Lion Slash!

Designing a game's map required a great deal of time; spending a year or two on it was nothing unusual.

But Gong Qiying did not have that much time. He could only stitch things together in the simplest, roughest way possible.

After a round of brainstorming, the new Zane Dungeon was complete.

The upper level combined Farron Keep and Plague Village.

After adventurers rolled around in poison pools and lit three Flame Altars, they could open the fortress and challenge its BOSS—the Twin Gargoyles.

Gargoyle (native monster)
Spirit Power required for summoning: 120
Health: C, Strength: D+, Intelligence: E, Endurance: D, Speed: D-, Overall Combat Power: D

Upon clearing the challenge, they could descend the stairs and arrive at Plague Village, a dilapidated settlement built atop sheer cliffs.

It contained every devious design Gong Qiying could think of, to the point that quite a few traps in the middle and lower levels overlapped with those on the upper level.

He had not placed a BOSS anywhere in Plague Village, only a few little surprises even more formidable than a BOSS.

He estimated the upper level's death rate would reach around fifty percent.

The middle level combined Pokémon, Undead Burg, and the Great Hollow.

Centered around Undead Burg, which teemed with enemies such as Living Dead, was a forest formed by towering trees. The woods were full of waist-high grass, and Pokémon would randomly leap out from within.

There was still no money for a BOSS here, so Gong Qiying placed an absurdly, ridiculously thick Stone Gate in Undead Burg that was practically impossible to brute-force. Only by navigating layers of traps and obstacles, defeating Elite Monsters in two locations, and finding two Keys could adventurers open it.

Beyond the gate was the Great Hollow, a map a thousand meters tall, filled with multicolored branches twisting and interweaving. Adventurers had to tackle a Jumping Puzzle across its labyrinthine branches. One careless step meant falling to their deaths, and only those who reached the bottom alive were qualified to challenge the lower level.

The lower level combined the underground map designs of Soulslike games, including places such as the New Londo Ruins, the various Catacombs of Elden Ring, mines, and more—a massive mishmash.

The final BOSS was naturally the Crucible Knight. A C Rank monster was the strongest unit Gong Qiying could currently use.

After defeating the Crucible Knight, adventurers could return to the upper level through the Portal and leave Zane Dungeon.

Following Godwyn's example, Gong Qiying also set up more than a dozen complicated puzzle mechanisms before the hidden City Lord's room. Every mechanism was accompanied by trap monsters, and the hellish map design disgusted even him.

But this way, at least his own safety would be guaranteed.

He had also scattered some rewards throughout the various maps. He was confident that these rewards were unique to Zane Dungeon and would definitely attract adventurers.

City Lord Panel
Gong Qiying/Godwyn
Health: E+, Strength: E, Intelligence: E+, Endurance: E, Speed: E, Overall Combat Power: E
Spirit Power available for upgrades

Gong Qiying stared at the panel for a long time, but in the end, he did not use the Spirit Power on himself.

He could spend huge amounts of Spirit Power modifying the map to hide a few more monsters, yet refuse to upgrade himself in order to save money.

In short, he spent his money where it made him happy.

"My personal strength doesn't matter. I still have Mimicry."

Level-two City Lord authority had unlocked an ability called Mimicry.

Besides freely changing his appearance, voice, and so on, Gong Qiying could also spend half the Spirit Power required for summoning to transform himself into any monster listed under Available Monster.

Summoning a Crucible Knight cost 800, while transforming into one only cost him 400.

The downside was that each transformation could only last twenty-four hours. Any unused time remaining after he dispelled the transformation would accumulate and could be used next time.

"That'll do. It's impossible to make everything perfect in one go."

After making the final adjustments, Gong Qiying let out a long breath and collapsed onto the Shrine.

His City Lord's room was completely empty, containing only a Shrine without a statue. He had no idea what it was for.

After fumbling around for quite some time, he found a small groove at the base of the Shrine. Its shape seemed familiar.

Gong Qiying thought back for a moment, then suddenly understood.

The groove was shaped exactly like the Lord Ring!

He inserted the ring into the groove and gave it a turn. A rumbling sound immediately came from the Shrine.

Insufficient authority.

The sound stopped.

Gong Qiying shook his head. It seemed he still had to upgrade his lord authority before he could uncover the Shrine's secret.

"Teleport, upper-level entrance."

His figure blurred, and he appeared on the upper level in the next instant.

The surroundings were pitch-black. A fortress flickered in and out of view among the distant trees, while beneath his feet, a dark green and shit-yellow Poisonous Swamp bubbled and gurgled, releasing a nauseating stench.

Anyone's SAN value would plummet in such an environment, but not Gong Qiying's.

He even laughed.

"This is so much more breathtaking than the miniature model!"

Standing personally within a map that could only be found in games, Gong Qiying was overwhelmed with emotion for a moment. It felt as if his dream had come true.

He spent some time examining every corner of the dungeon and discovered more problems. As expected, just looking at the miniature model was not enough.

