Mize scrutinized the summoning cards before him, each one brimming with intricate details.
The cards provided comprehensive information: names, descriptions, potential drops, and spawn rates.
They indicated that these creatures required a minimum of 10 kilometers of space to spawn.
It's like the requirements that had to be fulfilled before proceeding.
Despite this wealth of information, Mize remained uncertain about how these summoning cards functioned in conjunction with the dungeon core.
Liam had offered only a cursory explanation, merely handing over the core and outlining its general uses without delving into specifics.
'And from that, I assume the steps to use this dungeon core wouldn't be that complicated' Mize's thoughts turned within, eyes scanning around.
Beside him, Elias stood with a silent composure, his keen eyes observing Mize's subtle expressions, the slight furrow of her delicate brows, the half-squinted eyes deep in contemplation, and the graceful hand gestures that manipulated the four floating cards before her.
Elias couldn't help but acknowledge the overwhelming charm exuded by her highness, a beauty so profound it threatened to unsettle his focus.
He swallowed hard, battling the intrusive thoughts that whispered in his mind...
'To mortals, her highness charm is fatal, extreme fatal' His throat went dry when this thought came, and as a manager of the whole territory, he needed to prepare a plan to counter this issue.
Reflecting inwardly, Elias considered that inherent beauty or attractiveness wasn't inherently sinful.
However, he recognized that humans often yearned for what they couldn't possess.
The existence of someone so extraordinarily beautiful within the human race could potentially incite conflicts in the future.
He recalled his past life as a warlord, where a similar situation had led to devastating consequences.
In that past, there was a woman in a brothel who, despite her profession, never allowed anyone to touch her.
Her unparalleled beauty granted her this privilege, and the exclusivity only heightened her allure.
Eventually, her beauty became the catalyst for a war that resulted in millions of deaths across the kingdom.
The gruesome battles, rivers of blood, and mountains of corpses were all for the sake of claiming her as a trophy.
'how absurd the human race is, but perhaps... There's meanings behind our disgraceful greed'
Elias's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of Mize snapping his fingers.
He quickly regained his composure, his eyes refocusing as he returned to the present moment.
"Your highness?" Elias called out politely, his hands clasped respectfully.
Mize turned to him, a spark of excitement evident in her eyes. "Elias, I've made a decision," she announced, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm.
He floated slightly higher, his hand gesturing expansively. "All of the land outside this wall. All of it!"
Elias blinked in surprise, trying to grasp the full extent of her proclamation.
Before he could respond, Mize continued, his voice resolute.
"I want this territory of mine to be a fusion of dungeons and towns simultaneously!" He nodded, his mind racing with ideas that grew increasingly ambitious.
He envisioned a territory teeming with vast cities interspersed with dungeons, official roads connecting the urban centers, and adventurers streaming in and out of the gates to hunt, strengthen themselves, and earn a livelihood.
It was such a vivid dream that she was sure, it was bound to be realized.
With his vision clear, Mize issued a directive, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Announce to the people and visitors: soon, there will be a dungeon for them to explore and make a living from!"
"Awakeners or mortals, everyone is eligible to enter."
He added confidently, "I'm certain that the existence of a dungeon will significantly boost our territory's development in the near future."
Elias saluted, acknowledging Mize's orders.
"Yes, Your Highness." He understood that the lord had explicitly instructed that any of Mize's commands were to be executed without question.
In truth, Elias found himself in agreement with Mize's vision.
The concept of integrating cities and dungeons within the territory was grand, yet it held the potential to yield benefits in the long run.
Given the lord's evident favor towards Mize, Elias believed that any resources necessary to realize her dream would be readily provided.
Mize and Elias then delved into the specifics of the dungeon's operations.
For entry policies, Mize established general standards for eligibility, entrusting Elias with the responsibility of determining the finer details on her behalf.
One example would be the entry for mortals.
Naturally, there had to be some requirements for them.
A blatant entry from those who are unready or unbefitting would just cause unnecessary deaths.
