Skills, although omnipresent, still appear mysterious to Lin Jun.

Take, for example, this [Nightmare Incarnation].

When used by the half-vampire, it was clearly a transformation skill, but when applied to the Puki, it became a fixed form.

However, the half-vampire evidently utilized its own blood powers during transformation, leading Lin Jun to speculate whether the Puki lacked blood power, causing the skill to retain only partial effect?

Skills that mutated due to intrinsic traits have been encountered before; the most typical one is [Assimilation Absorption], which transformed from absorbing flesh to absorbing mycelium.

This should count as some form of adaptability.

Then, regarding flight, Lin Jun conducted more experiments.

Two identical Pukis with bat wings stood side by side.

Though there was no visible difference, a closer look at their stats revealed that one had the skill [Nightmare Incarnation Level 1], while the other was a plain Puki.

The plain Puki was painstakingly modeled by Lin Jun over half a day based on the bat-winged Puki.

There was no other intention than to see if it could fly without relying on skills.

Lin Jun first controlled the skilled Puki to fly around and then, using that feeling, managed the plain Puki.

After several failed attempts, it really took flight!

But it was noticeably more strenuous; each wing beat required more effort, as if lacking some aid.

Additionally, if Lin Jun did not control it, this plain Puki simply couldn't take off.

The Puki's intelligence is not high, with actions largely driven by instinct; being unable to fly indicates no innate flight instinct.

Thus, it seems skills can bestow this flight instinct to Puki, much like how having [Precision] makes hitting a target easier.

In such a case, it might be possible to devise some tricks without relying on skills, but for large-scale implementation on Puki, the support of skills cannot be foregone.

Of course, these so-called theories are limited to relatively simple domains; it's sheer nonsense to attempt creating a Mushroom Cannon without skills.

Having completed these small tests, Lin Jun checked the progress of the trap room's construction—almost finished.

The so-called trap room is a little love nest newly created by Lin Jun for the Yellow-covered Book.

Previously, Lin Jun's plan to excavate the Underground City failed, encountering a transparent wall, which Lin Jun has now decided to utilize.

Since the transparent wall is collapse-proof and blast-resistant, it might as well be used for the trap room.

A small team of construction Pukis is now making the final adjustments at the transparent wall area.

The originally cramped space has expanded into a complete underground structure, with the mycelium and rock perfectly fused into arched walls inlaid with glowing spores, enveloping the entire space in a pale cyan halo.

The entire basement has eight pillars.

The transparent ceiling technically doesn't require support, so these pillars are actually disguises, each being a shell encasing four Self-Destructive Pukis to ensure ample power.

On a stone altar-like pedestal at the very back, the Yellow-covered Book rests peacefully, resembling a reward item after defeating a boss.

The stone pedestal is also a Self-Destructive Puki as they are cheap and effective...

The Yellow-covered Book presumably has no objection to its new home.

Of course, it can't solely rely on Self-Destructive Pukis, so Lin Jun also placed several newly crafted Elite Pukis as guards here.

Compared to regular Pukis, Elite Pukis not only possess more skills, but also have substantial attribute differences.

For instance, melee-type Elite Pukis have their Power, Agility, and Constitution attributes boosted to 40 by Lin Jun.

For ranged types, Intelligence and Agility are set to 40, while Constitution is kept at 30.

Three to four Elite Pukis are enough for the trap room.

At that point, a layer of stone will seal the entrance outside, turning the trap room into a hidden chamber.

Adventurers mingling around this cave aren't usually high-leveled, and even if they accidentally stumbled into the trap room, they'd be forced back by the guardian Pukis.

If it's a Demon Race visit, where Elite Pukis can't fend them off, then let the Self-Destructive Pukis blow them all up.

Even if they survive, the time it'll take to retreat will suffice for Lin Jun to rally Pukis outside the cave to block the entrance.

The reason for the strenuous effort to relocate the Yellow-covered Book there is to prevent Demons from frequently causing trouble in the Mushroom Forest, ruining the staff break area.

Lin Jun's trap room plan and Elite Puki strategy both progressed smoothly; however, the plan to extend a fungal mat from the sixth-floor rift straight to the Deep Area wasn't as successful.

The rift walls were exceptionally hard, preventing the mycelium from extracting nutrients other than magic power; extending downwards solely relies on nutrient transfer through connected fungal mats.

This issue isn't unique to the rift walls; even the walls on floors five and six can't provide basic nutrients to fungal mats.

They are, however, not far from the ground and ceiling, making nutrition transfer feasible.

But here in the rift, the wall lengths became overly extensive.

The nutrient transfer distance using fungal mats is limited.

With no other option, Lin Jun had to create conditions.

First, they fashioned hollow tubes from mycelium, filling them with soil to form supply points on relatively flat parts of the walls.

Utilizing the soil's nutrients allowed mycelium to extend further, reaching the next platform using tubes, repeating node by node in progression.

Consequently, a batch of Pukis dedicated to digging and transporting soil permanently stationed on the sixth-floor rift, assisted by three Tree Men in trailblazing roles.

During the fungal mat's extension process, Lin Jun noticed an issue.

This rift seems not to connect with levels seven, eight, nine, or ten?

Lin Jun's fungal mat hasn't found any entrance to other layers.

Could it be other layers are separated by stone walls?

This issue can only be further studied after conquering the seventh floor.

The fungal mat's spread halted once entering the Deep Area.

Not because Lin Jun didn't want to continue but due to finally encountering familiar figures.

[Race: Thousand Core Mayfly]

[Level: 22]

[Race: Thousand Core Mayfly]

[Level: 31]

...

A region crisscrossed by countless white, thick lines, with numerous Thousand Core Mayflies thriving there.

Unlike the level 62 behemoth encountered when Puki fell, the highest seen here is about level 40, but their numbers are considerable.

Moreover, they possess a strong territorial nature.

When the mycelium extended close to their thick lines, they would scrape it off or directly spray acid to corrode a large section.

Put simply, unless they are taken out, it seems impossible to proceed downwards?

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