A crimson cloak, +5 Agility, name unknown—too long, dragging behind like a rolled-out carpet, half of it already caked with dirt and mycelium.
A silver-glow pendant, +4 Agility, name unknown—far too tight, wedged under the cap with no space to spare. Lucky that Pujis don’t need to breathe, or it would have strangled the wearer outright.
And finally, an heirloom dragon-scale shield, as tall as the Puji itself.
If only the body fit better, then of course there’d also be a helmet, gauntlets, rings—the full set.
Lin Jun realized something: adventurers favored skill-based gear, but for Pujis, raw-stat equipment was far more practical.
After all, Pujis never lacked for skills.
And all that stacked Agility was meant for this moment!
He hadn’t aimed for Fifteen’s head or heart—just to put him down, crippled and unable to rise.
[Pain Immunity]
[Ground Shrink LV7]The blade-whip plunged into the dirt with a ringing buzz, but by the time it struck, Fifteen’s form was already gone—nothing but a phantom afterimage. A flash of sword-light appeared behind the Knight Puji.
What skill was that?!
Lin Jun couldn’t follow the trajectory at all.
In that heartbeat, the Knight barely managed to swing the dragon-scale shield across its body.
Ssshhhkkk—!
Three mycelium tentacles on its left side snapped like cut cords, and a vicious scar carved deep into the shield’s surface.
Impossible!
Ancient dragon scales!
And he cut through it?!
Lin Jun had tested that shield countless times. No blade, no bow, no ballista left even a scratch.
And now, its very first battle, scarred already.
If not for the shield, the Knight Puji would have been cleaved in two.
So strong…!
Even Lin Jun couldn’t help admiring Fifteen’s terrifying strike.
But Fifteen too was shocked.
“What shield is this, to block me?!”
He flipped his wrist for another cut, but the Knight suddenly burst forward.
With a bounding leap, cloak wrapping tightly into a spinning ball, it rolled back at full speed, escaping the next flurry of sword qi.
[Assault Leap LV6]
[Rolling Charge LV7]
“Don’t run!”
Fifteen pursued, reaching for his belt to grab a healing potion.
But his fingers found only wet shards—the earlier subsonic blast had shattered every glass vial.
So be it. Even without healing, there was no turning back.
Eyes narrowing, he pushed [Flowing Step] to its limit, hounding the fleeing Knight relentlessly.
Most Pujis couldn’t keep up with either of them. Only a few mine-Pujis leapt out at Lin Jun’s command.
But they barely slowed Fifteen, much less harmed him.
No need to lure him toward the main army now. The ambush strike had failed—time for Plan B.
The Knight led Fifteen straight into the caverns—toward Yellow Book’s “Happy Hut.”
But Lin Jun quickly regretted the flamboyant cloak.
It snagged on a jagged stone, jerking the Knight to a halt.
Fifteen’s sword came slashing in—
Clang!
Another gouge scarred the dragon-scale shield. Lin Jun’s heart bled—this was his strongest defense!
Abandoning the cloak, the Knight stopped rolling altogether, using bounding leaps to dart through side tunnels, vanishing into a secret passage.
“A trap?”
Fifteen wasn’t a fool. He knew the Puji’s cunning. But he still pressed on.
So close! So close to cutting it down!
If only before it reached its destination!
Ahead, a dense aura of monsters. He could feel it—he was charging into a carefully spun web.
But—
Now was the distance!
[Ground Shrink LV7]
[Wake Jet LV5]
Both launched their skills almost together.
With his map-wide awareness, Lin Jun reacted the instant Fifteen struck from behind.
The Knight’s escape skill worked—but not perfectly.
The icy edge skimmed its belly, not severing the waist as Fifteen intended, but slicing away its legs and part of its torso.
But that was enough. Enough for the plan!
The severed half arced through the air, caught seamlessly by an elite Puji, and dropped into a waiting tunnel.
Fifteen’s follow-up cut shredded only the catcher—not the Knight.
And by then, Fifteen stood squarely in the middle of the Happy Hut.
That feeling of chasing, so close, yet watching the prey slip away in the end—
It made Fifteen grit his teeth till they cracked.
And worse—the three other Pujis in the chamber wriggled mockingly before him, taunting.
“You little—”
BOOMMMMM!!!!
The eight crude stone pillars—Pujis hidden within—detonated as one.
The cavern shattered like bitten candy. Rocks poured like rain, burying Fifteen in an instant.
Only the pendant at his neck glowed faintly before vanishing under the collapse…
…
Lin Jun, controlling the half-bodied Knight withdrawing through the tunnels, swept the Happy Hut with a detection skill.
One humanoid lifeform was still clawing madly through the rubble.
Of course. He hadn’t expected Fifteen to die here.
A trap like that might finish a Diamond like Xiaozhu. But someone over Level 60? Not a chance.
And he never meant to kill him anyway.
He had been ready to sacrifice the Knight Puji. Instead, it survived.
Which meant the humans’ eyes would stay fixed on it, not him.
Another mask to hide behind. Another layer of safety.
And now, as victor, before Fifteen could dig free, it was time to reap the spoils.
—
At the fifth-floor stairway, the last shimmering barrier broke under relentless Mushroom Cannon fire, fading into starlight.
At the base, only a handful of wounded remained.
With Fifteen absent and hope fading, Solarin ordered a breakout—taking everyone still standing, abandoning the gravely injured.
It was cruel. But there was no choice.
Pupu—
Pupu—
Tiny feet pattered into the stairway. They didn’t fire cannons from range—strangely, they closed in.
One blind Church warrior dropped his shield, gripping his sword with both hands, slashing by instinct.
But his swing whiffed through empty air.
Mycelium tentacles seized him, dragging him down into the Puji tide.
“Ha… haha…”
A legless adventurer drew his dagger.
He remembered all the grim rumors of those who vanished on the fifth floor.
Better to die by his own hand than sink alive into the Puji swamp…