Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 382. Dungeon Building and Level 50!

Liu Shu observed the <Dungeon System> for a little while, thinking about how to begin modifying her first personal dungeon. ‘Hm… The name of the dungeon should be something that will hint at the Explorer on how or what they are going to face. My objective with the dungeon is not to kill the Explorers but to give them Experience Points. Still, I can’t give it out for free… right?’

[System Hint: A <Dungeon> receives energy from the creatures that die within. All creatures can enter a <Dungeon>, including wild beasts. For World Tree Tianlian Liu Shu to keep the <Dungeons> online, you mustn’t create a non-challenging Experience Farm. There must always be a tangent threat of death. If the System considers the <Dungeon> to be too biased toward the challenger, you won’t be able to change the <Status> to <Open>.]

Liu Shu hummed with interest and asked another question. “Then, if I create puzzles or plots that require interactions and intelligence, how can wild beasts overcome them?”

[System Hint: Non-intelligent creatures will face modified puzzles by the <System>. Interactions will change from challenger to challenger as well. As an example, a human might encounter humans, but a wolf will encounter a wolf or wolf pack that can communicate with it.]

‘Woah~. That’s so cool.’

Liu Shu checked the <Particular Dungeon System> once more. 

***

Dungeon Name: Unnamed.

Current Status: Under Construction.

Dungeon Level: -

Difficulty Rating: Unranked.

Number Of Floors: -

Dungeon Reputation: Town-Level.

Dungeon Alignment (Choose 2 “sins”): Not chosen. 

Dungeon Theme: Not chosen. 

Dungeon Type: Not chosen.

Boss Character Sheet: Not chosen.

Unique Traits: None.

Adventurer Log (Click to Expand).

***

She then began asking from top to bottom. “System, explain quickly what each of those implies and which ones I can modify.”

[System Hint: All attributes can be modified directly or indirectly.]

“Then, tell me which ones I can modify directly!” 

[System Tip: You have full control over <Dungeon Name>, <Number Of Floors>, <Dungeon Alignment>, <Dungeon Theme>, <Dungeon Type>, and <Boss Character Sheet>.]

[System Hint: You have partial control over <Current Status>.]

[System Hint: You have indirect control over <Dungeon Level>, <Dungeon Rating>, and <Unique Traits>.]

“Oh!” Liu Shu read that slowly and nodded a few times. “I have partial control because you can close my <Dungeons> if they are too biased, for example. As for those in the indirect control section… I guess it will change depending on the Boss Monster, the number of floors, the level of the monsters, and the alignment.” 

Liu Shu pondered on how to create her first dungeon. ‘I should use Lyara as the final Boss Monster. A Level 60 Cursemancer is quite an annoying Boss! Moreover, I can supply alternative Experience Point earning methods until Level 50. People over Level 50 should be the ones that this Dungeon will help.’

With a Cursemancer as the central piece of the large puzzle, creating the rest of the dungeon was not that difficult. First, Liu Shu decided the Alignment of the dungeon. “I need to choose something called <Sins>. Which options do I have?”

[System Hint: <Sins> are the traits of the <Dungeon Monsters>. For example, monsters will be highly aggressive and try to devour the Explorers if you have “Wrath” and “Gluttony”. They will excel in combat, and the more they eat during each dive, their particular strength will increase, creating a <Mini-Boss> as long as one of the monsters manages to master the <Sin>.]

Liu Shu was speechless. ‘Um… Can I not choose a <Sin>?’

[System Hint: You must choose two <Sins>. The main options are Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, and Avarice. They are the <Sins> that will give the best reward when cleared. If you want to give out fewer resources at the price of being easier, you can use lesser sins like Arrogance, Anger, Sadness, Hunger, Desire, Jealousy, or Hoarding. There are also plenty of side characteristics that you can choose instead, like violence, leadership, etc.]

Liu Shu felt her eyes spin. “So many options…” After reading through again, Liu Shu muttered. “So, the summary is that <Main Sins> give out great rewards, but the diver can get screwed very quickly. Conversely, the rest of the characteristics are much easier but with lesser rewards…”

She asked one last question before she started building. “So, what is the difference between the <Dungeon Theme> and <Dungeon Type>? Also, are all these things modifiable after I create it?”

[System Hint: All attributes are modifiable. However, changing a finished Dungeon too thoroughly will send it into a long pause. It can last from months to several years. If the change is too drastic, decades or centuries can pass before it reopens. The System will notify you of how long the changes will take before doing them.]

