This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 357, Section 356: The Successful

The empire was clearly plotting something big in secret, and Lin Jun really wanted to get involved, hoping to take advantage of the chaos and reap some unexpected benefits.

However, the dwarven kingdom was far too far from his sphere of influence.

There is indeed a dungeon related to elemental creatures within the dwarven territory, but it has never been connected to Lin Jun's dungeon, making it beyond their reach.

Damn it, I have intelligence but I can't use it, it's so frustrating!
As for the idea of ​​leaking intelligence to humans and then having them warn the dwarves to sabotage the Empire's plans... it only flashed through his mind before he rejected it.

Doing so would not only bring him no real benefit, but would also predictably lead to a lot of trouble.

Such a losing proposition—whether it benefits others or strangers—was never within his consideration.

Putting aside these considerations that couldn't be implemented for the time being, Lin Jun's long-awaited "takeout" finally arrived.

……

Inside the shed of a disguised, unassuming large truck, the sorcerer Valen was surveying the outside scenery.

He was not good at stealth, nor did he possess the skill of disguise, and he even only knew a few words of human language!

Fortunately, His Highness the Duke had already made arrangements for these technical issues.

The leader was a professional spy skilled in this field. His superb disguise skills, combined with the hidden magic array in the carriage that could interfere with low-level detection magic and props, formed a protective umbrella for the dozen or so of them as they traveled through human territory.

Of course, this level of disguise would be far from enough to pass the entry checks of human cities.

Fortunately, their destination was not any city, but a desolate, uninhabited place, where they would not need to pass through any checkpoints.

The biggest trouble we've encountered along the way hasn't come from regular human patrols, but rather from those bandits!

Their disguised identity as an expedition team composed of scholars and students usually garnered basic respect and caution when encountering patrol teams, avoiding many unnecessary accidents.

But in the eyes of the bandits, this group was nothing more than a piece of delicious meat.

Taking out a few bandits wasn't difficult; the challenge lay in thoroughly cleaning up all traces of the battle, ensuring no clues might reveal their demonic identities. This process was far more tedious than the killing itself.

Fortunately, the situation gradually improved as the convoy ventured deeper into human-inhabited territory.

Especially after large patches of white fungal carpet began to appear in the surrounding environment, the bandits almost disappeared, and the journey became smooth.

According to the team leader, this is partly because the area has achieved abundant food through mushroom cultivation, and lacks the conditions to breed large-scale bandits.

On the other hand, it is because a new type of adventurer profession called "Puji Master" is extremely efficient, completely squeezing out the living space of traditional bandits.

Even today, there may still be a few petty criminals in this area who rob and kill on impulse, but they usually don't target large convoys like this.

"Puji Master" Valen had also witnessed it, but to be honest, he really didn't understand what kind of fighting power he could have with some walking mushrooms.

Even if it's mutated, it's still a walking mushroom!
Moreover, as Valen listened to the team leader's introduction, a question arose in his mind: Why didn't the Empire try to destroy these high-yield mushroom fields and plunge humanity into a food shortage?

Could this be the purpose of my mission?

But then I thought, if we really wanted to sabotage food production, there was no need to use these highly unstable evil sorcerers. The high-level apothecaries under the empire could easily concoct more effective and covert poisons or withering agents, which would be more effective and harder to trace.

He posed this question to the team leader, but unfortunately the team leader knew nothing about it and was simply following orders.

The carriage eventually stopped in a clearing in the woods. The journey to their destination required traversing a dense forest, impassable by vehicle; the rest of the way would have to be covered on foot.

However, just as they were about to reach their destination, the group was unexpectedly stopped by a human.

"Stop! You can't go any further!"

It was a rather young-looking human male, equipped with leather armor, carrying weapons, and wearing a uniform that was clearly from an adventurers' guild.

However, the emblem he wore on his chest was not the usual sword and shield, but a striking mushroom hat design.

The spy leading the group stepped forward, a gentle and harmless smile on his face, and displayed a badge: "Hello. Are you a friend of the 'Puji Master Professional Association'? We are a team of scholars from the Relics Association, and we need to go to the area ahead to conduct some necessary research."

The young man scratched his head, glanced at Valen and the others—they were dressed in travel-worn but scholarly attire—and his attitude became noticeably more respectful: "Uh... yes. The stone forest area ahead isn't safe right now. Are you going there to conduct some specific research?"

"We hope to enter and observe and record closely to complete an important ecological study." The team leader's voice remained gentle, but behind him, the hand that had been hanging down silently began to mutate, gradually transforming into a deadly claw. "Did the guild issue a ban on entry? If we need to report or apply for permission, we can wait here."

