This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 281, Section 280: Threat
In the training ground, blurry figures kept pouring in.

With each punch Galen threw, he shattered a figure into pieces.

After crushing two more figures, suddenly no new enemies appeared.

The familiar training ground had changed its style at some point, as if it were inside a giant mushroom.

On the high platform, fluorescent lights illuminated the silhouette of a walking mushroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Great Mushroom Arena! Tonight, our 'Star Gladiator'—the pride of the Empire, the demonic warrior, Galen!—will once again demonstrate his 'unbreakable will'! Let's see how long he can hold out!"

As soon as the words "Puji" were spoken, the solid ground beneath Galen's feet suddenly softened and cracked.

With a ferocious sound of roots breaking through the soil, several enormous tree demons, their bodies covered in crazy red veins, roared and crawled out!

Thanks to Lin Jun's frequent use, her [Mental Guidance] skill has now reached level four, allowing for more variations.

Like Galen, whose dream is based on a martial arts arena battle, Lin Jun can transform the martial arts arena into a similar gladiator arena, replacing the emerging shadowy enemies with monsters from Lin Jun's imagination.

Of course, anything too outrageous won't work either, as it will have the opposite effect.

Ultimately, this is a battle of spirit and soul; all appearances serve only to guide, suggest, or, as is the case now, break down the other's defenses.

"With this rotten wood?"

Facing the oncoming mad tree demon, Galen roared and, without dodging or avoiding, unleashed a powerful punch with his iron fist covered in magic runes!

Wood chips and blood flew everywhere, and with each impact, Galen bled even more profusely, but he still managed to tear these enormous enemies apart.

More and more tree spirits followed one after another, and a brutal and primal struggle unfolded in the arena, with the black light of the magic runes clashing fiercely with the frenzied red light on the tree spirits' trunks.

Despite repeated injuries, Galen fought with increasing ferocity, and eventually, he was the only one left standing on the field.

A splattering sound rang out at just the right moment: "Tsk tsk, the appetizer didn't seem quite right? No problem! We've got more to come! The next dish—the buzzing death!"

Next, the venomous giant bee and the two-headed flying snake sprayed with corrosive liquid took turns appearing.

Galen fought until he was covered in wounds, but he still did not fall.

The slurred sound carried a hint of barely perceptible helplessness: "Incredible tenacity... but the best is always the last! Are you ready for... the final, fateful battle?!"

The light in the entire arena suddenly dimmed, and on the highest and most magnificent viewing platform, space distorted, and a ferocious figure several meters tall slowly emerged.

It's much larger and more oppressive than it actually is!

Little Black, the ultimate enhanced version!

Those savage golden vertical pupils were fixed on Galen's figure in the center of the arena.

Roar--! ! !
After a heart-shaking dragon roar, Little Black moved!

The enormous body vanished from its original spot as if it had been teleported!
The spot where Galen stood, along with the sand around him, was slammed down by a terrifying attack!

The shockwave exploded in a ring, whipping up dust and sand waves tens of meters high, and crashing towards the surrounding stands with devastating force!

However, as the smoke and dust settled... in the center of the giant crater, Galen knelt on one knee, his hands crossed and firmly held above his head!
The scales covering his arms, which were covered with extreme magic patterns, shattered, revealing bleeding flesh and bone, and half of his body was embedded in the cracked, hard rock!
But he held on!

Xiao Hei's giant claw hovered just an inch above his head, but he managed to block it with his severely injured body!

"That's it?!" A hoarse roar, filled with unyielding madness, echoed through the deathly silent arena. "Not...enough!!!"

Afterwards, no matter how violently Xiao Hei ravaged him, Galen never fell or gave in, until... the first glimmer of light appeared on the horizon.

Dreams are like faded oil paintings, distorted, blurred, and finally vanishing completely...

As expected, it wasn't that easy to break through their defenses.

It could even be said that Gallon's mental strength was much higher than he had expected.

