4 days since the guards invaded and I’ve spent over 3,000 mana in total. More than enough for me to reach level 6 twice over but it was well spent. Compared to what my small cave had been only a week ago this first floor was an impregnable fortress. The name I’ve affectionately given to this place is, the “Mangle Bog”.

A fitting name stemming from the enormous Mangrove trees dotted around the floor and swamp like atmosphere. Now the floor is a full mile across and almost half that in diameter. The majority of the floor in underneath 12 feet of murky brown and green water. While enlarged thick roots of the mangroves create long pathways for terrestrial creatures to travel across, and above the waters.

The canopy of dark green leaves casts dark shadows across the entire floor, but the environment remains well-lit thanks to the vibrant flora. I had taken the basic green Luminous Shrooms and changed their pigment colors to various shades of blue, red, yellow, and purple at varying intensities. Looking across the dark and reflective floor of lights gives off an ethereal aura. Rest assured each and every mushroom is still capable of bursting into radiant light like before.

Hiding within the sprawling Mangroves themselves is a secret function to inhibit invader’s progress. After boosting their growth so much they’d evolved into Superlunary Mangroves. This new species has the incredible ability to absorb mana that comes in contact with them. Even the fire magic of my Volcanic Salamanders proved ineffective at burning their bark. If the trees continue to grow the effect will spread to a small radius around them. Meaning enemy mages would find casting spells difficult on this floor.

Amongst the interwoven maze of magic nullifying roots are 5 small islands other than my own in the back. Only raising around 3 feet from the water and covered in plant life, the islands make the perfect home for my salamanders and other animals to breed safely in. If anyone attempts to raid the island and finds success I’ll place some worthwhile rewards for them.

My island at the very back of the bog is completely blanketed by the mushrooms. So much so that the renovated shack is completely hidden from the shore. Rotting wood and vines surround the structure giving it a long abandoned feel. Inside was a single bed, chair, and table hinting at the story of a lonely man trapped in a forsaken swamp he couldn’t find the courage to leave I’d come up with.

If someone were to leave the haunted home believing there was nothing else to it, you could hardly blame them. While certainly odd the shack would seem little more than a resting place amidst the swamp. But if they were to carefully search underneath the straw mattress they would find a hidden staircase. Going down would reveal a smooth stone hallway leading to a small orange gemstone. Down said hallway strange voices would call out to lead them astray and hands would leap from the darkness in the form of Mary when she was in the dungeon.

But Mary’s voice changes aren’t the only trap laying within. In fact the entrance to the bog itself is a trap of perception. Invaders would need to crawl through the drop down and into the murky water just to get inside. After swimming underneath they would enter into the dungeon proper, and more than likely climb onto the nearest root and begin walking along the wooden pathways.

This whole process is to create a false sense of security about entering the water. I even went so far as forbidding any aquatic animals from attacking near the entrance. While walking through the roots and branches they would begin encountering my terrestrial attackers. Packs of Timber Wolves would harass the invaders and may eliminate or isolate weaker attackers but that wasn’t their true purpose. Mainly they are ambush predators that will fight with a single goal in mind. Pushing their target into the water.

A normal person’s strategy during an ambush would be putting their backs to the water given they understand it to be safe. Normally a good plan, but this floor is designed around avoiding the dangerous water. The Timber Wolves have been taught to push opponents into the water, and as soon as they are, hundreds, if not thousands, of piranhas will assault the invader. Best part is that the mana absorbed from the kill will be shared equally between the fish and wolves. A plan only possible because my creatures don’t require food.

Making use of their intelligence I’ve also taught the Timber Wolves to utilize the Luminous Shrooms. Using their claws and teeth the wolves will activate the mushroom’s flash ability to make getaways and ambushes easier. During the confusion after the light, my wolves will climb up into the canopy and dash across the floor with their personal pathways.

Along with the new wolf packs parading around the floor are my new Storm Hares. Abundant and dangerous the former Gray Rabbits hold a small lightning affinity and ridiculously powerful legs. In contrast to the wolves living in the leaves above the Storm Hares live in small warrens within the mangrove bases.

Just under 4 feet tall when standing on their hind legs the Storm Hares don’t immediately appear threatening. Traveling down their gray and black streaked fur leads to a pair of yellow spikes, one stationed on either hind leg. Now the former rabbits have become pure carnivores, with a devious hobby of toying with prey shared amongst the entire species. Their lightning affinity doesn’t currently amount to much more than small discharges of electricity. Not nearly enough voltage to kill only ever causing small muscle spasms. But their mediocre magic is made up for by their deadly kicking strength. Perfect example of which being when a Storm Hare kicked so hard off a mangrove it left a footprint imbedded in the tree.

