Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 331 - 323: Rabies Outbreak

The survival of Riel’s small shop is mainly due to the friendly atmosphere among the Elves.

If this were in a human city, it would be... much simpler.

Throw some gold coins around, and the problem would be solved effortlessly, no need to work Lin Jun like a dog!

Of course, good mushrooms bring good rewards. After this round of intense overtime, [Spiritual Guidance] unexpectedly upgraded to Level Six!

But honestly, after being beaten every day, it’s about time it improved!

Lin Jun was already rubbing his fists, anticipating the dream confrontation tonight.

Initially, faced with the opponent’s sudden increase in invasion strength, Lin Jun felt somewhat unsure.

He even worried that if the opponent’s offensive increased so fiercely again, he might only be able to erect a monument for Pink Puki.

However, the situation did not develop in such a way.

After experiencing a round of obvious enhancement, the opponent’s invasion seemed to stabilize and not continue to grow.

Although every night it could still pound his "little finger" hard, it was only limited to that.

He now just hoped that this "Strange Dream" wasn’t a skill the opponent could unilaterally cancel at any time, leaving him to take hits without being able to fight back.

Of course, before the wonderful night arrives, Lin Jun still had some other matters to address.

...

Divine Wood Dungeon, Sixth Floor.

The Fungal Mat is scattered sparsely in the forest absent of Firefly Grass.

Lin Jun did not use large-scale coverage with the Fungal Mat, as it would be too conspicuous. The underground Fungal Mycelium Network was the real key.

However, as the Fungal Mat extended to the sixth floor, he once again encountered those mice fond of tunneling.

This time the breed was somewhat different, and the number far larger.

They not only gnawed the Fungal Mat to tatters but also ambushed Puki traveling through the Fungal Mycelium Network.

Lin Jun had to engage them in a prolonged "tunnel warfare" once again.

Fortunately, these mice carried the [Acceleration] skill, albeit at a low level, but it counted as some sort of gain.

The skirmish with the mice was a mundane affair, the real attention grabber was an uninvited guest—a Tree Demon with only half a body left.

Tree Demons are foes ordinary adventurers are extremely unwilling to face.

They possess high [Physical Resistance], no obvious fatal weaknesses, can continue fighting even after being bisected, and are difficult to completely eliminate even with a headshot.

Additionally, they have mastered skills like [Trunk Strike], which may be awkward but can be deadly in a single blow. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Without a Fire Mage, the fight would be exceptionally arduous; with one, it’s unlikely to retain intact combat material.

This has been the reason why household Tree Demons could remain undisturbed on the sixth floor in the past. If there was real value, no matter how hidden, adventurers would have found them.

The Tree Demon, only left with the upper half, had evidently been through a, if not several, brutal battles. It not only lost its lower half, but even its remaining upper half was shattered and scarred.

However, contrary to its broken body, it was quite spirited, or rather overly spirited.

[Status: Frenzy]

Among the tangled dry branches and stubs, a dim crimson light flickered faintly.

Even on the brink of death, it stubbornly crawled towards the nearest Puki, waving its remaining branches in an unending assault stance.

This scene reminded Lin Jun of a group of Elves he previously encountered; they had once concocted a Tree Demon in [Frenzy]. Unfortunately, he couldn’t track it down then.

But this was definitely not the same one; its level was two grades lower according to the panel.

Had those Elves transformed other Tree Demons anew? Or perhaps... this "Frenzy" status was contagious itself?

Only one way to find out.

Soon, a leopard demon dazed by Hallucinogenic Spores was thrown near the Tree Demon. The Tree Demon immediately changed targets, dragging its battered body to attack the closer prey.

Unfortunately, it was too weak to exert full strength, only leaving a shallow wound on the leopard, which Lin Jun had Puki separate from the two immediately.

The leopard did not immediately show signs of infection.

Just as Lin Jun thought it might not be contagious, the leopard, waking from pain, swiftly targeted the culprit that harmed it.

Dragging its still dazed body, the leopard lurched towards the broken Tree Demon.

One was weak and powerless, the other only half intact, yet the two "frail remains" engaged in a clumsy and unsightly brawl.

Unexpectedly, during the brawl, the fur beneath the leopard began to faintly glow crimson as its eyes gradually turned scarlet.

[Status: Frenzy]

The same status! It’s contagious!

Lin Jun had no intention of contracting "rabies," and immediately ordered Puki to i fire Mushroom Cannons from afar, quickly dealing with the two demons.

Yet it wasn’t clear what exactly the transmission method was?

Like a zombie, is there an incubation period after injury?

Or is it...

At any rate, the fact of "contagiousness" was undoubtedly certain.

Looking at the seventh-floor exploration just begun, and the lower still untouched areas, Lin Jun had a bad feeling.

Before nightfall, this ominous premonition came true—another demon in [Frenzy] state stepped into the sixth floor’s range.

Though Lin Jun swiftly dispatched it, clearly, there were more below...

...

Deep inside the Crimson Tower, within the still dark, enclosed hall, Duke Sigmund once more slowly pushed open the black coffin in the center of the Magic Array and sat up.

At this moment, the Magic Array under his feet no longer retained its original hexagram shape.

It had grown huge and extremely complex, its twisted runes intertwining like living creatures, flickering with ominous light.

The Array nodes had increased substantially, reaching eighteen!

On each node lay a lifeless "consumable."

Among them were not only humans but also Dwarves, Beastmen, and even a Lizardman, all now only empty shells with shattered spirits.

Hearing the sound of the coffin, Margas entered through the door.

His face paler than last time, almost bloodless, with wisps of elusive black vapor occasionally escaping from his facial orifices.

If a Hero were to probe his status, they’d find he had even dropped a level.

No wonder he was so desperately concerned about the "Strange Dream" progress.

However, once again, the outcome disappointed him.

Sigmund’s expression was grim, his look extremely dissatisfied: "Still couldn’t break through. Not only couldn’t break through, this time the opponent’s Spiritual Defense suddenly strengthened a lot, couldn’t even maintain suppression."

Margas showed uncertainty, not progressing was one thing, how could it be worse than before?

After thinking for a moment, he guessed: "Master, maybe it’s reached its limit over there and desperately used some potent substance to attempt one last stand against you. Although it seems evenly matched now, such an outburst surely won’t last long. If you ask me, two to three days at most, they will suffer mental exhaustion, allowing you to dispose of them at will."

Sigmund nodded, although in his deepest thoughts something didn’t seem right, but without a better explanation, he temporarily accepted Margas’ hypothesis.

Then, sweeping his gaze over the nearby "consumables," his tone turned stern: "Margas, go to Eleanor! Have her transport as many captives as possible! Unable to assist in direct combat, they should at least contribute to logistics!"