Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 785: Creation Mode

Kaiden allowed the interface to stabilize before him on the dais, his gaze lifting to the sound of returning footsteps echoing through the grand archway of his abode.

[Available DMP: 1,100]

The roster displayed cleanly below the balance, detailing the monster composition that he and his companions had meticulously debated and finalized over the past grueling hour of calculations. Every Maulfiend had been evolved, every Nightclaw had been branched, and every Salamawyrm had been strategically redirected. The ratios were now precisely as they ought to be.

Nyx emerged through the archway, Scarlet following closely behind, her pink hair bouncing as her hands moved in expansive gestures. The tour, it seemed, had reached its conclusion. She was still vociferously recounting something Melty had done, with Scarlet patiently listening, a faint, amused smirk gracing the corner of the Flame Monarch’s lips. Whatever offense the salamawyrm had committed against Nyx’s favorite, Nyx had already transformed it into the most significant news of the year.

From the upper reaches of the cathedral, Calypso’s voice descended.

"...and these cascades... Aren’t they simply astounding? Observe how the flow nourishes the heat-sink rune at the base instead of accumulating against the column..."

Kaiden tilted his head back. From one of the upper balconies overlooking the cathedral floor, Calypso was leaning over the railing, gesturing animatedly towards a lava cascade on the opposing wall for Vespera’s quiet contemplation. Bastet stood a half-step behind them, her ears turned in polite attentiveness as the Infernal Matriarch’s guided tour proceeded. His mother’s crimson gaze remained fixed on the architecture, composed and discerning, politely indulging her son’s crimson-skinned demoness, for the pride of craftsmanship certainly deserved its audience.

The faint clatter of cookware could be heard from the side wing, where Alexandra had already established dominion over the pantry in preparation for the impending siege.

The domestic arrangement of his women, now gathered.

Alice was assisting Alexandra with setting up in the side wing. Aria remained near him at the dais.

Kaiden extracted the Creation Mode icon from the periphery overlay, focusing his will upon it.

Luna was the first to notice the movement. Her chin lifted from her knee, the gremlin rapidly regaining her focus.

"Ooh. You’re doing the thing."

"I am doing the thing."

Aria’s silver eyes had fixed on the icon the instant Luna spoke. A small, gentle smile bloomed warmly against his shoulder, and her fingers offered a brief, encouraging squeeze to the back of his hand.

"Good luck, Kai."

From the balcony above, Calypso’s architectural discourse ceased abruptly mid-sentence, her tail sweeping in a slow, knowing arc against the stone railing. She had perceived the interface. Her grin widened, entirely unrepentant.

"Try not to peek up our skirts while you’re up there, Darling," the demoness declared, despite herself being clad in garments that bore no skirts. Neither did Vespera, for that matter.

"I shall endeavor my utmost..."

Kaiden activated the icon.

...

The world stilled.

Kaiden released his own breath and commenced.

The very air obeyed his command, carrying him effortlessly wherever he willed. Absolute mastery. The authority of creation. This had perpetually been one of the most gratifying aspects of being a Dungeon Master—the ability to command stone to yield to his attention, to compel walls to shift with but a thought. Regrettably, this realm was only accessible upon reaching a new tier, meaning that barring unforeseen circumstances, the subsequent opportunity would only arise after ascending to High-Tier.

He floated above the dais, expanding the interface around him. The 3D map unfurled, rotating rapidly, five square kilometers of dungeon suspended in the cathedral’s motionless air.

’Traps first.’

His will swept across the map, illuminating sixty spike-trap bands in a soft amber glow throughout the Abyssal Corridor. These were Low-Tier relics, costing 50 DMP each. While they had served him adequately against human incursions, they were virtually useless here. He initiated the disassembly command for the entire set simultaneously, and the bands dissolved back into pure potential, flakes of unwritten dungeon scattering across the map in slow motion as the reimbursement flowed back into his reserves.

[60 × Spike-Trap Band refunded. +3,000 DMP.]

[Available DMP: 4,100]

’Much improved.’

He proceeded to access the Landscape menu.

The familiar entries resided in their remembered positions, their prices unchanged. Above these, a new section had materialized subsequent to his Mid-Tier ascension. A level higher still, a tier from which he was not presently shopping, lay another section.

He scrolled upwards nonetheless, purely for observation.

Endless Void --- 25,000 DMP per square kilometer.

Chrono Garden --- 40,000 DMP per square kilometer.

Two entries further up, Nether Library and Dream Sea remained entirely greyed out, with HIGH-TIER LOCKED displayed in small, polite lettering where their prices should have been.

A slow smile began to curl at the corner of Kaiden’s mouth.

’Someday.’

He closed the tier menu and turned his attention back to the dungeon itself.

The Verdant Expanse marked the outer boundary of his dominion, a sprawling three square kilometers encompassing forest, meadow, and a freshwater spring, with the grand palace situated at its heart. Between this lush area and the Safe Zone, the two primary routes converged almost directly into the green. Their proximity meant a breakthrough on either path would allow invaders to reach his family’s sanctuary within mere minutes.

‘Back,’ he commanded.

He focused his will upon the Verdant Expanse’s footprint and exerted pressure. The verdant landscape began to recede along the dungeon’s lengthy axis in a gradual, unhurried migration. The cathedral and its accompanying palace moved seamlessly with this shift, the three square kilometers repositioning without any sign of resistance. A new expanse of unformed geometry emerged between the Verdant Expanse and the two routes that had previously fed into it.

The system demanded nothing for this rearrangement. He was the proprietor of the terrain; geometry itself was fluid and subservient to his authority.

‘Corridor side.’

Twilight Sink, a region spanning one square kilometer and costing four hundred DMP, was next. He guided this biome into the newly formed gap along the Abyssal Corridor’s exit. A bioluminescent haze settled into the lower elevations, forming drifts of pearlescent color. The ground began to buckle and shift unevenly. Sounds distorted strangely along the floor even before he had completed the shaping of the zone’s boundary. This Nightshroud habitat was designed to augment their existing darkness fields, creating a threat greater than the sum of its parts.

[Twilight Sink × 1 km². -400 DMP.]

‘Magma side.’

The toxic biome was the one that truly held his attention, and he dedicated considerable time to its construction.

Two square kilometers of Virulent Mire materialized within the gap along the kill route, its formation slow and deliberately repulsive. Pools of black ooze emerged within polished expanses of stagnant toxicity. Islands of blighted, crusted ground rose above them. Spore clouds coalesced from seemingly nothing at knee height, drifting slowly and visibly. Above, a thicker stratum of poisonous vapor pressed down from the ceiling crust, forming a second layer of hazard.

The ground was toxic. The air was toxic. The ceiling was toxic. The entire atmosphere was a weapon.

Because the Claimant’s forces possessed aerial capabilities and wore armor, he considered this an appropriate countermeasure and a fitting continuation of the magma path, which was intended to be exceptionally perilous. Should they somehow possess resistance to magma or the ability to survive it, he intended for poison, a distinct substance with its own unique properties, to serve as a proper secondary challenge.

The containment measures were where he invested genuine strategic thought.

Miasma of this concentration would inevitably drift into the Verdant Expanse on one flank and contaminate Melty’s magma on the other, neither of which was an acceptable outcome. The implementation of sealed doors at each boundary would effectively contain the noxious air, thereby preserving the biome’s intended purpose. Any obstacle that could not be traversed through would also serve as an insurmountable barrier for invaders, consequently violating the established rules of engagement.