Mushroom Immortal?

In the forest not far away.

A bear cub is hanging high on a treetop.

Its head was bowed, and a rope was tied around its neck.

A gust of wind blew by, and the bear's body swayed in the wind.

"Aww!"

A large black bear with a crescent moon on its chest let out a mournful groan.

She stretched out her paws and kept pawing at the bear cub, trying to save it.

But no matter how the strong claws pried at it, the tightly bound ropes showed no sign of loosening.

Not far behind the black bear, a hunter with a somewhat simple-minded appearance and slightly squinting eyes held a hunting rifle and pointed the muzzle at the bear's head.

Clearly, the bear cub was the bait he used to lure the big black bear.

The old hunter who came upon hearing the noise was also stunned by the scene before him.

Even as hunters, professional hunters have their own rules and would never do something as heinous as using animal cubs as bait.

What's more, that cub was the cub of the bear that saved his life.

Once he came to his senses, he could no longer suppress his anger.

He decisively raised his hunting rifle and aimed it at the hunter.

"Bang!"

A loud gunshot rang out.

The hunter's palm was immediately covered in blood.

A bronze-colored bullet sliced through the air and pierced his palm.

The old hunter's hand, which hadn't pulled the trigger, froze upon hearing the sound.

He didn't fire that shot; someone else did.

He looked up and saw a figure standing not far away.

It was a strange man wearing a black robe.

As for why it's considered strange...

The person was carrying a Xiao Hei in their arms, wearing a wooden mask on their face, and on top of their head, there seemed to be a... mushroom?

What the heck...?

The old hunter was completely dumbfounded.

"Ah!!"

At that moment, the hunter whose hand had been pierced let out a piercing wail.

"Hateful!"

When the hunter came to his senses, he didn't have time to realize how his hand had been pierced.

He struggled to use his pierced right hand again to point the gun at the big black bear.

"Aww!"

The black bear was also enraged by the gunshot and let out a furious roar.

He turned around and glared angrily at the two people behind him.

"Bang!"

Another gunshot rang out.

"Ah!"

The hunter let out a mournful howl.

The hand that had just been pierced was shot through again.

This time, he could no longer pick up the shotgun.

Only then did the hunter realize that someone was attacking him.

Covering his hands, he glanced around and spotted the strange man with a mushroom on his head.

Fujino silently watched the old man and the man in front of him, and slowly walked forward.

"Kumo!"

Just then, the little bear, nestled in Fujino's arms, suddenly let out a cry.

Jubei, the black bear Jubei had been glaring angrily, froze upon hearing the sound.

She could tell it was her child's cry.

Turning around, she saw Fujino holding her child.

"Aww!"

Jubei the Great Black Jubei angrily pounced on Fujino.

Black Bear themselves possess a certain degree of spirituality, let alone a large black bear that has lived for over twenty years.

She had not yet recovered from the shock of losing one of her children.

They thought their child had been captured by those wicked humans again.

Fujino watched the large black bear charging towards him, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Silently activating his Detective Enhancement and adding another Advanced Strength Enhancement Card, he put the Xiao Hei down and charged towards the big black bear, Jubei.

Under the perception of Combat Insight, Jubei the Great Black Bear's attack route was particularly obvious, presenting itself as a straight line.

Fujino did not choose to dodge.

Having already upgraded his Detective Enhancement to intermediate level four, he wanted to test how he compared to the big black bear.

The Detective Enhancement provides a 350% Body Enhancement. Combined with his base abilities, his power already reaches 700% on its own. With the addition of advanced Enhancement Card, his power will reach a terrifying 900%, and this doesn't even include other enhancements.

In his previous life, he had heard that ten times the strength of a normal human could kill a black bear.

However, for the world as a whole, it is still all unknown.

I just don't know if he could go toe-to-toe with the black bear at full power...

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, Fujino and the black bear collided violently.

Fujino did not choose to physically clash with the opponent, but instead clashed his hands together with the opponent's palms.

At the moment of impact, Fujino felt his body pause, and a pressure spread from his arm to all parts of his body, but fortunately, it was still within a tolerable range.

Jubei the Black Bear is over two meters tall when he stands up, which is a huge difference in height compared to Fujino.

