Chapter 211

Tricked!

At the upper-layer border, Lin Jun found a patch of purple blood already congealed under frost.

A hidden path had been exposed, winding to a side of the fortress.

At the path’s end lay the corpse of a Demonborn, sprawled cold outside the side gate.

Unfamiliar terrain had cost him—he’d only ordered the Pujis to seal the front.

Now, faint purple stains led out of the upper layer, then disappeared into the endless icy plains.

But… how did it get out?

It needed a Demonborn’s help to cross the middle layers. Could it really have had another helper for the upper layer too?

To test, Lin Jun had the Pujis capture a juvenile Fat Beast and drag it through.

Not long after, a Pujis stood outside the dungeon, holding the struggling larva.

Dragging it back into the middle layer, the creature exploded into pulp on crossing the boundary…

What a crude restriction! Compared to the Amethyst Dungeon’s execution by lightning, this was downright barbaric.

So for now: the upper-layer seal was gone. Aside from weaker mana density and temperature, it was effectively outside dungeon territory.

The middle-layer barrier remained, though its strength was uncertain. As for the lower layer—he hadn’t even found the entrance.

This ramshackle dungeon—damn it, he’d let a prize slip away!

The blood trail pointed south. Two Hunting Pujis enhanced by [Minion Control]—essentially armed scouts—were dispatched.

With only three days’ worth of mana, it was a one-way trip.

Honestly, Lin Jun didn’t expect much. The Chiss weren’t dumb enough to flee in a straight line. In such a vast wilderness, stumbling upon them by chance was unlikely.

But he couldn’t let it go. What if they did succeed?

On another front—trouble: Piggy was missing.

A full day had passed since she’d left the fungal network. No sign of her.

Defected?

She must have defected!

Worst case—she’d snatched the Sunstone fragment and fled the dungeon. Slightly better—she ran off empty-handed, leaving the fragment behind.

Traitor!

And after he’d… he’d…

Well… thinking back, Piggy really was treated like a thankless work mule. Her rare rewards were just meals. In her place, he’d have run too.

Fine, then. But if he caught her again—he’d plant mushrooms on her!

Looking back, it had been his own fault.

A Six-Clawed couldn’t escape the middle layers forever. He would find it eventually. He shouldn’t have sent Piggy after it.

But with a precious artifact fragment right in front of him, who could have stayed calm?

So ridiculous—victory felt like loss!

Chiss really deserved to die!

Still, not everything was wasted.

【Level Up: LV58 → LV59】

【Seven Deadly Sins – Greed triggered】

【Looted Skill: Claw Attack LV9 → LV10】

【Looted Skill: Mana Perception LV7 → LV8】

【Looted Skill: Mana Shield LV3 → LV4】

【Looted Skill: Petrification Ray LV2 → LV3】

As his level rose, each step up clearly grew harder. And wasn’t it just him, or did he need more experience than others?

The batch of Chiss yielded average skills. Even after decomposition, [Cold Resistance] hadn’t advanced a level—though it felt close.

And his very first maxed-out skill turned out to be… [Claw Attack]? A basic move he barely used!

Lin Jun was speechless.

Testing with a Pujis showed sharper claws, yes, but nothing beyond expectations.

Maybe combined with [Steel Bones], he could mass-produce serviceable blades?

But at best, the length was only fit for daggers.

And with no steady supply for [Steel Bones]—only at LV4—it wasn’t practical.

Still, compared to such lackluster basics, he was far more interested in [Division LV1].

After all, it was the very trick that let the Chiss escape right under his nose!

He tried installing it onto a Pujis. Unexpectedly—the skill vanished from his own panel!

???

Unprecedented!

Could it be retrieved? Or had he wasted it?

【Race: Mushroom – Pujis】

【Skills: Mana Storage LV7, Division LV1】

Watching this Pujis, Lin Jun hesitated, then commanded it to activate the skill.

A huge chunk of mana drained—more than making a new Pujis outright.

【Race: Mushroom – Pujis (Split Body)】

【Skills: Division LV1】

A strange phenomenon—

The original Pujis lost [Division], but the new one gained it!

Trying again, the two instantly swapped status panels—just like the Chiss Heart’s escape.

But a second swap wasn’t possible.

So… a one-use life-saving skill?

Consumed on activation?

And he’d just burned it on a Pujis…

Lin Jun wanted to swear!

He remembered—the Chiss Heart’s version was [Division LV3]. But all he’d looted was LV1.

Did it drop a level each time it was used?

After much thought, Lin Jun decided to try reclaiming it.

Back in the old days, he’d experimented with “Greed” devouring his own Pujis’ skills for experience. Naturally, it never worked.

But this skill felt different—and he had no better options.

So he let the Mycelium wrap the Pujis clone. It melted into the Carpet.

He checked his panel, scrolling down…

【Skill: … Division LV1 …】

It returned!

Relief washed through him. If it had been wasted, he might have cried on the spot!

This time, he tried it himself.

He’d expected splitting his true body to be difficult, costly. But in an instant, with barely any mana drained, another identical green mushroom sprouted beside him.

The mana cost was less than making a Pujis…

What did that mean?

That his body was worth less than a Pujis?

【Race: Mushroom – Fungal Lord (Split Body)】

【Skills: Division LV1】

So far, this clone felt much like a unit from [Minion Control].

He tested further—transfer… decompose… split again…

Emmmm…

Was this… a bug?

Supposed to be a one-time life-saving “revival coin,” but now—he could recycle it endlessly?

If reclaiming worked, then as long as he wasn’t instantly killed, or denied even the chance to split—wasn’t he nearly invincible?

In short… I’m unbeatable?!