A weird purple-capped Puffshroom twirled its round body eagerly before a tailless lizardman sitting cross-legged.
“Norris, feel anything?” Lin Jun asked.
“Feel… what?” Norris looked bewildered, his lips twitching slightly. “Just a Puffshroom… spasming?”
“No spark at all? No boiling blood? No primal urge to rush up and protect it?” Lin Jun's voice was full of inducement.
“Boss!” Norris groaned. “It’s a Puffshroom! What if it’s the exploding kind? Boiling blood for what? I just wanna stay clear before it pops!”
No effect? Is this guy not human enough?
Lin Jun didn’t quit, pestering Norris until his status finally showed [Human Charm (Mild)].
“Huh?” Norris’s eyes flickered, puzzled, reaching out. “This Puffshroom… kinda cute?”
His fingertips nearly brushed the wobbling purple cap.
Suddenly, he shuddered: “Wait! Boss, you testing something on me?”
The moment he realized, the mild charm vanished.
Low level, figures. Norris knew himself too well, mentally guarded. Fair result.
Lin Jun pivoted, using the skill on weaker-willed lizardman captives. Instant hit—targets went starry-eyed, itching to cuddle the test Puffshroom like a treasure.
It worked, but… now what?
Charmed targets clung to the “special” Puffshroom, guarding it like a gem, but that’s it!
Without the Mycelial Network, Lin Jun couldn’t give orders.
A Voice Puffshroom speaking? Targets flinched awake, charm gone.
Missing a key skill?
After digging, he found it: [Mind Guidance], which half-demon chief Bastardos had.
No way Lin Jun would dismantle Bastardos for it.
Why’d Bastardos surrender?
Simple—couldn’t win!
Plus, his tribe was wrecked. Besides his hundred-some followers, the rest were in Lin Jun’s hands.
Surrender might buy his clan a slightly better life.
Useful guy, not worth eating for a small skill.
Next, [Seductive Kiss]. Lin Jun tested it eagerly.
Effect? Puffshrooms could drain a bit of life force on contact.
Decent, but… no “seduction” or “kiss.” Could’ve called it “Life Drain,” no difference.
Lin Jun’s dream of a mesmerizing Puffshroom charming all to surrender? Dead.
Among new skills, [Regeneration] was the star.
It stacked with [Mycelial Reconstruction], boosting recovery at the cost of mana for Puffshrooms.
Great for Heavy-Armor Puffshrooms or minions, if leveled up.
[Feign Death]? Like “turtle breathing.” Stops all activity, even mana, just enough to survive.
Puffshrooms in that state, even if crawling, lacked mana to fight.
Not useless, but use cases were niche, low practicality.
Beyond plundered skills, Lin Jun’s core ability [Mental Command] broke through to LV8.
Puffshroom control cap jumped from 2500 to 5000—doubled!
But a detail caught him.
[Mental Command] from LV6 to LV7 doubled from 1500 to 3000.
Before this upgrade, his cap was 2500, as the dungeon core took a fixed 500 “processing power” units.
Logically, LV8 should hit 5500, but it doubled the reduced base instead.
So, the dungeon core didn’t take a fixed 500—it claimed one-sixth of his total mental capacity.
Bad news…
Lin Jun tested raising Starfire’s [Mental Command] to LV8.
No change.
Starfire, a top demonkin Puffshroom controller, maxed at about 150.
But LV8 didn’t boost his cap or grant Norris’s knack for precise multi-Puffshroom commands.
Like Starfire’s potential was tapped out—more levels didn’t help.
Tests on other demonkin? Same. [Mental Command]’s “expansion” only worked for Lin Jun.
After sorting gains, Lin Jun pondered the aftermath.
Some escaped—inevitable.
In a world of skills, magic, and flight, with enough people, some escape artists always slipped through.
Not all returned to tribes to await Lin Jun. Some half-demons, seeing ruins, left alone.
Intel leaks were certain.
If he were the Empire, what next?
The nearest tribes were crushed. Farther ones, limited by cold and distance, couldn’t aid the Empire effectively.
Even if they came, they might not win.
The Empire sending an army? Unlikely.
Their troops likely lacked high-level [Cold Resistance]—Lin Jun thrived in this harsh land!
Two possibilities remained.
Ignore him for now, or send a powerhouse to crush him—like those dukes!
To prepare, Lin Jun had one move.
Time to relocate!
(End of Chapter)
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