Compared to animals, the human body is still too fragile.

Humans were able to dominate nature by relying on collective tools and wisdom.

Later, as times changed, humanity mastered various martial arts techniques through actual combat.

Most martial arts techniques are used to deal with one's own kind, but a small number of martial arts techniques also include skills for fighting wild beasts.

This skill is a manifestation of human intelligence and the advantage of flexible limbs.

With that Fujino kicked out and slammed his foot hard into the big black bear's belly.

The power of a kick is especially terrifying when amplified.

The big black bear was kicked and staggered back two or three steps, looking somewhat bewildered.

Jubei the Black Bear has a very keen sense of smell, and she can tell that the strange thing in front of her is a human.

Living deep in the mountains, it rarely clashes with humans.

The impression they have of humans is that of a small, skinny monkey.

The large black bear cautiously sized up Fujino, not daring to make any rash moves.

She sensed a dangerous aura emanating from this human.

This is like Sun Wukong suddenly popping out from among a bunch of skinny monkeys.

This really surprised the bear.

"Kumo!"

A shout pulled her back to reality.

The Xiao Hei wobbled over to her side.

Jubei the black bear crouched down, nuzzled the Xiao Hei's body with his neck, and licked his fur.

She raised her head and looked at Fujino, the fierce aura in her red eyes gradually receding.

Fujino glanced silently at the two bears, then turned around, untied the bear cub's carcass that was tied to the treetop, and gently placed it on the ground.

The little bear turned around and ran to the side of the Xiao Hei's carcass.

Seeing no response, he nudged it with his nose.

Then it ran back to Jubei the Great Black Bear's side.

Jubei the Great Black Bear lowered his head, looking at his only remaining cub, then at the cub that had already died, unable to hide the sorrow in his heart.

She raised her eyes and glanced at Fujino.

He already knew in his heart that Fujino meant no harm.

She walked over with her heavy body, stuck out her tongue and licked the Xiao Hei's corpse, then picked it up and took the other Xiao Hei back into the forest.

However, just as she was leaving, she turned around and yelled at Fujino.

It's as if it's saying: Thank you, silver!

Fujino watched the two bears leave silently. When he turned around, he looked at the two people behind him, and his aura became much stronger.

The two hunters were also completely dumbfounded.

The two of them had witnessed the entire scene.

The old hunter is alright; he has a relatively stable mindset.

As an experienced hunter, he could tell that the other party was using some kind of pistol.

As for fighting a bear...

Although it's a bit outrageous, it does still fall within the realm of human beings.

"A monster... a monster!"

The young hunter, however, appeared unusually frightened.

In his eyes, his hand had been inexplicably smashed.

And he even fought a big black bear...

Is this even human?!

Is this something a human could do?

"Human, you have offended the mountain god!"

Fujino remained silent and slowly walked towards the young hunter.

As a master of sophisticated disguises, he knew that to keep his disguise from falling off, he had to create a disguise that fit the scene.

His attire is clearly an attempt to impersonate a mountain god.

The hunter felt a chill run down his spine, a bone-chilling cold spreading through his body. Only then did he notice the old hunter behind him, who managed to utter a desperate cry for help, "Brother, save me!"

"A mushroom... a mushroom man!"

The old hunter feigned fear, then obediently turned and abandoned the hunter, running away alone.

Fujino: "..."

Mushroom... human?

What the heck?

Although he had a mushroom on his head, he did indeed intend to impersonate a mountain god.

But it's not quite accurate to call him a mushroom man...

"A mushroom... Mushroom Immortal?!"

The hunter's heart sank as he watched the old hunter flee.

He also knew that the other party had once been the leader of the Hunter Group.

He knew far more about this mountain than he did...

Although he didn't believe in Mushroom Immortal or anything like that, even if the other party was human, he would still be in danger...

Fujino: "..."

It's turned into Mushroom Immortal again.

Can you please not be so outrageous?

Taking a deep breath, Fujino looked at the young hunter, his eyes narrowed, and then pulled out a very obvious, ridiculously thick wooden stick from his cloak, which could not possibly be contained within the cloak.

