This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 373, Section 372: An Unexpected Attack

In the abyss beneath the sacred tree.

Gollum-

"I'm so hungry... Is there really nothing to eat here?"

Listening to his companion's desperate complaints, Salian, who was lying on the ground, had a thought flash through his mind: there really was a plump Puji wandering around in the darkness.

However, it's obviously best not to bring this up at this time.

After a long rest, the three of them finally managed to recover from the mental shock of that chaotic information.

Salian got up and walked toward another information cube of a suitable size in the distance.

However, a weary voice came from behind:

"I'm telling you... stop torturing yourselves. We've been struggling for so long, and all we've found are fragmented images and no useful information. The three of us trying to find a way out of this massive array of blocks is just wishful thinking. Besides, who can even guarantee there's a way out at all?"

The experience of being overwhelmed by the information deluge and losing consciousness still haunted him, and coupled with the lack of any results, the elven mage had already given up hope.

Salian understood the logic in his words, but still replied, "We should at least try."

Captain Eco didn't even bother to reply, merely casting a slightly contemptuous glance before turning and walking toward another information cube.

This silent response made the mage somewhat embarrassed, and he couldn't help but say again, "So what if we really found a way? Even the master needs so much time to prepare to activate teleportation, and we don't have any casting materials on hand. You're not naive enough to think that just touching the block will teleport you out, are you?"

Salian ignored him and reached straight for the cube in front of him.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the surface of the cube, the surrounding space suddenly rippled!

When the three of them looked up again, they were greeted by a magnificent sunset.

"It's out! Well done, Salian!" Eko was the first to react, shouting excitedly.

Salian looked bewildered: "No... I haven't..."

But Eko had no time to listen; he dashed towards the camp like an arrow: "Time is of the essence! You all need to catch up quickly!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared into the twilight.

Eco, running at full speed, was simply too fast for the other two to keep up with.

Salian quickly scanned his surroundings, picked up the crooked-hatted Puji who had been teleported out with him, and rushed over as fast as he could. He had to find his sister immediately!

The mage who was lagging behind opened his mouth, too embarrassed to say anything, and could only hurry up and catch up.

When Eko returned to camp first, the elven rangers were in chaos due to the sudden closure of the Focusing Barrier and the disappearance of their temporary commander, Seldan.

However, the commotion subsided the moment Eco appeared.

He summoned a trusted subordinate, briefly inquired about the situation, and immediately ordered the rangers to retreat to the surface in an orderly manner, and commanded that if they saw Seldan, they should immediately detain him.

He did not explain the reason, and his subordinates did not ask any further questions.

As for the news of Chief Mage Iros's rebellion, Eko did not disclose it here to avoid causing confusion and affecting the evacuation.

After making these arrangements, Eko set off alone again, rushing towards the underground city exit with extraordinary speed—he was in a hurry to make a few holes in that bastard Iros!

Salian arrived at the camp two minutes after Eko left.

However, just as the Ranger Force began its orderly withdrawal, an unexpected attack struck!
……

The elves left, but Lin Jun did not leave that space.

Firstly, even if one wanted to go out now, it wouldn't be easy to do so.

It would be best to wait until the elven ranger forces have all withdrawn before letting Pelagal take the prisoners back.

As for Puji, he'll stay here!
I should at least read through all the information blocks here, and then go back and see if there's an opportunity to gain more control.

Although there is a "legitimate administrator" in this dungeon, judging from the fact that the dungeon is named after him "Esogar," this administrator probably has far more complete control over the dungeon than Lin Jun, a newcomer to the industry.

But since the other party was currently dozing off, Lin Jun, with the simple mindset of "finding something is a gain, and failure is no loss," worked even harder to search for other possible switches within the Divine Tree's consciousness interface. Lin Jun didn't intend to get too involved in the internal conflicts among the elves.

But... the bark of the sacred tree seems to be getting redder and redder?
At a certain moment, the panel of the sacred tree changed.

[Status: Dormant, Frenzied]

Lin Jun: ...

Crazy in his sleep?

Soon, Lin Jun witnessed how Shenmu went mad in his sleep.

The forest... has come back to life!
……

An elven ranger is nimbly weaving through the branches of a giant tree, attempting to traverse the woodland quickly.

However, the surrounding branches, like wildly dancing tentacles, frantically lashed out and entangled at him.

The swordsman's scimitar transformed into a flash of silver light, severing all the attacking branches.

But no matter where he landed, the attacks continued relentlessly.

With his physical strength and energy being continuously depleted, at one point he failed to notice a small twig under his feet, and his ankle was instantly wrapped tightly!
At this critical moment, a druid quickly stepped forward, cast nature magic, temporarily calmed and dispersed the surrounding branches, and rescued his seriously injured companion.

They had just escaped danger when the branches broke free of their control and attacked them violently again.

Similar scenes were playing out simultaneously throughout the forest.

"Get away from the trees! Don't stay up there! Come to this open space!" the elf commander shouted through amplification magic.

In a very short time, red veins spread from the roots all over the giant tree, and then the retreating elven rangers were attacked and suffered heavy losses in an instant.

It wasn't that the wandering knights were careless, but rather that this completely took everyone by surprise.

These giant trees are not migratory trees; they shouldn't have the ability to control their branches like this, and they certainly couldn't be infected with madness!
After suffering more than twenty casualties, the elves, led by their commander, quickly cleared an area and built a temporary defensive line against the rocks.

After that, although roots still occasionally attacked from underground, they could no longer cause new casualties to the alert elves.

To be fair, these suddenly activated giant trees are not particularly strong.

Lacking combat skills, they relied entirely on their massive size and surprise attacks to inflict heavy losses on the elves.

Although it can move slowly after activation, it is far less fast and threatening than the migratory tree.

Even a Silver-level Ranger can take down a single plant by themselves through hit-and-run tactics, given enough time.

The problem is, however, that such giant trees are everywhere!

Skilled individuals might be able to escape using their speed and agility, but the Elven Rangers' troops were trapped here.

The elf in charge of command didn't even let the team try to attack.

In the current situation, logistics are no longer a viable option.

We still have arrows and potions, but if we launch an offensive, we'll run out of them after just one or two more floors.

The commander was unaware of the situation in other areas and dared not take any rash actions.

They could only send out a few skilled scouts, while the main force found a good position and defended it, taking advantage of the terrain.

Judging from the information brought back by the scouts afterward, it was undoubtedly the right decision.

Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, some elite elves even reached the twelfth floor, only to encounter giant trees that had come to life!
Based on this, it can be inferred that the entire underground city may have mutated.

The worst-case scenario...

The elven commander was helpless; now they could only hold their ground and wait for reinforcements.

However, what they did not know was that the mutations were not limited to the giant trees in the underground city; the entire Elf Forest was now in great turmoil!

(End of this chapter)