Monster Creation

"Puchi, Puchi."

The Puchis, topped with red mushroom caps and sporting round bodies, gathered around the large ball of light floating in midair. Their hazy consciousnesses were filled with dependence on and loyalty toward their creator, though there were still too few newborn Puchis for now.

The Hive Mind could not yet clearly express a sense of self, possessing only near-instinctive reactions.

Across the ground, countless mycelia began spreading outward. Mushrooms emitting faint glimmers of light sprouted one after another, illuminating the pitch-black cavern.

"All right. Next, I'll send you to every layer of the Dungeon. Grow well."

Lucifer was filled with anticipation for his first creation. He expended his power and scattered the Fungus Lord's mycelia throughout the areas of the First and Second Layers best suited to its growth, allowing it to develop freely.

"Puchi, Puchi."

The Puchis surrounding Lucifer began to disperse. Their plump bodies waddled toward places the mycelia had yet to reach, and with every step, their red mushroom caps sprayed out countless spores. Before long, the entire cavern was shrouded in a fog of spores.

The spores that landed on the walls, in cracks, and across the ground began Rapid Growth. They automatically changed color and form according to their environments, building an enormous Mycelial Network, while the newborn Puchis continued doing the same.

Lucifer looked over the cavern, which had become quiet once more. The many glowing mushrooms offered only faint light. The newly born Fungus Lord alone was not enough to stop the adventurers who would enter the Dungeon in three days. Lucifer needed to create more monsters.

"Let's see whether there are any magical resources in the Dungeon."

Lucifer's consciousness swept across the entire Dungeon. Every newly opened Dungeon layer would produce various resources, but unlike the special resource known as the Adaptive Fungal Strain, they would not appear on the interface and had to be found by Lucifer himself.

"A spring with magical properties, and iron ore."

Deep within the Third Layer, Lucifer found an inconspicuous spring whose water possessed magical properties. Beneath the Second Layer, there was also a considerable amount of magical iron ore. Materials imbued with magic were the best ingredients for creating monsters.

With a thought, a portion of spring water and iron ore appeared before Lucifer. Since the Dungeon was part of Lucifer's body, actions like this required no Primordial Power unless he was drastically altering the terrain or environment.

One portion of Magic Spring Water plus two portions of iron ore. As his talent activated, the two fused together smoothly, and an entirely new monster was born.

Bang!

A round, heavy body crashed onto the stone floor with a dull thud. A basketball-sized, plump monster appeared where it landed, its large, vacant eyes blinking as it stared ahead.

[Name: Steel Slime]

[Level: lv2]

[Skills: Steel Body lv2, Asexual Reproduction lv2, Charge lv1.]

[Description: A monster that appears cute but is actually savage. Its liquid steel body possesses powerful physical defense, while each impact from its heavy body can deliver enough force to shatter bones. It possesses different attributes depending on the minerals and rocks it consumes.]

"Not bad... I guess."

Lucifer watched the Steel Slime hop about with dull thuds. It looked just like a solid iron ball forged from pure iron.

"Use Charge."

Whoosh!

At Lucifer's command, the newborn Steel Slime shot forward at a speed an ordinary person could not possibly react to. It slammed into the rock wall five meters away with a dull crash, leaving behind a sunken crater.

Lucifer was fairly satisfied with that power. At the very least, if that hit an ordinary person's vital area, it would be enough to kill them in one blow.

For a Slime, a monster that could originally be considered harmless, to possess such formidable strength, Lucifer had no reason to be dissatisfied.

Of course, what pleased Lucifer most was that creating one such Slime consumed only three portions of material and 0.1 Primordial Power. Although every monster Lucifer created possessed the ability to reproduce on its own, the Dungeon would appear in three days.

Lucifer could not wait for the Steel Slimes before him to reproduce by themselves.

With another thought, large quantities of Magic Spring Water and magical iron ore were transferred over. Steel Slimes were created in an endless stream, and Lucifer spent a full fifty Primordial Power to create five hundred Steel Slimes.

He then distributed them throughout the different layers.

"Next, I need to create an elite monster. Steel Slimes and Puchis alone won't be enough to stop those adventurers."

Recalling the knowledge that had continuously surfaced in his mind after awakening, Lucifer knew that the Dungeon in its current state was still incapable of stopping adventurers. Though the Fungus Lord possessed tremendous potential, it still needed time to develop.

Primordial Power: 230

Upgrading the Dungeon had cost 100 Primordial Points, remodeling the three Dungeon layers had cost another 20, and creating the Fungus Lord had cost Lucifer 100 Primordial Points. Combined with the 50 spent creating Steel Slimes, Lucifer now had only 230 Primordial Power left.

"Going all in is wisdom!"

With a thought from Lucifer, every piece of Demon Iron Ore containing the most magic from the deepest part of the Second Layer's Demon Iron Ore deposit was transferred out.

As the Monster Creation talent activated, the iron ore began to melt, then condensed according to Lucifer's will into humanoid suits of armor.

The black armor seemed capable of swallowing light itself. Sharp barbs covered every joint, while a pair of pointed bull horns on each helmet gleamed coldly. The armored figures gripped weapons of every kind in their hands.

[Name: Death Iron Skeleton]

[Level: lv3]

[Skills: Magic Iron Body lv3, Combat Instinct lv2, Killing Intent lv2, Bloodlust lv1, Aura Suppression lv1]

[Description: Beings born purely for slaughter. Their bodies forged from magical iron ore possess powerful physical defense and decent magic resistance. Their innate Combat Instinct and Killing Intent make them synonymous with death. Their black bodies make them as inconspicuous as lifeless objects, while Bloodlust allows them to survive countless battles.]

After consuming all the iron ore containing abundant magic and a full 100 Primordial Power, Lucifer created twenty Death Iron Skeletons. Their lv3 level was limited by the Dungeon's current level; at present, Lucifer could only create monsters at the same level as himself.

"Heh, heh. This level of strength should give those adventurers a nice surprise."

As the ruler of the Dungeon, Lucifer possessed the abilities of every monster he created. That was precisely why he could so clearly sense the power held by the newly created Death Iron Skeletons before him.

"Go. Deliver death to every invader who enters the Dungeon!"

As the command was issued, the twenty Death Iron Skeletons set off in pairs toward different Dungeon layers. They hid in dark corners, allowing mycelia to crawl over their bodies. Like discarded suits of armor, they waited for the invaders to arrive.