Chương 186: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 186 - Multi-Functional Dungeon — System Unlocked

The dungeon ran roughly two football fields end to end, and that was before counting the maze. Compared to the players' Starter Villages, it was a full size larger. A handful of buildings had already taken shape inside. Su Nian only needed to look at one, and its information floated up immediately. Like the tall palace where he currently stood. [Palace of the Dark Sovereign (Level 1)] The palace of the dungeon lord. While inside, the host's overall attributes increase by 50%.

Currently unlocked functions: (1) Hall Guard: The host may appoint one Hall Guard. When the Hall Guard is within 500 meters of the Sovereign's Hall, their overall attributes increase by 20%. Current eligible candidates: Anna Hathaway, Rolls-Royce [All other functions locked. Upgrading to Palace of the Dark Sovereign Level 2 requires 100, 000 System Points plus 8 Novice Village Core Fragments, or 2 Novice Town Core Fragments.]"This Hall Guard thing..." Su Nian propped his chin on one dragon claw.

"Feels exactly like an elite guardian monster standing between you and the final boss." His head was a little scrambled. He'd played enough RPGs in his previous life to recognize the pattern. Before you reached the final boss, you fought mini-bosses along the way, the kind that dropped stat bonuses and handed you clues for the room ahead. That's exactly what this felt like.

"System, why can only Anna and Rolls-Royce be appointed as Hall Guard?" [Ding! The other monsters have not yet reached the life level required for Hall Guard. However, the host may station other monsters within the maze.] Speaking of the maze, Su Nian's curiosity kicked in, and he flew out of the palace to take a look. His monsters spilled out behind him, equally curious, poking at everything they could find. The plaza outside sat at the highest point of the dungeon, like the edge of a cliff.

From here the whole place spread out below him in one unobstructed view. It was still sparse. Desolate, even. A few strangely shaped buildings squatted in the dark in nest-like formations, lonely against the stone. [Kobold Lair (Level 1)] Kobold production efficiency +100%. Maturation period shortened by 50%. Combat power of newborn Kobolds +20%. [Gnoll Nest (Level 1)] Gnoll production efficiency +20%. Maturation period shortened by 200%. Combat power of newborn Gnolls +20%.

[Harpy Nest (Level 1)] Harpy production efficiency +50%. Maturation period shortened by 100%. Combat power of newborn Harpies +20%.... He scanned through the rest. All monster nests. Nothing exotic, just faster troop production and shorter timelines to battlefield-ready units. Useful, but not what he was really looking at. The functional buildings were what caught his eye. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

[Black Prison of Pain] Creatures imprisoned within suffer continuous mental torment. Every other day, they accumulate one stack of Pain. Each stack increases pain sensitivity by 5%, stacking up to 10 times maximum. [Gloomy Maze (Level 1)] The dungeon's first line of defense. Nearly indestructible. Any invader attempting to enter the dungeon must pass through the maze's trial. Trait 1, Disorientation: All creatures inside the Gloomy Maze lose their sense of direction.

Trait 2, Killing Intent: Monster combat power +10% inside the maze. Monsters that remain perfectly still gain the status "Hard to Detect." Additional traits locked. [Rebirth Pool (Level 1)] The host may spend System Points to resurrect ordinary monsters. To resurrect elite monsters (Grey Wolf, Bolikri, Ji Taimei, etc.), upgrade the Rebirth Pool further. [Dark Wheat Field (Level 1)] Crop maturation speed +100%. Crop mutation rate +10%. Upgrades expand land area. [Underground River] Rich in cool, clean groundwater.

Suitable for direct consumption by all dungeon monsters. Long-term consumption will accelerate the spread of dragon aura. Su Nian finished his circuit and felt his eyes go hot. How was this even comparable to his old crude dragon lair? That thing was a hole in the desert. This was an ecosystem. Thank god he hadn't gone with the basic dragon lair option. He knew exactly what that would have looked like. Based on how the System operated, a dragon lair would've been built top-to-bottom around dragon-specific needs.

Higher dragon pregnancy probability. Better dragon egg survival rates. Faster hatchling development. He and Rolls-Royce were two male dragons. What in the world would they do with any of that? The fortress option wasn't much better, probably focused almost entirely on siege defense, half its functions locked behind wall emplacements and defensive machinery. Which meant the dungeon he'd chosen now was the only real option for him. It wasn't the absolute best at anything. Dragon lairs hit harder in combat buffs.

Fortresses were more defensible. But the dungeon was comprehensive. It formed its own complete system, every piece interlocking with the next, a real, functioning ecosystem rather than a pile of bonuses stacked in one direction. And most importantly: his monsters could now be resurrected through the Rebirth Pool. Sure, it cost System Points. Sure, it only worked on ordinary monsters for now. But an ability like that existing at all was already broken. What more could he possibly want?

He was right in the middle of congratulating himself, thoroughly, enthusiastically, when the System chimed. And threw a bucket of ice water straight into his face. [Detected that the host has constructed a monster gathering place. Would you like to hide the coordinates of this gathering place?] [The host may hide the gathering place's location for one week. After one week, the gathering place will be revealed on all players' maps.] Su Nian's heart dropped straight through the floor. Exposure to the players.

That was the thing he feared most. And the System had said nothing — not before he picked the dungeon type, not while he was building it, not once during the entire process, and waited until it was finished and done before dropping this on him. The angrier he thought about it, the darker his dragon face got. He let loose in his head.

"What the kind of System are you?! Earlier, when I tried to attack a Starter Village, you threw a fit and stopped me cold — said I'd get flagged as a World Boss."

"Now I've spent all this time carefully building this dungeon, playing it safe, keeping my head down — and you're telling me that within seven days I'm either actively exposed or passively exposed regardless? That's pulling your pants down to do what you could've done with them on!"

"How is that any different from just becoming a World Boss?!" [Please remain calm, host. The dungeon's exposure is inevitable. Novice Village Core Fragments are, by nature, a product of the □□□ rules.] [However, dungeon exposure will not flag the host as a World Boss.] [Based on currently known information: once flagged as a World Boss, the □□□ rules will generate a world-level teleportation array to bring players directly to the boss. Dungeon exposure alone will not trigger a world-level teleportation array. The host may continue developing without concern.] [Note: Once the dungeon's location is revealed, the host will gain new traits.] [Trait 1, Legendary Status: Your dungeon and your story will begin to spread across the continent.] [Trait 2, Challenger: Any challenger, player or native, drawn by your legend who dies within the dungeon will increase your Legendary Status and generate double System Points.] [Legendary Status is tied to dungeon building upgrades and construction. Higher Legendary Status unlocks higher-tier functional buildings.] ➤ Next: The Whole Crew Relocates