Right, I was working on creating room for the mini-bosses on the second floor. The expansion was almost finished, so now it’s time to design areas for them. I’m thinking of adding four mini-bosses to this floor, plus a secret boss that’s only accessible after defeating the main boss—[Soulshroom Hive Mind].

  I’ll start by creating the [Embercap] area. Scanning the northeastern section of the dark forest, I find a spacious clearing that seems perfect. To begin, I scorch a large section of the forest, blackening the ground and removing vegetation. Then I plant a cluster of regular [Embercaps], their fiery hues flickering faintly in the dim forest light.

  Next, I focus on transforming one of the [Embercaps] into something stronger. Pouring magic into it, I watch as it evolves into a [Zombified Embercap Myconid]. A bit more magic, some fine-tuning, and—there it is—a new entity: the [Elite Zombified Embercap]. Checking its status page, I’m satisfied with its stats and abilities, so I tether it to the area to ensure it won’t wander off.

  With the first mini-boss complete, I move on to the others. Each corner of the dark forest will house a unique mini-boss. After some trial and error, I create three additional mini-bosses:

  - [Elite Zombified Dreamspore], specializing in debuffs and status effects.

  - [Elite Zombified Wispwhistle], a master of speed and agility.

  - [Elite Zombified Ironcap], built to be a slow but nearly indestructible tank.

  Each mini-boss has a distinct focus, ensuring a variety of challenges for adventurers. The [Elite Zombified Embercap], for example, is all about damage.

  I design each mini-boss area with a cluster of the base mushrooms they were created from. Aside from that, it’s just a slightly open part of the forest—enough space for a proper fight while keeping the mushrooms out of direct sunlight.

  I can work on the secret boss later. So, what now? I guess I could finally start working on the third floor? Yeah, let me check through some of the new blueprints my spiders have been collecting for inspiration.

  Looking over the growing list of blueprints and thinking about the different places my [Portal Weaver Spiders] have teleported to, I come up with an idea for the next floor.

  How about a mountain range? I could make it lightning-themed, with massive thunderstorms occurring frequently. Then I could fill the floor with monsters attuned to lightning magic.

  With this thought in mind, I begin creating the third floor beneath the second. I start with a large room and expand it using space magic, making it even larger than the first and second floors combined.

  Using the mountains my [Portal Weaver Spiders] teleported to as references, I craft a sprawling mountain range that spans the entire third floor. This takes an entire day as I carefully sculpt it to be as realistic as possible, making the floor colder than the ones above and covering the mountain peaks with a thick layer of snow.

  Since no other adventurers have arrived yet, I figure I still have about one more day until they start showing up—maybe even two if that team of rookie adventurers spreads rumors about their deaths.

  After crafting the mountain range, the next steps are adding plants, monsters, and weather. I decide to start with the weather.

  The easiest way to create the thunderstorm effect is by coating the entire floor with weather magic. According to the system, weather magic exists but isn’t commonly used due to its incredibly high mana cost. For example, it would take at least five intermediate mages to cast a weather spell capable of making it rain over a large plot of farmland, and even then, they could only sustain it for a few hours.

  But that’s not an issue for me—I’m a dungeon core with essentially unlimited creative freedom. When I first arrived here and explored the system windows to figure out what that meant, I discovered that I’d been classified as a sort of lesser administrator.

  In this world, a pantheon of major and minor gods oversees the natural laws and ensures no outside forces interfere with the world. The major gods function as moderators, while the minor gods assist in maintaining balance and ensuring everything runs smoothly.

  However, they’re limited in how much they can directly affect the world, aside from providing holy magic. In contrast, I seem to be just one step below them. I actively shape and influence the world through my dungeon, but my ability to interfere with the system itself is limited. I do, however, have more access to information than most.

  In short, the typical inefficiency of weather magic doesn’t apply to me. I enhance the weather spell by adding plenty of lightning and a touch of wind magic to create storms with a bit more bite.

  That said, I’ll need to tweak the spell so the storms don’t operate at full power all the time. A constant apocalyptic storm might be a bit overkill for the third floor.

  Next up are the plants and fauna. For the third floor, I can’t just scatter regular plants like I did on the other floors. That’s an easy way to have them shredded by strong winds or struck by lightning constantly.

  This means I’ll need to modify them so they have a real chance of surviving. I start by strengthening and lengthening their roots to ensure they aren’t uprooted by the powerful winds. I also enhance their ability to absorb minerals from the ground, making them more resilient. For smaller plants, I adjust their growth patterns so they stay closer to the ground and tweak their leaf pigments to improve photosynthesis under the overcast skies.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  For larger plants, like bushes and trees, I go a step further. I make them semi-conductive and capable of growing organic batteries along their roots. These batteries allow the plants to store lightning, which they can use as a defensive mechanism.

  After ironing out a few issues with these designs, I plant them across the entire third floor. I even include smaller, hardier plants in a few caves leading deeper into the mountains.

  Now for the monsters. I decide to start with a few animals, enhancing them to be more attuned to lightning magic before working on the boss and mini-bosses.

