Legendary Son-in-Law: The Man with Poison Talismans

Chapter 35 Dung Maggots

Awakened individuals came and went in twos and threes, dressed in all sorts of equipment. Light armor was the most common, but heavy armor and soul armor were more prevalent, along with a few mages in various colored robes. Occasionally, one or two powerful individuals in level 40 heavy armor would pass through the crowd, and the people around them would automatically make way for them, only returning to normal after they had passed.

Stone packed his things and came over, lowering his voice to say, "Brother Lin, our guild members should have already gone in. We need to go find them and meet up."

Lin Mu nodded: "Okay, go in and don't worry about me."

Stone understood what he meant and didn't ask any further questions. After all, the big shot would definitely go directly to the third floor to fight the cult leader.

The four of them walked together toward the cave entrance. The entrance was large, but it was pitch black inside, and they couldn't see anything.

The group took out torches from their storage bags and lit them. The firelight illuminated the area a few steps in front of them, and the group slowly walked inside.

Upon entering the cave, there was a large front hall. The hall was ornately decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and strange reliefs were everywhere, resembling some kind of religious building. The floor was paved with neat stone slabs, and the walls were covered with blue bricks.

Every ten or so steps along the wall was a torch, the contents of which were unknown. The flames never went out, but most of the area was still dark, requiring torches for illumination.

A few bats were flying around in the front hall, and a few maggots were crawling in the corner, but no one coming in or out took a taxi.

Lin Mu took a closer look, but judging from everyone's reactions, the bats here definitely don't drop return scrolls.

At the far end of the front hall, there was a downward stone staircase, surrounded on three sides by a railing of stone pillars. The staircase was wide enough for four or five people to walk side by side, and it was dark, so it was impossible to see what was below. Occasionally, people would go up or down the staircase, their footsteps echoing in the empty hall.

Stone pointed to the stone steps: "Brother Lin, the first level is down from here. We need to find the guild members. You... be careful on your own."

Lin Mu nodded: "You too."

Ah Shui stood behind the stone, the torch in her hand casting flickering light on her small face. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. In the end, she only whispered, "Brother Lin, take care."

The three then disappeared in front of the stone steps.

Lin Mu stood still. He took out the "Monster Atlas" from his Qiankun bag, turned to the page about the Woma Temple, and began to read it by the light of the torch.

Woma Temple, Level 1:

[Dung Maggot, HP 1700, Attack 8-20, Defense 5-18, Magic Defense 5-20. Only appears on floors one and two.]

[Woma Warrior, HP 2100, Attack 20-40, Defense 8-30, Magic Defense 5-20]

[Woma Warrior, HP 2200, Attack 16-42, Defense 8-30, Magic Defense 5-20]

【Flame Worm (Magic attack, high damage), HP 2300, Attack 16-45, Defense 8-20, Magic Resistance 5-30】

Woma Temple Level 2: All four of the above are available, plus the Dark Warrior (ranged attack).

[Dark Warrior, HP 1650, Attack 8-25, Defense 8-20, Magic Defense 12-20. Only appears on the second and third floors.]

Elite monsters:

[Woma Guardian: HP 12000, Attack 30-80, Defense 12-50, Magic Defense 8-30. Mostly appears on the second and third floors, in small numbers, occasionally appearing on the first floor.]

BOSS:

[Woma Leader (appears on the third floor), HP 350000, Attack 50-120, Defense 20-50, Magic Defense 12-40]

Lin Mu stared at the string of numbers for a while before putting the book away.

After descending the stone steps, the light grew even dimmer. The torchlight could only illuminate a few steps ahead; beyond that, everything was pitch black. A damp, musty smell permeated the air, mixed with some indescribable fishy odor, making one's chest feel heavy and uneasy.