In a pitch-black, cold underground cell, illuminated only by a few dim fluorescent mushrooms, Galen awoke from a deep "sleep." The intense pain emanating from all parts of his body quickly reminded him of his current situation.

Galen's eyes were bloodshot and weary, but there was no trace of fear.

His limbs, shoulders, waist, and abdomen were pierced and immobilized by the puffy tentacles covered in hard rock armor, leaving him only able to maintain a humiliating kneeling position, unable to move.

"Mental magic?" Galen glanced sideways at the silent Puji beside him and let out a hoarse sneer. "Heh...it really suits a treacherous coward like you who hides behind puppets and only dares to peek out from behind!"

A footstep sounded in the dungeon, and Hunt came to stand before Galen.

“Demon descendants of the Empire,” Hunt’s voice was low, “what exactly do you want? Why are you resorting to killing at the slightest disagreement?”

Upon hearing the question, Galen remained silent for nearly half a minute before asking in return, "Grey... didn't collude with you?"

After catching the fleeting look of confusion and doubt in Hunt's eyes, Galen understood.

However, he did not regret sending back the message accusing Gray in the end. He felt that Gray's flawed intelligence had played a significant role in his current predicament.
What? Only one and a half diamond-level combat power?
That black dragon man, those walking mushrooms—they weren't mentioned at all!
After cursing Gray countless times in his mind, Galen finally raised his eyelids and gave Hunt a cold glance.

"Heh, what good would it do to tell you? Can't you guess for yourselves?" He said mockingly. "For the demon race, what else besides the demon core is worth going to such lengths for?"

His suspicions were confirmed, and Shou's expression darkened considerably.

Seeing this, Galen grinned, his blood-stained lips twisted into a grotesque smile: "Defeat me...so what? You'll be facing the entire empire's demonic offspring! Even the empire itself! That dragon-man? What do you have to fight the empire with? The more you resist...the more miserable your end will be!"

"Release me now, bring your people and the magic core back to the Empire, and I can pretend none of this ever happened!"

“Or you can kill me now!” He stared into Shou’s eyes, enunciating each word clearly, “and then watch your tribe be wiped out because of your stupidity and stubbornness!”

Hunt didn't answer, but instead shifted his gaze to Galen's shoulder, where a voice scurried up.
"Tsk tsk tsk," the sticky, distorted voice, filled with exaggerated admiration, gave Galen the ultimate whispering experience. "I didn't realize you, with your brute appearance, could be so smooth-talking! Come on, tell me just how strong your Empire's demonic descendants really are? If you scare me, maybe I'll actually... surrender?"

Even with his body restrained, Galen couldn't help but get goosebumps all over.

However, after Lin Jun spoke, he knew that there was no hope of persuading him to surrender, so he simply shut his mouth and adopted an attitude of closing his eyes and waiting for death, and being impervious to reason.

Feeling bored after receiving no response, Lin Jun passed the buck to Louisa, who was more interested in the matter.

Anyway, Lin Jun's main reason for capturing him wasn't for intelligence, but for that [Physical Resistance LV10].

As for the imperial threat that Galen mentioned, Lin Jun didn't really take it to heart.

The far north, anyone can come here!
A large army is almost impossible, so let's use elites.

If they're not strong enough, they'll just be easy prey; if they're too strong, Lin Jun can simply take the entire Demon Tribe and hide in her hometown!
Back home, there are lightning strikes, battle puppets, and even humans. If you dare, come over!
Of course, if a powerful player with an incredibly strong, level-less skill were to appear, Lin Jun would immediately sew up the rift connecting to the far north completely!

Ultimately, the far north is just a branch base; the most valuable asset is the demon race that can be relocated at any time.

Lin Jun didn't care if she had a way out.

The only slight pity is that Lin Jun originally planned to be good friends with the demons as well.

Judging from the current situation, this goal seems a bit difficult.

(End of this chapter)