Zion shifted his attention toward the wider floor.
The pack included rolling terrain, so he selected a low hill and placed it near the left side of the cave.
The stone rose smoothly beneath the grass until a gentle slope formed.
He added another near the center, then checked the view from the entrance.
The hills broke up the line of sight across the floor.
Adventurers entering the cave would not immediately see every sheep, which meant some of them could wait behind the slopes and charge once the party moved farther inside.
Zion added two trees near one of the hills.
They were small and broad, with enough branches to cast shade without turning the area into a forest.
The sheep wandered toward them almost immediately.
“That’s called tactical cover.”
He wasn’t sure if he felt pleased with the result or was just trying to convince himself that he was doing more than decorating his dungeon with pretty trees.
One of the sheep rubbed its side against the trunk.
He added three more.
Not because the sheep liked them but because the trees interrupted ranged attacks.
He selected the shallow pond next.
The placement model showed a circular body of clear water surrounded by smooth grass.
Zion positioned it near the center of the floor, then stopped.
That was too obvious.
Adventurers could use it as a landmark the moment they entered and orient themselves around it.
He shifted the pond farther right and extended a narrow creek toward the cave wall instead.
Water appeared with a soft rushing sound as the creek entered through a crack in the stone, curved around one of the hills, and emptied into the pond.
The sheep noticed immediately.
Several hurried toward the water while the others continued grazing.
Zion looked over the floor again.
The cave no longer felt empty.
Grass covered most of the ground, rising over gentle hills.
Trees stood in loose clusters, and the creek cut through the field before widening into the pond.
The only thing missing was a path.
He opened the fencing options, and white picket fencing appeared in his placement menu.
Zion stared at it, resisting the urge to scroll through his available options once more.
“White?”
The fencing looked clean, cheerful, and completely inappropriate for a dungeon.
It was also cheap.
With a deep imaginary sigh, he began placing sections.
He used the fences to create broad lanes across the pasture, guiding adventurers toward the far side without forcing them into a single narrow route.
One curved around the pond, another passed between the hills, and a third looked shorter but crossed a wide open field with almost no cover.
The sheep reacted almost immediately.
Instead of wandering randomly, they began following the open lanes.
Zion moved one section of fence and watched the entire flock change direction.
He shifted it again.
The sheep followed.
“So I can control their pathing.”
That was useful information.
He extended the fencing across the floor, leaving deliberate gaps for groups to pass through and wider sections where the sheep would have enough space to charge.
The pasture barn belonged at the far end.
Zion placed it directly in front of the final doors, making it large enough to block them from view.
The wood was dark red instead of bright, which helped slightly, and two long doors stood open at the front, revealing the shadowed interior.
That would work for the boss room.
He could place the Horned Ram inside and force adventurers to cross the entire pasture before reaching it.
Even if they survived the sheep, they would still have to enter the barn and defeat the boss before they could reach the exit.
Zion moved his awareness higher and looked over the floor from above.
The layout was simple, open.
Almost too peaceful.
No, for a dungeon it was much too peaceful.
He adjusted the hills again to create hidden approaches on both sides, then shifted the trees to break up the sightlines.
He widened the open field near the center so the sheep would have enough distance to build speed before adding more of them.
If one sheep was not threatening, maybe twenty would be.
Large numbers might at least stop an eager adventurer from simply running straight through.
Zion placed the new sheep in smaller groups across the pasture instead of keeping them all together.
The floor finally began to feel alive.
A few grazed near the creek, while others rested beneath the trees or wandered along the fences.
One stood on top of a hill for no obvious reason, looking down over the others like it had appointed itself supervisor.
He moved his awareness closer.
The sheep stared back.
“Fine.
You’re the boss now.”
By the time he finished, the original cave was almost unrecognizable.
Warm light filled the ceiling, creating the illusion of daylight despite the solid stone overhead.
The grass shifted beneath a breeze Zion had not intentionally added, while water moved through the creek and leaves rustled softly in the trees.
He looked across the pasture.
It was not frightening…not even slightly.
It was, however, probably the best sheep pasture he had ever seen.
A notification appeared.
[Hidden Floor Theme Discovered.]
[Sheep Pasture]
[Theme Completion: 100%]
Zion focused on the message.
“Theme?”
He had not known themes could be completed, or that they even existed.
There had been no progress bar, no warning, and nothing telling him he had even been building one.
Then, a second notification appeared beneath it.
[All compatible creatures on this floor receive a slight increase to Vitality, Movement Speed, and Morale.]
[New Passive Unlocked: Pack Mentality]
[When one sheep enters combat or distress, nearby sheep will automatically respond and provide assistance.]
Zion read the final line twice.
Across the pasture, one sheep bumped another near the pond.
The second sheep stumbled, falling over.
Then three more immediately hurried over.
Zion watched as the group surrounded the first sheep.
One lowered its head, another pawed at the grass, and the sheep that had started the problem slowly backed away.
He paused, observing the scene.
They were still adorable.
But fifteen adorable sheep rushing one target at once was very different from one sheep lightly headbutting another in a model.
Zion looked toward the long open field leading to the barn.
The sheep had enough space to charge.
The fences could guide them.
The hills could hide them.
And if an adventurer attacked one, the others would come.
For the first time since receiving the pasture pack, Zion did not feel completely defeated.
“This might actually work.”
He opened the Horned Ram Boss Contract.
“Let’s find out what you can do.”