Mushroom Garden.
Little Black rubbed her growling stomach and looked around in confusion.
When a Puchi passed by her, Little Black grabbed it.
She brought it close to sniff the mushroom cap, hesitantly took a light bite, then disappointedly released her claws.
Her stomach could no longer do without delicious Puchi—stuffing ordinary Puchi in would just waste precious stomach space.
Little Black's days had become difficult lately.
Once upon a time, those delicious Puchi radiating tempting magical power would always burrow into her mushroom house on their own, and she only needed to enjoy the Puchi delivered to her door.
But at some point, these Puchi had actually learned to hide.
Even worse, a magical mist now permeated the mushroom garden. Mixed within it, the magical fluctuations of delicious Puchi weren't obvious, making it very difficult to distinguish their specific locations using just [Mana Perception].
She could only reminisce about the good old days while randomly pulling open Norris's mushroom house for a look. After confirming it was empty of Puchi, she dejectedly turned to leave.
Little Black's footsteps gradually faded into the distance. A moment later, Number One cautiously emerged from another mushroom house, followed by a stream of plump delicious Puchi filing out.
Puchi—puchi—puchi—
With their short mycelial legs, they quickly burrowed into the mushroom house Little Black had already searched.
"We're safe for now!" Number One's mushroom cap drooped limply. Recalling how Little Black had lingered in front of the mushroom house where they were hiding but ultimately chose to search the one next door, it still felt lingering fear.
"Do we have to keep hiding like this forever?" Number Four angrily swung out a tentacle, heavily slamming it on the soft mushroom bed with a "poof" sound.
"But we can't beat her!" Number Five curled up in a corner, trembling. "That black demon—even if we all attacked together, we couldn't hurt her one bit!"
"But we are the glorious mushroom kin!" Number Four said excitedly. "Even if we're destined to be eaten, it should be after a heroic battle! Not like now, hiding here and there, living as miserably as that tailless lizardfolk who's always being chased by wolfmen!"
Number Five's voice carried a sobbing tone: "The Mycelial Lord gave us all the delicious attribute—doesn't that mean we're meant to be fed to that black demon? We're naturally the demon's fodder! Waaah..."
Watching Number Four vigorously advocate for a suicidal charge while Number Five completely sank into defeatism, Number One felt utterly helpless.
The Puchi following it now were fewer than initially—those missing had either acted alone or been won over by the rather ambitious Number Two.
Among the remaining compatriots, Number Four was the most loyal and steadfast, but also the most reckless and impulsive.
Facing their current predicament, it had to step forward to pacify the group: "Do not speak rashly of the Mycelial Lord! You fundamentally don't understand the Mycelial Lord's deeper meaning! The Mycelial Lord granted us deliciousness yet has us evade the black demon—it's precisely in this chase and escape that we train our reconnaissance awareness, counter-reconnaissance awareness, and teamwork abilities!"
It increased the intensity of its mental projection: "Have you all forgotten the skills the Mycelial Lord let us choose after our revival?"
With that, Number One's mushroom cap suddenly sprayed out large amounts of magical mist that could interfere with mana perception.
"The Mycelial Lord hopes we'll learn to cooperate and overcome difficulties together!" Number One looked around. "What skills did you all choose?"
"Acceleration."
"Acceleration."
"Acceleration."
"Self-destruct."
And Number Five answered with action—the light around it distorted, and it turned invisible!
The scattering white mist was Number One's tears. Together with these insects, when would the mushroom race become great again?
Suddenly, the mushroom house entrance was yanked open, and Little Black's head squeezed in.
When her pair of golden pupils saw the room full of delicious Puchi, they instantly lit up, like a traveler who had toiled through hardship finally finding an oasis, her eyes full of the joy of relief after suffering.
Number One's heart shattered!
It hadn't expected this demon to be so cautious that she would return to search again even mushroom houses she'd already searched once!
It didn't know that Little Black simply had poor memory and didn't remember which mushroom houses she'd just searched.
Seeing all its compatriots had become turtles in a jar with nowhere to escape, at this critical moment, it was Number Four who stepped forward again!
"For the glory of the mushroom race!"
"Fool!"
"Number Four, you..."
BOOM—!!!
In the violent explosion, the Puchi along with Norris's mushroom house were obliterated, leaving only mycelial dust drifting through the sky.
Little Black stood in place, blinking blankly. She whimpered aggrievedly, picked up Number One's only remaining severed leg from the ruins, and barely cushioned her stomach.
Then she had no choice but to search for other Puchi again.
...
The mycelial cocoon burst open, and Number Four emerged with some trepidation.
It had prepared itself mentally to face collective condemnation from the other compatriots for its "heroic sacrifice" last time that led to total annihilation.
However, the anticipated chaotic scene of accusations didn't appear. In the room, there was only it and one other Puchi—the always solitary Number Ten.
Number Four sent out an inquiry somewhat puzzled through the fungal network: "Number Ten? Did the black demon catch you too?"
"Hmph!"
Number Ten said nothing but made a mental note of Number Thirteen.
During the previous escape, at the critical moment of being chased by Little Black, Number Thirteen had actually tried to use the soul resonance between compatriots to drag Number Ten—who was mixed in with the Puchi group behind the mushroomkin—out as a scapegoat!
Fortunately, Number Ten always maintained maximum vigilance. Not only did it prevent Number Thirteen from succeeding, but it cleverly tripped the other with mycelium, causing Number Thirteen to stumble and fall into the demon's clutches.
But Number Ten never expected that not only was Number Thirteen not eaten by the black demon, but somehow used some method to turn around and defect to the demon, becoming a shameful collaborator!
The soul-level resonance made it nearly impossible for Puchi to hide from each other. Under Number Thirteen's despicable guidance, even one as cautious as Number Ten only managed to hide for half a day more before being dragged out.
This revenge must be avenged, or it wouldn't be a mushroom!
As for Number Four, this brute, Number Ten was too lazy to explain these complications to it.
What it cared more about was that after this rebirth, this new body seemed much more resilient than the previous one, with more abundant power. It would need to find an opportunity to test it later.
However... this didn't seem to be the sun room?
Number Ten and Number Four almost simultaneously turned around, their perception locking onto the pink-haired mushroom servant behind them who was staring at them with wide, curious eyes.
Just then, the Mycelial Lord sent down a decree: "Your task from now on: protect Pink Puchi!"
"As the Mycelial Lord wills!" Number Ten almost instantly entered an alert state upon receiving the command, calmly assessing the surrounding environment and the condition of the protection target.
Meanwhile, Number Four extended its mycelial tentacle in shock and poked Inanna's arm: "You... you're also a Puchi?"
(End of Chapter)
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