“This… damn mushroom… why is it… so hard to chew?!”
Grulm (dwarf rcenary) bared his teeth, his jaw straining as though even his chin muscles were exerting force. The veins on his fingers bulged as he finally tore a small tuft of mushroom fiber from the incredibly tough cap, stuffing it whole into his mouth.
He rembered the mushrooms from his own mountain range—those were crisp and brittle, snapping apart with a single bite. Why were these ones so chewy?
Could the difference in species really be this big?
Then he thought about those terrifying Pujis with absurdly high combat strength…
Well, if even Pujis could mutate into such monsters, then mushrooms being harder to chew… kind of made sense.
“Most likely you didn’t cook it enough,” said Torin as he pushed open the door and entered. “The mushrooms here are stubborn and tough. You need to stew them longer until they soften before they’re easy to eat.”
As he spoke, he found a sturdy low stool across from Grulm (dwarf rcenary) and sat down.
The two of them were currently staying in a room arranged by the Guild. They could’ve just eaten at the Guild kitchen, but Grulm (dwarf rcenary) apparently preferred doing things himself.
“How’s the leg?” Torin asked, shifting the stool before settling down.
“Thanks to you,” Grulm (dwarf rcenary) rolled up his loose trouser leg, revealing two hairless, blindingly pale limbs—like freshly unearthed lotus roots. “They’re completely healed.”
But he only revealed them for an instant before quickly covering them again, as though even one more glance was unbearable tornt.
“Pfft!” Even though this wasn’t the first ti he’d seen them, Torin couldn’t help but burst into laughter again. He hastily covered his mouth and turned his head away, but his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
A dwarf! A dwarf, whose pride lay in his thick beard and rugged skin!
Yet now he had a pair of soft, smooth, pale-white legs!
And when the owner of such legs was soone you actually knew, the ridiculousness doubled tenfold!
“Enough already! How many tis do you plan to laugh?!” Grulm (dwarf rcenary)’s muffled voice sounded, though unusually, he didn’t curse outright this ti.
No matter how much he despised these brand-new legs, he had no choice but to accept them.
That precious regeneration potion had been specially granted by Guildmaster Fahl only because of Torin’s “Deepforge” surna.
He now owed Torin a real favor, and Grulm (dwarf rcenary) simply couldn’t bring himself to complain further.
Torin forced his laughter back, cleared his throat twice, and tried to regain seriousness. “Ahem… new limbs need exercise to toughen up. After eating, you’d best go stretch them a bit.”
“…Sigh.” Grulm (dwarf rcenary) let out a heavy breath before suddenly saying, “Fine. I’ll count myself as owing you one.”
“Then… next ti, can you give a discount on your rcenary fee?”
“Forget it! Business is business!” Grulm (dwarf rcenary) instantly reverted to his rcenary stinginess.
“Then that favor of yours is worthless. Don’t tell ‘protecting ’ counts—that’s your job in the first place!”
As they talked, the conversation naturally shifted back to this peculiar Dungeon.
“So what’s with this Athyst Dungeon? Why are Pujis so vicious after mutating? I’ve never heard of this before.” Grulm (dwarf rcenary) asked.
“I was curious too, so I asked around. Supposedly the drastic changes only started over the past half-year. Maybe it’s tied to the chain of mana tides and Dungeon collapses. As for the truth, no one really knows. Anyway, I’ve heard plenty of human adventurers have already started calling it the Puji Dungeon.”
“Puji… Dungeon?” Grulm (dwarf rcenary) rubbed his face hard with both palms, as though trying to erase that absurd na.
Once upon a ti, “Puji” had been a near-synonym for “walking food.” Yet now, that na could actually be used openly for a massive Dungeon?
“Sir Torin Deepforge (dwarf, tied to a clan), a crystal transmission for you!” ca the voice of a staff mber outside the door.
The relaxed expression on Torin’s face instantly vanished. He hesitated briefly, then stood and answered, “Coming.”
When he returned, his footsteps were much heavier, his lips pressed tightly together. Even the lingering humor from joking with Grulm (dwarf rcenary) was gone, leaving only a heavy gloom hanging over him.
“What happened?” Grulm (dwarf rcenary) asked.
Torin sighed, said nothing, and simply handed over a note.
[How much longer will you disgrace the clan? Get back here!]
Grulm (dwarf rcenary) glanced at it once before silently sliding the paper back.
“Looks like being a young master isn’t easy for you either.”
“…I told you, I’m no ‘young master’…”
———
【Corrosion Curse LV5】
A few Pujis carrying curses wandered the caverns, leaving withered plants in their wake.
At first glance, it resembled an aura-type skill, but closer study showed it wasn’t the sa.
For example, a Puji’s [Petrification Ray] was aura-like—its effect ceased the mont a target left its range.
But this curse was different. Even long after the Pujis had gone, the path they’d taken still carried that rotting stench, the effect continuing to corrode the environnt, only gradually weakening over ti.
It was like radiation.
This skill damaged the environnt and hindered long-term developnt. Best to avoid using it too much.
As for the acquired [Sensory Enhancent]…
Pujis had no real senses. For them, it was useless—a throwaway skill, at best transferable to soone else.
Lin Jun had already sealed that rift.
After gaining a rough grasp of the layer-changing chanics there, he still had no way to pass through smoothly. That left him disinterested in the other rifts connected to shallow curse zones.
It was better to turn his focus toward the more tempting resources of the Forest Rift.
But before that, Lin Jun intended to witness the birth of a new life.
The Demonborn tribe had finally finished preparations to welco a new mber.
Because it was a sensitive subject, Lin Jun hadn’t directly asked them about it.
The information he had about their “cradle” and unique thod of birth had all been pieced together bit by bit from snippets of daily conversation.
A reproductive system where they could decide the timing of birth on their own—Lin Jun found it quite fascinating.
Though the Demonborn hadn’t invited him to observe, the Mycelium Carpet had long since spread throughout the area around their tribe. Naturally, he couldn’t miss the process.
In Mushroom Garden No. 3, the Demonborn confird their contribution point expenditures.
Another magic core was exchanged, but this ti, it ca with a Fat Worm carrying [Cold Resistance LV8].
Shou directed his clansn to carry the Fat Worm back to the tribe.
The long-awaited new birth ceremony drew many Demonborn away from their tasks, following along to witness it.
Their absence made Puji allocations tighter, forcing Lin Jun to reduce Puji numbers in other regions just to keep things running normally here.
There was no helping it—the Demonborn were currently like part-ti laborers for him, free to co and go.
He could force them to stay, but that would harm their hard-earned good relationship—not worth it.
Parasitism wasn’t the sa as mind control. It could raise goodwill, or it could directly hold life and death hostage.
But to make the Demonborn serve him completely, changing from part-tirs into true subordinates, would still require further steps.
…
Among the group returning to the tribe, Qiong’s figure was absent.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to return, nor that anyone forced him to stay.
It was because this ti, he had contributed very few points. Most of his earlier points had been squandered on delicious mushrooms.
Out of guilt—and perhaps a touch of self-punishnt—Qiong chose to remain in the Mushroom Garden, continuing his labor. After all… the boss had promised double contribution points these two days!
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