[ Race: Red Reef Fruit Tree ]
[ Skills: Delicious LV2, Paralysis Toxin LV2, Photosynthesis LV1 ]
Lin Jun thought for a moment, then used a tentacle to knock down one of the fruits.
“Dylan, try this.”
A fruit with a ribbed red shell, about the size of a bowling ball, was rolled before Dylan.
“As expected of you, boss—already found food!”
Dylan took the fruit, which Lin Jun had already cut open.
Inside was translucent, jelly-like pulp. Dylan took a tentative sip.
“Mmm!? Delicious!”
He immediately devoured it, gnawing at the rind, scraping out every last bit.But before he could finish, his body went limp, collapsing on the ground.
The scout Pujie flipped him over so he wouldn’t suffocate face-first.
So [Delicious LV2] was true enough—but unfortunately Lin Jun couldn’t taste it.
No mortal desires.jpg
What mattered was that Lin Jun had seen this skill before during talent upgrades.
If he acquired it now, it would be removed from the pool during future draws, improving his odds of getting useful skills.
But to claim it, he’d have to bring the fruit back to the dungeon.
And who knew how long they’d be stranded on this island?
Lin Jun sighed, directing Pujie to scatter spores across the place.
Not to expand territory—these newborn mycelium mats wouldn’t connect to his fungal network.
He just wanted more raw material to work with.
——
Oath City, Adventurer’s Guild Headquarters.
This four-story complex covered more than 30,000 square meters. Beyond the mission hall, it had features no branch possessed:
Training grounds for warriors in the east wing.
A magical target range to the north.
A second-floor market for adventurers’ trade.
A forge in the basement, glowing with heat.
An alchemy hall filled with colored vapors.
Surrounded by massive stone walls, it was practically a fortress-city of its own.
In fact—it was.
Historically, this land was the original Oath City, founded when people first fled south from the demon advance.
The outer wall had been cut and reinforced by tenth-tier mages themselves.
Its base extended with countless mana conduits, linked to a defense array that still worked to this day—though activating it was too costly for casual use.
Everyone knew the Guild HQ was the most secure building in Oath City, save the council hall.
But few knew that its top floor, the smallest, was a living quarter for key guild members.
There, a kitchen knife struck fruit shell.
A maid split a Red Reef Fruit open, prying out the jelly flesh into a silver platter.
She sprinkled crushed lanleaf, mixed in a splash of elven icewine—the exotic dish was ready.
Finally, she cast Purification, light washing away all paralysis toxin.
With clam broth in a small bowl, she set everything on a tray.
Minutes later, she knocked at a door.
“Young Master Fahl, breakfast is ready.”
On the balcony, a white-haired youth basking in sunlight sat up lazily.
“Liliane, just leave it on the table.”
The maid, Liliane, set the tray down—but didn’t leave. She simply stood, watching.
“Why are you hovering?”
“If I leave, you’ll skip breakfast again. Besides, I have documents to deliver.”
Fahl noticed the stack in her arms.
“Troublesome…”
Still, he moved to the table, spooning a little fruit, sipping some soup. Barely enough to pass for eating.
Even food with [Delicious] properties seemed nothing special to him.
When he pushed the plate aside, Liliane laid out the documents.
“These are from the Guildmaster, to prepare you for your assignment at the branch—information on Yafeng Town’s people, nearby factions, and notes on the Amethyst Dungeon.”
The Guildmaster was, of course, Fahl’s father.
Fahl frowned, flipping through. “Does he think I can’t handle basic intelligence gathering?”
“Master only—” Liliane began, but was cut off.
Fahl lifted a silver-edged folder. “Why are there Church documents here? They’re not planning an inquisition in the dungeon, are they?”
“You shouldn’t mock the Church of Light in that tone. If word spreads, it will cause trouble,” Liliane warned.
Fahl sneered. “Besides you, who hears me? Or do you think I’m stupid enough to say that in public?”
Liliane’s lips curved slightly, but she said no more.
Soon, Fahl finished scanning the papers. His eyes lit. “So they are planning an inquisition.”
“But dungeons are full of monsters?”
“Exactly. And according to this, a captain from Judgment Wing reported that a dungeon may have been seized by a hive mind.”
“A hive mind conquering a dungeon? Impossible. Doesn’t living too long in a dungeon cause assimilation? Even a hive mind could only control one floor at best.”
“Normally, yes. But if someone exploited the dungeon’s core, things change. And this report lines up with intel from the Guild.”
“Exploiting the core? But… is that even possible?”
The core wasn’t some switch to flip—it was the entire logic system of a dungeon.
Oath City’s defense core, for example, needed forty staff for daily maintenance, and over three hundred to fully activate.
Dungeon cores were far more complex, their origins unknown.
Both humans and demons knew they existed—but left them untouched.
Not because they didn’t want to control them.
Because they couldn’t.
Even if new methods existed, it shouldn’t be something a single person could do.
And wouldn’t Yafeng Town have noticed vast amounts of men and supplies moving in? They couldn’t be that derelict.
Liliane shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”
Fahl corrected her. “Not ‘control.’ ‘Exploit.’ Dungeons aren’t perfect—they’ve had loopholes before.”
“Before?” Liliane seized on his wording.
“Yes. Over a century ago, someone discovered treasure chests refreshed by swapping two via teleportation.
He stuffed himself into an opened chest, and when it refreshed, he arrived in what he called a Treasure Vault.
He looted countless top-grade items, and even returned with them.
Some of those relics still exist today.”
“And after that?”
“He tried again—and vanished. As did every imitator. Clearly, the dungeon didn’t tolerate thieves.”
“Then if this is another loophole—why hasn’t it been patched?”
“That’s why I think it ties to the core. Monsters being confined to layers is a fundamental rule. If that rule breaks, something’s wrong in the core logic.
Or maybe the Church’s intel is false. Or maybe it’s coincidence.
Either way… things won’t be boring.”