Intermediate magic contract.
So it was true—Inanna could issue orders to the knight Puji. But her commands carried lower priority than Lin Jun’s.
This wasn’t like with nodes.
When a Puji was under a node’s control, Lin Jun had to first pull it out of that node before he could command it again—Pujis only listened to one boss at a time.
But this knight Puji… was responding to two masters simultaneously!
Interesting.
And if this was just an intermediate contract, didn’t that imply there were advanced ones?
Would an advanced contract outrank his commands?
That was worth investigating.
Because if one day he poured everything into forging an ultimate “God of Pujis,” only for it to be immediately stolen by some random advanced contract… Just the thought made his chest tighten!…
After the Sword Saint’s party departed, Lin Jun began cleaning up the battlefield—trying to patch together bisected Pujis.
But this time, only the few elites that Fifteen had cut down revived under 【Mycelial Regeneration】.
Every Puji slain by the Sword Saint was gone for good.
What the hell?
Looking through 【Mana Sense】, he saw a suppressive effect lingering around their wounds, preventing regrowth.
The Sword’s pinnacle technique?
Or that long sword in Elvien’s hand?
Disgusting!
He had thought he’d only lose a few hundred and could salvage the rest. Now it was a solid thousand Pujis gone forever!
A crippling loss.
Thank goodness he hadn’t brought out the Heavy Armor Pujis. Otherwise, the disaster would’ve been worse.
Originally, Lin Jun planned to immediately follow the route Aedin had traced through the mycelial network and strike the core.
But now… he’d have to replenish his forces first.
As for the “little notebook” Inanna had “accidentally” dropped?
Lin Jun guided a Puji to open it.
Title scrawled by hand: Dungeon Notes.
Neat, elegant handwriting—clearly Inanna’s. A doodled mushroom sat beside the title.
With 【Human Common Language LV9】, Lin Jun could now read almost fluently.
Inside, the content was… chaotic. Just scraps she remembered from reading at the Relic Society, written out as they came to her mind.
Disjointed, scattered like spilled puzzle pieces.
But even so, valuable.
For example: so-called “layers” were actually isolated pocket spaces, separated by vast distances, stitched together only by “stairs.”
And the dungeon’s endless mana? It flowed in from outside the world.
She’d even copied some speculation on the dungeon’s creator—only a Hero, Demon King, or God from that ancient era would have the power to build one.
A rare chance to study the dungeon without relying on the Yellow Book. Humans weren’t entirely useless after all.
Lin Jun settled down to pore over the notes while his Pujis replenished.
…
On the surface.
News spread fast, and adventurers thronged the roadside.
Some stared at the Sword Saint like starstruck fans—he was one of humanity’s apex warriors. Just glimpsing him was a tale to brag about for years.
Others had eyes only for Inanna… or rather, the bizarre Puji she held in her arms.
The knight Puji’s feet had begun regrowing, six tendrils half-regenerated, limp and curling like insect larvae.
But its armor and cape made it stand out unmistakably.
“That’s the King of Pujis?!” an adventurer gawked.
They’d lived alongside the things for years, but aside from those on the crusade, almost none had seen a king.
“Why’s it got a cape? And a shield? Don’t tell me it uses human gear?”
“Wait… that pendant—looks familiar…”
As for Elvien, he didn’t care about trinkets on a mushroom.
Even after Guge appraised the battered “shield” as a rare dragon scale, the Sword Saint only showed mild curiosity, chatting about its origin.
In the end, all spoils were left with Inanna.
She had no intention of robbing the Puji. Honestly, she was just itching to find an excuse to return to the dungeon alone—she still hadn’t had the chance to lie down on a mycelial mat!
“It really worked,” murmured Guildmaster Fahl, astonished as he stared at the captured knight Puji.
He had never doubted Elvien’s strength—but to actually pull the king from the depths of the dungeon? Unexpected.
“All thanks to Master Aedin’s detection spells,” said Guge gravely.
Of everyone on the expedition, the only one Guge respected enough to converse with as a peer was Aedin. Their shared mastery of magic circles had forged a budding camaraderie.
“Then… can it command the other Pujis?” Fahl pressed. That was the real question.
Guge nodded. “We tested it on the way. It exerts some measure of authority over them.”
His expression then darkened. “Unfortunately… when it comes to repairing the core, we are powerless.”
“Ahh…” Fahl sighed, rubbing his brow.
Guge might only be diamond-rank, but in runic theory, he rivaled elven archmages. If he declared it impossible, then the dungeon truly was doomed.
And Fahl? He’d only just become branch guildmaster—and now in half a year the dungeon would collapse?
Not his fault, sure, but his plans to make achievements here were ruined.
Worse, the dungeon’s fall might cause a disaster nearby. He’d have to prepare for that…
So much so, he barely cared about the Pujis anymore.
They’d die with the dungeon. Even if Inanna smuggled some to the surface, the weak ambient mana couldn’t sustain large-scale reproduction.
The duchy wasn’t about to pour endless mana potions into mushrooms just to breed Pujis.
As for the “King”? Stripped from its swarm, it was just a slightly smarter, weaker-than-average diamond-rank monster.
Soon it would be nothing more than Inanna’s quirky pet.
Thus, once the dungeon’s fate was sealed, Fahl’s concern shifted fully to the guild’s future: with no dungeon, what use was this branch?
…
A green Puji gently shut the notebook and tucked it away.
Perfect. I’m starting to understand everything!