"This environment is really not bad!"
Lucifer's mental power swept across the entire layer. He was immensely satisfied with the environment of this brand-new layer. There was no need for him to spend Primordial Points to alter the terrain and environment of the Fourth Layer; as it was, the Fourth Layer already counted as hell for ordinary adventurers.
Thick poisonous miasma covered the entire layer, and bottomless rotting swamps lay everywhere. Unless one could fly through the air, exploring the Fourth Layer would be an enormous challenge.
But how could ordinary adventurers possibly afford flying items?
As long as Lucifer created new monsters suited to the Fourth Layer, this place would become an adventurer's nightmare.
"Still, I can add a little creativity and give all those adventurers a surprise."
Of course, although Lucifer was very satisfied with the Fourth Layer's environment, he still planned to fine-tune it after creating the monsters.
"Let's see what good materials the Fourth Layer has for creating monsters."
Filled with anticipation, Lucifer extended his mental power deep into the Fourth Layer in search of the materials he needed. The first thing he found was the giant tree he was currently standing on. A vast amount of magic power was contained within the entire tree, while its roots extended into every region of the Fourth Layer, continuously absorbing all kinds of nutrients and magic power.
It could be said that the entire Fourth Layer was nourishing this giant tree, hundreds of meters tall. It was the ruler of this layer.
Besides the giant tree, Lucifer also found skeletons sunk deep into the sludge. Their long, slender bones resembled those of snakes, and in the areas where these bones had piled up, the sludge had changed its nature under the special environment.
It contained vast amounts of toxins and magic power, making it another decent material.
Other than that, Lucifer also found the aerial roots hanging from the canopy rather useful. More accurately, it was the barbs on those roots. They could secrete paralytic toxins and suck blood, wrapping around prey while releasing large amounts of paralytic venom and robbing them of the ability to resist.
Lucifer suspected that the skeletons sunk at the bottom of the swamp, piled into patch after patch of bones, were the remains of prey the giant tree had once devoured.
"I'll try it first."
With a thought, a dark-red barb as thick as a thumb and brimming with magic power appeared. He added a mass of liquid condensed from miasma, then, after some thought, tossed in a pile of highly poisonous mushrooms.
His talent activated, and Primordial Power poured in. Under the force of both, the three materials fused and twisted together. A monster appeared, with four pairs of purple-black insect wings, a swollen, bloated abdomen, and a dark-red stinger nearly five centimeters long beneath it. It was roughly the size of an adult's palm and buzzed as it flew.
[Name: Purple Poison Giant Mosquito] [Level: lv3] [Skills: Disease Transmission lv3, Bloodlust Growth lv2, High-Speed Flight lv2, Heat Sensing lv1, Complete Metamorphosis lv1] [Description: A bloodthirsty monster possessing complete metamorphosis. It can rapidly reproduce and develop by sucking blood. Its four pairs of insect wings grant it high-speed flight, while its tail stinger can inject large amounts of paralytic toxins and various pathogens into prey, weakening them and turning them into blood bags and breeding grounds for the next generation.]
Using 0.05 units of Primordial Power, Lucifer created this brand-new monster before him. With the experience of creating monsters last time, he had become much more proficient this time. He had even learned to select suitable materials based on the monster he wanted to create.
The Purple Poison Giant Mosquito before him was the first monster Lucifer had created for the Fourth Layer.
After learning that this world actually had no mosquitoes, Lucifer had resolved from that day onward to make up for that regret in this other world. Later, he would even develop different types of mosquitoes for every layer.
This was his tribute to the researchers who had worked so hard before his transmigration to fill the void left by the absence of mosquitoes in winter.
"Go on. Reproduce and expand your population."
Lucifer looked expectantly at the giant mosquito circling before him. With a thought, he transferred several hundred Goblins from the upper layers to the Fourth Layer, using them as breeding grounds for the Purple Poison Giant Mosquito's next generation.
Moreover, the Purple Poison Giant Mosquito's offspring could inherit some of their breeding ground's traits, becoming stronger themselves.
Goblins were strongest in their reproductive ability. With Goblin traits absorbed and several hundred Goblins serving as breeding grounds, Lucifer believed the entire Fourth Layer would soon be filled with Purple Poison Giant Mosquitoes.
"Next, I'll create a few monsters to deal with most adventurers."
Considering that he could not completely crush adventurers' desire to explore the Dungeon, and that he did not have much Primordial Power left after leveling up, the monsters Lucifer planned to create next would all focus on being affordable and practical.
One portion of sludge containing highly poisonous magic power, plus three portions of miasma filled with deadly toxins.
As his talent activated, the light of monster creation lit up once more. A few seconds later, a monster that stank horribly and resembled a puddle of sludge appeared.
[Name: Sludge Monster] [Level: lv2] [Skills: Rotting Body lv2, Asexual Splitting lv1, Environmental Pollution lv1] [Description: A monster composed entirely of highly poisonous, rotting sludge. It enjoys rotten, toxic environments and excels at dragging prey trapped in swamps into its body to devour and break down. Upon reaching adulthood, it can split and reproduce on its own to expand its population. Its rotting body can pollute normal environments, transforming water sources and land into rotting swamps.]
"Though in a different environment, it would only be fit to share a table with Goblins and Slimes, it suits the Fourth Layer perfectly."
Lucifer was fairly satisfied with this new monster. After spending five Primordial Points to create fifty of them, he scattered them throughout different areas of the Fourth Layer. In any case, with the Sludge Monsters' ability to split on their own, they would soon become widespread.
Next, Lucifer used the skeletons piled at the bottom of the swamp sludge to create Swamp Venom Pythons and Skeleton Giant Crocodiles, filling the gaps in the Fourth Layer's monster species.
"Now, all that's missing is a small boss capable of guarding the Fourth Layer."
Lucifer turned his gaze toward the giant tree at the center of the Fourth Layer. According to the knowledge in his mind, every ten Dungeon layers would have a layer ruler, while every five layers would have a layer boss—the small boss people often spoke of.
Although this was only the Fourth Layer, there was no rule saying a layer boss had to wait until the Fifth Layer.
Other Dungeons had no self-awareness and acted according to instinct. But he, Lucifer, was a self-aware Dungeon. If he still acted according to instinct, wouldn't having self-awareness be pointless?
Besides, creating a layer boss one layer early would let those naïve adventurers experience the Dungeon's wickedness.
"Come on!"
Lucifer focused his mind and extracted a portion of the giant tree's heartwood hidden within its body. Then he tore off a large bundle of branches and leaves, and finally used up the Magic Spring that had recondensed over the past few days in the Second Layer. Monster Creation!
Before you continue