Chapter 3: Goblins are boring? [Ding!] [New Quest: Generate and spawn mobs 0/25] And there it is again. Two quests in and Lethe sensed a pattern for these things. Just to make sure, he willed his [Status] screen to open. STATUS NAME: Lethe RACE: Dungeon Core CLASS: Locked LEVEL: 1 EXP: 0 / 100 (Earned EXP/Required EXP) MOB POINTS: 00/25 (Used/Total) ROOMS: 6 (60m^3 total volume of control) SKILLS [Creation - Floor 2 | Rank: 2/5 | Allows user to designate and shape a room with maximum volume of 10m^3 as a single room. Allows user to set up design templates.] [Territory Control 2 | Rank 2/10 | Allows user to expand his territory. Direction of expansion can be specified.] [Creation - Mob 1 | Rank: 1/10 | Allows user to generate mobs based on mob points.] [Design Structures 1 | Rank: 1/10 | Allows user to create and design various structures (traps, buildings, objects, etc.) inside rooms.] TEMPLATES Cavernous Room MOB TYPES ??? RULES ??? QUESTS Main Quest: Generate and spawn mobs 0/25 And as expected, his total mob points were 25. It seemed to complete this next quest, he would have to use up all of his mob points. Looking around his first room, Lethe realized that there might not be enough space to fit all of them here. He decided that he would need to create the rest of the rooms for his first floor before he proceeding to summon his mobs. Before that though, he determined that he would select his mob type. Lethe closed the status screen and this time focused on a new set of words that he believed would work, even though the system hadn't indicated that it is a command. [Select Mob]! MOB SELECTION [Select 1/1 from listed mob types] Available: 6/??? Beasts Slimes Goblins Nature Undead Fey ??? Reviewing the new list, Lethe understood that only a handful of the multitude of options were available for him to view, let alone select. As far as he knew, just from the implanted dungeon core knowledge, there are almost uncountable numbers of mob types in the world. The area where the dungeon core is also changes the type of mob available to them. For example, he knew that if he landed near a volcano, he would most likely have fire mana aspected mobs available to him. Similarly, if he was near an ocean, he would have been able to select water mana aspected mobs. Recalling what he saw of his surroundings after he landed, it seemed to be deep in a great forest, which most likely allowed him to have access to the [Nature] and [Beasts] mob types. Although having [Undead] available as a selection worried him. Going over the list once more, Lethe focused on each of the available mob types. [Beasts: A category of mobs giving the dungeon access to spawn critters and predators typically available in a forest. Selection of this mob type on Floor 1 will grant access to the [Earth Hare] and [Wind Wolf] mobs. Further selection of this mob type in subsequent floors will expand available mobs of this category.] [Slimes: A category of mobs giving the dungeon access to the most numerous and random creatures available on Sphaira. Slimes are acidic gelatinous blobs that prefer to use pack tactics due to their inherent weak nature. Selection of this mob type on Floor 1 will grant access to the [Acid Slime], [Stone Slime], and [Treasure Slime] mobs. Further selection of this mob type in subsequent floors will expand available mobs of this category.] [Goblins: A category of mobs giving the dungeon access to the basic goblin. Green-skinned, barely intelligent, tribe based monsters, Goblins are the most basic of all mobs. Selection of this mob type on Floor 1 will grant access to the [Goblin Scout], [Goblin Grunt], and [Goblin Shaman] mobs. Further selection of this mob type in subsequent floors will expand available mobs of this category.] [Nature: A category of mobs giving the dungeon access to spawn creatures aligned with nature. These fauna benefit from environments filled with vegetation and foliage. Selection of this mob type on Floor 1 will grant access to the [Poisonous Viper] and [Brown Bear] mobs. Further selection of this mob type in subsequent floors will expand available mobs of this category.] [Undead: A category of mobs giving the dungeon access to spawn the recently departed. These damned creatures seek out the living to join their unending afterlife. Selection of this mob type on Floor 1 will grant access to the [Undead Skeleton] and [Shadow] mobs. Further selection of this mob type in subsequent floors will expand available mobs of this category.] [Fey: A category of mobs giving the dungeon access to spawn creatures aligned of the whimsical fey. These tricksters of nature are known for their cunning and beguilement. Selection of this mob type on Floor 1 will grant access to the [Thorn Fairy], [Petal Fairy] and [Leaf Fairy] mobs. Further selection of this mob type in subsequent floors will expand available mobs of this category.] Even with less than a percentage of mob types available in the world, Lethe already had to select between so many different creatures. Unfortunately, it