Chapter 3

"You, say that again."

Duke Amara's knuckles turn white, and the armrests of his mahogany throne emit a groan under the unbearable pressure.

Cold sweat seeps from the back of Butler Eric's neck, yet he still clearly enunciates every syllable.

"After Pero and Oakes used your name to lure the Young Lady away, they first went to the Amethyst Dungeon, then crossed the border and fled to the Hermit Empire. Judging by the direction, their destination is likely Duke Sigismund."

"Damn traitors! Damn vampires!" The solid wood armrest is crushed, and blood flames churn in the Duke's pupils. "Inanna is still alive; the tracking mark is still there, and the revenge mark hasn't transferred. I must go save her."

"Master!"

Seeing the Duke take down his greatsword and prepare to go save his daughter regardless of the consequences, Eric has no choice but to shout out loud.

"If you leave, Sigismund will lead the Blood Knight Order to flatten High Castle Fortress right after you.

Once High Castle is lost, there will be no defenses to hold, and by then, not only your Duchy but the entire Southern Federation will be in danger."

"Then are you telling me to watch Inanna die?"

The bluestone tiles under Amara's feet crack, and the spiderweb-like fissures continue to expand. The aura of a top-tier LV70 human powerhouse forces Eric to kneel on one knee.

"The diamond-ranked adventurer team 'Silver Thorn' is operating nearby. You can privately commission them to search for the Young Lady in the Amethyst Dungeon.

As for High Castle Fortress, you can create the illusion of leaving to lure Sigismund here, and then give him a head-on blow to avenge the assassination."

After saying this in one breath, Eric almost collapses to the ground.

The pressure on Eric gradually disappears. Amara sits back in his chair, reaches out, and condenses the coordinates locating Inanna into a crystal, which he hands to the butler.

"Do as you say. Tell those adventurers that if they bring Inanna back alive, I will give them a city!

But if anything happens to my daughter..."

"Yes, Master."

————

Deep in the dungeon, in the mushroom garden.

Inanna, who is still unaware that her father has started looking for her, is looking at the scene in front of her with slight horror at the edge of the breeding area.

Beside the deep pit where Slimes are raised, a hollow Puji is filled with ordinary mushrooms to feed the Slimes.

As a result, when it dumps the mushrooms, a Slime jumps up, sticks to its foot, and drags the Puji down.

The next second, the Slimes in the deep pit swarm up and wrap the Puji tightly.

The wrapped Puji is still struggling, looking like it might still be saved.

"Lin Jun, Lin Jun, your Slime ate a Puji!"

Lin Jun, who is busy, turns his attention back for a moment upon hearing the call.

"I know. I'll send a new Puji over. I already said the breeding area is dangerous; don't go over there often."

Inanna wants to say that's not what she meant, but looking at the Puji inside the Slimes, which is already completely motionless and starting to be decomposed, she swallows her words.

The underground world is truly cruel.

————

The underground world is indeed cruel.

In order to survive in this cruel place, there is never a time when Lin Jun isn't busy.

The intelligence of the Puji themselves only reaches the level of being able to automatically find their way after receiving an order.

Whether it's breeding or mining, it requires Lin Jun to divide his attention for micromanagement, not to mention that the mushroom garden's borders are harassed by various monsters from time to time.

Even with Lin Jun's LV5 Mental Integration, operating them is quite strenuous.

Being able to spare the energy to familiarize Inanna with the environment is actually quite rare.

Although he didn't show it, Lin Jun is actually very happy to have an existence he can communicate with.

At least he won't need to talk to himself to ensure his language skills don't deteriorate in the future.

However, he has no time to look after her after that, so he can only let her wander around on her own.

Lin Jun needs to focus his energy on the mushroom garden's border; the Fire Mosquitoes have come in swarms again.

These flying insects, which look like mosquitoes but are slightly larger than a Puji, have an average level of around LV20.

They are far from being the strongest monsters here, but they are definitely the most annoying existence.

They can fly, are agile, appear in swarms, and will use their sharp beaks to snatch up lone Puji whenever they have the chance. They were Lin Jun's greatest enemy in the early stages of his development.

Fortunately, Lin Jun already has a mature response plan.

Facing the swarms of Fire Mosquitoes flying over, several Puji with nozzles instead of mushroom caps squeeze out a sky full of Slime mucus.

This mucus has strong adhesion and corrosiveness; once the Fire Mosquitoes touch it, they can't fly and are forced to fall to the ground.

On the ground, patches of purple mushrooms spray hallucinogenic spores, incapacitating the Fire Mosquitoes that have fallen.

Soon, after losing 7 companions, the remaining Fire Mosquitoes flee without looking back.

However, Lin Jun knows that these things won't learn their lesson and will come again next time.

Puji with shells on their heads finish off the unconscious Fire Mosquitoes one by one. The corpses of these monsters are then thrown into the mushroom garden to become fresh fertilizer.

[Seven Sins of Greed triggered]

[Plunder skill: High-Temperature Resistance LV5→LV6]

Leveled up?

Nice, nice. Once High-Temperature Resistance is higher, he can try to sneak through the Flame Demon's lair to see what the upper levels are like.

Open the panel.

[Race: Mushroom - Fungus Lord]

[Level LV42]

[HP: 420/420]

[Mana: 8045/12450]

[Racial Talent:

Mana Collection (Mycelium can absorb mana from the environment to continuously provide experience)

Scavenging (Decompose corpses to gain nutrients and experience)]

[Fixed Status: Connected Fungal Network]

[Skills: Puji Creation LV5, Mana Storage LV4, Mana Perception LV4, Entanglement LV3, Mushroom Cannon LV6, Precision LV4, Mimicry LV2, Storage Cyst LV4, Mycelium Network LV6, Kin Control LV6, Mental Integration LV5, Airflow Perception LV6, High-Temperature Resistance LV6, Evasion LV6, Pecking LV7, Hallucinogenic Spores LV4, Chitin Shell LV4, Digestive Mucus LV3, Rolling Charge LV5]

[Title:

Seven Sins of Greed (Unique Title): Randomly plunder skills/fixed buffs from corpses

Insect Killer: Damage to insects increased by 10%

Hero: Not limited by racial level, can randomly draw a special title or skill (Already used)]

There aren't even stats on Lin Jun's panel; his main body is just a mushroom that looks ordinary.

Having 420 HP at level 42 is the state a mushroom should be in; having over 3,000 HP like Inanna is truly absurd.

As for Lin Jun's abnormally high mana, it actually includes the entire mushroom garden.

The most absurd thing on the panel is that Hero title; even he thinks it's absurd.

How does a mushroom like him have such a title?

Lin Jun has never seen his summoner and doesn't know if he is a crazy archmage or a god with a twisted sense of humor.

But one thing is certain—that person's brain is definitely not normal.

Would anyone really specifically summon a mushroom hero?

However, thanks to this title, Lin Jun relied on the Hero privilege to draw Greed, then used Greed to continuously plunder the skills of underground monsters, and finally used those skills to arm the Puji.

From being chased by Slimes for a meal at the beginning to circling land and farming in a corner of the floor now, the process is full of bitterness and tears.

It's hard to imagine what he would have done if he hadn't drawn Greed back then; he would likely have turned into poop.

So, why summon him as a mushroom?

This question has almost become his obsession, second only to climbing to the surface.

After dealing with the Fire Mosquitoes, Lin Jun finally has time to see what the new little friend is doing.

Ah... she is stealing the amethyst that was dug out...

(End of chapter)