And… done! As soon as the first room had been made and I declared it done, plants and trees started to grow all around the room. Soon the room floor was completely covered in grass, moss, ferns, small bushes, and the like in between the now fully grown trees. Climbing plants had even covered the walls and ceiling!

Heh… I didn't realize the environment appeared automatically… What if I wanted a route through the forest? A dirt route appeared going from the opening to the core room straight through the new room to the wall on the other side. Nice! I can still customize it! Let's test how far this goes!

After some testing I discovered that as long as it fits in a forest environment and isn't in itself dangerous, I can be as detailed as I want. I can even do some crazy things like making the trees form words, give their bark a green-reddish rainbow color or create a blood red pond by raising the iron level in it! The environment also includes insects as long as they're harmless or only annoying. Ordinary mosquitoes are okay, while mosquitoes with malaria are not. While testing I realized that it didn't cost mana to change the environment or spawn insects. Can I fill the entire room with mosquitoes and kill people with mosquito bites? Not that I actually wanted to do that, but it could be a useful plan B.

The answer was no, though. I couldn't even get the number of mosquitoes up to the level of a proper swamp. And as I couldn't control the insects - I tried - I couldn't just make them attack someone anyway.

At this point my mana was almost full again, so I decided to turn the room back to default - as I didn't yet know what I needed from it - and finally spawn a dragonet. Hmm… How do I do this? Maybe I just think "Spawn level 1 dragonet"?

Indicate a location for the creature. A creature can not leave a designated area.

Spawn it in this ro… Floor. The dragonet successfully spawned but as it appeared in the newly created room, I couldn't really know if it was locked to the forest room or the 1st Floor.

Hello there! I aimed the thought at the dragonet, but it sadly didn't react. Its long ears didn't even twist. I had only been a Dungeon Core for a day, so I didn't yet feel lonely, but I knew it would eventually come. Maybe it will react to a command? Go to the Core Room. The dragonet had been exploring the forest floor but immediately changed direction. It worked! But when it arrived in the short corridor between the two rooms it sat down instead of walking into the Core Room. Why won't it enter?

No creature can enter the Core Room to ensure they don't accidentally shatter the Core.

I suppose that makes sense. And it's not like I really need one in there anyway. Go do what you want. The dragonet turned around and found a tree to climb. I watched it for a bit. It explored the tree before jumping into the air and flying around. It seemed to like the room but it couldn't actually tell me if it did. I tried. What did the description of dragonets say again?

Dragonets are small green dragons with an average wingspan of 40 cm. They can breathe fire only once per day or respawn, so they only use it as a last defense. Their main attack is their long sharp claws. They are social creatures which live in burrows in forests and mainly eat fruits.

Right! They burrow and eat fruit! I immediately made a couple of different sized burrows in different places and changed the trees and bushes to fruit trees and berry bushes. While I was at it, I decided to add a little pond in one corner. The dragonet landed in a plum tree and smelled a plum but didn't seem interested in eating it.

While I love watching it, I still have work to do! Digging a corridor in the right wall and starting on a new room, I soon realized that, as I could always see everything in my Dungeon, I was still observing the dragonet!

Neat!

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Two days later I had 3 rooms done and needed a change of pace. Let's make this room a puzzle room!

Puzzles

Puzzles earn you EXP when attempted.

The mana cost depends on the Floor level and the difficulty level.

Kindness Levers in right order Math Pictured knob door Politeness Rainbow color Sacrifice Simon says Triple key door Trivia door

Hmm… Not only had I needed to design the puzzles and traps, I had to name them too… And puzzles, which killed or seriously harmed if you failed them, were locked until later Floors. Kindness. The 3rd forest room from my Core Room was now separated from the other rooms by a thin stone covering covered in climbing plants. The only other difference was the appearance of a scared dragonet with its tail caught in a tiny bear trap. The dragonet wasn't actually real. It was a part of the puzzle and would disappear when it was solved. At which point the thin stone covering would slide to the side. Ha! Let's see any bad people figure this one out! The puzzle cost me 40 mana and while I didn't know if it gave me enough EXP to be worth the cost, I loved the idea that no bad people could get to my Core.

Actually… What does happen if someone gets to my Core? Do they want to kill… shatter… me?

The first time a sapient enters a Core Room after each added Floor they will be rewarded with EXP depending on the number of Floors.

Each time a sapient enters a Core Room they will be offered a piece of loot better than in the rest of the Dungeon and specifically chosen to be as useful as possible to them in return for not shattering the Core. Should they accept, they will receive their item and be teleported just outside the Dungeon.

Most sapients don't want to shatter Dungeon Cores as they are a source of loot and power. Some may want to shatter a Core to keep it from a competitor. The sapients have additionally invented a device which can force a Dungeon Core to ask for permission every time it was to do something. Only if permission is granted can the Core do it.

