"Can't wait for Shi Wu! Anyone who can move, charge with me! Target the upper levels, break a hole!"

Everyone knew that hope was as fleeting as a candle flickering in the wind.

Yet when Commander Solalin gave this order with a hoarse yet unquestionable voice, it ignited the last strand of instinct in everyone.

The desire to survive overwhelmed fear, and adventurers and church warriors staggered to gather behind her, forming a precarious wedge formation.

Ai Mei also gripped her short sword tightly among them, her palms now full of cold sweat, the chill of the metal her only reliance at this moment.

The breakout began.

Solalin charged at the forefront, her longsword bursting with dazzling light, fiercely slashing toward the Puki at the front, brandishing its tentacles to intercept.

The others followed closely, roaring, pouring out their remaining strength and fear together.

Flashes of blades and swords intertwined with the flying fungal filaments.

Initially, borrowing Solalin's sharpness and a fierce desperation from everyone, they actually tore a hole and broke through the Puki squad blocking near the four layers!

Ai Mei's heart pounded wildly, as if she saw a faint glimmer of life.

But it was just her fleeting illusion because after breaking through, they saw more Puki...

Endless, surging in from all directions like a murky tide.

A purple poisonous mist pervaded the air without anyone knowing when, and occasionally someone couldn't hold on, collapsing, then being swept away, disappearing among the Puki.

Unable to maintain the formation any longer, chaos spread like a plague.

"Hold the line! Don't break!" Commander Solalin's shout seemed so weak amidst the chaos.

Even though she swung her longsword with effort, trying to reorganize the team, defeat was inevitable.

This was no longer a breakout; it was the Puki capturing small desserts.

Ai Mei saw the mage named Edin, his figure blurred and disappeared.

Seeing this, she regretted not buying an Invisibility Scroll to save her life.

Ai Mei was just an ordinary adventurer; lasting this long was already due to luck, but it was at its end.

In the chaos, a thread of filament wrapped around her foot, and with a scream, she was fiercely yanked to the ground.

She instinctively twisted her body to break free, but more soft yet exceptionally resilient fungal filaments wound around her like living snakes, instantly constricting her limbs, rendering her immobile.

Struggling to turn her stiff neck—within her field of vision, dense Puki already surrounded her.

Am I going to die?

For thirty gold coins... is this where she'll lose her life?

Ha, it really is... a standard adventurer's ending.

However, as this thought of resigning to fate arose, a hot, uncontrollable liquid suddenly surged into her eyes.

Warm tears, without warning, slid down her dirt-stained cheeks.

So embarrassing... She never thought she'd be the type to cry and wail before dying.

In her eyes filled with unwillingness, a Puki moved to her face, the plump mushroom cap squeezing—

"Puff!"

A sweet and bloody purple spore mist sprayed fiercely on Ai Mei's face, between her nose and mouth!

The world gradually distorted, spun.

Chaotic thoughts, the cold touch, fear of death... were drawn away, scattered, thrown to a distant void by a strange force.

In its place was a whirlpool of a bizarre, colorful illusion.

There...

She successfully delivered the commission, the heavy gold coin pouch falling into her palm, the sweet sound felt so real.

Teammates sat around her, Horn and Old Hammer, their usually rugged faces filled with genuine, undisguised envy.

Noah gazed at her with shining eyes, filled with admiration.

The looks from her teammates filled her heart with a warm pride.

"Let's go! Honeyed catfish belly, my treat!" She heard her own cheerful voice echoing in the bustling tavern.

After eating and drinking to her fill, she returned to the familiar, small adventurer inn.

Fatigue washed over her like the tide, her body sinking into the unbelievably soft bed...

This journey really was tiring...

Just like this... drift off to sleep...

Drift off to sleep...

...

The Puki skillfully and swiftly removed Ai Mei's equipment.

Damaged leather armor and gear?

Trash, not even worth throwing in a raffle for filler.

The small knife and short bow looked still usable.

The gold coins were quite numerous; for a young Silver Level Adventurer, to have 11 gold coins on her was indicative of hard work.

Now they belonged to the Puki!

The same scene played out repeatedly nearby, even Solalin was no exception.

This commander of the Wings of Judgment was one of the last fighting, never giving up her weapon even when hope was gone.

Others were knocked out unconscious; she was knocked out by the Puki while still alive.

Of course, bravery was no exception!

The Puki stripped her equipment clean as well.

As a squad leader, she indeed had two pieces of +3 attribute equipment.

The standard armor of the Wings of Judgment was also good stuff. Though damaged from the battle, it was much more valuable than the pauper adventurers' leather armor.

Lin Jun even found a silver pendant on her.

Thought it was just some gear, but upon opening, discovered it was a photo of her and a young man.

Woah—

Turns out, she's the type to hang a picture of someone important around her neck...

If it was a copper pendant, it'd be whatever, but since it's silver... it's Puki's now.

To think this world clearly doesn't have cameras, yet there's such a thing as imaging magic, even adventurers' ID cards are made that way.

The magic book in Lin Jun's collection also recorded it; it's just a Tier Two Magic he hadn't had the chance to learn yet.

Maybe he should learn it and get a group photo for the entire Mushroom Garden staff?

Lin Jun's thoughts always wandered; his great spiritual power allowed him to multitask without affecting control over the Puki.

Cow and Horse Puki stored all the spoils in their bellies, delivering them to the small vault on the sixth level.

Meanwhile, other Puki carried the prisoners back to the fifth level, delivering them to the open space outside the cave.

With some Puki surrounding them, Lin Jun's gaze fell on the battlefield that Shi Wu had just ravaged.

The scene along the path where Shi Wu charged was a mess—scattered with numerous Puki fragments sliced by blades.

Thanks to the sharpness of Shi Wu's two swords, the cuts on these fallen Puki were particularly clean, and theoretically, the damaged area was not large; Fungal Filament Reassembly could repair them.

But you can't expect a pile of fragments to autonomously wriggle back together; Puki aren't flesh and blood creatures from the ninth level.

With the virtue of frugality, Lin Jun still decided to give it a go and see if he could 'rescue' part of the shattered Puki.

Anyway, he had to wait for that swordsman to "dig" himself out; might as well... pass the time with it.

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