seemed the system would not fully describe what each of these mobs would be able to do; however, simply their names can allude to their nature. For now, Lethe knew that he didn't want any [Undead] mobs in his dungeon, at least for now. He didn't have anything against the undead per se, but his instincts are warning him that selecting this mob type will likely lead to a difficult life for the eternal gem. The same could be said for the [Fey], which he also didn't want to select, afraid that their very nature of trickery will cause him more headaches than he would prefer. Perhaps he will consider them for later floors. The [Slimes] seem interesting though, as well as the rest of the choices. However, what also caught his attention were the [Goblins]. Reading the description for this mob type, Lethe noticed that it was the only type that indicated intelligence and some free thought outside of their natural instincts. Even the [Fey] seem to simply follow what they were born to do. Perhaps, he should consider [Nature] or [Beasts], but Lethe didn't think they would be a good option for him for his first floor given that they only unlocked two mobs. Reviewing his available options, Lethe knew what he wanted. For this first type of mob, he expects that he will use it for a while, perhaps it would become the staple for his dungeon. As such, the base needs to be strong enough at this time for growth in the subsequent floors. Discarding all of the other options, Lethe focused his thoughts and willed his selection. [Select Mob Type: Slimes] [Ding!] [Unlocked the following mobs: [Acid Slime], [Stone Slime], [Treasure Slime]] [Unlocked the following structures: [Acid Pool], [Locked Chest]] Reading the notifications, Lethe chuckled to himself in his head. Who would even select goblins? They're boring! Slimes on the other hand, he knew that these would allow him to balance his dungeon between the good and bad adventurers. Lethe knew that if he made his dungeon too difficult, he would get more souls initially but only the stronger adventurers would feel brave enough to enter soon after. On the other hand, if he made it too easy, he wouldn't get any experience to level up, stagnating his growth completely. So, he decided that it would be imperative for him to strike a balance between these two factors from the start and throughout his growth. It isn't like he can be stolen nor does he have a time limit. As far as he knew, he'll live for millions of years. Finishing his introspection, Lethe returned his focus to his surroundings. His first room would need some more work but before that he should map out the rest of his rooms. Invoking [Creation - Rooms] once more, Lethe grabbed the edges of the generated cube and turned it into a long rectangle to create a tunnel that was 30 meters in length with a height of 8 meters and width of 4 meters. Concentrating on the construct, Lethe started to curve it into a crescent structure, making sure that tunnel would curve downwards and spiral in, hugging the edges of his territory. Placing the transparent construct in a downward slope against the left wall of his first room, the new room after the tunnel would continue to be within his territory and lead deeper into his dungeon. He left the tunnel construct where it was placed and invoked [Create - Room] once more, generating another cube. This time, he adjusted the cube to the initial pyramidal shape for his first room, making sure to maximize each dimension to his allowed limit. Each slanted wall would be around 16 meters in length and width near the base with a height of about 12 meters. Placing the new transparent construct at the end of the previously made curved tunnel construct, he adjusted the overlap so that the top of the tunnel would open up and align with the top of the new room, creating a drop of almost 4 meters. On the other side of the newly placed construct, Lethe again invoked [Create - Room], creating a new cube and shaping it into a 40 meter tunnel, this time shrinking the breadth and height to about 5 meters each. With the construct created, he placed it against the top of the pyramidal construct on the other side, hugging the sides of the wall and leading down into the depths of the hill. Checking to make sure the new tunnel is arranged properly, Lethe took a deep breath before using [Create - Room] again, this time twice in a row. Two new cubes gathered in front of his ephemeral disjointed hands, the mana in the surroundings picking up speed and gathering around his core at a much quicker pace. He noted that creating all of these rooms but not establishing them had caused the mana around his core to massively build up. Taking the two cubes in each hand, Lethe decided to follow through with his idea. After he checked his status page, he knew that he could make 6 rooms, but the total volume available to him was 60m^3, so what if he combined two rooms and made a larger one? As he pressed the two cubes together, he used his consciousness and will to force the rooms to