Our World Tree almost jumped in fright. ‘C-Centuries!? Oh, branches above, I must remember to ask before I make any changes!’ 

[System Hint: <Dungeon Theme> refers to the theme that the Explorer will be subjected to. For example, a <Dungeon> that has the setting placed as a history where the Explorer needs to save a town will be a <Heroic Dungeon>. Meanwhile, <Dungeon Type> refers to how the <Dungeon> is built. If it is full of twisting paths, it will be <Labyrinth>; if it is a giant tower, it might be a <Challenge Tower>; if it is an open field, it might be a <Open Dungeon>. A final etiquette of a dungeon might be as such: <Level 50 Tundra Diving Extermination Dungeon (Difficult)>]

“Huh? Difficult?”

[System Hint: <Dungeon Rating> is given depending on the difficulty relative to the user. A B Tier person might see a Dungeon’s rating as <Normal>, while a F Tier might see it as <Corrupt Nightmare>.]

“WOAH! That last one sounded so cool and scary! How many ratings are there?”

[System Hint: <Dungeon Ratings>: Sproutling, Easy, Normal, Thornbound, Hard, Sylvan Crucible, World Heart Epic, Corrupt Nightmare, and World Tree Withering difficulties.]

Liu Shu was somewhat excited. This whole system sounded so much fun to play with! “UGH! What do I even do now!? I wonder, I wonder. I want the Explorers to have fun while doing the dungeon but also be careful! For the experience to transform them into a better and stronger person!”

Liu Shu pondered for a while and then had a genius idea. “I know! I’ll use those bad people as the villagers, and then…”

Liu Shu started tinkering with the storyline, monsters, layout, and many other things. The work was done meticulously, with a few extra hints in their journey that could help them. There were rewards and punishments, also creating a “Completion participation” percentage for the final rewards. After all, if someone entered and did nothing, they were not worthy of having end rewards! Moreover, she also added negative percentages for those who betrayed people inside. Anyone who had a negative percentage would be marked when they exited so that the people outside knew about it.

After a few other failsafes to make the experience challenging and rewarding while also making the people inside trust each other to a high degree, even if they were strangers, 

When Liu Shu finished, she opened the final System Page.

***

Dungeon Name: The Witch Of The End.

Current Status: Closed.

Dungeon Level: 50~74.

Difficulty Rating: Hard. (Relative to a Level 60 C- Tier Explorer)

Number Of Floors: 3.

Dungeon Reputation: Town-Level.

Dungeon Alignment: Envy, Sloth.

Dungeon Theme: Epic Adventure.

Dungeon Type: Country.

Boss Character Sheet: Level 60 Cursemancer Lyara.

Unique Traits: Corruption.

Adventurer Log (Click to Expand).

*** 

Liu Shu harrumphed, satisfied. “Hehehe, this looks quite nice… Oh? It gained a <Unique Trait>! Show it to me!”

<Unique Trait: Corruption>: There are places with <Corruption>. The <Corruption> will spread as time passes. Monsters affected by Corruption will have 20% increased stats and give 40% more Experience Points. Their attacks will also apply the <Blight> debuff. 

<Blight>: If your body is damaged, you will be infected with <Corruption>. If the <Corruption> goes over 50%, your attributes will be reduced by 10%. If it reaches 100%, you will become part of the <Dungeon>.

Liu Shu’s mind shook. “HUH? Become part of the <Dungeon>!? What does that mean, System!?”

[System Hint: Becoming part of the <Dungeon>, in this case, means that they will become part of your <Monster Catalogue>. Usually, a creature will either die or become a new, complete being when the <Corruption> reaches 100%. Hence, the <System> considers that state equal to death.]

Liu Shu was somewhat uncomfortable with that. “But… I don’t want to place my people under eternal control in the <Dungeon>.” 

[System Hint: The role in the <Dungeon> doesn’t need to be an evil one. When you absorb them into your <Monster Catalogue>, they will be cleansed of <Corruption>, so you can give them a new purpose in your <Dungeon>.]

Liu Shu still felt conflicted. However, since the person was dead by that time, this could also be taken as gaining a new life. After justifying it this way, she didn’t feel that uncomfortable. “Hmhm~, Well, I can’t really change the <Unique Trait> either way. So, I guess that’s okay?”

Cheering herself, Liu Shu commented. “Well, there aren’t many Level 50s around me either way, just a few dozen, right?”

[Wisdom: The number of <Third Energy Cycles> under your direct control has increased to 7,000.]