The young man tried hard to recall the details of the mission he had received, then shook his head: "There's no explicit prohibition... The guild just told us to remind and dissuade those who are unaware of the situation from going in too easily. The main reason is that there are special puji inside that can release a weak petrification energy. Although the effect is not strong, long-term exposure is still risky. You all need to be extra careful."

Seeing the young man make way, the leader's claws quickly transformed back into human hands.

After thanking the young man, the group continued on their way.

After continuing their journey for a short while, the group witnessed a bizarre sight. It wasn't the petrified land and trees, but rather the petrified poop here!

For example, there was a puji stone statue in front of Valen, which was standing on one leg with one short leg, while the other short leg was comically raised, and four mycelial tentacles were ingeniously intertwined on the top of the mushroom cap to form a heart shape.

There are quite a few similar strangely shaped stone statues everywhere you look.

"Who...did this?" a sorcerer muttered under his breath, the scene too bizarre.

Puff——

A soft thud as a bird passed by caught everyone's attention.

The seemingly ordinary creature, Puji, darted among the stone forest, causing slight ripples to appear on the magical shields around everyone, a result of the petrification rays.

However, the amount of fossilized material is indeed quite small, and it is almost impossible to petrify without long-term exposure to this environment.

Apart from the Puji, there are no other animal-like monster statues in this stone forest.

However, Valen quickly returned to his business.

They were divided into three groups and each group entered one of the three different underground chambers.

"So it really is based on ability..." another evil sorcerer in the same group muttered a complaint that reminded Valen.

He looked around and realized that everyone in his group was a "newbie" like him, with a [Abyss Magic] level of only LV3 or lower.

This discovery plunged his heart into despair.

This means that they were assigned to perform what was clearly the most insignificant and least rewarding part of the entire ceremony.

Even if the mission succeeds, these low-level evil mages will likely find it difficult to gain recognition and deserved rewards upon their return to the empire...

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, his heart filled with resentment.

Nevertheless, Valen and his team completed the drawing of the abyss magic circle of unknown purpose in the secret chamber as required, and successfully activated it.

Even after the light of the magic circle completely dimmed, they still didn't know what function the magic circle had served.

"Did we fail?" Valen felt even more uneasy, and an ominous premonition lingered in his heart.

As they nervously left the secret room, led by their equally grim-faced leader, they discovered that only their group had followed them out.

So they failed and were kicked out?

Valen pleaded, "Give us...give us another chance! Let me check the magic array again; I'm sure I can find the problem!"

The team leader glanced at him with a strange look, paused for a moment before realizing his misunderstanding, and explained stiffly, "No, it's not your problem. What you set up should be three interconnected magic arrays... I'm not entirely sure about the specific principles, but clearly, the other two groups made a fatal mistake... Would you like to go and 'take a look'?"

Valen suddenly realized what was happening. The horrific scene of his past ritual failing and six slaves being blown to pieces in the secret chamber flashed through his mind. His stomach churned, and he shook his head vigorously, resolutely refusing this "kind offer."

The group then silently followed the leader, deliberately avoiding the area where they had encountered the young Puji Master, and returned to the hidden carriage.

And so, as if he had done something, yet as if he had done nothing at all, Valen embarked on his journey back to the Empire.

He, like the other few surviving low-level evil sorcerers in the vehicle, was filled with anxiety, completely unaware of what fate awaited them.

The complete annihilation of the other two groups once again proved in a bloody way that the path of evil sorcerers is unreliable and high-risk. These "losers" who were lucky enough to survive will most likely be abandoned by their superiors.
For Valen, being abandoned meant being unable to repay his enormous debts, meant that those ruthless creditors would come knocking on his door, and then... he dared not think any further.

However, he did not know that what awaited him was not abandonment.

Upon his return, he will receive the promised resources to improve his mediocre spellcasting level.

And their success will spread throughout the evil sorcerer community, and soon, Duke Sigismund will issue a similar recruitment order a second time...

……

[Seven Sins of Greed Trigger]

[Plunder Skill: Abyss Magic LV4]

That's still too little; I barely made it to LV4!

According to the ancient notes inherited from Margas, one needs to reach at least LV7 spellcasting level to actively open the void leading to the abyss.

He needs more and better sorcerers to contribute their knowledge and experience!
However, LV4 is enough to try some simple basic applications, and Lin Jun plans to personally experience the taste of this abyss magic.

(End of this chapter)