The Level - Ch.8

[Please wait a moment...]

I saw this message before my eyes after deciding to complete the first floor.

[Please place five entrances and one exit]

Then the map of the first floor opened up, and I could place these with my thoughts. As a test, I placed an entrance in the middle of the prairie.

I was standing there, observing as the ground lit up with a circle and inscriptions within it, which disappeared after three seconds. I estimated that the circle had a radius of 10 meters, where the intruders would likely appear.

However, the exit was a bit different. When reached, it allowed one to either proceed to the next floor or exit the dungeon altogether.

Unfortunately, I wasn't counting on reaching the next floor, and the intruders would appear in my Control Room. I didn't find that appealing, as it meant I would be almost defenseless.

So, I decided to place the entrances and the exit as far apart as possible.

"Logical, isn't it?" I told myself.

Consequently, I positioned the exit at the top of my tallest mountain, thinking that it would be challenging to reach quickly.

After placing the exit, I saw a five-meter-tall and three-meter-wide wooden door rising from the ground. It had a slightly wobbly doorknob and hinges, lacking elaborate decoration. Nevertheless, it emanated a certain sense of wonder, at least in my opinion.

Despite being made of simple wood, it was as smooth as glass and had a subtle shimmer.

"Looks freshly oiled," I noted.

I opened the door and realized it was lighter than it appeared. It practically swung open on its own. However, instead of finding stairs behind the door...

"...nothing?"

"Wait, what's this?"

It seemed like nothing, yet the exit or entrance of the door glowed in the same colors as my Core. The deep blue of the universe and individual stars wandering around without order. These stars weren't arranged like a clock's hands since they lacked any apparent pattern.

I wanted to touch one of the stars and noticed that when my hand made contact with the space behind the door, it distorted and then vanished.

With a hint of anticipation, I walked through it completely, only to be disappointed.

[You cannot leave while the first floor is being completed.]

...appeared before my eyes, and I found myself back in front of the door.

"Well... I guess I'll finish first!" I said.

Subsequently, I placed the remaining four entrances, each identical to the first.

One at the beach, the furthest from the exit; one in the savannah; one in the small forest of Big Spring Trees; and the last one in a cave on a hill in the prairie near a swamp.

All distributed across the first part of the island, with none near the second part of the island. The nearest entrance was the cave entrance, which was 1030 kilometers away from the beginning of the second part of the island.

[Completion of the floor continues...]

[...]

[Please name the first floor and complete the finishing process.]

After a brief consideration, I settled on something simple.

"Time... in Latin is 'Temporalis'... hmm," I pondered.

"Ah, I'll go with 'Tempora'! Derived from the word 'Temporalis', it's simple and it has something to do with my [CS]."

[Name: Tempora]

[Noted]

[Completion continues]

[...]

[Finished! Your dungeon is now open.]

[Would you like to edit the exterior?]

"Ah, right," I said with eyes wide and mouth open, "I could do that too. I almost forgot!"

The status in front of me changed, and I saw a small tower.

"Hmm, doesn't look particularly spectacular."

The tower was constructed from simple stone, lacking windows—it looked like a stone block. Fifty meters tall, each side five meters long. Quite dull, I thought.

I hadn't seen the surroundings of the dungeon yet, only a door similar to the exit door. This one was placed in the center on the ground.

I realized I could edit the exterior, so I clicked on it.

____

Editing:

[Build Yourself]

[Randomly]

_____

Not being an architect, I clicked on "Randomly" to see what was available there.

_____

Randomly

---> Create the exterior of your tower randomly

[Cost: 400 EC]

_____

"That's exorbitant!" I exclaimed upon seeing the price, as it seemed rather simple. However, with no other choice, I clicked on the [400 EC], and the image of the tower vanished.

There was a momentary jolt, and my view turned black. When I opened my eyes, I saw the new tower in front of me.

Before me stood an imposing tower that reached into the sky, emanating an aura of power and mystery through its mere presence. Its outer structure was a deep, impenetrable black, adorned with shimmering colors that reflected the splendor of the universe. This blackness seemed almost alive, as if offering a glimpse into the deepest reaches of space.

The tower was adorned with spiraling patterns that elegantly wound their way upwards. These patterns shimmered in iridescent shades of blue, violet, and dark red, blending gently together in an artful arrangement. The colors held an intensity reminiscent of the sky during twilight after a clear day, exuding a mysterious power akin to the hidden forces of space-time.

Luminous bands of light snaked along the height of the tower, moving gently around it. These light bands were a deep, rich blue, reminiscent of the infinite depths of the ocean. They appeared almost weightless, capturing the light in a way that made it seem as though stars themselves were twinkling within the tower's interior.

