The Digging Puffshroom had tumbled into the underground room. From the freshly carved tunnel, two more Puffshrooms hopped out.
One was a Scout Puffshroom, tasked with spotting magical traps or subterranean monsters. The other, a Self-Destruct Puffshroom, was there just in case.
A perfect digging team.
The three Puffshrooms huddled around the box, pawing at it with their short legs. It didn’t budge—locked tight.
What was the point of locking an unguarded wooden box? Just break it open.
[Magic Perception] scanned it—no magical traps inside.
The Digging Puffshroom lay flat, its top aimed at the box. The other two pushed, guiding its spinning tip forward.
The whirring blade easily sliced through the wood around the lock. The Puffshrooms controlled their force, careful not to damage whatever was inside.
Click!
A faint snap came from the keyhole, followed by three thin needles shooting out.
The Digging Puffshroom’s legs buckled—it was dead.
A trap?!
The needles seemed coated with poison, but Puffshrooms, aside from corrosion damage, were nearly immune to toxins.
Still, with only ten health points, it couldn’t withstand the triple hit.
Minutes later, mycelium wriggled, and the Digging Puffshroom “revived” on the spot, now with three annoying needles stuck in it, causing extra damage with every twist…
The box’s trap was a one-shot deal. After reviving, the Digging Puffshroom drilled a hole in the wood.
One kick, and the box burst open.
Inside: some sealed dried food, two leather water pouches, a pendant with a balance-scale design, and a thin booklet.
The booklet’s cover showed a strange tree—half lush with leaves, half withered and bare.
Flipping through, it was packed with neat elven script.
Though unreadable, the orderly layout suggested a published book, not personal notes or letters.
That meant it likely held no secret plans.
The pendant was just a plain trinket—no magical aura, made of mere copper.
For a hidden room, the loot was pretty underwhelming.
The Puffshrooms scoured the room, leaving round footprints everywhere, but found nothing else.
There was an exit—a rough, uneven staircase.
The Puffshrooms bounced up each step, emerging from a gap in a giant tree’s knotted roots, in a deserted area.
Back in the room, more Puffshrooms arrived, collecting the booklet and pendant.
They built a mushroom ladder and climbed back into the tunnel, leaving a few Self-Destruct Puffshrooms behind.
Once far enough, a muffled explosion collapsed the room and half the tunnel, erasing their tracks.
After a detour, taking an extra day, they finally reached the graveyard.
Following memory, they found the old elf’s burial site.
As expected, only “scraps” remained.
The incomplete corpse would weaken [Greed]’s plundering effect.
Before gaining [Inspiration], Lin Jun thought nothing of it—naturally, a complete corpse yielded more skill proficiency.
But after learning he was stripping skills from souls, he was puzzled.
Observation showed souls were whole, not fading with decay. So why did a damaged corpse reduce his plundering?
No matter—it didn’t stop him.
Mycelium spread from the tunnel, slowly wrapping the corpse…
[Seven Sins: Greed Triggered]
[Plundered Skill: Elven Language LV1]
[Plundered Skill: Nature Magic LV1]
[Plundered Skill: Mimic Voice LV1]
Elven Language was no surprise, and Nature Magic was expected.
Elves, with their natural affinity, often had Nature Magic talents, even if not mages.
Like Airaven, a ranger-hunter with [Nature Magic LV4].
But… what was [Mimic Voice]?
He’d only seen the old elf as a corpse, so no panel was visible.
This was like opening a mystery box and getting an unexpected prize!
Since it was called “Mimic Voice,” it probably mimicked others’ speech.
Could it make talking Puffshrooms?
Eagerly, Lin Jun spawned a Mimic Voice Puffshroom, but it looked like a regular one.
No vocal hole—talking was a stretch.
Maybe it didn’t suit Puffshrooms.
He tried spawning a Voice Puffshroom instead.
…
“Boss! I think drills are the best!”
After half an hour of tinkering, the Voice Puffshroom managed a voice vaguely like Norris’s.
Lin Jun got it—this skill didn’t produce sound but tweaked existing sounds to mimic others’ voices.
Problem was, it didn’t make the Voice Puffshroom sound better. Instead, it made a hoarse, slimy Norris voice with a gross echo…
So… what was the point?
Above the secret room’s entrance, in the forest.
Two elven rangers carefully scanned the ground for tracks.
Suddenly, one knelt by a giant tree’s knotted roots, blowing a sharp whistle to signal: “Here!”
The other hurried over, his palm glowing with vibrant Nature Magic.
Under his control, the tree’s roots parted, revealing a passage below.
“Another hidden room?!” The finder’s brow furrowed. “Who’s behind this?”
“Who knows,” his partner said, warily eyeing the silent woods. “The others we found were empty too—no clues.”
They exchanged a glance. One nimbly slipped inside, while the other drew a short bow, arrow loosely nocked, guarding the area.
Minutes later, the first ranger emerged, dusty and disheveled.
“It’s collapsed—blown up. The passage is blocked. That magic pulse we sensed was probably the explosion.”
“Blown up?” The other frowned.
Two months ago, an elf stumbled on the first such hidden room, alerting the Guard Captain.
Targeted searches uncovered more similar rooms since.
All were empty shells, with no useful clues.
But those rooms’ owners had slipped away quietly. This one… was violently erased with an explosion!
It was the first time they’d seen such aggressive destruction.
“Report it back. Let them decide if they want earth mages to dig. My guess? Nothing’s left.”
“Ugh…” His partner stowed the bow, glancing toward the royal city. “How long till the Captain’s wounds heal? That human swordmaster hit so hard? What a jerk!”
(End of Chapter)
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