up with the advance party as quickly as possible.

"Miss Helen, we're here to turn in a quest."

At the counter, a half-elf archer smiled and tapped the countertop. Under the envious gazes of the others, he placed several Steel Slime corpses on it.

"Is that the newly appeared Mutant Slime from this Dungeon?"

"I heard these Slimes have bodies as hard as steel. Unless you use magic or battle aura, ordinary swords can't hurt them at all."

"A lot of careless newcomers have died to those monsters. They're practically rookie killers."

Amid the adventurers' discussions, the girl named Helen walked over. After confirming the number of Steel Slimes, she settled the quest reward for the half-elf archer before her.

"By the way, would you like to sell these monster materials to the guild, Adventurer?"

"How much per one?"

"The guild's current purchase price is one hundred copper coins each. Of course, if one contains Mana Iron Ore, the price is one silver coin."

In just one day, the Adventurers' Guild had already discovered the value of these new Mutant Slimes and was willing to pay a considerable price to collect them.

"Then we'll sell them all to the guild."

After receiving his teammates' agreement, the half-elf archer sold all the Steel Slimes before him to the guild. Taking the payment, he and his teammates prepared to celebrate properly.

Nearby, the adventurers who had only just arrived from other towns saw that even Slimes were worth one hundred copper coins each. They immediately turned and headed toward the Dungeon, as though endless treasures awaited them within.

As for danger, what adventure was ever without danger?

Besides, they had heard that many rookie adventurers had found treasure chests in the Dungeon and brought out all sorts of equipment, earning a small fortune. If even rookie adventurers could do that, then Bronze adventurers like them, who had already become class holders, would surely gain even more.

Just as more and more adventurers flooded into the Dungeon, driven by wealth and greed.

Deep within the Second Layer.

"Have you found the entrance to the next layer yet?"

Official Knight Mark bit into the dried meat in his hand and looked down at the subordinate before him.

"My apologies, Lord Mark."

The questioned knight wore an unsightly expression, silently cursing this Dungeon. Who knew what was wrong with it? It was clearly only the uppermost layer, yet the terrain was as complex as a maze.

It was not as if he had never visited other Dungeons, but he had never seen one as infuriating as this. Its maze-like passages were filled with dead ends, and some even concealed hidden routes.

Exploring this Dungeon would require spending a great deal of time gradually feeling their way through it.

"Pick up the pace. The lord has given the order. We must find the entrance to the next layer before those adventurers do."

Mark swallowed the food in his mouth and turned to look at the dark stone cavern ahead. To conquer this Dungeon faster, the lord had dispatched three more knight squads.