Chapter 69: Second Floor (part 1)

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Second Floor (part 1)

The familiar interface appeared before him.

[Status]

[Shop]

[Dungeon]

His eyes immediately moved toward the Dungeon tab.

He selected it, and the interface changed.

[Dungeon Management]

[Current Floors: 1]

[Available Expansion: Second Floor]

[Required Soul Points: 50]

[Current Soul Points: 76]

[Would you like to unlock the Second Floor?]

[Yes / No]

Ragnar did not hesitate.

"Yes."

The moment he confirmed his choice, fifty Soul Points disappeared from his reserves.

[50 Soul Points have been consumed.]

[Second Floor unlocked.]

[Remaining Soul Points: 26]

Ragnar’s eyebrows twitched when he saw the number drop.

"That hurts."

He had finally reached seventy-six, only to watch fifty disappear instantly.

Still, Ragnar knew that the investment was worth it.

The first floor had already proven that a dungeon could generate Soul Points by attracting adventurers. If he could create a second floor and make it even more dangerous and rewarding, the number of adventurers coming to his dungeon would likely increase.

More adventurers meant more battles, and Soul Points.

Ragnar’s eyes gleamed.

"Let’s see what kind of floor I can build."

The system suddenly displayed another window.

[Select Second Floor Theme.]

Three enormous options appeared before him.

[Forest Floor]

[Swamp Floor]

[Death Floor]

Ragnar blinked.

"Ohh, three choices."

He examined the choices carefully. Each option contained its own description.

He selected the first.

[Forest Floor]

[Description: A second floor dominated by dense forests, ancient trees, overgrown vegetation, natural terrain, and hidden paths.]

[Theme Bonus: Forest-type monsters receive increased physical attributes and enhanced natural abilities.]

[Forest Monsters: Wolves, giant wolves, beasts, treants, forest goblins, insects, and other forest-affiliated monsters.]

Ragnar’s eyes immediately narrowed.

"So the theme doesn’t just change the appearance."

He continued reading.

"The floor itself gives bonuses to monsters that match its environment."

That was an important discovery.

The forest floor would not simply be a place filled with trees. Forest-affiliated monsters would become stronger while fighting there.

Ragnar imagined his wolves hunting through a dense forest.

The first-floor wolves were already useful for ambushes.

If they received additional bonuses from the environment, their combat abilities would increase significantly.

"Interesting."

Ragnar moved to the next option.

[Swamp Floor]

[Description: A vast swamp filled with poisonous water, thick fog, muddy terrain, poisonous plants, hidden paths, and dangerous wetlands.]

[Theme Bonus: Swamp-type monsters receive increased physical attributes, resistance to environmental hazards, and enhanced abilities while within the Swamp Floor.]

[Swamp Monsters: Lizardmen, giant frogs, poisonous insects, swamp beasts, snakes, crocodile monsters, and other swamp-affiliated creatures.]

Ragnar’s eyes lit up.

"This one could be troublesome."

Unlike the forest floor, a swamp offered something else.

Terrain.

Mud would slow adventurers, water could conceal monsters, fog could reduce visibility.

Poisonous plants could turn seemingly safe paths into traps.

And if the monsters themselves were naturally adapted to the swamp, adventurers would be fighting on terrain that heavily favored the dungeon.

Ragnar rubbed his chin.

"The environment itself becomes part of the defense."

That was appealing.

He moved to the final option.

[Death Floor]

[Description: A floor shrouded in darkness and death. Graveyards, ruined structures, dead forests, crypts, and other environments associated with death dominate this floor.]

[Theme Bonus: Undead monsters receive increased physical attributes, enhanced regeneration, and increased resistance to certain attacks while within the Death Floor.]

[Undead Monsters: Skeletons, zombies, ghouls, wraiths, death knights, undead beasts, and other undead creatures.]

Ragnar stared at the description.

"Undead."

He immediately remembered his skeletons.

They were useful, but their greatest weakness was obvious.

They were simply too weak.

Even though they could fight reasonably well against inexperienced adventurers, stronger adventurers could destroy them with enough effort.

But if he could obtain stronger undead monsters in the future, the Death Floor could potentially turn them into terrifying opponents.

Ragnar leaned back.

"So each floor specializes in a different type of monster."

He looked at the three choices again.

This was not simply a matter of choosing which environment looked the most interesting.

It was a strategic decision.

The second floor would become the foundation for the dungeon’s future growth.

Ragnar crossed his arms.

"I need to think carefully."

Ragnar’s gaze remained fixed on the final option.

"Undead monsters..."

He slowly rubbed his chin.

"The first floor already has skeletons, but they’re just ordinary skeletons. If I choose this, maybe I can build an entire army of undead in the future."

That thought made Ragnar’s eyes brighten.

He imagined adventurers descending into a dark floor filled with countless undead. Skeleton warriors emerging from graves, zombies crawling from ruined buildings, ghouls hiding in abandoned crypts, and stronger undead monsters waiting deeper inside. The thought of adventurers entering such a place and slowly realizing that the monsters were becoming stronger the deeper they went made Ragnar grin.

Of course, he still had to consider the limitations of his current dungeon.

He only had twenty-six Soul Points remaining after unlocking the second floor. He could not suddenly fill the entire floor with powerful monsters, nor could he create an enormous undead army overnight.

But that was fine.

A dungeon did not need to become powerful in a single day.

It needed to grow.

Ragnar looked at the Death Floor one last time before making his decision.

"I’ll choose this one."

The moment the words left his mouth, the system responded.

[Second Floor Theme Selected.]

[Death Floor has been selected.]

[Beginning construction of the Second Floor.]

[Please wait.]

Ragnar’s expression immediately became serious.

"So it starts now."

The system interface disappeared. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the entire dungeon trembled.

BOOM!

A deep rumbling sound traveled through the ground.

Ragnar instinctively looked around the throne room as the obsidian floor beneath his enormous feet began to vibrate. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the walls gave off a faint, unnatural glow. The sensation was strange, almost as if the entire dungeon had suddenly come alive.

Ragnar stood from his throne.

"Is this supposed to happen?"

Another tremor shook the dungeon.

BOOM!

This time, the shaking was even stronger.

Ragnar narrowed his eyes.

He could not see the construction process directly, but he could feel the dungeon changing. Something enormous was being created somewhere beyond the first floor.

The system continued displaying notifications.

[Generating Death Floor environment.]

[Constructing terrain.]

[Generating environmental structures.]

[Establishing monster spawn points.]

[Applying Death Floor Theme Bonus.]

[Connecting Second Floor to Dungeon Core.]

[Establishing Boss Room transfer.]

Ragnar’s eyes widened slightly when he saw the final notification.

"Boss Room transfer?"

Before he could ask anything, another notification appeared.