Second-Tier Intruders

"Leave some meat for me!"

Inside the cave, Sean and John, both professional adventurers, forced their way out of the encirclement with their formidable strength. Just as the many monsters instinctively began devouring the corpses left behind by the adventurers, Luo Ao hurriedly suppressed their instincts.

The hard rocky ground seemed to come alive, swallowing every corpse on the ground. It did not even spare the adventurers' souls.

[Devoured Flesh ×13, Primordial Power +13, Souls +13]

"Devouring dead adventurers can actually increase Primordial Power."

At the deepest point of the third tier, Luo Ao looked at the Primordial Power that had increased on his panel and instantly realized that adventurers would be one of the resources for his growth. He then looked at the thirteen adventurer souls floating before him.

He instinctively knew their uses. They could be devoured like flesh to increase Primordial Power and accelerate the dungeon's growth. Alternatively, they could be used as materials to create monsters, producing even more powerful ones.

"Right now, the most important thing is to raise the dungeon's level as quickly as possible, grow stronger, and gain more tiers."

Restricted by the dungeon's current level, Luo Ao could not create particularly powerful monsters even if he possessed powerful materials. Only by raising the dungeon's level and creating more tiers could he become safer.

"Devour."

[Devoured Souls ×13, Primordial Power +26]

Compared to flesh, devouring souls yielded twice as much Primordial Power. Luo Ao's mental power instinctively locked onto the two professional adventurers fleeing the dungeon.

How much Primordial Power would the flesh and souls of proper professionals provide?

After thinking it over, Luo Ao ultimately did not send the monsters to kill the two. Although enough monsters could wear down and kill two professionals, the price paid would certainly not be small.

Besides, these adventurers were nourishment for Luo Ao's growth. If they all died inside the dungeon, ordinary adventurers would no longer dare enter it, leaving only a small number of powerful elite adventurers.

Not only would that greatly reduce the resources Luo Ao could obtain, it might even lead to him being successfully conquered by a powerful elite adventurer party because he lacked enough nourishment to grow.

Therefore, Luo Ao needed to change his strategy.

He needed to prepare some treasures and equipment to attract more adventurers, ensuring that even ordinary adventurers could gain something and creating survivorship bias.

As long as an adventurer obtained enough rewards, even without being a professional, adventurers thirsty for wealth and power would stream into the dungeon without end, believing that they too could become one of the lucky ones.

"Sustainable development and a war of attrition."

Luo Ao gained an entirely new understanding of how to manage a dungeon.

The next second, all the belongings left behind by the dead adventurers were delivered before Luo Ao.

A magic staff, scattered pieces of leather armor, chainmail, and various refined steel weapons, a pile of unidentified potions and commonly used adventuring tools, and finally, some coins.

Several hundred copper coins, more than a dozen silver coins, and one gleaming gold coin.

"These are all magical metals."

Looking at the many coins before him, Luo Ao learned from the information in the souls he had devoured that this world's currency consisted of copper, silver, and gold coins. All were made from magical metals, meaning they were themselves the anchor of the currency's value.

Thirty copper coins could buy enough black bread to feed a family for a day, while one gold coin was worth ten thousand copper coins.

"That gold coin should have belonged to the mage. Do these count as treasures?"

Luo Ao looked at the section of his panel showing Primordial Power recovery. His daily Primordial Power recovery was +30.134. Why were there three extra digits after the decimal point?

After calming himself and examining it carefully, Luo Ao figured out that the three digits after the decimal point came from the pile of coins before him and the magic staff. The staff provided a 0.1 boost, while the coins provided a 0.034 boost.

As for the scattered chainmail, weapons, and other items without magical effects, they did not increase the rate at which Primordial Power was absorbed.

"No wonder the legendary dragons loved treasures and all kinds of magical equipment. I'd love them too!"

Luo Ao looked at the items before him in pleasant surprise. The more treasures that could help him grow, the better.

He piled all the coins and the magic staff in the simple treasury on the third tier. Then, looking at the remaining equipment that could not boost his growth rate, Luo Ao willed a series of stone chests into existence in hidden corners throughout the dungeon's three tiers.

He then consumed a trace of Primordial Power to repair all the equipment before placing it inside the chests.

While Luo Ao was creating the treasure chests, more and more adventurers poured into the dungeon. Most of those calling themselves adventurers were actually just somewhat sturdy commoners carrying weapons.

These lowest-ranking adventurers formed small parties and carefully explored the dungeon. Like rats, they stuffed everything they could carry into their backpacks.

In just a few hours, all the various mushrooms near the entrance on the dungeon's first tier had been thoroughly picked clean.

During that time, a few careless novice adventurers wandered into the dense spore fog. Infected by the neurotoxin, they collapsed to the ground, and large amounts of mycelium grew from their bodies. They died completely within the dungeon, becoming nourishment for Luo Ao's growth.

"I love novice adventurers the most."

Watching the Primordial Power on his panel steadily rise, Luo Ao practically adored these novice adventurers. It was just a pity that they were all ordinary. Even after devouring both their souls and flesh, each could only provide 0.5 Primordial Power.

They were nowhere near the level of those who had died during the previous deep expedition, people only one step away from becoming professionals.

But novice adventurers were numerous, and none of them were particularly strong. Even goblins could kill them as long as there were enough of them.

"That was fast. They've found the entrance to the second tier already!"

Suddenly, Luo Ao sensed adventurers entering the second tier. He projected his mental power over and saw Mark at the entrance, wielding two battle-axes while his silver armor was stained with blood. Mark was directing his subordinates as they cleared out the nearby monsters.

Mark then pulled out a notebook and began sketching in it, making a simple map.

"As expected of a professional army. Compared to those adventurers who only temporarily cooperate, they're worlds apart."

Luo Ao watched the knights explore the dungeon in an orderly fashion. In terms of individual strength, they were not much different from the elite adventurers from before, but their coordination was on an entirely different level.

This knight squad moved like a single entity.

Although Luo Ao had already turned all three tiers of the dungeon into a maze and created many false passages to confuse adventurers, the first tier itself was not large. At most, it could cause them some trouble; it could not stop this elite knight squad at all.

[Level: lv3 (240/400)]

"Almost there. By tomorrow at the latest, I'll level up and create new tiers and monsters."