Uh… That's got to be hard to make or expensive or something, right? I started panicking. No answer came. Maybe I just didn't ask it right. Uhm… How rare is this Dungeon Core taming device?

The Dungeon Core Cage is an enchanted cage designed to control Dungeon Cores. It is made of celenegil and is covered in various runes. Dungeon Core Cages are commonly made by Enchanting Runesmiths.

… That didn't help much… What's celenegil?

Celenegil is an alloy created by combining orichalcum and platinum. It has the highest enchantability of 100.

And what's orichalcum?

Orichalcum is a metal only found in tier 8 or higher Floors of Dungeons. It has an enchantability of 80.

Relief rushed through me. It's got to be super hard to get to then. That's from Floor 36 and higher!

…What are enchanting runesmiths by the way?

Enchanting Runesmiths are tier 8 sapients, who had the previous Classes of: Commoner, Intelligence, Memoir, Runescribe, Apprentice Runesmith, Runesmith and Apprentice Enchanting Runesmith. The Class specializes in carving runes in stone and metal and enchanting it with magic.

… That sounds even harder to get a hold of! Not only do you have to be a high tier, you also have to have had the right Classes beforehand! Happy with my continued freedom I went back to digging for a bit before a thought hit me. You said they were commonly made by Enchanting Runesmiths. That means other Classes can make them too! So, tell me: which Classes can enchant a Dungeon Core Cage?

Enchanting runesmith is the only 8 tier Class able to properly enchant a Dungeon Core Cage. Should a 7th tier Apprentice Enchanting Runesmith try to do so the Cage will work for about a week before breaking. Some tier 9 Classes or higher can make a more or less functioning Dungeon Core Cage if the Class is Intelligence based.

Do you want to have the different possible 9th tier Classes listed in order of their likelihood for enchanting a functioning Dungeon Core Cage?

Yes/No

No, thank you. It still seems like Dungeon Core Cages are rather rare, so it’s fine.

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It was the middle of the 7th day and I was done with the 6th room. To change the repetitiveness of my life I had made a curved tunnel between the 5th and 6th room instead of the standard short corridor. It didn't help the boredom much though. It might be a good place to put some traps though. But I didn't want to put down traps without making sure it wouldn't hit good people. Or at least make it less likely. And I didn't yet know how to do that.

I had just designed yet another trap while waiting for my mana to regenerate. I'm running out of ideas for traps and puzzles… And it's gotten really repetitive by now… Hoping a break from the digging-designing cycle would help my mood, I decided to do nothing but watch my dragonet for a while. Unfortunately, as I'm always seeing everything at once I already knew everything it might do. Maybe making it a friend will change its behavior? I need to make more eventually anyway. So, I made it a friend and they immediately started playing arial catch-me-if-you-can.

Wait a minute… The way I had made the puzzle a couple of days ago and the way I had spawned the dragonets had many similarities. Mainly that I had a design and used mana to make it appear where I wanted it to appear. Can I design my own creatures?

A Dungeon Core can gain creature patterns by leveling up, absorbing a dead creature, or designing one themselves. If the designed creature is close enough in design to an already existing creature, the Core will receive said creature's creature pattern. Any creature not of the Core's Creature Theme will cost an additional 50% in its base and level up cost.

The question had been aimed at myself, but I was very happy with the response I had gotten. Awesome! I've always wanted a mimic! So, I immediately began designing a mimic. However, when I was done making the perfect mimic, disaster struck. Much like how my puzzles weren't allowed to harm anyone on the 1st Floor, the mimic too was simply too powerful and mana expensive for now. As in way too expensive. My "true mimic" as I named it had a base cost of 11,000 mana! On top of that I had to pay an additional 50% bringing the actual price up to 16,500! I only had a max. of 50 mana right now!

So, a new routine began: Digging and designing increasingly weaker mimics until I had made one I could use. Every time I tried to design a weaker mimic, I first attempted to make the mimic draconic in the hopes that the extra 50% mana price would disappear, but then the design didn't result in a creature pattern.

I didn't want to compromise the mimics' ability to perfectly mimic other things so I mostly played around with their Strength and putting limits on what they could turn into.

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I have successfully made 9 different mimics and I still don't have one weak enough to use! The 8th room was now done, and the 9th mimic had a base cost of 50 mana and an actual cost of 75. Leaving me just shy of the goal.

Isn't there some way to make this mimic draconic? Wait… That's the wrong question! I should instead have my dragonet learn to mimic! I then immediately designed a dragonet with the abilities of the 9th mimic - as it was the weakest one.

Mimicking dragonets are dragonets with the abilities of the mini dumb mimic. They live with a dragonet flock and have a bigger taste for meat than ordinary dragonets. When they notice sapients they mimic something harmless in an attempt to ambush. All mimicking dragonets have the Achievement 'Ambush Predator' giving them the Ability to deal 120% damage when ambushing.