The young hunter stared at the large log that looked like it had just been cut down from the tree, and a wave of panic washed over him. "Don't come any closer!"

About ten minutes later, Genta returned to the team, Fujino also received the news.

A series of mournful howls echoed from the forest.

The young hunter was given a severe beating by Fujino.

Although he wasn't beaten to death, he was still beaten pretty badly.

After Fujino rejoined the group, the group returned to the inn and enjoyed a mushroom feast.

"Matsutake Mushroom are really delicious!"

"Yes!"

After a satisfying meal, the three little ones were very content with their trip.

"I don't feel full..."

However, Genta still sighed while clutching his stomach.

"Genta!"

Ayumi complained, "You ate the most just now!"

"But it's still too little..."

Genta pouted. "It would be great if we could pick more."

"Yes!"

Mitsuhiko nodded. "But the inn's rules only allow this much to be collected, and any extra must be handed over. It would be great if we could keep more."

"Of course..."

Conan looked at the three kids speechlessly. "If you guys pick all those Matsutake Mushroom, won't the innkeeper go bankrupt?"

"Okay..."

Professor Agasa smiled helplessly and said, "We can come together again next time."

"Heh heh, I knew you guys wouldn't have enough to eat."

Fujino coughed lightly and whispered, "Actually, I secretly kept some Matsutake Mushroom. Come to my house to eat them another day."

"Really?!"

"As expected of Brother Fujino!"

The three little ones' eyes lit up instantly!

Conan's half-moon eyes. "..."

So that's why he came back so late; he was sneaking off to steal mushrooms...

This guy doesn't seem like a detective at all!

Even mushrooms have to be stolen and taken by the sly.

"Empty!"

Fujino hesitated for a moment, then said, "It wouldn't be good if the boss heard us."

"Uh-huh!!"

"Empty!"

The three little ones were putting on an act; it was kind of cute.

"Hey, how many mushrooms did you secretly pick?"

Conan curiously approached Fujino and whispered a question.

Fujino pondered for a moment, "Probably only a few dozen..."

Conan: "..."

That's it, this boss is definitely going to go bankrupt.

"Hey, have you guys heard?"

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from the opposite table. "That guy seems to have been beaten up and was just taken away by an ambulance."

The old hunter was also at that table. "If you ask me, that guy must have angered the Mushroom Immortal!"

"Mushroom Immortal?"

Those around were immediately taken aback.

The people at Fujino's table were also drawn to the topic, becoming curious about things like immortals.

"It is the embodiment of nature!"

The old hunter, with a mysterious air, began, "It is said that since ancient times, the mountain god of every great mountain has been a goddess with an extremely strong sense of jealousy. In order to curb the jealous goddess, each mountain also has a righteous incarnation of nature who, upon encountering an overbearing hunter, will teach him a lesson..."

The young man at the table asked curiously, "What did he do to deserve such a beating?"

"He shot and killed Jubei's child, then hung him from a tree to lure Jubei!"

"Well?!"

Those around were immediately surprised upon hearing this.

"That's really too much!"

"They actually killed the bear to lure their mother."

"That's just too much..."

The three little ones were also somewhat angry.

"Exactly! If you ask me, that guy deserved to be beaten like that. He angered the Mushroom God, and that's never a good ending!"

The old hunter was filled with righteous indignation. To make the story more realistic, he also incorporated his own personal experience. "A hunter must have his own bottom line. Twenty years ago, I was kicked off a cliff because I angered the Mushroom God."

"We've heard about what happened twenty years ago..."

The long-haired hunter rubbed his chin. "I never expected there to be such an old story."

The young man looked at the old hunter. "Did you see that Mushroom Immortal back then?!"

"Of course!"

The old hunter nodded, crossed his arms, and said, "That Mushroom Immortal's face was covered in tree bark, and his whole body was black from being polluted by nature. On his black body, there was a mushroom on top... Even the big black bear Jubei was easily defeated by him. The reason that guy's hands were beaten up like that was because the Mushroom Immortal used magic!"

Fujino: "..."

This old man is really good at making things up...

In just a moment, they've already made up the Mushroom Immortal's entire backstory?

They even threw a huge black pot over there.

That's a bit outrageous.