Chapter 162: 159 Reclaiming Honor

What was Lin Jun's greatest failure in his life?

It wasn't being chased by a slime when he first arrived—everyone goes through that in the newbie phase.

It wasn't nearly being killed by three Gold-rank humans; that time, Lin Jun suffered almost no loss beyond getting shot.

His greatest failure was the Earthworm Hunt!

He consumed all resources generated by the Fire Mosquitoes, exceeded the limit and spawned a horde of 400 Pukiji, and squandered a massive stockpile of Magic Crystals accumulated over two years.

Yet he gained nothing—not only that, but only a tiny fraction of the attacking Pukiji escaped back, and even General Inanna nearly got trapped.

Recovery would take an indefinite amount of time, directly leading Lin Jun to decide on a risky relocation.

Fate plays tricks on mushrooms; it's not an exaggeration to say Lin Jun's present state is all thanks to those two Earthworms.

Lin Jun never forgot this humiliation for a single moment.

Yet the Deep Zone is vast—he had assumed he'd have to wait until he controlled the Core and then laboriously search to meet them again.

Who would've thought! Who would've thought!

Is it because your activity range is nearby?

Or did you sense the presence of the Pukiji that once inflicted massive wounds upon you, and came here deliberately?

Whether intentional or coincidental, it doesn't matter.

Today, I won't let you escape!

"Little Pig, assist me—kill this Earthworm at full power!"

"Boss?" Luisa had never heard her boss speak with such intensity, but she still raised a concern: "But most of these Pukiji are melee units!"

Indeed, the Cannon Pukiji make up very few.

But there are still hundreds of them—can they be worse than before?

"Full power, Luisa! Kill this Earthworm—I'll let you drink your fill! I'll even reward you with gear! But if it escapes… you'll be spending midnight plucking mushrooms off your body!"

She wasn't called "Little Pig" this time, but Luisa was even more afraid.

Her boss was clearly not joking!

She held nothing back—blood rapidly gathered on her hands, even the blood she'd extracted from the Fat Troglodyte and preserved as rations was pulled out for battle.

The Pukiji unleashed their Cannon Fire without restraint; the melee Pukiji, though causing little damage, crowded close to draw the Earthworm's attention.

At the same time, countless magical energies flowed through the mycelium carpet into this cavern.

Lin Jun certainly didn't rely entirely on Luisa.

【Pukiji Creation Lv8】

Under unrestrained magical energy consumption, Pukiji were rapidly produced.

And the first Pukiji to land was a Magic Pukiji!

The Magic Pukiji's mycelial tendrils connected to the mycelium carpet; a Magic Crystal looted from the troglodyte's warehouse was placed atop its mushroom cap.

Lin Jun began to Cast Magic—Mire Spell!

As a Tier-One spell, Mire Spell wasn't hard to learn—how could Lin Jun possibly avoid learning a spell that left such a strong impression on him?

Though not proficient, and though his casting time was longer than Inanna's, Lin Jun still unleashed the spell!

The Earthworm, darting rapidly between Pukiji, suddenly froze—this familiar sensation gave it a bad premonition.

But this was only the beginning.

Connected to the mycelium carpet, the Magic Pukiji needed no concern for mana; Lin Jun repeatedly cast Mire Spell, turning every patch of ground the Earthworm touched into mud.

And new Pukiji continued to fall from above the mycelium carpet.

Aside from the first one, which was a Magic Pukiji, all others were Cannon Pukiji.

Occasionally, a few Bat Pukiji would spawn and fly over to self-detonate.

Luisa also gave her all—initially, when the Earthworm darted back and forth at high speed, she had no way to strike.

Now that its movement was restricted, she decisively condensed her blood into an axe shape and hammered relentlessly at the same spot on its shell, as if trying to cut it in half.

The Earthworm's counterattack was its swinging massive body; with a single lurch, it slammed Luisa into the rock wall.

But thanks to her high regeneration, Luisa always returned quickly, even climbing onto the Earthworm to drain its blood directly.

The entire battle was far from elegant—it felt primal, savage.

Clearly, they were fighting with all their might.

Yet forcing a vampire to brawl head-on against a similarly ranked, gigantic Earthworm was too much for Luisa; after being slammed into the wall once more, she couldn't emerge quickly again.

Lin Jun glanced at her panel—she had only one-third of her health left.

She still had reserves, but she'd given her all; Lin Jun didn't hold it against her.

Luisa had successfully carved a massive wound into the Earthworm; under Lin Jun's control, the Pukiji concentrated all fire on and around the wound.

The Earthworm had lost its initial arrogance of darting through and crushing Pukiji—it now desperately tried to retreat underground. It finally remembered: last time, it had been just as humiliated.

If not for the other Earthworm…

Would the other Earthworm come this time?

As Lin Jun speculated, he launched relentless attacks.

The ground beneath the Pukiji trembled continuously—but this was caused by this Earthworm's repeated impacts, not by the digging of another Earthworm.

More than a dozen Bat Pukiji burrowed into the wound, now expanded several times its original size, followed by a series of self-detonations.

The Earthworm's body was blown apart, flesh and blood severed, held together only by its rocky shell, barely keeping the two halves connected.

Seeing the Earthworm sprawled on the ground, Lin Jun wasted no time—he continued commanding the Pukiji to finish it off.

Only when its health bar hit zero and its panel vanished did Lin Jun cease his attacks.

This time, the Earthworm's Hero didn't show up!

……

The Pukiji stopped producing, and even though Lin Jun had abundant magic, this trip alone consumed more than half of his stored magic.

As for the expedition team?

More than half died, and only a few were replenished—their numbers dropped sharply, and returning to the front lines will have to be delayed for several days.

The Pukiji dug out Louise, though according to the panel, she could have freed herself.

"My strength is insufficient—I've disappointed the boss's expectations," Louise said weakly.

"Nonsense, Little Pig, you did excellently. Rest well; just as I promised, there'll be plenty of blood vessels!"

"Boss!"

"Little Pig!"

Though Louise slacked off a bit, she still made a contribution.

Lin Jun had just slain the earthworm and was in high spirits; he didn't mind playing along with her act of loyal ruler and devoted subject.

He ordered the Pukiji to carry Louise gently to rest, and also deliver the two captured minotaurs to her.

Now that he had goblins, Lin Jun had no more patience to waste on these stubborn fools.

……

The magic Pukiji stepped on the motionless corpse of the earthworm.

Lin Jun savored the fragrance of victory, letting it seep into every mycelium.

This flavor was far more intoxicating to his mushroom heart than conquering ten caves.

Beneath his feet, this ugly worm corpse marked the divide between him and his past—the weak mushroom, struggling in shadows, barely surviving day to day, had been utterly crushed.

The Lin Jun of now not only controls his own fate, but his every move can influence others' fates—whether the earthworm, the goblins, or Louise…

If there was any regret, it was that his greatest fear—the Flame Demon—had been slain by adventurers.

To personally end the monster that had terrified Lin Jun for two years… Just imagining that sweet scene made his soul tremble!

What a pity…

Even lost in ecstasy, Lin Jun did not forget to collect his spoils.

The Pukiji scattered spores, mycelium spreading over the worm corpse, slowly breaking down everything except the rock armor.

Lin Jun did not hasten this process; instead, he savored the harvest slowly.

Several days later.

【The Sin of Greed Activated】

【Looting Skill: Rock-Eating Lv5 → Lv7】

【Looting Skill: High-Temperature Resistance Lv7 → Lv8】

……

……

……

【Looting Skill: High-Temperature Drilling Lv1】

(End of Chapter)