Kael was still trying to understand the long panel when a new one popped up in front of him. He got so comfortable with something new popping here and there that he didn't even flinch this time.
With a straight face, he read the notification.
【The Entry/Exit sigil will be activated in 48 hours.】
【Please summon monsters and a guardian to maintain the Dungeon.】
Reading, he compared the information against the dungeon's map and understood what the entry/exit sigil the notification was talking about. He was still a little clueless about the guardians, though.
Before he could spiral into the maze of questions, another notification sounded in his ear.
【You have received the item: Tier 1 Guardian creation】
With this notification, a clear, glass-like card appeared in his hand. It shone faintly with a golden color.
As Kael looked closely, he found that at the center of the card, silhouettes of creatures changed from time to time. At one moment it showed the figure of a human, at another something demonic. One could even vaguely see the figure of a dragon.
"Huh! What does this do..." Confused, he whispered, and the moment he did, a notification appeared in front of him.
【Do you want to use the item: Tier 1 Guardian creation?】
【Yes/No】
'Yes... I guess.' Still not knowing what the card would do, Kael nodded his head.
The moment he did so, a character creation sort of menu popped up in front of him.
<---------------------------------------------->
【Creation Menu】
【Species: …】
【Background: …】
【Nature: …】
【Affinity: …】
【Energy: 100】
<---------------------------------------------->
Having played games, he instantly understood what he was looking at.
A character creation menu... have I been transported in some sort of game or what? How are these things even possible? How can something be created out of this puny thing...
Can I really create a guardian out of this... Mused while also being a little afraid of the limitless potential this new world possessed, Kael tried understanding the panel in front of him.
'I can select the species, background... hmm! Is the background like a history of sorts!?... What's this nature supposed to do? I get the affinity. Or the energy... ohh! That is the amount of energy I can use for the creation of the guardian. Got it.'
Understanding it, he tapped on the species option. The moment he did so, a list appeared in front of him.
<---------------------------------------------->
【Species:】
【Available Options:
Skeleton - 10
Goblin - 15
Zombie - 15
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Orc - 20
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.
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Half-Elf - 25
Imp - 30
Dryad - 40
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Dark Elf - 40
Werewolf - 50
Lesser Elemental - 50
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Troll - 50
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Lesser Demon - 60
Lesser Small Drake - 90
Lesser Small Wyvern - 90
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Vampire - 100
Basilisk - 100
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.
Lich - 150
Greater Demon - 150
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.
Lesser Adult Dragon - 500】
<---------------------------------------------->
"Woah! Woah!... shall we calm down a little?" he whispered, looking at the long list in awe.
From consuming all sorts of media, Kael had a little idea about a few of the species, like elves, dragons, demons, goblins, and such, but he had no idea there were this many unique species.
It was such a long list that it took more than a quarter of a minute just to scroll from top to bottom.
Looking at the options, he tried clicking on them, and the moment he did so, some information about them popped up.
Like if he clicked on Goblin, this is what pops up.
【Goblin: At the bottom of the New World's species hierarchy. Most goblins have an affinity for Greed and Lust. By nature, they are Simple-Spirited and have High Progeny.】
As he read more and more descriptions about the many monsters, Kael managed to figure out a few things.
'There is a certain amount of energy I can spend while creating the guardian and talking about guardian the species I will choose will greatly affect their nature, behaviour, talent and whatnot... so I can't just choose the one with the lowest energy expenditure...'
Shaking his head, he tried sorting out the best he could get out with the least amount of energy. After half an hour of thinking and planning, he managed to thin the list to just three.
Troll because of their endurance and could be a great tank, Lesser Elemental because of their adaptability, and having a long arsenal of skills. And last but not least, there was the Lesser Demon...
Truth to be told, he was leaning more toward Lesser Demons as they were easy to train and there was this 'Sharp' in their nature as well.
'The species is finalized, now comes the real deal…' Nodding his head, Kael skipped the background for now and directly went to the nature section.
One thing he found surprising and delightful is that each species already possesses some nature of its own, and when selecting additional nature, if that nature corresponds with their natural nature, one could get some discounts.
Like so, trolls possess the nature of Regeneration and Endurance... so if he added the nature of Hard-Skinned, he would have to spend less energy. And the same is true for the opposite as well.
If he goes against the nature of the monster, then he has to spend more energy. Like if he tried adding Graceful or Cowardly to trolls, then he would have to spend more energy than with other monsters.
After spending another half an hour experimenting with Nature, he couldn't help but whisper, "Fuck this shit... man, this is too tiring."
If it weren't for the fact that his life depended on it, Kael wouldn't have spent this much time nitpicking every minute detail. After spending more than an hour, he finally created the perfect guardian, or so, in his opinion, at least.
In the end, the panel looked something like this,
<---------------------------------------------->
【Species: Lesser Demon】
【Background: Abandoned by everyone, you wandered the world alone. One day, you found a dungeon, and its kind master offered you a place to belong. Grateful for his mercy, you swore to protect him with all that you are.】
【Nature: Intelligent, Charming, Scheming, Loyal】
【Affinity: Blood, Curse】
【Energy: 0】
<---------------------------------------------->
'Sigh! Now this looks perfect...' Kael smiled, reading the background of the guardian he had meticulously created.
At first, he had thought the background possessed no significance to the character, but the more he experimented with the panel, the more he understood its significance.
If he were to rate it, Kael would consider 'Background' as the most important aspect of its creation.
'Ahhh... it's finally done...' he thought, looking at the panel below.
【Are you satisfied with your creation?】
【Yes/No】
Nodding his head, Kael felt satisfied.
The moment he did so, the card in his hand burst into tiny golden fragments. Those tiny fragments flew from his hand and began gathering in clusters.
Faintly glowing in gold, the cluster grew in size and began to change into something that Kael couldn't make sense of. Suddenly, everything was covered in a blinding golden light.
When the golden light subdued, he could see a trace of something humanoid kneeling in front of him.
