"Finally!" I exclaimed.
It has been two weeks since I started working on the first part of the island. Since then, I've been working continuously to integrate the sea and the second part of the island into the ecosystem.
By now, enormous schools of fish were swimming through the deep sea, and the coral reef was home to thousands of different fish species, which were in turn preyed upon by sharks.
There were small herds of whales, consisting of 100 individuals, medium-sized groups of 10 individuals, and eventually, even gigantic whales that could grow several kilometers long, although they mostly preferred solitude.
The sea is now teeming with life; there were over 1300 different fish species alone. Even on the small islands and the frozen sea, animals were thriving.
Polar bears and seals lived in the colder regions, while turtles inhabited the warmer areas. Sea birds like albatrosses now spent most of their lives soaring above the sea.
I would say there was a bit of everything, and all the animals had their own unique abilities related to my [CS].
The second part of the island, the mountain region, was now complete as well. In the valleys, there were plants and animals, typical of mountain environments. As you ascend, trees become scarcer, and lush alpine meadows cover the mountains. Cute little marmots were among the inhabitants.
Above 4000 meters, only rocks and ice remained. Enormous glaciers covered the mountains, and harsh weather dominated most of the time. It was a sparsely populated yet beautiful landscape. Occasionally, eagles could be seen circling the mountains.
The eagles disappeared at around 8000 meters, and the temperature grew colder as you approached the highest point. Temperatures there could plummet to as low as minus 200 degrees Celsius. Oxygen and mana were scarce in this area.
However, I didn't want to leave the mountains completely barren. After searching for suitable candidates for a while, I realized that there weren't many options. Surprisingly, I still hadn't managed to create beings with a certain level of intelligence.
So, for the first time, I turned to the "Monster" section. Initially, I had avoided it, associating monsters with unpleasant creatures.
I was surprised to find that monsters and animals didn't differ much in appearance. Monsters weren't necessarily terrifying monsters; they could even be as innocuous as rabbits.
The key distinction between monsters and animals, however, was that monsters were solely focused on destruction.
"No, I can't use that!" I said somewhat frustrated. "Who even comes up with something like this?"
Since I didn't want to immediately destroy the beautiful floor I had created, I decided to steer clear of monsters.
After deciding to add a few more rivers, waterfalls, and glaciers to the mountains, I was finally done.
"Ah, finally done!" I exclaimed. "Took quite a while, but I have everything I wanted and now... my secret weapon comes into play. Yippie!"
I was delighted that I had accomplished everything I had set out to do. There seemed to be a certain balance in place, which would likely improve over time. I had even managed to create my mana cycle! I was genuinely thrilled about that.
I hoped it would work roughly like this:
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1. Photosynthesis: Plants synthesize mana and release a portion of it into the atmosphere. However, the plant also uses some of the mana to grow and sustain itself. This process, akin to photosynthesis, transforms water and light into plant mana. This also means that a small amount of mana is generated under specific humidity conditions.
2. Atmospheric Mana: Mana in the atmosphere is freely available and can be absorbed by other living beings. In some cases, mana can also be integrated into inanimate objects. The more mana present in the atmosphere, the stronger and resource-rich the environment becomes.
3. Organisms and Food Chains: Animals consume plants or other animals that have consumed plants. This transfers a portion of the mana stored in plant tissue into food chains and accumulates it in the bodies of organisms.
4. Decomposition and Decay: When plants and animals die, their remains break down in soil or water. During decomposition, mana is released, returning to the atmosphere.
5. Atmospheric Compounds: Some of the atmospheric mana dissolves into seawater. Here, it can be taken up by marine organisms and integrated into oceanic food webs. Certain mana compounds can be stored in the ocean over the long term. The energy of mana is potent enough to trigger chain reactions and generate a bit more mana, as I've learned from my memory. This leads to higher concentrations near water bodies.
6. Geochemical Processes: Over extended time scales, processes like rock weathering can lead to the long-term storage of mana from the atmosphere in soils or sediments. This can result in underground mana ponds or even mana vein formations in rocks.
______
It's still a bit rough, but if it functions as intended, it shouldn't pose any issues for now. And to test its sustainability, I'm now reaching for my secret weapon!
I stumbled upon this option while looking for different weather possibilities. I noticed that I could invoke a specific weather condition for a small amount of [EC], but only once. This wouldn't be integrated into the cycle and wouldn't reoccur. This significantly reduces the cost, leading to individual possibilities.
For example, I could make it rain once, or... I could accelerate time.
Despite some restrictions, I could use this for isolated phenomena within a specific timeframe only once. This is probably because I'm not yet strong enough or because the floor might be affected by the rapid time jump.
