Designing the Base

[Congratulations, you have completely understood Grimslate Block!]

[Crafting feature has been updated.]

[You can now craft items with Grimslate as material; the limit is your own imagination.]

Ben plopped down onto the smooth ground, letting out a deep breath of relief as he stored his pickaxe back into his inventory. "Finally…" he mumbled, his lips curling into a grin.

The first grind was a boring, repetitive slog, but now came the fun part—designing the entire base and making it work. He laid his head on the floor, letting his thoughts run wild. 'This should be like the old base, but this time, I've got tons of verticality to use.'

A thousand blocks tall—that was like staring up at a skyscraper from the ground floor all the way to the peak. "The top probably has around 250 blocks less in width… leaving that empty would be a waste of space." The tunnel, carved out by the worm's body, had a circular formation. The 1000-width section Elvira mentioned was in the middle, gradually shrinking all the way down to 750 in width.

A loud buzzing sound echoed through the tunnel once more. Floating towards the center, Ben started sketching out the base in his mind. The entire area spanned 1000 blocks in width and 750 in length. He planned to step it down gradually—125 blocks in length total—resulting in a pyramid-like structure with a massive surface area at the top. Each step varied in depth, ranging from three to five blocks.

His plan? A labyrinth on both ends, while the space under it served as hidden pathways for ambush strategies. If needed, he could move quickly beneath the surface. He also intended to install pipes to release Eldergleam dust and set up other traps. Efficient logistics were another priority—he needed a system for moving things between different areas.

It would be a complicated network of pathways, but first, he had to finalize the base's design. This time, Ben wanted to create a true stronghold. 'I could flood the lower section with water, turning it into an underwater area. That way, I could raise fish for food and other uses. And for additional space, I should expand upward. Even if I only make each floor 10 blocks tall, I could easily fit 100 floors… Hmm. Maybe I'll need to make them taller.'

After seeing the size of the Hellworm, Ben was convinced that at some point, he could create a massive creature—maybe not quite that size, but still something colossal. His imagination ran wild. If he could create a Hellworm-sized beast, he'd gladly relocate his base inside its stomach, turning it into a mobile fortress. With how versatile the creature creation system was, he knew it was possible—if he had the right materials and parts. "Now, for materials… by my rough estimate, just covering this space alone would take at least 800,000 blocks…" The sheer number made him let out a heavy sigh. Still, every project had to start somewhere.

"Alright, let's get to work." Floating toward the side of the tunnel, Ben began laying the foundation of what he decided to call the ground floor.

After placing a single block, Ben landed on it. "Alright, one block at a time." He placed a few blocks to his left and right before moving forward again. Once he finished a 5x5 area, he sat cross-legged and looked down.

The ground floor was the middle layer, spanning 1000 blocks in width. Below, there was a vast drop—499 blocks straight down. A question popped into Ben's mind."Now, does my building system defy gravity or not…? If not, I don't think I can fill all these layers without making columns to hold everything in place…" 

To test his theory, he started placing blocks in a straight line, pushing as far as possible. "Alright, this will be the eleventh block…"

The moment he set it down— BAM! 

A loud crash echoed through the tunnel. Ben gulped, looking downward. "Fuck… it didn't even hold, just magically fell straight down."

"MY BELOVED!!! Did something happen?!" Hearing the loud sound, Elvira quickly flew to his side, thinking there had been an attack or an accident. But when she saw Ben just standing there, gazing downward with a bewildered look, she sighed in relief. Following his gaze, she let out a soft chuckle.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Ben said before she could say a word. "Looks like I'll need to build a bunch of pillars to support this layer."

"Why not just start from the bottom instead?"

"No, I want to fill the lower area with water."

"This much?? Where exactly are you planning to get all that water from?"

"I'll find some underground lakes and move everything here."

"But, my beloved, didn't you say we're in a hurry?"

"I'm not worried. There's plenty of material everywhere. We can just make a hundred workers and build everything fast."

"Hmm… You know, you'd probably get more stability if you turned these blocks into floors, like at the first base."

"No, I want to use these as a foundation—to make sure it's hard to dig through. I'll put the floors on top of this block."

"I see…"

Meanwhile, as Ben and Elvira were busy with their base, somewhere at the same depth. A huge fire roared inside a massive dome. In the center, the colossal fire burned bright like a sun, casting long shadows on the cavern walls. Surrounding it stood a gathering of humanoid figures—beings of stone, their bodies hardened like obsidian, with pairs of molten eyes burning like embers and metallic hair reflecting the flickering flames.

They moved in unison, their deep voices chanting an ancient ritual. "Praise the Eternal Flame!!! Trough it Fire The Ashborn will be born!"

One of the figure stepped forward, his heavy step echoing across the floor as he approached the flame. The fire crackled and roared, as he took the first step in to the sacred blaze.

"AAARGH!!!!" A scream tore through the air as the flame seared into his very being, etching its power into his body. His molten eyes flared brighter, his stone form shifting as the fire reshaped him. The others raised their hands toward the sky, their voices merging into a deafening chorus: "PRAISE THE ETERNAL FLAME! Praise The AshKING!!!"