The Storm Hares kept the breeding habits of their prior forms, and soon the bog was infested with the sadistic things. Perhaps due to population density they frequently feud with my Timber Wolves. Stoic wolves and trickster hares would raid each other almost every day, netting me a hefty profit of mana.

Last of the new creatures amongst the mangroves are the Screech Owls. They haven’t evolved yet but I’m hopeful that they’ll grow into something impressive. Regardless of any combat prowess they add some good atmosphere to the haunted magic swamp with their chilling calls. So for now I’ll begrudgingly keep feeding them rats in hopes of good evolutions.

Looking at the underwater hierarchy, the Piranha Queen now commands over 1,000 Red Bellied Piranhas. In just 2 days she had established her lair in the upper right of the floor, directly to the right of my island. Making only 1 queen had proven a wise choice now that 20% of the population fell under her control before she stopped her conquest.

Inside her lair she rests inside a protective sphere of 200 guards. All other “hive” piranhas hunt and bring back food for her and the rotating guards. Something that surprised me was that her parasitic teeth also affected the Blood Letters of which she controlled 4. Each would be gifted 200 piranhas and create feeding frenzies on her command.

The other 4,000 or so piranhas have spread pretty evenly around the floor except for a gap between the queen’s forces and the “wild” fish. This was what the current population numbers were at, but the bog is large enough to sustain at least twice as many fish. If we ever reach peak capacity I’ll consider placing another queen on the opposite side of the bog.

My Tidal Axolotls had begun reproducing and now number at 11. Since their magic power exploded, summoning 10 foot waves over the root paths, 3 meter thick underwater air bubbles, and even whirlpools capable of catching 3-4 men at once are all possible. Currently I’m having them run practice drills with the Storm Hares and Timber Wolves to enhance teamwork.

Their close cousins the Greater Solar, and Volcanic Salamanders were quickly becoming the dominate land species across the islands. Numbering almost 100 now both species had produced an interesting phenomenon. Every single male born would become a Greater Solar Salamander while all the females would become Volcanic Salamanders. I can’t tell if this was directly because of my tampering or my salamanders somehow changed their children to match what I’d previously done. Not that it really matters given I still have an even split of both species.

During their fights the Greater Solar’s would tank in front of the Volcanic Salamanders as they launched volleys of fireballs from behind. Males mostly fight with brute force and raw heat while spewing blue flames from their mouths to create distance. The females create cages of solid fire to trap targets for the males and launch spears of flame from their raised tails. If it came down to it the Volcanic Salamanders could fight in close quarters with their glowing hot claws despite being weaker physically. Final weapon in their arsenal was the ash that coated their skin. If hit with enough force the black ash would fling off their bodies causing a smoke screen in the immediate area for the males to wreak havoc inside of.

Back on my island the Vampiric Shrooms have evolved again. Now named Giant Vampiric Shrooms they are almost as tall and thick as oak trees. On the underside of their caps are several small bundles of a flaky substance called “Thrall Spores”. When the mushrooms detect an enemy they will release the spores downwards. If the spores make contact they will begin sucking the blood of their host while also releasing a strong numbing agent. Until the connection is made to the mushrooms sudden blood loss should cause hysteria among enemy ranks.

Underneath the Giant Vampiric Shrooms are the same Slime Shrooms as before. While the haven’t evolved themselves all have been replaced by the improved upon version are much more colorful than before. I’d made their mucus reflective of the Luminous Shrooms which resulted in the floor almost sparkling with mucus.

The final new additions to the floor are my Lesser Anacondas and Alligators. The Lesser Anacondas had evolved from Boa Snakes. That option had been unlocked by having them hunt in a semi aquatic environment for an extended period. Now over 10 feet long the green and brown constrictors make for incredibly strong swimmers and ambush predators. After grabbing their prey the great snakes simply swim out into the deeper water and silently drown their victims in their coils.

Alligators are obviously evolutions of the Caiman I selected for free and are typically found basking on roots or fighting for territory with my salamanders. Only around 7 feet long, small compared to the behemoths on Earth I’d wanted to recreate, their greatest strength was in their natural armor. While my Salamanders had soft, damp skin typical of amphibians leaving them vulnerable to blades, my Alligators might as well be tanks in a world with swords and spears.