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[Time Skip (small)
---> In one second, 100 years pass on the floor.
---> Costs: 1000[EC]
---> One-time use: 100 [EC] (for each floor, every year: 1 use)
]
______
Since the one-time use isn't part of the cycle and doesn't recur, this is feasible. In a cycle, [Time Skip] couldn't be executed alone because it accumulates "power" over a certain period and occurs in waves. And without a cycle there will be nothing in the meantime.
"Ah, I'm really curious to see if everything works out as planned," I said with clear anticipation in my voice.
"Well then..."
I went to the first floor, took another look around, and then said, "[Time Skip]."
I waited for a moment, and… nothing around me changed.
"Ah, right, time passes normally on the first floor."
So, I could either wait for a hundred years or quickly return to the Control Room. Since I wasn't in a rush, I suppressed my excitement and examined everything once again. After three days, I had seen enough and returned to the Control Room.
______
[Status]
Name: -
Age: 0 years, 0 months, 3 weeks, 6 days, 20 hours
Species: Dungeon Core
Level: 3/4
Exp: 36151.002 / 40000
Status: Closed (will forcefully open in 4 hours)
EC: 450/450
• 1 EC per hour is regenerated.
---> Floor 1 earning: 1 EC/h
______
"Amazing!" I exclaimed in surprise. "So much has changed!"
"And I feel... STRONGER!"
I first noticed that my level had finally increased, and I was finally earning EXP. As a result, my [EC
] storage had expanded. Additionally, the hourly income of the floor had increased to 1 [EC]. Considering that time on the floor passes 20 times faster...
"Hehehe..." I couldn't help but grin, as more was definitely better!
Furthermore, this also meant that the concentration of mana on the first floor was as high as outside the dungeon. Whether that was a lot or a little, I didn't know.
However, what worried me was the message next to my status.
"Forcefully opens in 4 hours," I read aloud.
"Hmmm."
To be honest, I was a bit anxious because I didn't know what was coming and how strong the intruders would be, but it shouldn't be a problem then my first floor should be finished.
Additionally, with the level-ups came some new or rather improved materials and creatures. Although they were essentially just stronger versions of the existing ones, which disappointed me a bit. However, the disappointment faded quickly as I briefly scanned through some of the creature's and material's abilities, and my entire body tingled with anticipation.
One piece of new information primarily concerned leveling entered my head slowly. It astonished me because it wasn't as straightforward as I had thought.
Since it seemed to be more complicated, I decided to ignore it for the moment and teleported back to the first floor.
"Wow..." I said with my eyes wide open.
Even though I had created this small world, I found it breathtakingly beautiful. As far as the eye could see, there were vast meadows with a scattered small forest. Small rivers with streams, lined with reeds and forming beautiful wetlands. In the distance, a truly massive herd of bison, easily numbering a million, caught my attention.
Then I noticed the majestic Astro Leonis pack, with their cosmic abilities, lurking on the edge of the as-yet-unnamed prairie, ready for a sudden spatial pounce. Opposite them stood the formidable Temporal Bison Horde, numbering in the millions and wielding control over time. The herd blurred into tactical illusion, while the Astro Leonis pack emitted Stellar Roars, creating spacetime waves that disoriented their prey.
A breathtaking dance unfolded as the bison utilized Temporal Perception, while the Leo pack activated Warping Camouflage to blend into the surroundings. Celestial Aura and Nebula Dash heightened the duel of powers. Yet, despite all the bison's abilities, the Astro Leonis pack drew closer persistently.
In a final act, the Leo tore open spacetime, activated Galactic Leap, and teleported to a strategically advantageous position. With one last powerful attack, the Leo pack finally brought down the largest member of the herd. The prairie trembled in the aftermath of cosmic combat, while the victor savored its conquest..
I was mesmerized and couldn't tear my gaze away as the lions proudly consumed their kill. And I was proud too, proud of having created this small world that had "matured" for a hundred years and seemed to have found its own balance.
I looked at the floor once more for a few days and saw that two new biomes had developed. A tundra and a savanna, each with their own inhabitants. In the tundra, for instance, there were snow hares and wolves. In the savanna, on the other hand, elephants roamed, spending their days grazing on dry grass and searching for water.
In the open sea, I saw massive schools of fish, whales, coral reefs, and all sorts of marine life.
The same diversity was present in the mountains, with eagle chicks in nests and pine forests in the vast valley.
I was highly satisfied and decided to prematurely complete the first floor. To get a final overview of the whole floor, I looked at the map. I reviewed some data and saw that 542 species had gone extinct, while others had thrived.
"Just what I wanted!"
After a short think-break, I thought and said solemnly 3 hours before it opens on it own:
"Complete!"