Mize preferred to keep his dungeon "Doable and Partially clean". It wouldn't work if mortals would come in batches and die in batches next.
With meticulous attention, Elias structured and outlined the dungeon's framework on the portable board he always carried.
A faint yet comprehensive blueprint of the dungeon began to take shape.
"Considering the current size of the territory, we can allocate up to 20 kilometers in this western part for development," Elias concluded. However, he noted potential overlaps with existing resource points such as the lumber mill and paddy fields, and proximity to the castle's periphery.
He suggested, "To minimize conflicts with these areas, it would be prudent to limit the initial development to 10 kilometers."
Mize listened intently to Elias's explanation, then inquired casually, "What about creating an underground cave system to compensate for the limited space?"
Elias's eyes lit up with agreement. "That would be highly efficient for space management, Your Highness. I recommend constructing multiple layers of underground caves beneath the initial dungeon establishment."
Mize nodded thoughtfully. "So, a 10-kilometer forest dungeon above ground as the starting point, then expanding downward and outward as the territory's tier increases."
"Exactly," Elias affirmed.
"Then it's settled," Mize declared. "I'll place the dungeon core first and assess the extent of development we can achieve today."
Without hesitation, Mize sprang into action.
Her body ascended, the halo hovering behind her radiating light.
From a distance, it was a sight to behold for those who witnessed it.
An orb of light floated upwards from the top of the wall's gate.
Within it, the faint silhouette of a beautiful woman could be discerned, though the indistinct outline prevented onlookers from succumbing to madness or greed over what they couldn't possess.
While going up, Mize remembered something from a past conversation, how reverence wasn't the only thing that made mortals fear gods.
It was the incomprehensibility, the sheer detachment from common sense that left people shaken.
That same principle applied now. His beauty wasn't just striking, it hit a nerve, something primal and incomprehensible to mortals.
Without his control, anyone seeing his full form for too long would likely do something irrational.
Or worst, becoming crazy.
There was a reason why divine existences were considered taboo to be looked at in those ancient sayings.
Because human simply can't!
Like a million processor or a billion knowledge being stuffed inside a human brain at the same time.
It was simply suicidal and could lead to madness.
That was the dilemma.
His presence alone was enough to earn points, sure, but it also came with baggage.
Lust, obsession, hysteria. He needed a workaround.
Something that could keep people grounded while still letting him farm value from being visible.
So, as he hovered in the air and scanned the area for the ideal dungeon spot, his mind spun with ideas.
"I need a skill," he muttered to himself.
"Something that keeps people from losing their minds just by looking at me."
"It's good and all, being chased and appreciated. But not in a way that would cost me."
The solution needed to be subtle but effective, constant, automatic, and stable. He drew these four points as the basis for the creation.
He thought back to an old skill from a game he used to play, a passive that cleansed all status effects each second.
'A druid cleansing spell, a paladin prayer glory, a warrior refreshed state spell, and more that could be used as examples ' his thoughts began working at full capacity, like a bunch of flashing images, his brain computed more and more information.
To a certain extent, Mize's current level of lifeform had exceeded most human. But what was the difference really?
Well, the first difference would be the unimaginable sense of detachment each time he went into the goddess form.
It wasn't cold, it was distant and filled with a concept of utter indifferences. Time passed but affected none, the world moved but affected none.
He became the most dazzling existence by then, though he felt nothing by it.
At that state, Mize felt it clearly, he had been detached, like an anomaly.
Picture a black hole in the space, it distorted, moved and compressed everything around it.
An oddity that was unchained by any rules.
Then, his thoughts turned again.
His mind choosing between those passive skills that he remembered.
Gaining inspiration from them as he began to create a basic foundation for his new creation.
It wasn't exactly what he needed, but the core concept was a good start.
"No," he muttered. "Too basic. Too blunt."
He needed a mix of clarity and emotional neutrality, something that allowed awe without obsession.
The goal was simple, a two in one recipe that doesn't cancel out each other.