Overall it had been my biggest [Expansion] yet. I think I made the right decision though. The “Mangle Bog” was both beautiful and functional. Quiet and eerie but at the same time teeming with unseen life. Taking a moment to stop, look, and listen would really make the bog feel alive. Around every branch was a pair of eyes or a rustling leaf. Inches underneath the water’s surface, invisible to the human eye, swarmed hundreds of carnivorous fish and giant serpents coiling in the currents. All around you alligators would break the surface just as often as prior logs would blink and swim away.

Feeling more prepared than ever for the coming investigators I decided to take the day off and simply let the mana roll in. Given just how many more creatures were running around and fighting each other, I managed to level twice in one day.

*DUNGEON HAS REACHED MANA REQUIREMENTS FOR LEVEL 6

*ACCESS TO SKILL “TREASURE” GRANTED

*DUNGEON HAS REACHED MANA REQUIREMENTS FOR LEVEL 7

Unnamed Dungeon Level 7

Mana Capacity 0/3,000

Mana Bank: 677/1,500

Passive Regen Rate 85/day

Floors: 1/2

Named Creatures: 1/2

Skills: Remote Absorption, Create Creature, Create Flora, Dungeon Status, Naming, Expansion, Terraforming, Marking, Mana Bank, Loot Control, Creature Core, Treasure

Traits: Fast Paced, Purposeful

I had been waiting for the constantly expanding list of new skills to stop but had been hoping for it to last a little while longer. Level 7 is the first I haven’t gotten any new skills for reaching. Making me reflect on how lucky I’ve been. Only reason I’ve made it this far was due to [Fast-Paced] granting me access to a mana farm after I made the preliminary design, and If it weren’t for Ford’s death I would have been stuck waiting for wild animals and my passive mana regen... At least I’m guaranteed new options at level 10.

After some testing I found [Treasure] to be very similar to [Loot Control]. Dumbing down the process a bit, I could basically place chests around the floor with better rewards than [Loot Control]. Chests could be designed to match a floor’s design seemingly without any limits and could be locked with keys randomly dropped by creatures around the floor. The options for loot quality would decrease the more chests I made. So the more scarcely I used [Treasure] the more valuable they would become.

For now I made the chests out of a rotting pine wood and gave them a dark blue trimming. I ignored the keys option for now and left the boxes unlocked. 3 chests were placed around the floor in varying locations. The first would be found on the largest of the 5 islands amidst the salamander’s nests holding 1,250 Rhilos. The second I hid inside the cap of an especially tall Giant Vampiric Mushroom. Anyone actually saw and then got the chest would undoubtably be covered in the Thrall spores dooming them for their greed. If somehow, they figured a way to the chest though, I would grant them 1,500 Rhilos. Aim behind this to discover any flaws within my mushrooms design. The final chest I hid directly underneath the Piranha Queen’s lair. Inside I placed the largest reward of 2,500 Rhilos. The queen was pleased with her new guard duty and promptly began inspecting the box excitedly. A toothy grin spreading across her face as she settled atop the wooden box.

Morbidly moving away from the newly obsessed queen I began to think about the coming invasion. Mary had been doing some limited scouting despite her [Creature Core’s] mana capacity. We’ve confirmed no other nearby towns exist near us other than the one to the west. Unfortunately we have been unable to ascertain the town’s name, military strength, or relation to more powerful settlements. All we really know is that it’s a small town around a days travel away on foot.

Yesterday Mary had come back early after witnessing 30 armored men and women on horseback coming into town. We can’t assume they’ve come for us but it’s best assume they are. After the initial sighting I’ve ordered Mary to keep watch in the woods as often in possible. I was working her rather hard given she seldom had time to rest and recharge her core but it needed to be done.

The morning after the sighting Mary came back into the dungeon to refill her core. Before she’d even reached the core room she began yelling out “Master! The armored humans are coming!”

Once in front of me and panting wildly she spat out “They’re riding... wood... down... the river!”

“Alright I’ll put everyone on alert and prohibit fighting. Go get some rest... you don’t sound well.”

“I’m... fine... never been... better!”

Treating her like a child I chided “No, go get some rest. If they make it past everyone else you’ll be my last line of defense. I could very easily get enslaved without you after all.”

With a heavy shrug Mary dropped into her corner with an exaggerated “Fiiiiiiiine...”