  I begin with regular animals, similar to those on the first floor but slightly stronger. I leave out the weaponized rabbits to keep them unique to the first floor. Once the weaker animals are in place, I add a variety of lightning-attuned creatures.

  Some of these include [Thunder Wolves] and [Arc Hawks], along with other lightning-infused animals. The great thing about the monsters on this floor is that they won’t go up in flames the moment they encounter a match stick.

  I don’t want to ramp up the difficulty too much yet, which is why I’m sticking to animals. However, I’ve decided to introduce airborne monsters to challenge the adventurers and test their adaptability.

  As I finish populating the third floor with monsters, I sense a group of adventurers entering my dungeon.

  Huh, I guess time flies when you’re creating and modifying life for your dungeon floors.

  Returning to the first floor, I notice a group of three people I don’t recognize. Peering outside in the early morning light, I spot a line forming outside my dungeon. Apparently, while I was focused on working on the third floor, the guild set up a small outpost right outside.

  From what I can gather, they’re trying to regulate how often groups can enter the dungeon. They’re even charging a fee for entry, supposedly to allow the monsters to respawn as the group ahead works its way through the floors. The wait isn’t too long, though. About ten minutes after one group enters, they let another group inside.

  They’re starting super early, so I imagine everyone will get a chance to enter eventually. There are a lot of new faces too. I don’t see the original group, the guild team, or the two rookies anywhere in the line. Maybe they’ll show up later in the day?

  Well, no point in dwelling on it. I might as well get back to working on the third floor while the first floor fills up. It could be interesting to eavesdrop on the adventurers while they’re exploring—I might learn what they think of my dungeon.

  For the third floor, I still need to finalize the bosses and decide what kind of race will inhabit it. Mushroom people don’t feel like the right fit for this lightning-themed mountain range. I’ll focus on creating the boss and mini-bosses first and worry about the rest later.

  What animal should I use for the boss? Maybe I should just pick at random—it’ll save me time. Pulling up my massive, ever-growing list of monster blueprints, I flick through it rapidly until I randomly stop the scrolling.

  A turtle? Or maybe a tortoise? Are those even the same thing? I’m pretty sure there’s a difference, but honestly, it won’t matter once I enhance it with a ton of lightning magic. A turtle isn’t a bad choice for a boss, so I’m fine with this.

  Since the mountain range has seven peaks, I’ll place the boss on the last peak—it can just chill there. All I need to do is flatten a spot and set up a food supply.

  I head to the top of the seventh mountain peak and start scanning the area for a suitable location. After a few minutes, I find a relatively flat spot that only needs a bit of tweaking to make it perfect for the boss with a bit of tweaking. An hour or two pass and I have the third floor boss set up! Let's have a look at those stats!

  Name: [Stormshell Titan]

  Type: [Elemental Beast] (Turtle)

  Rank: [Epic]

  Level: 50

  HP: 1200 / 1200

  MP: 600 / 600

  - The Stormshell Titan's shell is imbued with the power of lightning, delivering an electric shock to any who strike it.

  Effect: Each physical attack against the Titan shocks the attacker for Lightning Damage and reduces their attack speed by 20% for 5 seconds.

  - The Titan channels a massive surge of lightning energy, creating an expanding storm that damages and slows enemies within its range.

  Radius: 20 meters.

  Damage: Deals Lightning Damage per second for 5 seconds.

  Additional Effect: Slows movement speed by 50% for 10 seconds.

  Cooldown: 25 seconds.

  - The Titan unleashes a pulse of electricity, targeting a single enemy with a concentrated blast.

  Range: 30 meters.

  Damage: Deals Lightning Damage, ignores 25% of the target’s resistances.

  Cooldown: 15 seconds.

  - A constant barrier of lightning surrounds the Titan, reducing incoming ranged and magic damage.

  Effect: Reduces all ranged and magic damage by 30%.

  - The Stormshell Titan electrifies the ground around it, creating hazardous terrain that damages and disorients enemies.

  Radius: 10 meters.

  Effect: Deals Lightning Damage per second and has a 20% chance per second to inflict the "Shock" status, stunning targets for 2 seconds.

  Duration: 10 seconds.

  Cooldown: 30 seconds.

  - The Titan calls down a massive lightning bolt to strike its current position, causing devastating damage and scattering enemies.

  Radius: 15 meters.

  Damage: Deals Lightning Damage to all enemies within range and knocks them back 10 meters.

  Cooldown: Once per battle.

  - Lightning-based Attacks (Immune)

  - Physical Attacks (Moderate)

  - Earth-based Attacks (High)

  - Ice-based Attacks (Moderate)

  The Stormshell Titan is an ancient, gargantuan turtle that has lived for centuries within the heart of perpetual lightning storms. Its immense shell is an intricate network of crackling lightning veins, and its slow, deliberate movements conceal devastating power. The Titan thrives in chaos, its strikes unpredictable and relentless. Only the bravest adventurers can hope to outlast the Titan's electrifying fury, especially when it refuses to die quietly.