{a week later, dungeon core}

  As I was watching adventurers do adventurer stuff on the first floor I saw a group move to my offering basin. They seem to have containers with them so I hope that they have the coral I so desire. A few in the group moved a few boxes in the basin. And after they moved out of the circle I inspected what they have given me.

  In total there where 4 boxes, not sure how many coral is in each. I looked in the boxes. The first one contained a arching tube structure. The color of the tube was red with some orange streaks trough it. I inspected the coral, it is a tubeair coral. The traits it got surprised me! One of the traits being [gigantism] with it being coral it would slowly grow very big. The other 2 trait being [minor mana sponge] and [lesser current resilience]. Interesting it absorbs mana, why it would do that I have no idea. Maybe to lure in fish to protect itself? Oh well.

  The next box contained a purple red branching coral. The traits this one got are [boneframe growth], [minor nutrient filter] and [photosynthesis]. This one was called bloodbone coral, I wonder why. This one will be good to be placed in the 6th layer, letting the coral eat bones. But I have to either let it grow on land or grow in acid. Both would be annoying, but it would be a way to get rid of hardy bones.

  The next box was a little ominous. Several chains and seals where put on this one. Are they going to give me another weird or deadly lifeform again. Well bad for them, I guess. Looking inside, the coral looks like a brain. The brain was totally black, and somehow reflected black light. On the brain sometimes some letters would appear, or something that looks like letters. Inspecting the brain coral gave me its name, elderbrain coral. The traits the coral got were [lesser bio-luminal sigils], [lesser memory spores] and [minor void shimmer]. The spores are interesting, they give memories to whoever breaths or drinks them. The memories are very primal, just the memories of the coral itself. It just projects the memories into the adventurer, and potentially stuns the adventurer. Brain coral with brain powers.

  The next box a normal box this time contains a feather like coral. It is not hard like the other three. The color of this coral seems to shift if you look at is from different points of view. The name this one got is dreamfeather coral. Checking the trait which were [lesser dream pulse], [minor nutrient filter] and [lesser current resilience]. Other than the ability to influence weak willed individuals this is more normal coral, I think.

  Of the four only two were good for the 4th layer, the bloodbone and the tubeair coral. I can modify the brain one to be used as well. By making it have more holding points, or making it flat slab. Then growing it on some rocky outcrops for adventurers to stand on.

  Time to compensate the groups that “gifted” me these corals. I gave them the 800 gold bars and four pieces of high affinity creature parts. 3 were just fire, water and a radiation one, of some pelts. The last one was just a petal with the super high crystal affinity one. Hopefully they will like it.

  After putting all four corals in the 7th floor for mutation, I began to populate the 4th floor with corals. The water of the 4th floor being already decently warm from the cup ferns steam. Because of that I didn’t need to heat the water. I included the coral to the gravity source crystals, making it so that only the water and corals were affected by it. Later fish or aquatic creatures as well, but no adventurers. They need to hold, swim climb trough the corals to the 5th layer.

  I began by giving a four [greater gigantism], by either upgrading or replacing the feeding traits. The tubeair was already big, but now it was even bigger. Before the highest point in the arching tube, was around 30 meters. Reaching well above the water, the reason it probably was caller tubeair. Now it grows up to 100 meters big. The tides only going 50 meters high makes the bigger tubeair safe spots for adventurers. If they don’t fall of or are attacked by creatures.

  Next one being the bloodbone coral, with gigantism and my modifications it only grew up to 5 to 10 meters tall. it did grow very wide. In the wild it did this to either search for bones or compete with sunlight. The width being 30 meters at best. It gives the adventurers many holding points, but if the tide is high they can be 40 meters above? Below? water level. Confusing to think about it. Adventurers either need to bring water breathing potions or find a dry spot.

  The elderbrain coral being not a very good climbing coral made me change it appearance. I changed the colors first giving it all bright colors, including black. The I made the brain folds deeper and a bit bigger. In some brains I made a hollow spot. That spot I made so that some adventurers can hide in it form the tide. I made it so the hole to the inner brain would close if water lever was raised too much. But if a adventurer were to go inside it would be in constant contact with the memory spores. If the adventurer think it is worth the risk they can be in there save until the tide lessens again.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The increased size of the elderbrain coral made it a 15 meter big half sphere like shape. Many grabbing points, way harder to climb then the bloodbone coral. But if they have reached all the way here they will be experienced climber. If not they would have fallen already.

