This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 372, Section 371: Insufficient Awareness
Blood kept spilling from the corner of Serdan's mouth, and the excruciating pain in his abdomen almost devoured him.

As a mage, he was caught off guard and ambushed at close range by a ranger whose strength was already superior to his own, leaving him no time to react.

However, what was even more heart-wrenching than the physical pain was the shock of being betrayed by a close friend.

He gripped Perrager's arrow-wielding arm tightly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the other, and with all his might, he forced out a question through clenched teeth: "Why...?"

"All of this... is for the great cause of 'Boss'..."

But as he said those words, two lines of tears uncontrollably slid down Peragel's face.

"What...what am I doing? No...I have to do this, it's all for...for..."

Perrager took two steps back in a daze, then released his hand and covered his head, seemingly caught in a violent inner struggle.

Serdan's eyes widened in shock, then he seemed to understand something.

He endured the excruciating pain, ignoring even the treatment of his own wounds, and unhesitatingly cast spells on Peragel one after another!

"Awakening Technique!"

"Willpower Protection!"

"Purification Technique!"

He didn't know if these spells would work, after all, he wasn't a rare mental mage, and he could only try his best to break the control.

Not far away, Puji, who was focused on setting up a magical ritual, showed no reaction whatsoever.

For Lin Jun, Perrager's life or death was entirely in his hands.

Even though complete parasitism would reduce its combat power, it could still obey commands. And the heavily injured Serdan probably couldn't even handle this Puji now.

From the moment he was stabbed, he was no longer a threat to Lin Jun.

but……

Seeing Perrager's struggling appearance, Lin Jun was truly speechless.

Can a few words or actions really awaken one's willpower?

Is it because I wasn't using professional hypnosis techniques?
Or was it that Pelager's willpower was too strong?

A completely parasitic puppet is far inferior to one that retains some self-awareness, both in terms of combat power and agility.

If possible, Lin Jun did not want to lose Peragel, a high-quality combatant who could move freely in the elven territory, right now.

Left with no other option, Lin Jun had to personally guide this confused "child": "Peragher, there's no need to be confused! All of this is for that great cause!"

"For...a great cause?" Pelagel unconsciously repeated the words in his mind. "What...great cause?"

???

Why are there so many questions?
How did Lin Jun know about her great achievements?
But this answer seems very important to Perrager. If he doesn't get a clear goal, things might get out of control, and he'll just have to let things completely turn sour.

In half a second, a goal that sounded noble enough was quickly woven:
"Everything is for saving this world! Iros and Serdan's paths are wrong. Only by following in my footsteps can we change that predetermined future!"

Is there any greater "great undertaking" than saving the world?

Moreover, this goal should align well with the ideals of former "Ark" members.

“Yes… save this world…” Sure enough, after accepting this premise, Pelagal’s emotions gradually calmed down, and the confusion in his eyes began to fade.

However, Serdan would not sit idly by and wait for his doom!
He could only kneel down and, with his last bit of strength, grab the corner of Pelagal's cloak, leaving a bright red mark on it with his blood-stained hand!

“You can kill me if you want… I don’t care!” he gasped, each word laced with blood. “Without you, I would have died countless times already! But… Pelagal! Wake up! Don’t act like a fool under a low-level illusion, letting yourself be manipulated!” Pelagal looked at his dear friend at his feet, his hand holding the blood-stained arrow trembling uncontrollably.

"What are you still hesitating for?" Lin Jun's voice echoed in his mind. "This is all for saving the world! These are just 'necessary sacrifices'..."

However, it is clear that Peragel's awareness is far from reaching that level.

He showed strong resistance when the person to be sacrificed was his closest friend with whom he had shared life and death.

Seeing this, Lin Jun had no choice but to change her strategy.

Tell him that Serdan is simply blinded by Iros's flawed theories. Keep him in check for now, and once he witnesses the "truth" firsthand, he will naturally awaken to the truth, just as Perragal himself experienced!
This explanation finally made sense to Perrager.

Under Serdan's desperate gaze, Perrager was no longer confused. He swung a chop to the neck, knocking his best friend unconscious.

……

Meanwhile, Puji on the other side wasn't idle either.

It has already set up a simple abyssal magic ritual.

As the ritual began, a crack was indeed torn open in the consciousness of the sacred tree.

It's an environment somewhat similar to our own crystal core, but not exactly the same!

This rift in consciousness cannot be used for direct physical teleportation; instead, it provides Lin Jun with an entry point to "find the permission switch" inside the sacred tree.

The far more complex abyss magic that Iros used before was clearly a carefully tuned "official version".

Lin Jun can only rely on herself to figure things out slowly now.

Fortunately, the available permissions here are not as numerous as those in the Crystal Core, which are like stars in the sky.

Perhaps because most permissions are still blocked, there are quite a few options to try, but they are at least within an acceptable range.

Lin Jun decisively plunged her consciousness into it and began to explore, and her actions were very "rough".

In her own underground city, Lin Jun would wait a long time after touching each button, carefully observing what changes had occurred throughout the entire underground city.

If things go wrong, Lin Jun will immediately restore it to its original state, fearing that she might accidentally press some "dungeon self-destruct" button and blow up all her years of hard work.

The Divine Tree Underground City isn't your own home. Even now, access to it is only possible because the Divine Tree administrator is in a dormant state. It's like sneaking into someone else's house through a window to find the key.

Being in a hurry was obviously more important, and Lin Jun didn't care if something got damaged.

Lin Jun tried all the controllable options she saw, using them in batches and then observing the results.

But soon, the side effects appeared.

The large barrier above the Divine Tree Underground City, which had been absorbing sunlight to illuminate the underground city, suddenly stopped.

For a moment, except for the edge of the spiral where there was still some natural light, most of the underground city was plunged into darkness.

Only some mushrooms were still glowing...

However, there are advantages to a rough search!

In a split second, Plop! Pelagal and Serdan vanished from their spot and reappeared in the Abyss Space.

Lin Jun has found the "switch"!

(End of this chapter)