In a place where even supplies were hard to co by, where Pujis had nowhere to land, should he really start a territorial war against monsters in overwhelming numbers, possibly backed by a boss-level existence?
Lin Jun wasn’t that stupid. He decisively chose to change routes.
This was where the Bat-Pujis ca in handy!
One by one, Bat-Pujis flapped their wings and flew into different gorges. The best outco would be finding the exact gorge Innana had fallen through. If not, then at least they might discover a route without obstacles, one that led smoothly down to the bottom.
But sothing strange happened.
There were so many fissures—nearly twenty viable paths even after so of them rged deeper down.
And yet, no matter which route they tried, once they descended to a similar depth, they found it always crawling with Thousand-Spoked Mayflies.
The only difference was that in so areas they encountered lone high-level mayflies, while in most places there were swarms of weaker ones.
But whether high or low level, as soon as they saw a Bat-Puji descending, they would rush up and devour it.
The Bat-Pujis couldn’t fly past them and had no choice but to self-destruct.
But then—how had Innana made it down in the first place?
Back then, after she turned into a Puji, she hadn’t been connected to the mycelium network, so she couldn’t perceive her surroundings.
Drifting down so slowly, if there had been these mayflies, she should have been snatched away instantly. How could she have fallen safely all the way down?
Unless… sothing had changed in the deep layers after he left?
Could it be the influence of the demon tide?
Lin Jun wasn’t sure. But he did know this ant his “direct descent” plan would have to be reconsidered.
Was it really worth fighting a battle, away from ho ground, without any territorial advantage? He hadn’t decided yet.
———
While Lin Jun was still making last-ditch attempts to find a gap in the mayflies’ territory to slip through, he failed to notice the ss his new subordinate had gotten into…
A Flower Python had coiled around Norris, immobilizing him, its fangs sunk into his shoulder, venom pumping in.
Fortunately, Norris had 【Poison Resistance】 and 【Paralysis Resistance】, so the venom had no effect.
But even without poisoning, he was in dire straits.
His left arm was pinned to a tree by three flower dryads’ tendrils, leaving only his right hand free.
Norris hadn’t expected the python to coordinate with flower dryads, and his carelessness landed him in this 1 vs. 2 predicant.
He was already regretting filing down his claws. His only free hand, without its talons, couldn’t inflict any real damage on the python.
But if he didn’t fight back now, he’d be finished.
Would he end up dumped in the swamp zone if he died?
Shaking the thought away, Norris grabbed the snake’s body with his right hand, forced open a wound with all his strength, and then sank his teeth in!
【Neurotoxin LV4】
He could use poison too!
Normally, his venom wasn’t practical—it was basically just his saliva, and he never got a chance to use it in combat. But today, it worked.
The Flower Python had no resistance to toxins, and soon its coils loosened.
Norris tore free his left arm, yanking out the tendrils. He didn’t even bother finishing the python off—he just turned to flee into the trees.
He had to move fast. The mycelium network’s senses warned him three adventurers were approaching. He had to hide…
But another tendril shot from the ground and pierced his foot.
“Damn flower dryads!”
He hated them now. Pain didn’t matter—since his transformation, minor wounds healed quickly. But the timing!
“What’s that?”
The adventurers’ voices made him freeze.
“A lizardman from the demons?”
“Looks like it, but he has no tail.”
“Even in the dungeon, they—”
In just a few words, they had already judged him an enemy by his appearance.
They seed wary of demons, but then soone said:
“He looks injured!”
By the ti Norris ripped the tendril out of his foot, the three adventurers had spread out, subtly surrounding him.
Demonkin were dangerous, but killing a demon spy carried great rewards. And if monsters and demons fought each other bloody, who wouldn’t want to swoop in as the fisherman?
Norris thought of fleeing, maybe even trying to explain himself. But when his eyes landed on one of them—a halfling—he froze.
He didn’t know the halfling’s na, but he rembered the scar beneath his left eyelid.
This was the one who had stolen his silver coins long ago. The one who, when caught, had ganged up with companions to beat him!
Norris didn’t even know why, but suddenly he stopped thinking about escape.
So what if it was soone who had bullied him?
Hadn’t he been bullied enough all his life?
Even now, wounded as he was, shouldn’t he run, call for his boss’s help?
Then why… why were his claws bared as he moved toward them instead?
His mories blurred. His breathing grew ragged. His body felt like it was being controlled by a devil, dancing outside of his will.
When he ca back to himself, the first thing he noticed was the heavy stench of blood in the air.
So of it was his. So of it was theirs.
Beneath him lay the mangled corpse of the halfling. The other two adventurers were nearby—one shredded by claws, the other strangled to death by roots.
Roots?
“Are you alright?”
Beside him, Little Green the dryad stepped forward with Pujis in tow.
Norris recognized him. He often worked on the sixth floor, one of the boss’s subordinates.
It seed he had stepped in to help.
Norris tried to recall the fight’s details, but all he could rember was the sensation of his claws tearing flesh.
“Th… thanks.” He couldn’t rember, but he could at least say that much.
But the dryad just asked again: “Are you sure you’re alright?”
Only then did Norris realize—he looked down at himself.
His abdon was split open, blood pouring out. His right leg was gone below the knee. And a dagger was lodged in his heart.
Of course… how could he have possibly beaten three silver-ranked adventurers?
Little Green caught him as he collapsed, quickly sending word through the mycelium network to Lin Jun.
Lin Jun was stunned.
He’d only looked away for a mont—how had things turned into this ss?
He had been clear: if you et adventurers, hide.
Even if sothing unexpected happened, Norris should have called him.
So why did it end like this, a mutual slaughter, with Little Green making the report?
He instantly took control of the Pujis that had been following Little Green.
So dealt with the adventurers’ bodies—stripping them and dumping them where the mats would reclaim them.
The rest wrapped Norris and his severed leg, carrying them toward the fifth floor.
“Clear the way. And explain,” Lin Jun ordered Little Green.
The dryad obeyed, moving ahead.
“I don’t know the details. I sensed Norris fighting soone, so I ca to check. By the ti I arrived, he was about to be killed. In the panic, I killed one of the adventurers.”
Dryads were connected to the mycelium network and could sense events further away.
And since Lin Jun had specifically ordered them not to attack adventurers on their own, Little Green made sure to clarify.
“Mm.”
Lin Jun asked no further. They would have to wait until Norris woke up to know the full story.
Right now, he was already juggling too many things in different directions. He couldn’t cover every corner of the dungeon.
If only the mycelium mats had a replay function…
Or if his long-idle skill 【ntal Integration】 could be upgraded!
He could only hope Norris hadn’t started this himself.
He had laid down rules. A subordinate who broke them wasn’t an asset, but a liability.
Thinking it over, wasn’t it ironic? Out of his four subordinates, the one causing him the least trouble was the dryad Little Green.
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