Chapter 71: Undead Beasts Variant

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Undead Beasts Variant

But the Death Floor did not end there.

A massive stone staircase descended into the earth near the center of the floor.

Ragnar walked toward it and looked down. He could not see the bottom.

Cold mist continuously rose from the darkness below.

Ragnar stared at the staircase for several seconds.

"A crypt?"

He slowly turned around and looked across his newly created second floor.

A dead forest.

A graveyard.

Ancient ruins.

A fortress.

Underground crypts.

And dozens of skeletons already moving through the darkness.

Ragnar’s eyes gleamed.

"This is much bigger than the first floor."

He could already imagine how adventurers would react when they arrived here.

The first floor would test their strength. The second floor would test their endurance.

And if they somehow survived both. Ragnar’s hand slowly moved toward the massive greatsword resting on his back.

"...They’ll come to me."

A deep, amused laugh escaped his throat.

At the moment, he had only twenty-six Soul Points left, and he needed to spend them carefully. Every monster he purchased had to serve a purpose, especially now that the second floor was much larger than the first.

Ragnar looked toward the dead forest.

"Let’s start there."

The dead forest stretched across a massive portion of the second floor. Its twisted trees were packed closely together, creating countless blind spots and narrow paths. The thick mist made it difficult to see very far, while the darkness hanging between the trees provided natural cover.

It was the perfect place for an ambush.

More importantly, it was the first major area an adventurer would encounter after entering the second floor.

"If this is the first line of defense, I can’t leave it empty."

Ragnar opened the system.

The familiar interface appeared before him. He selected Shop.

The interface immediately changed, displaying the monsters and dungeon-related items he could purchase with Soul Points.

Ragnar scrolled through the available options.

There were several basic monsters he had already seen on the first floor, but the second floor had unlocked something new.

Ragnar’s gaze moved slowly across the Shop interface, his crimson eyes narrowing as he examined the newly available options. The first floor had already taught him that simply filling a dungeon with monsters was not enough.

The Shop displayed several familiar monsters, but there were also new options that had not existed before.

Ragnar’s eyes immediately stopped on one of them.

[Undead Beasts]

[Description: Beasts that have been resurrected through the power of death. Their bodies retain the physical characteristics they possessed in life while gaining the endurance and resilience of undead creatures.]

[Available Types: Undead Wolves, Undead Bears, Undead Boars, Undead Dire Wolves, Undead Giant Spiders, and other undead beasts.]

[Purchase Quantity: 5]

[Cost: 2 Soul Points]

Ragnar’s eyebrows rose.

"Five for two Soul Points, that’s good."

Ragnar tapped the option.

Another window appeared.

[Select Undead Beast.]

Several silhouettes appeared on the screen.

The first was an Undead Wolf.

Ragnar selected it.

A detailed description appeared.

[Undead Wolf]

[Race: Undead Beast]

[Quantity: 5]

[Cost: 2 Soul Points]

[Description: A wolf resurrected through the power of death. Its flesh has decayed, leaving exposed muscle and bone in several areas. Its physical strength, speed, senses, and hunting instincts are retained after death. As an undead creature, it does not feel pain, fear, or exhaustion.]

Ragnar stared at the description.

"Not bad."

Ragnar’s eyes gleamed.

"Perfect for hunting."

He selected the Undead Wolf package.

[Purchase five Undead Wolves?]

[Cost: 2 Soul Points]

[Yes / No]

Ragnar immediately pressed Yes.

[2 Soul Points have been consumed.]

[Remaining Soul Points: 24]

[Five Undead Wolves have been added to the Death Floor.]

The moment he confirmed the purchase, five dark portals appeared among the dead trees.

A low growl emerged from the darkness.

Then something stepped through.

Ragnar’s expression changed slightly.

The creatures that emerged looked like wolves, but they were clearly different from the living wolves he had previously purchased.

Their bodies were larger and more skeletal.

Most of their fur had fallen away, exposing grayish muscle and pale bone beneath. Their ribs could be seen through the decayed flesh covering their sides, while parts of their legs were almost completely skeletal. Their jaws were lined with long, yellowed fangs, and thin strands of black flesh hung between their teeth.

Their eyes were empty sockets.

Yet within those sockets burned two faint red points of light.

The five undead wolves slowly looked around.

Their noses moved as though they were smelling the air, even though they no longer needed to breathe.

Then all five turned toward Ragnar.

For several seconds, they remained completely still.

One of them lowered its body.

The others followed.

Five undead wolves simultaneously lowered their heads before their new master.

Ragnar smiled. He walked closer.

The nearest wolf raised its head slightly as Ragnar approached. It did not show fear. It did not retreat. It simply waited.

Ragnar crouched down and examined it.

Its body was clearly dead, but its movements were surprisingly smooth. The joints were not stiff, and despite its skeletal appearance, there was still considerable muscle remaining around its legs and shoulders.

Ragnar reached out and touched its skull.

Cold.

Extremely cold.

The wolf remained motionless.

"Unlike the skeletons, these still have most of their original physical structure."

Ragnar stood up.

That was important.

The skeletons were excellent for guarding specific locations and overwhelming enemies through numbers, but the wolves had something the skeletons lacked.

Ragnar turned toward the forest.

"Go."

The five undead wolves immediately moved. They vanished into the trees almost instantly.

Ragnar watched them disappear.

Their movements were surprisingly quiet. Despite their larger bodies and exposed bones, they barely made a sound as they moved between the trees. Within seconds, the five creatures had disappeared completely into the mist.

He opened the Shop again. The undead beast section remained open.

Ragnar scrolled through them. Ragnar’s finger stopped.

"What’s this?"

He selected the final option.

The interface changed.

[Undead Beast Variant]

[Description: A beast created through an unknown mutation caused by death energy. Unlike ordinary undead beasts, the Undead Beast Variant possesses an altered body and retains a portion of its natural abilities in an enhanced state.]