Chapter 337: Mushroom King Ben

Claw Valley Mountain.

When Rod arrived, he saw the Mycelium Clan Mushroom King, who was being jointly controlled by seven or eight mages, and couldn't help but feel speechless.

"What did he do?"

"He broke through his realm, injured our people, and shouted that he would level this place to the ground."

Daphne walked to his side and sighed.

Today, the brim of her wide mage hat was draped with a circle of black silk taffeta, completely covering her entire upper body.

A witch's skin is very delicate; with the recent sandstorms on the Twilight Hills, she certainly needed some means of protection.

Not seeing Daphne's baby-fat cheeks and big-rabbit variance made Rod feel a bit of regret.

"So arrogant? Why not just kill him directly?"

Rod raised an eyebrow.

"That won't do. After all, he is someone you know; I was thinking you might have some connection with him."

Daphne had never spoken to the Mushroom King, but they had at least crossed paths in the cave back then.

After all, a two-to-three-meter lump sucking up hallucinogenic spores and puffing clouds on the ground was hard not to see.

Rod stood in the watchtower, looking down.

On the mountain road defense line, there was a small patch of battle scars.

A gray defensive wall built by Tu Mu Fa had been smashed into a hole, with large fist craters on the ground, rows of broken trees, bloodstains, and wounded!

Not far from the crater, the mages, their expressions filled with anger, held the Mushroom King firmly in place.

The City Hall side had led people forward in layers, gradually clearing the danger points of Claw Valley Mountain by modifying the terrain and building walls; those willing to guard this place were mostly local mages who originally came to protect their homeland.

Now, it was almost thrown into chaos by such a reckless Mushroom King; how could they not be angry?

"I'll take care of him."

"Trouble you."

Rod leaped down from the watchtower and landed with a boom.

The mages guarding this place turned to look at him; some recognized him, while others were unfamiliar outsiders.

But seeing that he could speak shoulder-to-shoulder with my lord Daphne, naturally no one would look down on him.

Rod strode forward with long, swift steps.

The Mushroom King's eyes, the size of mung beans, rolled and spotted him.

Immediately, a warlike smile appeared.

"Human! Come fight! Come fight!"

Rod sneered and spoke while walking:

"Release him."

"Mr. Rod!"

One of the mages controlling the Mushroom King was a familiar face; if he remembered correctly, he should be Mason, the second son of the clothing store on Bello Street.

When winter came, Rod had picked out a batch of thick clothes in the town, which he bought from his family.

Mason's rank was not high, only Fifth Rank Low.

The moment he saw Rod, he instantly showed an excited expression.

Most locals had witnessed Rod's battle achievements with their own eyes and were full of confidence in this Forest Warden.

Seeing that Mason was about to cancel the linked spell.

The few outsider mages nearby immediately grew anxious.

"What are you doing! We and my lord Daphne exerted such great effort to control him; why release him??"

"Because Mr. Rod has arrived!"

"He? Forest Warden Rod? But this Mushroom is Seventh Rank! Even if..."

The mages looked at Rod, perceived that he was a Sixth Rank Peak Spiritual Warrior, and immediately showed doubt, but instantly felt something block their throats.

As Rod advanced slowly and steadily.

With every step he took, his momentum climbed a notch; blue-white mist rose behind him like raging flames, and the vast, heavy spirituality became as substantial as matter, sticking to every inch of the air and pressing down on the shoulders of everyone present.

Everyone's hearts couldn't help but thump, feeling as if they were facing the pressure of a giant dragon.

Mason canceled the spell, hurriedly pulled his other teammates aside, and wore a face full of excitement.

The linked spell that strengthened the monster's immobilization spell dissipated.

The freed Mushroom King laughed and turned around.

His huge fist drew back like an arrow, fully charged with strength.

Mushrooms mainly rely on spores for attack and defense, but if you think they cannot engage in close combat, you are greatly mistaken; the Mushroom King's sudden punch is absolutely a heavy blow no one wants to face.

Boom!

A deafening roar.

Two fists collided violently!

A powerful shockwave erupted the moment the two made contact, and the surging spirituality around them produced violent oscillations like a river turning upside down.

The next moment.

The Mushroom King shot out like a cannonball, smashing through several trees in a row, and plunged straight into the mountainside on the side.

Gravel scattered like flowers, then fell like a waterfall, completely burying the lower half of the Mushroom King that was exposed.

"Wh-what!?"

Everyone around stood there with mouths agape.

Sixth Rank versus Seventh Rank, knocked flying with one punch?

Rod's right hand trembled slightly. He clenched his fist hard, letting the regenerative power of 【Rotborn Unity】 flow through his arm.

【Power Release】 900%.

This skill is strong, sure, but the strain it puts on the body is no joke.

He forced himself to look unbothered, his face cold.

Without hurrying, he walked toward the mountain the Mushroom King had crashed into and pulled him out again.

Squelch—

More than half of the Mushroom King's mushroom head had been smashed to pulp, clear slime trickling out from within.

"Tally, wake him up."

"You got it~~"

The succubus had long found him an eyesore. From the shadows she lashed out with 【Pain Lash】, whipping him viciously across the face.

Intense pain venom seeped into his skin.

It made the Mushroom King let out an involuntary grunt.

He groggily opened his eyes, and at last, fear appeared in his gaze as it met Rod's.

"I remember Hailey sending you away. What are you back for?"

"I lost again."

The mushroom-man replied dejectedly, his answer completely off the mark.

"Hm?"

"From now on, you're the Mushroom King."

He dropped to his knees before Rod, his expression utterly crestfallen.

The various mushroom clans each had their own way of choosing a leader—some compared the quantity of hallucinogenic spores within their bodies, others compared size and combat prowess.

This Mushroom King of the Mycelium Clan clearly belonged to the latter.

He had lost a wrestling match five days ago, came back today to settle the score, and only truly conceded after losing again.

These mushroom-folk constantly inhale hallucinogenic spores, so mistaking a human for a mushroom-man is hardly surprising.

Over something this trivial?

Rod snorted, unconvinced.

"Tally, I recall you have a contract spiritual art."

"【Soul Contract】 Oh, that's a spiritual art only demons with Archduke bloodline can use. Pretty impressive, right!"

"Bind him under my name."

"Okay~~"

Tally cast the spiritual art.

Sulfur-scented spiritual energy gathered, swiftly forming an evil soul contract imbued with demonic aura in midair.

Rod snatched the contract, held it before his eyes, scanned the contents, confirmed there was no issue, then tossed it in front of the Mushroom King.

"Sign it."

"As you command, King of the Mycelium Clan."

The Mushroom King raised his right hand—which looked like a flower bursting from a shattered cannon barrel—paused, then switched to his left hand, and carved his own mark onto the soul contract.

At the same time, a stream of information about the mushroom-man before him drilled into his mind.

Bean Coconut Tree Mycelium.

The true name of this towering mushroom-man.

Fine, then.

Mushroom King it is, Mushroom King it shall be.

I can't be bothered to care—as long as my combat power goes up, that's all that matters.

Rod kicked the mushroom-man Bean over in front of Dimia.

"He's stationed here. Dimia, arrange him however you like. You hear what I just said? Listen to this pretty big sister, got it?"

Bean nodded meekly.

A far cry from his arrogant demeanor moments ago.

With more than half his head smashed to pulp, he gave off a brainstem-deficient air of dim-wittedness.

Though, to be fair, most mushroom-folk look like that anyway.

(End of chapter)