"Bastards, how are they clearing it so fast!"
At the deepest part of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, Dalun Li couldn't help but curse as he watched Serafina's group defeat the Wellmouth Sentry and enter the sixth floor, the Desert Stratum.
"Advancing so fast... they're really going to reach the end. I'm not as deep as you imagine."
Dalun Li was anxious.
Zeno killing three extraordinary beings had provided Dalun Li with 2,100 points of Earth Vein Power.
And seven Small Pieces of Earth Vein Essence.
Among them, the second-rank swordsman provided five points of Earth Vein Essence, while the first-rank swordsman and first-rank heavy warrior each dropped one Small Piece of Earth Vein Essence.
Earth Vein Essence could be used to combine with materials to create magical artifacts.
Now, it could resolve his urgent need.
He had a bit more confidence in challenging the tenth floor.
Creating the eleventh floor required 2,000 Earth Vein Power.
Dalun Li could already create it, but with the tenth floor in between, he had no way to draw power from the eleventh floor.
Even if he created it, it would just be a gift for that old thing on the tenth floor.
Calm down.
Do not be restless; in critical situations, restlessness is a major taboo.
Dalun Li took out magic iron ingots, combining them with magic tree branches from the fourth floor, copper ingots from the third floor, and various spare parts dropped by monsters.
Then he took out the Small Pieces of Earth Vein Essence and began to mass-produce magical artifacts.
One by one, rare magical artifacts containing special powers were created by combining materials with Earth Vein Essence.
Some had good effects, while others were mediocre.
The mediocre ones would be placed in mimics later and tucked away on various floors.
He had to let others know that the Well of Eternal Imprisonment had real treasure chests.
This was to prevent everyone from simply attacking any chest they saw in the future.
The ones with good effects were kept in the dungeon as a reserve of magical artifacts.
There were four with particularly good effects.
Namely.
[Thumb Knife] lesser magic grade. After the Thumb Knife deals damage, there is a probability of directly stealing an item from the opponent.
[Greenwood Gloves] lesser magic grade. After putting on the gloves, one can instantly switch between the equipment in hand and the equipment carried on the body.
[Leaf-Rolling Belt] lesser magic grade. Able to transform items into leaves and store them within the belt, with a limit of nine leaves.
[Leaf-Shaped Shield] lesser magic grade. A leaf-shaped wooden shield with a growth effect. The shield's surface will be destroyed after taking one hit, but all damage caused by the attack will be blocked; it requires one day to recover.
Aside from these.
The remaining three had less outstanding effects.
[Hundred-Leaf Blade] lesser magic grade. When swinging the blade, it can summon hundreds of green leaf-shaped Sword Qi. The Sword Qi carries a weak defense-reduction effect. After one use, it requires a day to recharge.
[Crescent Arrow] lesser magic grade. An arrow with a crescent-shaped tip. After being shot, it can transform into a massive crescent-shaped Sword Qi and automatically return.
[Eroding Wood Bow] lesser magic grade. A powerful wooden bow. The arrows shot possess several clones that carry a fraction of the original's power.
In Dalun Li's eyes, offensive magic items were destined to be phased out.
Instead, those with special abilities might be usable indefinitely.
The Leaf-Rolling Belt, in particular, had a storage function.
Although there were limits on weight and size, it was equivalent to having nine additional convenient storage slots.
He piled the seven magical artifacts next to the treasure heap, along with the previous Wellmouth Greatsword.
Seeing eight magical artifacts piled together was truly refreshing.
In the future, perhaps he could even have Zeno sell some magical artifacts to supplement their living expenses.
After all, these magical artifacts had no way to absorb Earth Vein Power.
With the seven magical artifacts finished, it was time for the final gamble.
The Medium Piece of Earth Vein Essence dropped by the third-rank priest, combined with the drops from the Desert Sword Attendant.
This magical artifact would be his primary tool for dealing with the old geezer on the tenth floor; he could not afford to be careless.
Dalun Li still planned to wait until his power was fully restored before starting the production.
...
Five days was not a long time.
However, in this rising frontier dungeon, unbelievable changes had occurred.
It was as if time had been accelerated here.
The people gathered from the surrounding areas each went about their business—harvesting and building this dungeon and its surroundings.
Around the dungeon, rows of wooden houses had already been completed.
The streets had been leveled, seemingly in preparation for laying stone bricks.
A simple stone brick factory had already been built, continuously turning stones mined from the dungeon into individual bricks.
Of course, these stones were prioritized for Lord Fenris Grey's castle and the Church of Light's cathedral.
Scrap stone fragments were used as foundations for houses and roads.
These were the changes outside the dungeon.
Naturally, there were changes inside the dungeon as well.
The first floor, the smallest level of the entire dungeon, had already developed a vast plaza under constant excavation, with simple houses built upon it.
It served as the first-floor station within the dungeon.
The second floor was similar, but because of the presence of monsters, the station was much smaller.
An area had been cleared in the copper mine forest of the third floor, and the constructed mine shafts had reached deep into the mineral veins.
Rows of houses were built to provide shelter for the miners.
Adventurers were also hired to stay alert for surrounding monsters.
The station on the fourth floor, the Forest Stratum, was the most natural and harmonious.
Unlike the clutter of the first three floors, it felt more like a village nestled within the dungeon.
Taverns and inns had already been completed.
This was the bridgehead for adventurers exploring deeper; veteran adventurers gathered here.
Everyone discussed the terrain and monsters of the fifth floor.
And...
The fifth-floor boss, the Wellmouth Sentry.
"It's too strong. It's simply a monster; you can't even fight it without being extraordinary."
"I heard a six-person non-extraordinary adventurer team made it through yesterday."
"What? Those guys must be monsters themselves."
"They probably had some kind of strategy. I really want to know what it was."
"Those people are making a fortune in the lower floors. Those bone materials are so profitable."
"I heard someone even opened a chest on the sixth floor and got a pair of eyes that can see through power."
"What? There are chests like that? Didn't this dungeon never have chests before?"
"Well... there are some things I can't say too much about. Let's just say those who know, know."
"Are you talking about that legend? Not a single adventurer who has seen a chest has survived."
In the noisy tavern, amidst the soft sounds of the lyre and lute, discussions were heated.
It was a scene of bustling excitement.
Legends of making a fortune, legends of treasure, legends of death, and legends of the forbidden.
These were like poison mixed into low-quality wine.
They drove these adventurers into a frenzy while making them fear like they were facing a viper.
Just like how the first floor was strangely devoid of a single monster, yet adventurers had mysteriously disappeared there at the very beginning.
Every adventurer who had seen a treasure chest would vanish.
The mysterious water source on the third floor could swallow people whole, leaving no bones behind.
The magic plant mandragora on the fourth floor was said to have powerful effects and was extremely precious.
But it would ambush humans; it was carnivorous and extremely ferocious.
Listening to these terrifying legends, these adventurers were afraid, yet for some reason, they felt a sense of longing.
Because in their hearts, they had unknowingly confused danger with treasure, making them inseparable.
They took treasure as their food and danger as their wine, rolling in death while mocking the impotence of the Grim Reaper.
This was an adventurer.
This was a dungeon.
And at the very bottom of all this, the terrifying existence watching over the entire dungeon finished his final creation.
He raised his sword edge, pointing it toward the deeper layers of this dungeon.
At this moment, he too had become an adventurer.
Launching a charge toward the deeper levels.
Rate on N.U.