"Make this cliff a little taller, hide two more Goblins below, and put a White Light Spot by the edge to lure in the Undead—pfft, to lure in adventurers."

"Dong, dong."

The sound of a bell rang out again from somewhere unknown, interrupting Gong Qiying's train of thought.

Reluctantly, he closed the construction interface. Once the dungeon officially opened, he would no longer be able to make any changes to the terrain and could only alter the distribution of monsters.

"Let's see what today's earnings look like."

Bede City was a city built beside Zane Dungeon, gathering people who dreamed of becoming adventurers.

For years, Zane Dungeon had given novice adventurers the satisfaction of clearing a dungeon with its simple difficulty. Some people who lacked the strength to challenge other dungeons would also turn to Zane Dungeon for comfort.

Thus, a group of people had come to regard it as a haven for their spirits. In this dangerous world, only Zane Dungeon could give them a sense of security.

But that sense of security had now vanished without a trace!

Inside the Adventurers' Guild, the hall had already descended into chaos.

"Waaah, my Zane Dungeon! Why did this damn mutation have to happen to it?!"

"Damn it! Doesn't this mean there aren't any dungeons left that I can clear? Do I have to go back to the countryside and farm?"

Besides the wailing of a few slackers, capable adventurers had already begun forming parties.

A new mutation represented a new opportunity. Information on a dungeon's maps, monster types, mineral and herb varieties, and so on could all be sold for money. Moreover, the Adventurers' Guild had issued a mission to all its members, offering substantial rewards for investigating it.

So those confident in their own abilities were eager to get started.

But the sharper ones had already rushed to explore the dungeon with Teleportation Crystals!

For example, Jack, a Bronze Rank adventurer.

"Hehe, good thing I brought plenty of cannon fodder. No matter how strong the traps are, I can force my way through with human lives!"

This despicable bastard had gathered nine companions through all sorts of methods. Whenever he encountered traps or ambushes, he did not hesitate to betray the others.

Relying on that sinister cunning, he opened the fortress gate and even narrowly defeated the Gargoyles, becoming the first adventurer to reach Plague Village!

With no cannon fodder left at his side, he planned to stop there.

"I've memorized the map of this area, and I know the monster types inside out. Selling this information will definitely make me a fortune. Even if those nine cannon fodder gang up and beat me to death, it'll be worth it! Hehe, if anyone hires me to explore with them, I can even point out the traps. As for the price... hehehe."

Before retracing his steps, he carefully searched the inside of the fortress once more. Unfortunately, it was huge and empty, with nothing inside. It seemed to have been built solely as a BOSS arena for the two Gargoyles.

However, Jack "luckily" found a treasure chest hidden in a corner. Excited, he quickly opened it.

It was a purple light spot that signified rarity. But when he picked it up and looked at it, he froze.

"This is... a Greatsword?"

It was merely a Greatsword with an unremarkable appearance. Other than its excessively heavy feel, Jack got no other impression from it.

His expression immediately darkened. "I went through all that trouble just to get a Greatsword? This reward is way too stingy!"

"Whatever. The craftsmanship looks decent enough, so I should be able to make a little money selling it."

But something strange happened.

When Jack gripped the Greatsword's hilt with both hands, a strange sensation appeared in his mind.

Then, he raised the Greatsword high and slashed down fiercely. His body borrowed that force to leap high into the air, roll, and slash down again with power far beyond his own!

The ground shook, and a deep gash was carved into it.

"Wh-what did I just do?"

Jack stood there stupidly for a long while, staring blankly at the Greatsword. "I did that? Is this the power of a Weapon Skill?"

Weapon Skills were techniques learned by warriors through countless trials and training. Even the simplest Weapon Skill required enormous amounts of practice, as well as a certain talent for comprehension. As a result, only a small minority could use them.

A bottom-rung adventurer like Jack had neither the talent to learn Weapon Skills nor the perseverance to practice them. All he knew was lockpicking and barely passable stealth.

Even though he had long since given up on himself, he had always dreamed of using Weapon Skills like the strong, slaughtering enemies to his heart's content!

Yet the moment he held the Greatsword, knowledge of a Weapon Skill called Lion Slash appeared in his mind. With a single thought, he had actually used it!

This Greatsword allowed its owner to use a Weapon Skill!

No practice required!

No talent required!

All it took was a pair of hands capable of holding a sword!

At that thought, Jack trembled all over with excitement.

"A-a treasure! I've never heard of a weapon that comes with its own Weapon Skill!"

"I've struck it rich!"

Every one of his reactions was clearly seen by Gong Qiying.

Watching the dungeon through the Crystal Ball, he revealed a faint smile that said, just as planned.

"I bet right. Weapons with built-in Weapon Skills really are rare in this world."

"Then what comes next is obvious. Once word spreads that Zane Dungeon produces weapons with built-in Weapon Skills, I won't have to worry about people not coming. Spirit Power freedom is just around the corner!"

Greatsword
Weapon Skill: Lion Slash
Rating: E
Spirit Power required per unit: 10