Fifth floor, Dylan’s mushroom hut.
Wisps of pale smoke curled upward—an incense made of herbs from distant islands, mixed with ground blue mushrooms, smoldering on hot coals and releasing a tranquil, soothing fragrance.
It relaxed the mind without knocking one unconscious like hallucinogenic spores would.
Dylan lounged comfortably in a hammock woven of mycelium, legs crossed, basking in rare peace.
No longer did he need to fear being exposed as a “Mushroom Man,” no longer scurry through tunnels and black-market ships, too paranoid to sleep soundly. Back in this Dungeon, he could finally feel at home.
Though Lin Jun had boosted his [Mimicry] to Level 7—enough to fool anyone—here in the realm of mushrooms and Pujis, he needed no disguise. His green skin showed openly, and for once, he could truly relax.
He still worried about his daughter, Bella, and kept buying scraps of intelligence whenever he could, but until real news came, fretting was useless.
At least… no bad news yet. That itself was a good sign.
Lin Jun had asked whether he wanted to live in Mushroom Garden No. 3 with the others, but Dylan preferred the familiar fifth floor, even if it had changed drastically.
Though new monsters had crept in through rifts from the jungle, the mushroom gardens were Puji territory, perfectly safe.By contrast, the stone fortress was far away, and travel there required relying on bat Pujis’ “air service”—something Dylan never wanted to endure again.
Here, all it took was one of the boss’s “elevators.”
Dylan thought Lin Jun was growing more and more miraculous—controlling even hidden rooms! Though he didn’t know why the boss called them “elevators,” they were incredibly useful.
Before, traveling from the fifth floor to the surface took half a day. Now, just over ten minutes. And that was only because Lin Jun made the elevator appear in a secluded corner of the first floor for secrecy.
For all these reasons, Dylan chose to stay here.
He wasn’t alone either. Nearby, a group of Pujis absorbed a heap of magic crystals.
The pile was mixed quality—from useless shards from the sixth floor to solid B-grade crystals from deeper levels. Pujis absorbed them, discarding husks that labor Pujis cleared away.
These were second-generation scouts, designed for exploration, equipped with stealth, reconnaissance, and self-detonation. They were swift and skilled at fleeing.
But alone they were weak—if they died in just two strikes, exploration was pointless. So Lin Jun strengthened them with [Crystal Symbiosis], implanting B-grade crystals inside. That way, not only did their abilities improve, but Lin Jun could even cast spells through their symbiotic cores.
And he didn’t need much—B-grade was sufficient.
Until—
【Skill Upgrade: Crystal Symbiosis LV7 → LV8】
!!!
All scout Pujis froze. The Carpet swelled, a mound rising.
A new Puji emerged, infused with the freshly advanced skill.
At once, it dove into the crystal pile—but that wasn’t enough.
Soon, labor Pujis hauled in more crystals, including precious A-grades.
Lin Jun wanted to see the true limits of Level 8!
In the end, after consuming the equivalent of five large A-grade crystals, the first S-grade magic crystal, crafted by Lin Jun himself, was born!
No larger than a fingertip, its creation had burned through an absurd amount of resources. The cost was ruinous. But the meaning—immeasurable.
Lin Jun could now produce S-grade crystals on his own.
After confirming success, he stopped the process—too costly to continue.
At best, he might enhance the Knight Puji, since guarding his true body was worth any expense.
But to mass-produce S-grades? Not until the skill improved further to reduce losses. For now, A-grades were sufficient.
Compared to that, the war golems composed entirely of S-grade crystals were insane. Whoever built this Dungeon must have been obscenely rich.
Lin Jun dismantled the test Puji, stowed the tiny S-grade crystal.
With [Crystal Symbiosis], absorbing crystals rewrote the Puji itself. Only crystals it generated and bonded with gave full effect. External ones worked too, but weaker.
Thus, giving this experimental crystal to the Knight Puji would be wasteful.
Instead, Lin Jun planned to hand it to the Pink Puji. With her family connections, she could find master craftsmen to forge it into a powerful accessory—maybe a ring or amulet.
Aedin knew a bit of crafting, but only minor consumables using C-grade crystals. Handing him an S-grade gem would feel criminal.
After tidying up, Lin Jun returned to preparing the scouts. But instead of sending them through rifts, he directed two to fly to the deep zones, where Norris was already waiting with his “Mushidah” [mecha-Puji].
Norris had finally traded his blade-whip for a drill, eager to test its power. Lin Jun also wanted to test the scouts in combat.
They had to meet in the deep zones, since the scouts lacked [Cold Resistance].
Delayed by the upgrade, the scouts arrived to find Norris curled on the Carpet, napping with the recon Puji that formed Mushidah’s “head” nestled in his arms.
Beside him squatted the Mushidah, its neck-filaments plugged into the Carpet, recharging.
Suddenly, the Carpet writhed. A language Puji formed and slithered to Norris’s ear.
In a voice like layered nightmare whispers, it crooned his name again and again:
“Norris~ Norris~ Norris~~”
The eerie sound seeped into his dream. His brow furrowed, sweat beaded, his body shivered.
With a jolt, he woke, gasping.
“Ha… ha…” He clutched the recon Puji tight, comforted by its familiar touch.
Looking around in confusion, the whispering Puji had already dissolved.
“Norris, are you alright? A nightmare? If you’re unwell, we can postpone the test.” Lin Jun’s voice echoed in his mind.
Hearing the boss, Norris remembered his purpose here. He slapped his cheeks hard, shaking off the lingering dread.
“No, boss! I’m fine—no problem at all!”
He scrambled into the Mushidah. The recon Puji followed, its rear pressing into his helmet. Norris exhaled deeply.
“Boss, I’m ready!”