Upgrade, Fifth Layer

"It could be upgraded now."

Lucifer looked at the additional Primordial Power on the panel. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Mark Knights, he had not only gathered the Primordial Power needed to upgrade the Dungeon, but even had quite a bit left over.

He also had enough equipment to stuff into the treasure chests on the Fourth and Fifth Layers.

With a thought, the full plate armor and knight swords left behind by the dead knights were transferred before Lucifer. He spent a wisp of Primordial Power to repair them all and alter their appearances beyond recognition.

This way, they would all become equipment produced from Dungeon treasure chests, perfect for baiting and luring in more adventurers.

It was time to upgrade!

[Level: lv5 (0/600)]

As the final bit of experience needed for the upgrade was filled, the entire Dungeon violently shook once more. In Lucifer's senses, a brand-new Dungeon layer was continuously being carved out and expanding within the Void.

As the new layer came into being, Lucifer felt his power steadily growing stronger, and a new force brimming with life and the aura of nature emerged.

The instant the Fifth Layer connected to the Fourth Layer, Lucifer moved everything—his main body and the treasures in the treasury—to the deepest part of the Fifth Layer. Only after settling everything did he sweep his mental power across the new layer.

A clear lake rippled beneath the breeze, schools of fish swimming freely through its waters. From high above, it resembled a dazzling, top-grade sapphire, while an endless forest stretched beside it.

Towering mountain ranges rose and fell, lush green vegetation grew everywhere, and countless crystals on the ceiling hundreds of meters overhead emitted a gentle glow.

The scenes entering his mind formed a vibrant, idyllic landscape like a paradise removed from the world.

"No!" Seeing the peaceful appearance of the Fifth Layer, Lucifer rebuked it in anguish. "Does this even look like a Dungeon?"

"Learn from the Fourth Layer. You made this whole layer so wholesome—are you planning to let adventurers come here for a vacation?"

Compared to the terrain and environment of the Fourth Layer, which were hellish to the extreme, Lucifer found the Fifth Layer unsatisfactory no matter how he looked at it. But now that things had come to this, he could only accept it. On second thought, he suddenly felt that the Fifth Layer's environment was not entirely unacceptable.

In the future, adventurers who had gone through countless hardships and barely made it through the Fourth Layer would suddenly see such a vibrant, peaceful place filled with the aura of nature upon reaching the Fifth Layer. Their exhausted bodies and minds would surely relax.

And once adventurers relaxed, the monsters would have an opportunity to strike.

"Monsters alone aren't enough. How could such a beautiful, peaceful place lack treasures and the classic scenario of murdering others for loot?"

Lucifer acted immediately, searching the Fifth Layer for suitable materials to create monsters. As expected of a layer filled with the aura of nature and life, he quickly found something good.

There was actually a small Mithril mountain range within the Fifth Layer. It was an expensive magical metal with exceptional mana conductivity and malleability, an indispensable material for forging top-tier magic wands and magical equipment.

Besides Mithril, Lucifer discovered many small trees in the forest overflowing with vitality. They were covered in vermilion fruits, each only about the size of an egg. Deep underground, there was also a layer of soil filled with mana and life force.

In addition to those three main materials, Lucifer found scattered Mana Springs and Demon Iron Ore. The Fifth Layer's resources were so abundant that even he was astonished.

Three portions of Slime gel + two portions of mana-filled spring water + one life-filled red fruit

Monster Creation!

As the talent activated and Primordial Power poured in, the three different materials continuously twisted and merged. In the end, a transparent Slime the size of a house appeared where it stood.

[Name: Water Element Slime]

[Level: lv3]

[Skills: Elemental Body lv3, Optical Simulation lv2, Water Blade lv2, High-Pressure Water Cannon lv2, Asexual Reproduction lv2]

[Description: A Slime composed entirely of water, possessing a powerful body nearly completely immune to physical attacks. It inhabits pure water sources and can purify water. It enjoys mimicking water sources to prey on its victims, dragging them into its enormous body and drowning them. It has mastered some basic Water Magic.]

The newly born Water Element Slime wriggled toward Lucifer. Although it possessed no intelligence, its simple beast-like nature instinctively drove it to approach its creator.

"Try Mimicry."

With a thought, Lucifer threw the Water Element Slime into the lake. He then watched it merge into the water and become completely part of the lake. Whether examined with the naked eye or searched for with mental power, nothing unusual could be detected.

"Not bad, not bad. From now on, guard the lake closest to the Fifth Layer entrance and give newly arrived adventurers a warm welcome."

After spending 20 points of Primordial Power to create another batch of Water Element Slimes, Lucifer teleported them to different areas of the lake. He watched as the newborn Water Element Slimes began absorbing the water element in the lake the moment they landed, splitting off numerous offspring.

"Not enough. Again."

Next, Lucifer began creating a new monster based on the Giant Tree Guardian from the Fourth Layer.

An ancient tree with powerful life force + one portion of Mithril + one portion of mana soil.

[Name: Treant Elder]

[Level: lv4]

[Skills: Nature Guard lv3, Plant Manipulation lv3, Friend of Animals lv2, Earth Resonance lv1]

[Description: A guardian of nature evolved from a natural tree. It can wield the power of nature and plants, is innately close to nature, and detests all beings that destroy it. It is an absolute defender of the natural order.]

Looking at the Treant Elder's panel, Lucifer saw that at the same level, both its strength and skill levels were utterly inferior to those of the Giant Tree Guardian. However, he had expected this. After all, the Treant Elder was merely an ordinary monster.

The Giant Tree Guardian, on the other hand, was a mini-boss that only appeared once every five Dungeon layers. The two were simply incomparable.

However, there could only be one Giant Tree Guardian, while there could be many Treant Elders. Combined with the Fifth Layer's terrain and environment, Treant Elders were among the most suitable monsters for this place. Surely no adventurer would want to fight hordes of Treants in a forest.

After spending several dozen more points of Primordial Power, Lucifer selected the oldest batch of trees in the forest and transformed them all into Treant Elders.

[Primordial Power: 15]

"Only 15 points of Primordial Power remain. It seemed he would have to wait another day before he could complete the Fifth Layer's monster ecosystem."

Closing the panel, Lucifer planned to wait until he had more Primordial Power, then fully complete all the monsters on the Fifth Layer in one go. After that, he could focus on waiting for the next upgrade.