“Eh?”

[Wisdom: The number of-]

“I HEARD YOU STUPID WISDOM! AHHHH! WHY ARE THERE SO MANY!? HAVE I BEEN INVADED!? DIDN’T I TELL YOU TO TELL ME IF THEY WERE IN DANGER!!!!”

The World Tree was about to break the final touches of her evolution when Wisdom quickly interrupted it.

[Wisdom: Mostly everyone is safe and sound. There have been no threatening invasions. The numbers are a result of the domain-wide mission of when you were being corrupted, immigration, and other factors. 79% of the <Third Energy Cycles> were under Level 50 before you started your Leveling Up progress.]

Those words certainly calmed Liu Shu down. However, there was a word that made her heart twist slightly. “Wisdom… What do you mean with ‘mostly’ everyone?”

[Wisdom: There have been deaths between people who you’d consider close.]

“...” Liu Shu was shaken on the spot. She didn’t know how to answer that bomb of information. “W-Who died?”

[Wisdom: Amapola, Clavel, Kenneth, Terran, and Thalius.]

Kenneth was one of the guards that came with Wert in the early years. He died during the recent raids because his level was quite low, around Level 40. 

Terran was the little brother of Terra, one of the two molekin who helped Liu Shu develop the mines. He died recently during one of the Terragore Invasions. 

Finally, Thalius was the king of the Myconids, who arrived in the first years with his group. He didn’t die in combat but from age. His race had developed nicely in the city, becoming Expert potion makers thanks to their racial traits. Their intelligence had also developed quite a lot, allowing them to communicate comfortably with other creatures in the town. 

When Liu Shu learned about it, her mind was blank. “How… How did they die?”

After explaining those three, Wisdom spoke about the two most important ones. 

[Wisdom: Clavel died last month due to age. She went peacefully while sleeping. Amapola died trying to protect a group of Rose Fairies during an invasion that happened three years ago.]

“Who invaded?”

The question sounded calm, but Wisdom could feel the tempestuous ocean of rage rising in her heart. 

[Wisdom: Nexus forces invaded. The defense was a great success, killing 70,000 enemy troops led by 5,000 <Third Energy Cycles> at the cost of 60 <Third Energy Cycles> and 300 <Second Energy Cycles>.]

Outside, people suddenly felt the peaceful aura of the World Tree freezing over, making everyone have chills all over their body. Then, Liu Shu finally awakened and received the System Messages. 

[Level Up!] 

[Aether +8, Physique +10, Anima +9, Willpower +11, Destiny +100]

[<First Energy Cycle> Upgraded! Receiving stats!]

[Aether +225, Physique +300, Anima +300, Willpower +300]

[<First Energy Cycle> Upgraded! Unlocking Potential!]

[Aether Resonance +9%, Physique Refinement +12%, Anima Affinity +12%]

[<Second Energy Cycle> Upgraded! Receiving stats!]

[Aether +750, Physique +1000, Anima +1000, Willpower +1000]

[<Second Energy Cycle> Upgraded! Unlocking Potential!]

[Aether Resonance +27%, Physique Refinement +36%, Anima Affinity +36%]

[<Third Energy Cycle> Completed! Receiving stats!]

[Aether +1650, Physique +2200, Anima +2200, Willpower +2200]

[<Third Energy Cycle> Completed! Unlocking Potential!]

[Aether Resonance +60%, Physique Refinement +80%, Anima Affinity +80%]

[Five Essence Branches evolve from Low-Level Flawless to Mid-Level Flawed Level! Doubling Stats!]

***

Name: Liu Shu

Level: 50 [0/254,600] 

Aether Mana Cores: 308/308 (30,809,110) (+1,109,200/Hour)

Phoer Body Cores: 526/526 (52,622,311) (+1,894,500/Hour)  

Anima Energy Cores: 485/485 (48,528,124) (+1,747,100/Hour)  

Attributes: Aether 19,997 (4,675+15,322) / Physique 28,462 (6,200+22,262) / Anima 27,359 (6,150+21,209) / Willpower 13,206 (6,250+6,956) / Destiny 5,000 (5,000)

Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (199), Physique Refinement (262), Anima Affinity (247), Mental Palace (15) 

Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (67), Physique Resistance (73), Spiritual Resistance (73), Mental Resistance (70)

Summoning Affinity: Summon Cost (-70%), Summon Enhancement (+30%), Summoning Invoking Time (-70%), Summon Upkeep (-70%) 

***

“Nexus, I am coming for you.”