Number one goal was to gain points, number two was to stay out of trouble.
Mize's thoughts narrowed. His brows dipped slightly, and a faint shimmer pulsed around his body as his mind began to shape the idea into a real ability.
Neutrality... He imagined first, his body flashed, a tiny pulsating green waves rippled all over.
Clarity, one that would allow appreciation while realising it. Does it makes sense? Mize doesn't know.
But as long as he wished so, then it will be the reality of the skill. Then, another flashed rippled by across the surface of his body.
For the next few minutes, he kept on going. Adding more and more...
One minute passed.
Then two.
Then five.
And finally.
"Clarity of Soul, Neutrality of Mind."
The words slipped from his lips like an incantation. His voice melodic, a tune itself that resonated with the air.
A message box appeared in front of him.
New Passive Skill Created:
Clarity of Soul, Neutrality of Mind
– An ambient passive field that suppresses emotional turbulence and stabilizes the mental state of nearby individuals.
– Removes excessive admiration, lust, fear, or hostility triggered by the user's presence.
– Allowing for a clear appreciation while the sanity was kept
– Duration: Passive
– Range: Perspective wise. (scalable by those who witnessed)
Note: only applicable to the same tier and lower than the user strength.
Mize released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"That should do it."
Almost immediately, he noticed the subtle shift. The soldiers patrolling below stopped fidgeting.
Some of the commoners who'd been whispering feverishly now just glanced at him with respectful eyes instead of open hunger.
The tension in the air softened, replaced with a quiet reverence that didn't feel as invasive.
"Better," he nodded, pleased with the result.
As he lowered himself to the ground, Elias was already waiting beside a cleared area.
"This spot is ready, Your Highness," Elias reported. "The construction crews are on standby for dungeon access points. We've marked a buffer zone of a few kilometers to keep things contained during activation."
Mize landed gently, his feet touching down without so much as a sound.
He reached into the spatial ring strapped to his finger and pulled out the dungeon core Liam had handed him.
It pulsed softly in his palm, crystalline, colourless, and slightly warm to the touch.
"Let's start," he murmured.
He hovered the core over the ground, then released it. The core floated mid-air for a second before beginning to descend on its own.
It rotated slowly, gathering ambient energy, pulling strands of light and shadow from the surroundings.
The area darkened briefly, and a thin ring of translucent glyphs lit up on the earth below.
A low hum rolled out across the land.
"What's happening?" Elias asked, shielding his eyes as he took a step back.
"The core's syncing with the environment," Mize explained. "Probably running diagnostics to determine stability, access points, and which biome to initialize."
'but of course, I am just speaking from my ass' Mize laughed inwardly while keeping a straight face.
As if in response to his words, a system panel appeared in front of him.
Dungeon Core Initialization:
Territory Type: Undecided
Biome: Undecided
Transformable size: 10 kilometres radius
Ready for activation
[Yes] [No]
"Activate."
The moment he confirmed, the ground trembled, not violently, but enough to send a ripple through the surface.
And simultaneously, his mind pulled and stretched, the envisioned picture of a forest biome was rapidly growing inside his mind.
On the outside, it happened.
Vines erupted from the soil, roots twisted like tentacles, and the faint scent of dew and moss spread in all directions.
Mize narrowed his eyes, thoughts running as he floated still in the middle.
As for Elias, the moment the situation changed, within seconds he had already reached for Mize.
If anything bad happened to her highness, no matter how precious his identity might be, his fate would end up worse than death in the lord's hand.
Though to no avail, fate played him and so does the playful goddess.
"Stay outside for awhile" A clear voice rippled inside his ears as the time seemed to compress, his eyes widened and a finger gradually approaching his face from the front, "Y-your Highness!"
With a flash, he vanished as Mize causally sent him out of the area.
In seconds, a dense canopy of trees sprang up around the designated radius, forming a barrier that spiraled outward and upward.
It looked like a forest had just materialized out of thin air.
