Next was the monster deployment for the twelfth floor.
Following the pattern of the eleventh floor, dwarf miners were assigned to the mineral veins, and purple-skinned blacksmiths were placed in the caves.
In addition, because this floor featured a lava lake, Dalun Li decided to make some extra monster arrangements.
Lava frogs could continue to be released into the lava lake.
At the same time, this floor happened to provide new materials.
Dalun Li took out the corpse of a dark wanderer and then fetched fire-resistant iron ingots refined from the iron of this floor.
Because the previous floor had more rocky areas, the lava existed as rivers.
Therefore, the primary monsters there were the land-dwelling lava gargoyles.
Since this floor had a lava lake, in addition to keeping the land-dwelling lava gargoyles, he would create a large number of lake-dwelling monsters.
"Monster, create!"
[Name] Benthic Lava Fish of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment
[Level] lv12
[Skills] Lava Resistance lv4, Hard Scales lv4, Fireball lv3, Splatter lv3, Crawl lv3, Sharp Teeth lv3, Lava Saliva lv3, Haste lv2, Great Strength lv2, Lava Jet lv2, Lava Pouch lv2
[Description] A monster servant created by the unknown existence, Dalun Li. It lives in lava lakes and is capable of consuming and spitting lava and flames. It can move on land for short periods and lives in groups.
Beneath the belly of the lava fish, which was covered in fire-resistant hard scales as tough as rock, were four specialized fins. These allowed it to crawl onto land and remain active there for short periods.
After creating the lava fish, Dalun Li did not stop. He then used the lava fish as a base for a secondary creation.
[Name] Lava Fish King of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment
[Level] lv12
[Skills] Fire Pouch lv5, Fireball lv5, Lava Resistance lv4, Hard Scales lv4, Sharp Teeth lv4, Sword Fin lv4, Great Strength lv4, Splatter lv3, Haste lv3, Lava Pouch lv3, Lava Jet lv3, Precision lv2, Long-range Vision lv2
[Description] The king among lava fish. Only the strongest lava fish in a group can evolve into this monster. It is five times the size of a normal lava fish. Its massive body prevents it from crawling on land as its fins have degenerated, but it can launch powerful long-range attacks from the lava lake with great destructive power.
The lava fish moved in groups within the lava lake.
Led by a king among their ranks, they guarded the lava lake together.
And the passage to the next floor was located on a small island in the center of the lava lake.
To reach the next floor, one would have to cross the peril-filled lava lake.
Because the floors expanded as they went deeper, the size of this floor's lava lake was quite staggering, occupying half the area.
Standing in the center of the lava lake, even if visibility were good, one would be unable to see land.
Moreover, the lava lake was filled with thick smoke and the toxic mist produced by poison smoke monsters.
In the lava lake, it was very easy to lose one's way.
Under such circumstances, finding a small island of about ten square meters in the center of the lake was extremely difficult.
And this was lava, after all; it was not a place that could be explored by leisurely rowing a boat.
Of course, Dalun Li was not some kind of devil.
Manipulating the power of this floor, he began to modify the twelve stone pillars towering in the lava lake.
Each stone pillar was fitted with a set of spiral stairs that led to its top.
At the top of each stone pillar, Dalun Li created a stone door.
Standing on either side of the stone door were two heroic gargoyles at level 12.
The heroic gargoyle looked like a statue of a hero, wearing armor, with both hands resting on the hilt of a sword standing before it, guarding the stone gate.
They looked like sentries who had been guarding the place since ancient times.
Behind the stone door sat a stone treasure chest.
Inside the chest were magic crystal coins and other dungeon coins of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, along with a power leaf.
After some thought, Dalun Li decided to make a few changes. He also placed an aged map fragment and a broken key into the chest.
Then, he hid the largest stone pillar.
Only by following the map's path through the various nodes of the lava lake could one reach the location of the hidden stone pillar.
For the hidden stone pillar, Dalun Li designed only a single door and two heroic gargoyles as guards.
By collecting all the broken keys from the ten treasure chests, one could combine them into a complete key to pass through the door and teleport to the hidden boss room.
Dalun Li also arranged for a monster merchant to wander around the lava lake.
He had the monster merchant sell information related to the stone pillars.
At the same time, Dalun Li left behind some small easter eggs that could help in crossing the lava lake.
However, Dalun Li could not let the adventurers enjoy themselves too much.
The pitch-black palace had granted Dalun Li the powers of darkness and space.
To that end, in addition to the mimics, he specifically created trap chests.
The trap chests could teleport adventurers directly into a swarm of monsters on an upper floor, making them start all over again.
There were simply too many ways to utilize the darkness and spatial powers of the pitch-black palace.
As for the creation of the hidden boss...
He was already two bosses behind.
The floor boss for the tenth floor could no longer be delayed; it was time to start making it.
He would push back the hidden boss of the twelfth floor for now.
Procrastination was starting to set in again.
Unlike guardians, the power of a floor boss was well-rounded.
Of course, a guardian was definitely stronger than a floor boss, or at least provided more help to Dalun Li.
Furthermore, the level of a floor boss could not exceed the level of its corresponding floor.
Dalun Li gathered fire-resistant iron ingots, magic tree branches, magic iron ingots, and the corpse of a dark wanderer.
Stacking these materials together, Dalun Li then took out a thumb-sized fiery red crystal.
It was the dragon flame crystal he had just mined.
He would use this small piece first to test the compatibility between this crystal and monsters.
If the compatibility was poor, it would be difficult to use these materials for monster creation, and they could only be used to make magical artifacts or magic equipment.
As the dragon flame crystal landed among the pile of materials, everything immediately began to burn and melt.
The temperature of the dragon flame crystal was not something other materials could withstand.
This was a crystal formed from the fire power of an entire floor, condensed over countless years.
"Hmph, in the end, it is just a product of a floor."
"And I am the dungeon itself!"
Dalun Li floated up from the pedestal and activated his ability.
The materials on the ground seemed to burst with a majestic vitality, beginning to grow and resist the high temperature of the dragon flame crystal.
The power of the dragon flame crystal also began to be drawn out, merging with the materials.
The scorching heat swept across the surrounding rocks. Poor Tongmu could only crawl far away, shrinking into the pile of miscellaneous items.
There was nothing he could do; as a plant-type monster, he had always hated the lava stratum.
He especially hated the intense heat being triggered by the dragon flame crystal right now.
Dalun Li suppressed the power of the dragon flame crystal, forcing it to merge with the various materials.
This process was very energy-consuming. To focus on designing the monster, Dalun Li took out a handful of magic crystal coins.
The magic crystal coins were activated, and the power within them poured out continuously to maintain the monster creation.
Dalun Li immediately felt the pressure lighten and began to "install" the monster's abilities.
The "memory" of a floor boss was far beyond what other low-level monsters could compare to, allowing Dalun Li to go all out with his design.
Dalun Li, who had designed so many small-fry monsters, could finally have some fun.
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