Let's try it out on the first floor first. Level it up to level 14 first. While the Poisoning skill isn't very useful, it allows you to lure monsters one by one, which is much safer than charging directly into a mob. The monsters on the first floor aren't too dense, so you can slowly whittle them down. The second floor is different; monsters are clustered together, and there's another wave of spawns at midnight. If you're unlucky enough to get surrounded, several Dark Warriors will focus fire from a distance, and you won't be able to escape.

As Lin Mu walked, he recalled the numbers he had just seen.

The Woma Warriors, Woma Warriors, and Flame Woma have mediocre health and attack power, far inferior to the orc warriors he's fought. The dung maggots are the weakest, but even their names are disgusting.

There's also the Woma Cult Leader, with 350,000 HP.

In the game, the Woma Chief only has 2200 HP. Although he can teleport and go berserk, and there are countless monsters on the third floor, it shouldn't be worth 350000. He licked his lips. Since it's so powerful, its drops must be good too. But now is not the time to think about that. Level up first, level up first.

Just then, a rustling sound came from around the corner ahead.

Lin Mu slowed his pace, pressing the torch down to illuminate only a small area beneath his feet. He pressed himself against the wall and slowly peeked out.

A dung maggot.

(Warning: High-energy content ahead. Please skip if you are sensitive to it.)

It had a chubby body and grayish-yellow skin. It had no eyes, only forelegs, and looked like a seal. Its whole body resembled a piece of bloated fat. It lay sprawled against the wall, its mouth opening and closing incessantly. The worst part was its smell.

Lin Mu smelled it.

Smelly.

It wasn't just any ordinary stench; it was the stench of something that had been rotting for a long time being unearthed, a mixture of acidic water, pus, and some kind of putrid stench that had been fermenting for ten or fifteen days. The moment he smelled it, his stomach churned, and he quickly held his breath, took a half-step back, and covered his nose with the back of his hand.

This thing is a hundred times more disgusting than the one in the game.

A thought suddenly popped into Lin Mu's mind: no wonder these maps had so many monsters yet looked so clean; it turned out something was cleaning them up. The excrement of those Woma Warriors and Woma Soldier was probably from dung maggots…

He then remembered a book his parents had bought him when he was a child called "Monster Tales," which mentioned such things. It said that some wealthy families would raise maggots in their latrines. They would have a sorcerer lure them in with a spell, then throw them into the latrine, and then…

When the time comes, the maggots will naturally betray the mage, freeing up the mage's slot for seduction, allowing them to proceed with the next transaction. This is a common way for many junior mages to make money; otherwise, mages wouldn't even be able to afford magic potions, making them the poorest of the three professions.

Lin Mu looked at the plump maggot in front of him and his lips twitched.

This thing is actually a business.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Lin Mu gripped his iron sword tightly, a thought forming in his mind.

Your weapon has been coated with arsenic.

The iron sword gleamed with a gray light. Lin Mu took a deep breath and emerged from around the corner.

Then he saw it.

The maggot was facing him, its round mouth opening and closing, revealing rings of tiny teeth inside. Blackish stuff was stuck between the teeth, oozing a yellowish-white mucus. A stench ten times stronger than before assaulted his senses, making Lin Mu's eyes sting.

How do I even begin to work on this thing?

If I stab it, will the slime splatter on me? Will it cause my skin to rot? Will I get poisoned if it rots? Will I die from the poison?

The maggots gave him no time to hesitate. Its massive body twisted violently, its head aimed directly at Lin Mu, and its round mouth suddenly contracted, closing tightly like an anal sphincter. Then it suddenly spewed out a powerful spray.

puff!

A clump of yellowish-brown paste sprayed out of the maggot's mouth, carrying a stench that could make a person faint, and slammed down on Lin Mu.

"Hold!"

Lin Mu cursed and rolled to the side. The clump of paste grazed his shoulder and splattered against the wall behind him with a loud thud, leaving a large patch of yellowish-brown stain on the wall, emitting wisps of white smoke and a hissing sound of corrosion.

Chapter 36 Flame Worm

Lin Mu's face turned green.

This isn't just a description, it's utter filth.