combine. [Ding! Skill Rank Up! Creation - Floor 3] [Creation - Floor 3 | Rank: 3/5 | Allows user to designate a room with maximum volume of 10m^3 as a single room. Allows user to set up design templates. Can combine two or more rooms together to increase allowable maximum volume.] "YES!! It worked!", Lethe celebrated with himself, projecting his voice through his consciousness. He knew that no one would hear him but his idea had worked. He had once more ranked up a skill by trying to push it past its limits. Looking at the new cube in between his ephemeral hands, Lethe started to stretch and pull it into a large squat hemispherical cavern, this time with a diameter of almost 20 meters. Placing the new construct near the bottom of his 40 meter tunnel, Lethe realized that his territory was not large enough. Due to how his territory expansion worked, there was a lot of unused space he had claimed remaining. Leaving the construct near the edge of his territory, Lethe invoked his [Territory Control] this time and tried to rein in his unused territory from the top of the cavern and anywhere outside of his currently made rooms. Seeing no response to his will, Lethe was stumped. So far, whenever he wanted to do something, he would just have to use the skill and focus his thoughts on the actions. However, it seemed like he would need to figure out how to shrink his territory first before he could move forward. Reviewing what he knew of a dungeon's territories, he was aware that it was possible to retrieve claimed areas, but how would he... "Wait! My territory isn't a construct, its where I've spread my consciousness. So if I want to shrink my territory, I shouldn't be trying to shrink the area, I should be trying to give up what I claimed!" As he acted on his thoughts on the spherical area at the top of his first room and entrance, he willed through the [Territory Control] skill to give up those areas and instantly noticed that his consciousness started to withdraw itself from the stone and rock of the hill back into his core. [Ding! Skill Rank Up! Territory Control 3] [Territory Control 3 | Rank 3/10 | Allows user to expand his territory by spreading consciousness. Direction of expansion can be specified with will. Territory can now be shrunk by ceding consciousness.] Lethe instantly felt relieved, as if a headache he didn't realize he had been having went away. It seemed as if completely expanding your consciousness to its limits is a bad idea. He also noticed that the description of the [Territory Control] skill was updated to include details about his consciousness and will now, demonstrating the fact that these skills are heavily dependent on his understanding of them. Returning his attention to his territory, Lethe started to retrieve all of his consciousness that was outside out of the bounds of his placed constructs. After retrieving as much as he could, he started to expand his territory once more close to the combined large room, sculpting his territory against the construct. As he expanded, he also used a part of his thoughts to use the ephemeral hands to place the final construct where he wanted, the 40 meter tunnel coming out about 5 meters off of the floor of the final room on the side of the dome. Finishing both the placement of all of his rooms and retrieving any consciousness that did not encompass his rooms, tunnels, and entrance, Lethe selected the template [Cavernous room] and applied it to all of the constructs. Finally, he designated the multiple [Create - Room] skills to complete. Instantly, the mana that kept gathering around his core spread and started to drill into the side where he placed the first tunnel, breaking apart the stone wall and sinking into a curved dark tunnel, long stalactites and stalagmites creating themselves automatically on the ceiling and sides of the tunnel. A rough stone and pebble filled path lead down to the new room, the mana continuing to spread against the designated constructs, removing all of the requested material and creating his second room. Long mossy cave vines extended down from the end of the tunnel to the bottom of the second room, the floor of the room once more mimicking his first room before the mana drilled a new sloped tunnel into his final room for his first floor. The 40 meter sloped tunnel also had mossy vines on all of its walls, coming out into the final room and ending about 2 meters from the ground of the now hemispherical cave. His final room would fit the word 'cavernous' to a tee. Using his ephemeral hands, Lethe further fine tuned each of the surfaces that were just unearthed, adding in greenery, making the walls uneven, and the ground filled with small pot holes. Taking a look at his first floor at once, Lethe was pleased with himself. He had made use of the verticality of his current hill and shaped each of his rooms as well as his whole floor to imitate a continuous descent. Adventurers would find that even though his mobs were simple [Slimes], his terrain would make them much more dangerous.