This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 654, Section 653: Even in Another World, Tribulations Must Be Overcome.

Deep underground in a peripheral city in the southeastern corner of the empire.

A spatial rift, forcibly torn open, trembled at its edges from time to time, seemingly about to close at any moment under the influence of the world's power, yet it was forcibly maintained in this state by the complex magic array beneath the rift.

White mist continuously poured out from the rift, but instead of dissipating directly to the surroundings, it was bound within the magic circle, swirling downwards along its trajectory into a slowly descending vortex.

The top of the cyclone was shrouded in a white haze, obscuring vision. But as the mist descended, the pure white began to differentiate into various magical halos, lingering at the bottom of the cyclone before finally breaking free and merging into the surrounding environment.

Because of this magic circle, the concentration of magic power here far exceeds that of the dungeon.

Beside the magic circle, a two-colored slime lay comfortably. It was about half a person's height, remaining motionless as it quietly absorbed the dense, almost viscous, magical energy in the air, allowing its body to slowly expand.

It expanded and expanded again until a certain critical point, and with a soft "poof," a small, monochrome slime split off from it and rolled onto the rock.

This cycle continues endlessly.

The Demon King sat not far away.

Several translucent pseudo-feet extended from his wrist, gently touching each newly born slime.

Each touch establishes a faint spiritual connection.

This spiritual connection is almost entirely uncoercive; at best, it can only serve to transmit will and provide guidance.

However, as a superior race of slimes, the slime-men naturally have an absolute advantage in commanding these fellow slimes.

This level of spiritual connection is sufficient.

"As long as there is magic, it can multiply almost infinitely." He put on gloves and gently stroked the two-colored slime he had found by chance. "Even among slimes, your multiplication rate is in a class of its own."

Just then, a slime emerged from a narrow tunnel that even goblins couldn't squeeze through, spitting out a piece of ore mixed with some kind of gemstone onto the ground.

The Demon King glanced down, nodded slightly, picked up the raw ore, gathered his magic power in his palm, separated and refined it, and finally transformed it into the finished material he needed.

Deep within the cave, countless slimes are moving in and out of these narrow passages, carrying ores, crystal clusters, and all sorts of strange materials.

On the other side of the cave, there was a large ceremony that was only half-finished.

Mortis's recent purges have indeed caused some trouble for the Demon King in collecting materials, but ultimately it's just a delaying tactic.

Both rulers of the empires were preparing for their next meeting.

Suddenly, the Demon King stopped what he was doing.

His face, devoid of features, slowly turned to the south. It wasn't just a simple turn of his head; his entire upper body twisted along with it. His body, composed of mucus and nerves, was free of skeletal constraints.

"Later arrivals? That direction... it should be humans, right?"

The voice that came from the hole in his chest was not hostile or contemptuous, but rather curious.

He crossed his arms, gently rubbing his smooth chin with a slender pseudo-foot, assuming a thoughtful posture.

If he had facial features, he would be squinting slightly at this moment.

"Although it will most likely be an enemy, we've come this far, it would be a shame to fall along the way without being able to see the truth."

"Hey, let me help you."

His arm rose slightly, the movement was very light and slow, yet it stirred the magic flowing throughout the cave.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Seven small magic circles emerged layer by layer from the center of his arm, each rotating at a different speed and inscribed with intricate, almost illegible runes. They nested together, forming a unified whole through the Demon King's fluid arm. Then, the Demon King gently tapped the space before him.

The magic in the cave was completely depleted at this point, yet nothing unusual occurred; it was as if something behind the world had been stirred…

……

Norwich.

The magical vortex continues to expand.

That was beyond what a storm could describe.

Centered on Ivan high in the sky, a layer of the entire courtyard's ground was shaving off.

The stone slabs shattered, the soil flew everywhere, and the once beautiful pillars and flower trellises were nowhere to be seen. Only the bare rock bases were left, cracking and rattling in the gale.

Gar, Nova, and the Night Owl have retreated far away and are still retreating further.

Fortunately, the magic vortex was not spreading too quickly, which gave them a chance to retreat.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from ahead, accompanied by angry shouts: "Nova! What the hell are you doing?!"

A middle-aged man wearing half-body armor, his face ashen, the badge on his chest indicating his identity—the captain of the local lord's guard.

The group knew each other and would occasionally have a drink together, but at this moment, the middle-aged man was clearly not going to show any kindness.

"Tell him to stop! This is Norwich, you bastards! Do you want to destroy this city?"

The night owl rolled its eyes and shrank further into the shadows: "If we had a way to make him stop, why would we be running away? Can't you see our own yard is ruined?"

"The lord will not let this go unpunished as you destroy the city!"

"Oh."

Seeing the captain of the guard so angry that he was about to go up and chop down the night owl, Nova quickly stepped forward: "Lens, there's really no other way now, let's prioritize evacuating the crowd!"

"Evacuate my ass! With such a commotion, who wouldn't run? Didn't you see I didn't bring a single person with me? They all ran away!"

Nova scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, while Captain Lens seemed to want to give it a try.

He drew his longsword and held it high above his head, a dazzling magical glow condensing on its blade.

"cut!"

As the captain of the guard drew his sword, the magic on its blade transformed into a sharp crescent moon, flying towards Ivan.

Then, it crashed into the outer magical vortex, and like the other flying sand and stones, it was swept in and disappeared without a trace, having no effect whatsoever.

Captain Lens's eyelids twitched violently. Nova and Gardo consciously looked away, but Night Owl burst out laughing right in front of him, making Lens's expression twitch even more.

Just then, a muffled roar came from high above, as if something had torn a hole in the sky.

Everyone turned around at the same time.

At the eye of the storm, the lightning bolts that had been scattering in all directions began to converge in the same direction, intertwining above Ivan's head to form an increasingly dazzling ball of lightning.

The ball of lightning was no bigger than a fist, but the energy it contained...

This time, not only were Night Owl and his group frightened, but even Lin Jun couldn't hold back anymore.

Do even mages in this world have to undergo tribulations?
(End of this chapter)