“Milady! You mustn’t go in there!”
Two adventurers blocked Solarin and the church warriors behind her. Beyond them lay the glowing, dazzling Mushroom Grove.
They had been hired to guide these church folk, but nowhere in the job description had it said anything about ending their lives early!
Entering the fifth floor’s Mushroom Grove?
What a joke. They had never heard of anyone going in and coming back out alive!
To their eyes, that beautiful forest was no different from Death’s doorstep.
If you wanted to die, why not just hang yourself with a rope? Why drag them along?
“Milady, if you insist on going in, then we’ll have to abandon the commission here.”
Seeing the adventurers so adamant, Mayne turned to Solarin. “What now?”
“Listen to them.” Solarin’s right eye gleamed silver, but she did not oppose.The adventurers relaxed in relief when the church did not force entry.
Mayne, however, found Solarin’s easy agreement unusual—it was unlike the impression he had of her.
【Truth Vision】
The world fractured into countless color blocks across her retinas. It was an ability that separated all things by their traces.
Vampires and undead appeared black, humans pale yellow or ivory, elves light green, dwarves brown. Monsters had their own colors as well.
Though there were individual differences, and some strange lifeforms had their unique hues—
Never had Solarin seen the color she had been seeing since stepping into this dungeon: chaos.
Within the mycelial mats, colors churned wildly, blending into unnatural blotches.
She didn’t know what the color meant, but it pressed on her heart like a weight.
Even more disturbing—since entering, every single thread of fungus and every Puji, all showed the same “chaos” to her Truth Vision.
Normally, even of the same species, individuals carried differences. Not this uniformity.
She wasn’t sure if “chaos” itself looked like that, or if it meant the entire dungeon’s fungi were in fact one being.
Based on the intelligence they had gathered, it was likely the latter.
To her perception, stepping into the dungeon felt like walking into the belly of some enormous beast. To say she wasn’t afraid would be a lie.
But duty compelled her. She had called for other squads, but none had come, leaving her no choice but to confirm the demons’ trail herself.
So when the adventurers begged her not to enter the Mushroom Grove, which in her sight was entirely chaos, she took the excuse to back down.
“Let’s continue to the next floor.” Solarin said impassively.
She no longer expected to find the demons here. She would finish this patrol and then submit a report to the bishop on Amethyst Dungeon.
——
Lin Jun, meanwhile, smiled in satisfaction as he watched the church warriors, led by the adventurers, bypass the Mushroom Grove and the Marsh Zone—unaware that this Solarin had already decided to file a report on him.
With external matters settled, it was time to deal with internal ones.
Namely—you, Yellow Book!
Inside the Mushroom Grove, a Puji slammed the Yellow Book onto the ground. Nearby stood a scowling Gray, rudely awakened, and Norris, given a one-day furlough from the slime prison to serve as translator.
[Master, I’ve been so well-behaved in the chamber. Why bring me out now?]
The scripture, sensing what was coming, tried to act obedient. But Lin Jun knew its true nature—no amount of pretending would help.
He listed out the numbers coldly:
“Two vampire raids. Two hundred and sixty-seven Pujis lost. One quarter of the fifth floor’s fungus mats destroyed. Seven mushroom trees toppled.
“And to keep you contained, I’ve had to assign four elite Pujis and thirty normal ones at all times.
“Not to mention, you’ve now attracted the Church’s attention.
“So tell me—wouldn’t laying you off be more cost-effective?”
Norris, kneeling before the Yellow Book, dutifully repeated every word. Later he’d have to read back whatever the book wrote into his mind.
Boss promised him a day off after this, which he planned to spend entirely asleep. Splitting as a slime every two hours was torture…
[Um… what is layoff?]
The Puji tapped a tentacle, clarifying for it. The book instantly understood.
[Boss, I’m a loyal member of the Mushroom Garden too!]
[No need for guards, just like before—stick me in a Puji stone container, I’ll stay put.]
[I love the Mushroom Garden! If anyone dares steal me, I’ll charm them and run straight back here!]
[Why bother with layoffs?]
If the Yellow Book knew emoticons, it would be spamming cute faces by now.
Even Norris, just reading its words, thought maybe Boss was being a little harsh.
“How about this. I’ll give you a chance. Tell me what value you have. What can you contribute to the Mushroom Garden?”
[?]
Value?
As a scripture, it was always either coveted or feared. Never had it been asked this question.
Seeing it struggle, the Puji beckoned Gray closer.
[I—I can give you warnings! I can sense intruders from far away!]
“How far?”
[From here, I can sense as far as within the stairwells!]
That was about a third of the fifth floor’s size. Impressive—far greater than adventurers’ detection spells.
But—
“So basically useless.”
[???]
Gray’s claws reached out.
[I—I can boost people’s stats!]
“How many times before they go insane?”
[I can control others!]
Lin Jun thought of his own [Fusion Parasite] skill, then motioned for Gray to lift the book.
Translator Norris was trembling now. Had he just pitied a terrifying evil scripture?
And yet Boss seemed utterly unimpressed by its powers.
[Wait—how can all this be useless!?]
“Doesn’t feel useful. Keeping you around to collect dust is one thing, but you’re only bringing trouble. Time to say goodbye.”
[At least throw me out instead?]
“Oh? And let you spill everything about the Mushroom Garden?”
[The Dragonborn could only tear my pages, not destroy me. That would just hurt me for nothing!]
“Let’s test it. Won’t cost me anything. And it’s not my pain. Gray—”
As dragon claws scraped across the paper, the Yellow Book suddenly burst into manic laughter.
[Hahahaha!]
Riiip—
One page tore away, crumbling to dust.
[Ahhh pain pain pain pain!]
[You ask why I laugh!?]
Riiip—
[AAAAHHHH—stop stop! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!]
Lin Jun paused Gray, curious what last words it had.
[Amethyst Dungeon is in peril.]
Seeing Gray raise a claw again, the book hurried on:
[The dungeon already has long-term fissures, doesn’t it?]
[That’s a dangerous omen. If you don’t act, your Mushroom Garden will be in grave danger!]
Oh?
Now that was interesting.
Lin Jun hadn’t mentioned slimes or fissures to it. Unless its senses extended even further than it claimed—enough to detect the sixth floor fissure.
He had the Puji take the book from Gray’s claws and set it back on the ground.
“Go on. I’m listening.”