The fifth floor caverns.
The various mining tunnels and passages that had originally been collapsed by Lin Jun's explosions during the demon tide had now almost all been excavated and reopened, with several additional passages widened beyond their original dimensions.
This was all thanks to the fifty-plus digging puffshrooms that had been working here continuously, along with some humans who had figured out the mining cavern rules.
*Ding ding clang clang* echoed through the mining tunnels.
Norris emerged from the depths, pickaxe in hand and a basket of magic crystal-mixed stones strapped to his back.
Along the way, he encountered quite a few digging puffshrooms with some magic crystals scattered at their feet, but Norris didn't pick any up.
One of the mining cavern rules was: don't steal the fruits of the puffshrooms' labor. Norris had seen plenty of light-fingered fellows meet their fate—the lucky ones got stripped naked, while the unlucky ones... well, they probably became part of the fifth floor itself.
He wasn't unaware of the commotion about the Great Black Mushroom incident causing an uproar outside, but he wasn't particularly worried about it.
He'd encountered the Great Black Mushroom twice, and each time a single glass bead had been enough to deal with it. In his view, that Gold-rank party's total annihilation was most likely because they'd violated the fifth floor's rule against attacking puffshrooms and got mobbed to death.
As long as you followed the rules, the fifth floor was practically paradise for bronze-rank adventurers like himself.
No monsters randomly jumping out to attack him, he could earn slightly more by mining magic crystals than on the upper floors, and all he needed to do was prepare the toll for going back and forth—two monster corpses.
However, today's situation was slightly different. When he finally emerged from the caverns, he encountered a gentleman dressed like nobility.
Norris's first instinct was to conceal the magic crystal ore on his back, but then he abandoned this behavior.
The man's attire—probably just a single button on his clothes was worth more than everything Norris owned put together. The people he needed to guard against were those as poor as himself.
But why would such a big shot appear in the caverns?
Norris didn't know, but the man's gaze had been fixed on him the entire time. Under the invisible pressure, he had no choice but to speak first: "S-sir, is there something you need?"
Aiding curiously looked over the young man before him. He'd wandered around the fifth floor for a full circuit and had only encountered this one living person.
Most adventurers had been thoroughly spooked by the Great Black Mushroom incident.
"Why are you here alone?"
Norris glanced at the pickaxe in his hand, then looked toward Aiding...
Aiding also realized his phrasing was wrong and asked again: "Aren't you afraid of encountering black puffshrooms?"
"Not afraid, I brought glass beads."
Norris shook his head while revealing the small pouch at his waist, which contained five glass orbs of various colors.
"You've encountered black puffshrooms?" Aiding seemed interested. "So the rumors among adventurers that black puffshrooms like glass items are true?"
Norris nodded.
"How interesting. Could you sell me two beads? I'm willing to pay one gold coin each. Of course, I'd have to give you the gold after you go back up—I don't have any money on me right now."
As he spoke, Aiding even patted his pockets to indicate he had no money with him.
Norris handed over two glass beads without any change in emotion.
Never mind glass beads—this was clearly a big shot. Even if he'd asked for the fruits of two days' mining from his back, Norris could only agree.
As for the one gold coin payment?
Best to just listen and not take it seriously.
After handing the glass beads to Aiding, Norris was about to leave.
He didn't dare get too close to Aiding, so he stepped off the mushroom path onto the fungal mat, but was pulled back by Aiding's outstretched hand the next moment.
Norris looked puzzled.
Aiding simply stepped aside and said: "Walk properly along the path, don't step outside."
Watching Norris walk away, Aiding pulled out a scroll from his chest.
Channeling magic power to activate the scroll, a great deal of information appeared before Aiding's eyes.
【Race: Mushroom-Puffshroom】
【Race: Mushroom-Puffshroom】
【Race: Mushroom-Puffshroom】
【Race: Mushroom-Puffshroom】
...
Just as expected.
Though it wasn't his first time seeing this since coming down, looking at the reconnaissance scroll's detection of puffshrooms with self-destruct abilities covering the ground still made Aiding's scalp tingle.
Just in the circle around him there were seven or eight—completely indistinguishable by eye alone!
He felt that they didn't even need to find the Great Black Mushroom; this situation alone was enough to explain that Gold-rank party's total annihilation.
With these numbers, he wouldn't be surprised if the entire fifth floor disappeared someday!
Of course, he still had to find the Great Black Mushroom, or he couldn't complete his mission.
But the problem was, with so many scanning targets, each detection caused spell consumption, greatly reducing the reconnaissance scroll's effective range.
Originally thinking he could find the Great Black Mushroom with just five scrolls, now it seemed impossible. This trip might end in failure...
Just as Aiding was thinking this, the Great Black Mushroom appeared within his field of vision.
Leisurely strolling on the fungal mat outside the mushroom path, it actually approached him upon seeing him.
This didn't surprise Aiding. The intelligence said the Great Black Mushroom liked shiny things, and with his flashy attire, it would be strange if he didn't attract it.
Still, Aiding tossed out one glass bead, observing the Great Black Mushroom's behavior.
The Great Black Mushroom seemed attracted to the glass bead, running onto the fungal mat and laboriously picking up the glass bead.
Aiding threw the second glass bead with force, and the Great Black Mushroom followed the direction the glass bead flew, chasing after it.
After doing this, Aiding pulled another scroll from his chest and quietly waited in place.
When the Great Black Mushroom approached him for the third time, Aiding activated the scroll in his hand: Wind Blade.
The wind blade flew out, directly cutting off the Great Black Mushroom's cap.
The cap falling to the ground scattered into a pile of white mycelia, while from within the Great Black Mushroom emerged a very ordinary-looking puffshroom.
This scene seemed somewhat beyond Aiding's expectations, but before he could think further, the landmine puffshrooms all around jumped out in unison—
Without any resistance, after a series of explosions, Aiding vanished without a trace, leaving only a shattered magic crystal in place.
Lin Jun, who had been directing this entire performance from behind the scenes, wasn't surprised by the scene before him.
He'd noticed this Aiding from the moment he entered the dungeon.
Not for any other reason, but because he had no status panel.
A puppet? An illusion?
Probably something like that—definitely not the real body.
Too distinctive, clearly someone who came specifically for the fifth floor.
Lin Jun had used [Assimilative Absorption LV3] + [Mimicry LV4] to create a Great Black Mushroom, trying his best to make it seem like some kind of monster that followed fixed patterns in front of him.
Following patterns meant controllable, and controllable meant no need for forcible elimination.
If this information could be transmitted out, then this crisis would be considered resolved.
However, on this fellow who had never exposed his true body throughout the entire process, Lin Jun caught a whiff of the scent of kindred spirits. He hoped this hastily conceived solution wouldn't reveal any flaws...
---
In a guest room at an inn in Mute Wind Town.
Aiding slowly opened his eyes, looking at the magic crystal broken in two in his hand, his expression somewhat playful.
Attacking the Great Black Mushroom equals triggering explosive traps, glass beads can perfectly lure away the Great Black Mushroom, and the Great Black Mushroom's "true face."
The information he now held should be sufficient for completing his mission.
It's just that he felt the series of events from the Great Black Mushroom's appearance to his completion of the test had been somewhat too smooth.
Smooth to the point of being just like that time he'd walked all the way to the granary.
Should he go investigate further?
Hmm...
Rubbing his chin, Aiding didn't think for long before giving up.
One trip had cost him two special magic crystals and several scrolls. A few more trips and wouldn't he be operating at a loss?
After all, doing more work didn't come with extra compensation…
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