Despite this, everything seemed naturally formed. The patterns and lights were somewhat asymmetrical, with corners and edges that became apparent with closer inspection.

I approached the tower, noticing a wooden door amidst the black tower. The closer I got, the more distorted the space became, though only slightly.

I looked up and down, estimating the tower's height to be around 75 meters now.

Initially, I couldn't tear my gaze away and just stared at the tower. I lost myself in its depth. Eventually, I tore my attention away and looked around. To my disappointment, all I found was a white, empty space around me.

I continued observing for a while before leaving the room.

Back in the Control Room, I felt content. Content that I had managed to open my dungeon. At first, I was a bit fearful, but if my dungeon remained closed all the time, it would eventually become boring, wouldn't it?

I assumed that the native inhabitants would be relatively strong, but I was willing to face those challenges. After all, growth often comes through challenges.

I did not hoped that the inhabitants of this new world wouldn't be weak or overly strong, as hope tends to disappoint you, and at worst, it can kill you.

Moreover, this would enable me to level up faster and create even more floors.

"Sure, it doesn't sound too appealing at first," I said, "but beings with consciousness brings more EXP! Yippie!"

I knew that because through leveling up, I received some information about the process.

Firstly, I continually see a status screen, which represents an objective reflection of my soul. It might initially seem surprising, but after gaining all the information about it, it makes sense.

The concept of the soul here differs from what I knew in my previous world. It resembles the consciousness of a living being more. This means there's a clear distinction between beings aware of their existence and those that are not. For example, I'm aware of my own existence, so I can see and influence my consciousness through my status.

Conscious beings carry a small sphere at a specific location, which serves as the center of their mana circulation. This sphere acts as an indicator of consciousness and is often located in the heads or thought areas of beings. Think of it like a heart. It accelerates the flow of mana and allows the body to integrate mana into its cells.

Even though unconscious beings possess the mana circulation and the sphere, their consciousness, status, or the sphere itself isn't activated.

You can determine if the sphere is activated by its color. Activated spheres can be any color except for a dull gray, which indicates non-activated spheres.

Once an unconscious being reaches a certain strength, it can develop consciousness, thus activating the status window and the sphere. You might know this sphere as the "soul."

You're probably wondering how to become stronger. There are two methods for that: a slower one and a faster one.

The slower method is training. Every being can absorb mana from the atmosphere to strengthen and activate its soul. Unconscious beings usually do this instinctively, but it's a slow and time-consuming process.

Conscious beings can accelerate this process and strengthen their soul faster.

That also means that if there's more mana in the air, the process would accelerate faster.

There's also the option of killing a being to absorb a part of its soul and thereby strengthen your own soul.

A being's strength is represented by its level. Some beings require a stronger soul to develop consciousness, while others don't. Levels are crucial, and eventually, there's a level cap that, when surpassed, opens up new possibilities. What exactly this means and what happens then, I don't know. I only know it's individual.

And yes, as seen in my status, there's something called [EXP]. It indicates progress in strengthening. However, a significant amount is required. To earn [EXP], conscious beings need to be killed. This happens by extracting their soul, and absorbing a part their of their energy as [EXP]. This energy fuses with your soul, strengthening it.

The more conscious beings you defeat, the more [EXP] you accumulate.

Still, it takes a substantial amount. To gain 1 [EXP], you need to kill 10 conscious beings. Depending on the strength of the unconscious being, you might need to kill up to 100 non-conscious animals to obtain a complete soul.

The good news is, while leveling up, your mana capacity doesn't just increase; your body and soul too will become a bit stronger. Your ability to use, shape, and control mana develops exponentially every second level. Imagine it as the accumulation of knowledge, experience, and powers from other souls.

The experience of leveling up can be compared to opening a door to a new dimension. It's as if a limit has been unlocked. Leveling up primarily enhances the mana storage capacity, which subsequently results in an increased physical limit. Creatures only become slightly stronger when they level up, as suddenly more mana becomes available. However, to fully utilize the potential of a level, training is required.

Hence, now I can create more intricate things, and since my soul is now strong enough, I receive individual information or rather memories inherited from previous individuals of my kind.

I suspected a bit further that before a living being has consciousness, it requires a certain number of levels to surpass the upper limit and activate the soul.

However, since it's also stated that the soul becomes stronger, one would probably receive proportionally more [EXP] for defeating a stronger opponent.

(A/N: Apologies for the extensive information, I hope it's still manageable.)