"This... this damn broken mushroom... how is it... so... hard to chew!"
Glenm grimaced, his jaw seemingly straining with effort, veins bulging on his fingers as he forcefully tore a small clump of mushroom fiber from the incredibly tough mushroom cap and stuffed it roughly into his mouth.
He remembered that the mushrooms in his home mountain range were all crispy, breaking apart with a single bite. Why were the ones here so chewy?
Could the variety difference really be this huge?
Thinking about those terrifyingly powerful mutated Puffshrooms...
Well, if even Puffshrooms could mutate to that extent, mushrooms being a bit harder to chew seemed... pretty reasonable?
"Probably because you didn't cook it thoroughly," said Torin, who had just pushed the door open and entered. "The fungi here are tough by nature. You need to stew them for a while longer until they're soft and mushy before they're good to eat."
As he spoke, he found a sturdy low stool across from Glenm and sat down.
The two were currently staying in quarters arranged by the guild. While they could have gone directly to the guild kitchen for meals, Glenm seemed to prefer doing things himself.
"How are your feet?" Torin shifted his stool and asked after settling in.
"Thanks to you," Glenm rolled up his loose pant legs, revealing two hairless, blindingly white legs that looked like freshly pulled lotus roots, "they've completely grown back."
He only exposed them for a moment before quickly pulling his pant legs back down, as if looking at them for even a second longer would be torture.
"Pfft!" Even though it wasn't his first time seeing them, Torin couldn't help but burst into laughter, hurriedly covering his mouth with his hand and turning his face away, though his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
A dwarf! A dwarf who took pride in having a thick beard and rough skin!
Yet he possessed such pale, smooth legs!
Especially when the guy with such legs was someone he knew, the comedic effect was more than doubled!
"Enough, enough! How many more times do you want to laugh before you're satisfied?!" Glenm's voice was muffled, but unusually, he didn't curse outright like he normally would.
These brand new legs—no matter how much he disliked them, he had to accept them.
This precious regeneration potion had been specially approved for them by Guild Master Farr, all because of Torin's "Deep Furnace" surname.
He definitely owed Torin a favor, and Glenm really couldn't bring himself to complain about anything.
Torin suppressed his laughter and cleared his throat twice, trying to regain his composure: "Ahem... newly grown limbs need more activity to regain their strength. After you finish eating, you'd better go out and exercise a bit."
"Sigh..." Glenm let out a heavy sigh and suddenly said, "I owe you one."
"Then... could you give me a discount on the next employment fee?"
"Fat chance! Business is business!" Glenm instantly reverted to his mercenary's mercantile nature.
"Then your favor is useless. Don't tell me about protecting me—that's your job to begin with!"
As they chatted, the topic naturally turned back to this peculiar dungeon.
"So what's the deal with this Amethyst Dungeon anyway? Why did the Puffshrooms become so vicious after mutating? I've never heard of this before," Glenm asked.
"I'm curious too, so I specifically asked around. Apparently, this drastic change has only been happening gradually over the past six months. It might be related to the successive mana surges and dungeon collapses, but as for the real situation, no one can say for sure. Anyway, I've heard that many human adventurers have started calling it the Puffshroom Dungeon."
"Puffshroom... Dungeon?" Glenm vigorously rubbed his face with his palms, as if trying to wipe away this absurd name.
When had Puffshrooms—creatures that were practically synonymous with "mobile food"—become worthy of naming an entire massive dungeon?
"Lord Torin Deep Furnace, there's a crystal message for you!" came a voice from outside the door.
The relaxed expression on Torin's face instantly vanished. He hesitated for a moment, then quickly stood up and responded: "Coming."
When he returned, his footsteps were much heavier, his lips pressed tightly together. Even the remnant of the smile from his earlier banter with Glenm had disappeared, and his entire being exuded an inescapable gloom.
"What's wrong?" Glenm asked.
Torin sighed without speaking, simply handing over a message slip.
[How much more shame do you plan to bring to the clan? Get back here!]
Glenm only glanced at it once before silently pushing the paper back.
"Seems like being a young master isn't easy either!"
"I told you... what kind of young master am I..."
---
**[Corrosion Curse LV5]**
Several cursed Puffshrooms wandered around the cavern, causing plants to wither wherever they went.
It looked similar to an aura skill, but careful study revealed the difference.
Skills like the Puffshrooms' **[Petrification Ray]** were aura effects—once you left the range, the petrification progress would immediately stop.
But this curse was different. Even long after the Puffshrooms had run away, the paths they had traveled still retained that aura of decay and its effects, continuing to damage the environment, though it would gradually weaken over time.
It felt like radiation.
This skill damaged the environment and wasn't conducive to long-term development, so it was better used sparingly.
As for the acquired **[Sensory Enhancement]**...
Puffshrooms had no real senses to speak of, making this a useless skill that could at best be given to others to use.
Lin Jun had already sealed that fissure.
After getting a preliminary understanding of the layer-changing mechanism on that side, Lin Jun temporarily couldn't find a way to allow smooth passage. This also made him lose interest in the other fissures connected to the shallow cursed areas.
Better to turn his attention to the Dense Forest fissure with its more tempting resources.
But before that, Lin Jun planned to observe the birth of a life.
After extensive preparation, the demon tribe had finally made ready to welcome a new member.
Since it was a sensitive topic, Lin Jun hadn't asked directly.
Information about their "cradle" and unique birth method had been gradually pieced together from fragments of the demons' daily conversations.
Lin Jun was quite curious about this reproductive mode that allowed them to autonomously decide the moment of birth.
Although the demons hadn't invited him to observe, the mycelial network had long since spread throughout the entire tribal area, so the birth process naturally couldn't escape his sight.
In Mushroom Garden No. 3, the demons each confirmed their contribution point expenditures.
Another magic core was exchanged back by the demons, but this time it was accompanied by a grub that possessed **[Cold Resistance LV8]**.
Shou directed the tribe members to carry the grub back to the settlement.
The long-awaited new member birth ceremony attracted many demons to temporarily set aside their work and follow along, preparing to witness the event.
Their departure left the Puffshroom allocation slightly strained, forcing Lin Jun to temporarily reduce the number of Puffshrooms in some other areas to ensure normal operations here.
This was unavoidable—the demons were currently working odd jobs for him, free to come and go as they pleased.
While he could force them not to return, this would inevitably damage the hard-won good relationship between both parties, which wasn't worth it.
Parasitism ultimately wasn't mind control—it could only increase favorability or directly control life and death.
To truly make the demons completely devoted to him, to transform them from odd-job workers to formal subordinates, would require additional steps.
...
Among the group returning to the settlement, Qiong's figure was absent.
It wasn't that he didn't want to go back, nor was anyone forcing him to stay.
For this exchange, he had only contributed a very small number of contribution points, having spent most of his previous points on delicious mushrooms.
Feeling guilty and with a sense of self-punishment, Qiong chose to remain at the mushroom garden to continue working. After all... the boss had said these next two days would provide double contribution points!
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