Yes! And the price?

Creatures

Creatures give you a little EXP when killed and can kill sapients which earns you much more EXP.

Dragonet: 20 mana + 10 mana Mimicking dragonet: 50 mana + 20 mana

Wasting no time, I tried to spawn one in the 1st room with the other dragonets. But nothing happened. Right, I need to have max. mana. The waiting was torture as I couldn't concentrate on making new designs. But finally, my mana was full and I spawned a mimicking dragonet.

New Achievement: Creature Designer (I): All Dungeon Cores design traps and puzzles. Some design their own creatures as well. You are now one of them. Condition: Design a creature and spawn it. It does not matter if the designed creature already existed or if it's a completely new design. Reward: Creatures have a 5% discount on their base cost. Creatures earn you 10% more EXP. Condition: Design a creature and spawn it. Reward: Creatures have a 5% discount on their base cost. Creatures earn you 110% EXP.

Nice! A new creature and an achievement! And this Achievement is in a series! Awesome! Now mimic a bush! The mimicking dragonet turned into a small bush as ordered but immediately turned back to a dragonet, clearly not wanting to be a bush right now. It still made me happy to see and so I continued my earlier break and simply observed my 3 dragonets.

After several hours of simply watching, I concluded that the mimicking dragonet would act like an ordinary dragonet until it saw a sapient. The 3 dragonets loved playing together. Arial tag, water games and hide-and-seek, while mostly using their sense of smell, seemed to be their favorites.

Back to work, I guess.

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Finally! I'm done with the boring part! The 10 rooms stood completed at last.

Now to add some more creatures. Hmm… I want to stick to the dragon theme and have mostly dragons. Like 90% dragons or something. How much does that leave for everything else?

Floor Details for the 1st Floor

3/90 levels worth of creatures

1/2 puzzles

0/10 traps

Creatures Puzzles Traps

9 levels for other creatures then. Alright. The mimic is one… Even though it's a dragon I'm still counting it as a mimic.

Hmm… While I love mimics, I still don't want to have too many of them as it will just ruin the element of surprise. One mimic each Floor sounds good. But what other creatures do I want? Dragons are the main event. You are meant to see and be awed by them. So… Maybe something boring looking but surprisingly dangerous?

With the 10 rooms now built, the cycle was now: design creatures - hopefully in my price range - and spawn dragonets when possible.

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You have fulfilled the requirements for making an opening to the Surface World. Making an opening allows you to level up and earn EXP.

Make an opening now?

Yes/No

…No, thank you. I'm not ready yet. It was 4 days later, and I had just spawned my 30th creature. While I don't plan on doing everything I can before opening up, I do want to have some traps and the other puzzle up first. And 3 creatures averaged in every room seems like too little. 5 sounds better.

So, I ignored the message for now and went back to planning.

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Another day passed before the next message popped up.

New Achievement: Careful Preparation (I): You have decided to prepare your Dungeon some more before going to the next step. Condition: Wait at least 1 day before opening your Dungeon after the option has appeared or wait at least 1 day after getting access to a new Floor before making it. Reward: An extra 5% mana regeneration and the Ability to use the next mana payment for level ups as a Mana Bank.

… I didn't expect that… Extra mana regeneration?! And a Mana Bank! Now we're talking! Status, please!

Personal Status Level: 0 EXP needed for level up: 0/0 Mana payment needed for level up: 0/0 Next mana payment for level up: 0/100 Mana: 36/50 Mana regeneration: 7.5 per hour Floors: 0/1 Floor Details Achievements Mission

Awesome! Now I can save up for an actual mimic as my max. mana is now effectively 150. But… my mimicking dragonet already does that job and the only mimic I can actually get isn't any better, so there's really no point. Still, I can now get more expensive creatures should I want to. The regeneration boost is the real catch there though! Hurray for shorter periods of boredom!

...

And how do I use this Ability?

The Mana Bank Ability allows a Dungeon to use more mana at once than their maximum mana. The Dungeon can put mana in the Mana Bank by manually transferring mana to it. Mana in the Mana Bank can be used by the Dungeon at any time.

Manually? Giving it a try I focused on moving my current mana into the Mana Bank. Well, something definitely happened. Status?

Personal Status Level: 0 EXP needed for level up: 0/0 Mana payment needed for level up: 0/0 Next mana payment for level up: 36/100 Mana: 0/50 Mana regeneration: 7.5 per hour Floors: 0/1 Floor Details Achievements Mission

It worked! Then let me try to spawn a dragonet using the mana in the Mana Bank. I only had enough mana to try this right away due to having gotten distracted trying to design a very powerful creature that I might never get to use but was fun to design regardless.

The dragonet spawned just like it should. Yes!