This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 168, Section 167: The Location of the Decisive Battle

The old mushroom garden, or rather, the current training base for cave dwellers.

Two poopy creatures followed closely behind a caveman, while the other cavemen watched the training.

"Yes, that's it, keep it up!" Norris held the yellow book, directing the fungal network with his mind, "Puji's legs are short, take smaller steps so they can keep up with you."

Of course, many of these key points were subtly reminded of him by the Yellow Book.

"Now try having Puji use the mushroom cannon to attack the target."

The target was a large, battered rock, its surface riddled with craters and shell marks.

The training puji only carries the [Mushroom Cannon LV1], so there's no need to worry about the target being damaged.

The caveman pointed his spear at the target, and the two puffies followed suit, aiming their mushroom cannons at the same spot.

In reality, this action is completely unnecessary; manipulating Puji only requires a clear thought. However, these cave dwellers still habitually accompany their commands with physical gestures.

Bobo—

Two mushroom cannon shots shot out, one hitting the target at an angle, while the other grazed the edge and flew far away.

This is because there is no "precision," and the practice involves having cavemen control the poop, so whether the poop hits or not is actually irrelevant.

Norris had just nodded in satisfaction, about to offer a word of praise, when out of the corner of his eye he caught the caveman suddenly gripping his spear tightly, the tip pointing directly at the hapless puji, as if about to stab it!

"Hey! What are you doing? Stop it!" In his panic, Norris didn't even use the fungal network and shouted directly.

The caveman froze, standing upright with his hands at his sides as if nailed to the spot, obediently awaiting his next command.

Norris rolled his eyes at the sight of that arrogant yet obsequious attitude, which only dared to show off to Puji.

Norris also discovered that, regardless of whether these guys were supervisors before, once they gained control of Puji, they all developed this habit—they liked to show off their power in front of Puji.

Is it some kind of instinct or habit ingrained in one's bones?
How to correct it?

Norris found the situation very difficult.

When scolded to their faces, they all bowed their heads and obeyed obediently.

But when he turned around, out of sight, one or two of the puppies he entrusted to their care would mysteriously die every now and then. This situation was really giving him a headache.

As Norris reprimanded the cavemen, he picked up one of the poopies with his paws.

All the cave dwellers instinctively huddled together, too afraid to look at the black figure.

The exiled little black dog munched on a puji while staring blankly at Norris's shiny body.

Norris felt a prickling sensation in his back from that unwavering gaze.

Lin Jun told her to stay in the old mushroom garden for two days and not to wander around. All she could do was eat and sleep, and the days were very boring.

But there was nothing that could be done. Lin Jun thought Xiao Hei was really capable of doing something like diving headfirst into a crevice and dying instantly.

Once this storm has passed, it would be best to put Xiao Hei back up there as soon as possible.

In fact, Louisa was also in the old mushroom garden at this time, but she had been deliberately avoiding Little Black.

At this moment, she was sleeping soundly against the rough outer wall of the snail wood.

"So bored~" A drowsy murmur slipped from her lips.

This is not a complaint, but a heartfelt sigh of happiness.

Lin Jun transferred Puji away, and now the expedition team is left with only her as the commander-in-chief, so it's impossible for them to continue advancing.

No threat of death, no fighting, no missions, no hunger, no mushrooms growing, and no boss watching...

How long has it been since I've enjoyed this kind of leisure?
I wish these days could last a little longer!

Of course, it's best to continue until the stored blood is used up—any longer and you'll go hungry.
-
Bang!Bang!Bang!
Several more mushroom cannon shots slammed into the crumbling sacred barrier.

The golden light curtain, already overburdened, shattered instantly, turning into countless specks of light.

The church warrior maintaining the barrier was struck hard, letting out a muffled groan and staggering backward, only to be caught by a quick-thinking comrade beside him. Almost at the same moment the light barrier shattered, another church warrior roared and stepped forward, and a brand-new holy barrier instantly opened, barely managing to protect the team once again.

Within the formation, the ranger Aimee's eyes were sharp as an eagle's. With a series of twangs, three arrows tore through the air, accurately piercing through the three mushroom cannons that had just peeked out to fire.

She flipped her wrist and instinctively reached for the quiver, only to find nothing!
Gone? !
Amy's heart sank.

She had considered that fighting under the protection of the church warriors would eliminate the need for distraction and dodging, so she specifically carried three times more arrows than she usually did for dungeon exploration.

I thought everything was foolproof, but now it's all used up?
Tsk!
Ultimately, it's just that the frequency of these plops coming in is simply too crazy!

Looking at the stairs leading to the fifth floor in the distance—what should I do next?
……

As the group finally filed into the relatively safe stairwell, Solalyn's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

Although they were not ambushed again on the subsequent journey, the relentless harassment from the Puji was like a persistent ailment, leaving everyone exhausted.

Fortunately, the team suffered no further casualties.

Reverend Maine dragged his heavy steps from the other side of the procession, his eyes sunken and his exhaustion almost tangible.

This pastor, who had followed Solalyn's team on their long journeys, possessed an endurance that was truly exceptional among his peers.

But at this moment, even he looked like he was completely exhausted.

“Solarin, we need to rest.” Mayne’s voice was hoarse as he glanced back at the ranks. “The archers’ quivers are almost empty. Even if the mages and priests are conserving their mana, they’re almost out. We can’t keep pushing ourselves any further.”

Solalyn naturally knew what Mayne was talking about, and she nodded.

"I'm planning to have the team rest on these steps. All I need to do is have people take turns guarding the front and back entrances."

After a brief exchange with Fifteen and Aiding, neither had any objections. Everyone knew that a fierce battle was likely to await them on the fifth floor.

Before that, conserving energy and building up strength is the obvious choice.

Before resting, Solalyn even activated [Vision of Truth] to take a look at the fifth floor, but could only see chaos—the entire fifth floor was filled with mycelium.

Helpless, they could only instruct the soldiers responsible for defense not to let their guard down and to be prepared for possible attacks.

"We can rest now!"—The news was like a refreshing rain. The adventurers' tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and many collapsed to the ground, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Although the church warriors did not make a fuss, their straight backs gradually relaxed, and the tense atmosphere finally eased.

Unfortunately, they wanted to rest, but Lin Jun disagreed.

Nearly a hundred mushroom cannons simultaneously bombarded the defensive barrier at the entrance to the fifth staircase.

Caught completely off guard, the fortress, along with the steadfast soldier, was instantly reduced to ashes.

The shockwave from the explosion even sent a weary adventurer flying, his head slamming heavily to the ground, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

"They're here," Solalyn reminded them, her face grim.

Deep within the dimly lit fifth floor, a fluorescent mushroom cap suddenly lit up.

As if triggering a chain reaction, countless fluorescent lights lit up one after another, and in an instant, a vast ocean of fluorescent light unfolded before everyone's eyes.

Gollum—

This sheer magnitude sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Faced with this scene, one adventurer suddenly despaired and collapsed, curling up in a corner with his head in his hands, muttering pleading words.

Seeing his erratic behavior, the others felt a pang of empathy—in such a desperate situation, it's understandable that he went mad…

Even fifteen's forehead broke out in a cold sweat: "Before we set off... no one told me there would be so many poops..."

As he spoke, his gaze was fixed on the center of the fluorescent ocean, where a fat otaku named Puji stood.

Standing atop the fat otaku mushroom hat is none other than the King of Puji in the eyes of the extermination team: six tentacles flamboyant, a scarlet cloak billowing, a silver pendant hanging from the mushroom hat, and a shield the size of his body on his back—this Puji has actually armed himself to the extreme with human equipment!

(End of this chapter)