[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-dungeon-is-growing-mushrooms":3,"chapter-this-dungeon-is-growing-mushrooms-this-dungeon-is-growing-mushrooms-chapter-88":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","This Dungeon Has Sprouted Mushrooms",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2219143,3995,"Chapter 88: 97. The Debt-Inheriting Slave-in-Waiting","this-dungeon-is-growing-mushrooms-chapter-88",88,"\u003Cp>Watching the three people before him, Norris swallowed the last mouthful of soup, his throat bobbing, while his fingers unconsciously scratched tiny grooves into the wooden table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You ran fast enough!\" Feiling slammed a palm onto the table, making the soup bowl jump half an inch. \"We stood up for you, and you—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Feiling!\" Vera caught her shoulder, then looked at Norris. \"Don't mind her; she’s just a bit sharp-tongued, she means no harm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiling muttered, \"I'm not sharp-tongued...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... know,\" Norris said, head bowed, his voice faint. \"Thank you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up abruptly, his old leather boots knocking over the wooden stool. \"I—I'm sorry, I have to enter the dungeon tomorrow, so now...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Norris practically jogged out the door, disappearing into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's that supposed to mean? Making it look like I'm bullying him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiling muttered in dissatisfaction; being feared by the person she had helped left her feeling somewhat frustrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vera patted her shoulder, comforting her: \"Alright, he said thank you before he left, didn't he?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Norris knew they were well-intentioned, but he truly wasn't used to interacting with people like them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was like a rat in a gutter; he only felt safe in corners where no one noticed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gazes cast by others, whether kind or malicious, terrified him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew there was something wrong with him, but there was a reason he had become this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone who could become a slave at any moment for failing to pay off a debt, wasn't it normal to have a few psychological issues?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some are born in Rome, and some are born as beasts of burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Norris was, unfortunately, the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to his early-departed gambler of a father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he had even come of age, he had already signed his crooked signature onto the Baron’s dusty ledger, inheriting a debt of thirty-two gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no such thing as \"death clears the debt\" here; death could take away a gambler's breath, but it couldn't take away the parchment in the notary office recording the arrears—it was only natural for a son to pay his father's debts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even then, Norris had to be thankful that his gambler father had limited talent and hadn't managed to rack up a debt of hundreds of gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the law, those who couldn't pay their debts would be sentenced as slaves to the creditor; his father had luckily drunk himself to death before that step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the then-14-year-old Norris, the United Kingdom's law was quite humane, allowing him to pay in installments after turning 16.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repaying 2 gold coins every three months, including interest, meant 40 gold coins over 5 years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid living a fulfilling life as a slave, he had been trying to save money since he was 14.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, in the first year of repayments, he had used up all the money he had saved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it; Norris, who barely met the minimum standard for an adventurer, simply didn't have the ability to earn that much money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 17 this year, he should have become a slave for failing to pay enough, but fate seemed to have finally favored him a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monsters on the fifth floor had been cleared out by the Puji, and even a Copper-rank adventurer like him, as long as he carefully followed the rules, could dig out basket after basket of magic crystals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the Puji, otherwise he would probably already be on a slave ship bound for the archipelago...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he just wanted to hurry back into the dungeon to dig up another basket of magic crystals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early the next morning, Norris took his basket and pickaxe and rushed to the dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon entering, he noticed a trace of mycelium above the dungeon entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't know if the other adventurers coming and going hadn't noticed, or if they were already used to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed it wouldn't be strange no matter where the mycelium grew now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard that the sixth floor had also started growing mycelium, where the Puji were fighting fiercely with the Shi Laimu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for now, it had nothing to do with him; as long as he honestly dug for magic crystals, he could save a little money while paying off his debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it were only a few dozen silver coins, it was precious to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While calculating his savings plan, Norris shamelessly followed behind other teams down to the fifth floor; his strength was weak, so he had no choice...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pickaxe struck sparks against the rock wall; as usual, it took Norris nearly two days to fill a basket with magic crystal ore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Approaching the cave entrance, an accident occurred—someone was approaching. \"Damn it! The ground is covered in magic crystals!\" A raspy voice shook the mycelium on the cave ceiling, causing it to fall in a flurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This gave Norris a bad premonition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another hoarse voice echoed: \"It’s a huge loss that we haven't been here before, hurry, hurry, pack it all up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Norris walked up, he saw two figures in leather armor frantically grabbing the scattered ore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That... if you do this, the Puji will come...\" Norris couldn't help but warn them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Puji fought adventurers, they wouldn't care if they accidentally injured him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One adventurer glanced at him, saw he was only Copper-rank, sneered, and shoved him to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop pretending, you don't want others to pick them up just because you want to?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, they mistook the magic crystals in his basket as also being picked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when Norris fell, the pickaxe that slipped from his hand drew a silver arc in the air, landing squarely on the mushroom cap of a Puji that was mining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shelled mushroom cap split on the spot, and the Puji collapsed limply to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Norris turned pale at the sight—a Puji had died!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only quickly pick up the magic crystals he had dropped and run outside first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two adventurers weren't completely ignorant of the situation on the fifth floor; after a brief moment of shock, they reacted immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Crap, a Puji died!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let's go, the Puji won't be able to surround us all at once.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was clearly that kid who killed it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cursing voices came from behind; the two adventurers, carrying bags filled with magic crystals, chased after him. As they passed Norris, one of them tripped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Norris fell hard to the ground this time; several magic crystals fell out of his basket from behind, even hitting his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You killed the Puji, you bear the consequences!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The adventurers' voices faded; Norris didn't have time to pick up the magic crystals anymore. He knew what would happen if a Puji was killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to escape quickly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as the two adventurers in the distance ran two steps out of the cave, Norris saw seven or eight Puji suddenly jump out of the mycelium-covered ground, pouncing forward, followed by a series of loud bangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power of the explosion caused the cave to shake violently; Norris had to press against the wall to withstand the impact, completely failing to notice a large rock falling from above...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't know how much time had passed, but Norris finally regained a sliver of consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds; he could only manage to squint a slit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to reach out, only to find his forearm stuck in a rock crevice at an angle that defied joint structure—semi-coagulated blood plasma coated his entire right arm, and the smell of rust seeped into his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body was being pressed under rubble, and his torso had long since lost all pain feedback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Am I going to die?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sense of panic welled up in Norris's heart; this was the biological instinct of fear toward death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, memories flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The debt collector mercilessly taking the last copper coin from his hand, looking at him as if he were a dying prey struggling;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All kinds of adventurers bullying him for various arbitrary reasons, leaving him with no choice but to keep retreating;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That person he had caught stealing his money not only didn't pay it back but found accomplices to beat him up together...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems... wouldn't it be nice if this shitty life just ended like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just, for some reason, at the end of the revolving lantern, did the image of that young lady who wanted to stand up for him flash by?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could figure out what this meant, Norris's thoughts began to scatter, his consciousness seemingly pulling away into the void—he was about to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the final haze, something seemed to stick to his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice he had never heard before appeared abruptly in his mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sorry to disturb you while you're enjoying death, just wanted to ask, are you interested in continuing to live?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1515,"2026-06-17T15:02:37.041Z","2026-06-18T03:34:23.509Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","a51f3d5448e57332544ea16f5001096faf20a4785b32de2ded8d72e2b0e4afca","this-dungeon-is-growing-mushrooms-chapter-89","this-dungeon-is-growing-mushrooms-chapter-87",165,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-dungeon-has-sprouted-mushrooms-cover.jpg"]