  Then the last one the dreamfeather one. This coral is very flexible, and the feather part is almost as soft as an feather. I reinforced them to be able to hold one adventurer, but not much more. They also collapse under their one weight not holding up under gravity. So adventurers need to reach the ceiling to grab them. With the size increase they became 10 meter long, but only around 1 meter wide.

  [minor mana sponge]

  This trait gives/enhances the ability to absorb and hold mana

  +25% mana storage

  [lesser current resilience]

  This trait gives/enhances the ability to resist the current

  +50% resilience(current)

  [boneframe growth]

  This trait gives/enhances the ability to use bones to enhance growth

  +100% bone absorption, +25% resilience

  [minor nutrient filter]

  This trait gives/enhances the ability to filter nutrients

  +25% nutrients form filtering

  [lesser bio-luminal sigils]

  This trait gives/enhances the ability to create sigils out of bioluminescence

  +50% sigil visibility

  [lesser memory spores]

  This trait gives/enhances the ability to create spores that give memory

  +50% memory’s

  [minor void shimmer]

  This trait gives/enhances the ability of void shimmers

  +25% stealth(darkness)

  [lesser dream pulse]

  This trait gives/enhances the ability to manipulate creatures

  +50% mental manipulation

  {3 weeks later dungeon core}

  It now has been a month. A lot has happened on the first floor. The dungeon outpost now was called kobolds rest and if I am right the outpost outside is now called mountain-climb. How the first one was named was self-explanatory and the second, well every part of the mountain that has a difficult climb is now covered with climbing paths and climbing adventurers. Every new adventurer is learning how to climb.

  At first there were only a few people learning how to climb since they thought that only the cliff would exist. And that at the second floor a more flat floor would be created. Oh boy, were they wrong. A good party of the second evolution went into the dungeon. They made it after two week to the boss. With a bit of struggle they beat the raptors. They got 2 metal amor pieces and a lesser fire affinity skin. They then went through the gate. They saw the stairs and the waterslide. After discussing they didn’t trust my sign I put there and began the climb down the 3 kilometer deep staircase with around 30.000 steps.

  It took them 5 hours nonstop walking at a average pace before they reached the bottom. They also saw that the waterslide was totally bare of any traps and ended in a pool safely. On of the party members who wanted to go down the slide wasn’t happy. For the slide was totally safe. Then they walked through the tunnel to the 0th layer. When they entered the forest they were surprised by how big everything was.

  They had little problem with the forest, they were attacked by a few jungle cats which they quickly cut down. The most problems they got is when one of the party members got swarmed by a group of electrostasis bugs. The curious elf got too close to the bugs, she then got stunned by the bugs. She then fell into a patchs of sword grass. Luckily by being stunned, her muscles were hardened and only suffered 23 minor stab wounds. After that they avoided most bugs or got blasted by the wizard of the party.

  They also took some samples of every plant and creature. Probably to sell it, information is money after all. Then after stumbling around they saw that in a direction the trees got sparce. Seeing this they went to the potential forest clearing. But what they found wasn’t a forest clearing but a giant pit. They went a bit around looking for a better spot to see what is below in the pit. Most of the pit was obscured either by the glowing algae or mist. They did see the first part of the crystal layer. Seeing the pit they left after taking a few samples from the first layer.

  I think they got a title from being the first on the second floor and finding the pit, but I am not sure. They didn’t say anything if they did, only some got a surprised face when entering or finding the pit. But they went back after resting a bit in the forest. The climb up the stairs took them more than twice as long. They even somehow slept on the stairs. And after around 3 more days they were back at the kobolds rest. The party entered the tavern of the adventurers guild, they were pushed into telling what they found on the second.

  The small human on the team began telling a grandious story of what they found. Then at the end he added that you need to climb or slide 3 kilometers down. And that the next floor was a giant pit. Everyone in the tavern got very angry and frustrated that the next floor will be worse than the cliff.

  After that incident many new climber came. Some even I heard from the next town over. This is why now in mountain-climb there are much more climbing paths. Many adventurers are now learning how to fight and climb. Some even learning how to sleep while being attached to the side of a mountain. The ones teaching are making a lot of money. The biggest problem being the transport of survival equipment. Can’t bring much with you, if you don’t want to be too heavy. The higher evolution party’s have storage bags to carry stuff. Those bags only make stuff lighter, not remove the weight entirely.

  And surprisingly a few have jumped off the cliff into the pool below. 1 did die from firebeetles but the rest mostly survived. Some died by leech or amphibian later. Jumping off the cliff from the waterfall I think gives an achievement.