The maggot missed its first attack, then twisted its body and aimed at Lin Mu again. Its mouth began to contract once more.

Lin Mu dared not hesitate any longer. He covered his nose and went around it from the side. The dung beetle's body was fat and heavy, and it turned very slowly. By the time it finally turned around, Lin Mu had already gone around to its side.

He raised his iron sword and thrust it down.

puff.

-2

The maggot's body suddenly shrank, and a grayish-green light spread from the sword tip. -15, -15, -15... floated overhead.

The maggot, in pain, writhed wildly, its mouth aimed at Lin Mu again. Lin Mu was prepared and took two steps back. The yellowish-brown paste-like substance flew past his feet and landed with a thud further away.

Lin Mu continued circling it. The maggots followed him, but at a pitifully slow pace; each time they just got in line, Lin Mu had already moved to another direction.

He discovered that this thing's spray distance was much farther than in the game, and the attack range expanded with distance, spreading out in a radial pattern. Fortunately, it wasn't a true ranged attack; after each spray, there was a several-second cooldown before the next one could be launched. Moreover, after the sprayed material landed, it would automatically disappear after a while, turning into a wisp of pale yellow smoke that dissipated into the air.

Otherwise, the entire Woma Temple would have been a cesspool long ago.

Lin Mu circled around halfway again, the poison dissipated, and seizing the opportunity, he delivered a finishing blow.

puff.

-3

……

The poison was still pulsating. But the maggots' struggles were growing weaker and weaker.

In less than six minutes, the maggots finally stopped moving.

[Gained 280 experience points]

After killing the maggots, Lin Mu continued walking forward.

The passageway was much wider than he had imagined. The ground was paved with neat stone slabs, unlike the cramped and narrow passageway in the game; there was even enough room for ten people to walk side by side.

After rounding a bend, two figures appeared ahead.

Woma Warrior. His skin was a dull, yellowish-brown, as rough as sandpaper. He held a three-pronged fork in his hand, with the fork tips pointing downwards. He took one step and dragged another, the sound of metal scraping against stone slabs was harsh and muffled.

The Woma Warrior. Completely black, he carries a long-handled hammer with a spiked iron ball at the head, connected to the handle by an iron chain. With each step, the chain rattles.

Two monsters walked side by side, blocking most of the passage.

Lin Mu did not retreat. He gripped his iron sword tightly, and as they drew near, he suddenly accelerated and charged forward. Just as the fork and hammer swung at the same time, he ducked down abruptly, rolled, and slipped between the Woma Warrior's legs.

The creature's legs were thick and long, with enough space between its legs for a person to squeeze through. However, the empty crotch made Lin Mu think to himself, "Such a big thing, what a waste." The Woma Warrior's fork missed its mark, and the Woma Warrior's hammer slammed into the ground with a loud crash, sending stone chips flying.

Lin Mu just got up from behind them.

The two monsters turned around at the same time. The Woma Warrior's fork swept across, and the Woma Soldier's hammer swung up as well.

Lin Mu didn't take the blow head-on. The hammer was movable; when the chain swung, the hammerhead could bend, making it impossible to block. He jumped back, the fork tip grazing his chest, and the hammerhead slammed into the spot where he had just stood, creating another crater.

He turned and ran, leading the two monsters in circles through the passage. They were large, with long legs and big strides, but they moved slowly. Lin Mu, on the other hand, was much smaller and more agile.

After running two laps, he discovered an easier way to play.

Just do it.

The Woma Warrior's fork lunged at him, and Lin Mu dove directly under its crotch, emerging from the other side. The Woma Warrior's fork missed its mark, and when it looked down, Lin Mu was gone. Before it could react, Lin Mu had already circled around from behind to the Woma Warrior's side.

The Woma warrior swung its hammer, the chains rattling, and Lin Mu rolled over, crawling between its legs. The hammer slammed into the ground, sending up a spray of gravel that didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

He darted between the two monsters like an eel, impossible to catch. Each time he slipped past, a sword flashed out.

puff.