Chapter 442: Strategizing
He swiped the window aside and brought up the 3D dungeon map. The interface now showed a glowing, semi-transparent model of his domain, displaying the twisting abyssal tunnels, the magma pools, and the newly carved maze of molten burrows below. Tiny red dots marked his creatures’ current positions.
Melty and her kin swam lazily through their domain. Their glowing trails lit up the map, looking a whole lot like fireflies drifting through hell. It looked incredible, perhaps even artistic in a way. But even as Kaiden admired it, a more practical problem clawed at his thoughts.
He now needed to make the second path that led out of the safe zone. However, there was a giant problem.
This place was supposed to be home. His fortress, his sanctuary, the vault that would protect his family and everything precious to him. It was more defensible than any “safe zone” the government could ever provide, especially because they were prone to corruption and also spied on him freely.
He agreed to live inside the bunker because he needed protection, but he was well aware that the government was not doing charity; they were harvesting as much data on him and his girls as possible.
Now, however, it might’ve been time to move.
But that very fact now worked against him.
If he made the next path as brutal as the first, even he wouldn’t be able to traverse it safely. Neither would his girls. They’d be trapped at the entrance, in the safe zone, unable to reach deeper into their own base. That would make the entire dungeon meaningless.
His gaze flicked back to the map, searching for a workaround. “Alright, system. What happens to people who were already here before I started creating all this? The Nova Circuit members, for example. They were still inside when I took Calypso’s throne. What if I don’t recreate the dungeon as it used to be? Will they just fall into the endless abyss?”
Indeed, right now, only two km² were occupied inside the immensely giant abyss of the dungeon. The rest was not in use. However, Calypso’s dungeon was much bigger. The throne he sat upon to inherit the domain was much further in.
Would he have to put landscapes there to save them from falling?
The interface pulsed, and a message appeared:
[During dungeon creation, all non-dungeon entities are placed in a stasis pocket. Upon completion, they will reappear within the designated Safe Zone.]
Kaiden liked what he was told. “Perfect. So they’ll wake up none the wiser.”
That part, at least, was handled. If they woke up inside, he’d have to help them move through the dungeon, giving them an idea of what might lie inside.
That was not something he desired to do.
Now for the real issue. “If I make the second path as deadly as this one, none of us can pass through.”
He glanced toward the glowing magma paths on the projection, thinking aloud.
“System, do I and my allies take damage from traps or hostile environments?”
[Affirmative.]
[Only the Dungeon Master is immune to all dungeon hazards, and only during the Creation Period.]
Kaiden frowned. “Creation period, huh… Can I enter that at will?”
If he could, he’d just carve a new hidden tunnel whenever he wanted, stroll through without consequence, and seal it behind him. That would let them make a second magma river path and call it a day.
The system’s answer was immediate.
[Creation Mode can only be accessed during dungeon inheritance or upon reaching a new Tier.]
“Damn…” Kaiden muttered under his breath. “Whoever designed this system really thought things through.”
That little rule made the whole process far more punishing. It also meant he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. Whatever he built now, whatever he shaped, would be permanent until his dungeon evolved to rank 4, reaching Mid-tier.
His gaze lingered on the map again. “What if I buy a new landscape through the DMP shop? How can I shape it if I can’t enter Creation Mode?”
[Purchasing a new landscape will initiate Semi-Creation Mode.]
[During Semi-Creation Mode, only the purchased area may be altered.]
[Note: Dungeon modifications and trap placements can only occur while no hostiles are present inside the domain.]
Kaiden nodded, mulling over the implications.
“So… I can’t reshape it on a whim, but I can expand and refine it piece by piece… as long as no enemy’s inside.”
That was a much more attractive answer than being told he can only place new landscapes upon hitting Mid-tier.
Having received so much valuable information, Kaiden couldn’t help but send a nasty glance inward, aimed straight at his Demonic Pornstar System.
Unlike this Dungeon Master Interface, which seemed to be more than happy to answer his relevant questions like a professional butler, his unique system was quite the rude thing.
It almost never answered Kaiden’s questions, only appearing when there was a drastic development. And even then, it would have selective hearing.
But it was what it was. He couldn’t do much about the delinquent behavior of his system.
What he could do, however, was continue the creation process.
Kaiden dismissed the interface with a flick of his hand. The oppressive heat of the magma chamber pressed against his body as he floated upward through the molten current.
Breaking the surface, he rose from the magma. It was time to begin the second pathway.
He turned his gaze toward the dungeon’s entrance, toward the dimensional gate. In his mind’s eye, he could already see where he wanted the next route to lead.
But unlike the magma corridor, this one couldn’t be suicidal to cross. Kaiden and his girls would need to walk this route freely. It had to be traversable, safe for them.
However… that didn’t mean others would find it easy.
He opened the Dungeon Master Interface again.
[Remaining Dungeon Master Points: 7,299.]
Plenty to work with.
He smirked. It was time to resume the terraforming.
The abyssal cavern responded.
The walls groaned. The ground quaked.
Kaiden’s eyes gleamed with that same cruel light as he watched the landscape obey and begin taking shape according to his imagination.