From the outside, the area remained beautiful, even pristine. But inside, Mize could sense it, it was dangerous.
Alive.
The dungeon had formed.
"Forest-type confirmed," Elias murmured, a gaped breath from his mouth and he sweated profusely, hands consulting his board and scribbling notes while he had somehow been teleported away to the town's wall.
"Visibility in the early area looks manageable… we'll need to post proper entry warnings and guard rotations."
"Also keep people from approaching this area until it is ready" Mize's casual voice came, Elias ears buzzing as somehow Mize had just telepathically connected to him.
Elias went mute for a moment, his heart shaken, though his mouth responded stiffly.
"Already on it."
He was shocked on how versatile her highness abilities were.
Flying, gravity manipulation, perfect energy manipulation, casually transforming an object into her desired wish, forced teleportation and more. 'A true angel or something beyond?'
Mize turned his attention back to the forest.
With the dungeon core activated, he could now use the summoning cards.
Each card acted like a seed, once planted, it became a permanent fixture in the dungeon ecosystem.
He floated a few meters and selected a flat space shaded by trees.
"Let's test the first card."
With a flick of his wrist, one of the four cards floated into his palm. It shimmered faintly, and as he focused on it, the words etched into it glowed.
[Ironclad Razorback]
[Description]: A heavily armored boar-like beast covered in thick metallic scales. Its reinforced skull allows it to charge through obstacles with devastating force. Razor-sharp tusks can slice through steel, making it a terrifying foe in open terrain. Unlike other creatures, its hide gradually hardens with age, making older specimens nearly impervious to conventional attacks.
[Potential Drop]:
Ironhide Plates [Can be used for armor forging, defensive enchantments, fortification materials]
Razorback Tusk [Can be used for weapon crafting, beast taming tools, curse inscription]
Bloodstone Core [Rare drop, can be used for vitality-enhancing potions, berserker techniques, reinforcement talismans]
Heavy Hoof Fragments [Can be used for reinforcement runes, seismic-based spells, impact-based formations]
200 - 700 golden coin[Tier 1]
[Realm]: Tier 4 - Tier 7
[Spawn Rate]: 30 - 70 per 10km worth of area (prefers deep forest regions with mineral-rich soil).
Mize pressed the card gently to the forest floor. It sank in like a piece of paper disappearing into water.
The area rumbled.
And then, roots split open the earth.
From within, the first Mossback Boar emerged.
Massive, wild-eyed, and covered in thick green fur with bark-like ridges on its back, the creature let out a low grunt and began pacing the area.
Completely ignoring Mize's presence as if he wasn't there.
A second one emerged nearby.
Then a third.
"I wanted something with natural aggression but not overly lethal," Mize replied. "This area's going to be beginner-friendly, for both mortals and lower-tier awakeners."
"So then, let's tune down their strength a little" He mused, setting the changes into the panel.
And there it was, the information over the blue interface changed.
Realm: Tier 1 – Tier 3
Also proportionally for the golden coins drop, it was reduced alongside it.
150 - 200 golden coin[Tier 1]
As he summoned the next card, Mize continued explaining the logic.
"Each of these summon cards can define subzones. If we section the forest right, we can increase traffic safely. I'll need more cards later, but this should be good enough for the prototype."
"As for the reduction of stats for the rest of the cards, I would change the realm gauge to tier 0 – tier 3 while keeping the amount of loot"
Over the next hour, Mize planted the remaining three summon cards. The monsters spawned slowly, each one taking root in the environment and adapting to the terrain.
Some climbed trees, others burrowed underground, and a few simply patrolled the area.
By the time the fourth card had fully integrated, the entire 10 kilometres radius was alive.
The dungeon's aura had settled, no longer alive and yet empty.
From behind, Elias spoke again, "Your Highness, the guards are asking if we should start organizing training squads to explore the dungeon and map it out."
"Not yet. Give it one day to stabilize. Tomorrow, we'll open the gate."
Elias nodded. "Understood."