First Come, First Served

"Having obtained two out of three, we're not far off."

Linsey breathed a sigh of relief.

He wouldn't hold back this time; with a swift motion of his blade, he harvested all the Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom in front of him.

The skill level of the Game Player is used to determine the outcome.

All the mushrooms were placed in the bag, which was counted as four portions.

In other words...

Besides what she would definitely use for her own treatment, Linsey had three portions left over.

He tried putting the mushroom on the Workbench, and sure enough, there was a corresponding crafting option.

[1 Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom + 1 Radioactive Ore + 1 Glass Bottle + 1 Stone Dissolving Agent = Light Poison Potion]

[1 Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom + 1 Black Silk Grass + 1 Desperate Imperata Root + 1 Volcanic Moss = Withering Decay Preparation.]

[5 Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom + 2 High-Grade Cloth + 8 Vines = Night-Shining Mushroom Clothing]

[3 Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom + 1 High-Grade Cloth + 3 Vines = Night-Shining Mushroom Hat]

[4 Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom + 2 High-Grade Cloth + 5 Vines = Night-Shining Mushroom Pants]

[1 Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom = Night-Shining Mushroom Fish Bait]

There are many ways to synthesize the Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom.

Besides some equipment, there are also a considerable number of potions, which are quite dangerous just by looking at their names or crafting options.

However, the high demand meant that Linsey could only select one or two items to produce.

He looked up at the surrounding purple mist:

"However, this poisonous fog covers a considerable area. Let's continue searching here; perhaps we can still find..."

"Drake, come quick, look here!"

Just then, Reze's shout came from the poisonous fog not far ahead.

Linsey rushed over immediately.

He had just seen the [Night-Shining Ramie Mushroom] crouch down to collect it, but his companions took two more steps forward and saw a completely different scene.

Before everyone's eyes, a large crater suddenly appeared in the ground.

On the sunken surface, one can see the broken ends of continuous white mycelium, which originally extended and merged here to form a core.

But at this moment, the spot was completely empty, leaving only a large, hollow pit.

Reze called Linsey over, also surprised by the scene before him.

"How could this place be empty?"

"..."

Linsey frowned and quickly switched modules.

With the help of the [Puzzle Game], every broken end of the mycelium in the pit began to glow, directly confirming that the disappearance of the core was not a natural occurrence.

Linsey walked a few steps around the large pit.

As the view progressed through the poisonous fog, a series of footprints extending into the distance soon appeared, in the due east direction, far from the fungal pits.

"Footprint?"

Has anyone been here?

Linsey's heart sank.

He checked his equipment and skills, then jumped directly into the pit to examine the fractured surface of the mycelium up close.

The mycelium was directly cut off where it broke.

The edges of the fracture are neat, and the angled cuts are all consistent in width.

This shape could not possibly be left by the claws of a wild beast; it could only be the result of human tools! Such discoveries are undeniable.

Linsey was forced to reveal a truth that was hard to believe, yet undeniable. "Someone came here before us and dug out the core of the mycelium!"

"What?" Reze's expression also changed.

The explorer followed Linsey and jumped into the pit.

He carefully examined the surrounding soil cross-section and reached the same conclusion as Linsey:

"That's right, it is indeed a trace left by humans."

"They've been using hoes and shovels for a while now, but no more than three months."

There weren't many traces left around.

Even with his best efforts, Reze could only estimate a rough time.

"..."

The other companions looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing the news.

The Courtyard in the Forest World is full of explorers and treasure hunters seeking wealth, but they had never heard of such a secret place in the forest before.

—A highly poisonous secret realm unlike any other.

—The reality that others beat us to it.

Faced with this situation, the atmosphere within the team inevitably became somewhat strange.

It was at this moment that...

Shi Ke, who had remained outside the pit without jumping down, spoke up:

"Gentlemen, half of my skill's duration has already passed. If we are to have a discussion, it would be best to leave here first."

When the defensive Divergence Master of the poisonous fog spoke up, Linsey immediately made a decision. "No problem, let's go out first and talk about it later."

"This place is unlikely to be moved if it stays here, so safety is the priority now."

No one objected to Linsey's decision.

The group retreated out of the Poison Valley the way they came, and when the distorted shadows of the forest outside reappeared before their eyes.

They even felt an unprecedented sense of ease.

The omnipresent, vision-obscuring poisonous fog poses a far greater threat than the rubbing and twisting of plants.

However, after emerging from the toxic fog, Linsey saw the sunlight overhead.

After entering and exiting the Poison Valley, it was already late. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the shadows of the forest stretched out beneath their feet.

This time, without Linsey leading the team, Reze made the decision first. "We've been gone for a while, let's go back to the ship first. The others don't know what happened here yet, we should tell them."

Linsey nodded in support:

"Then let's go back first and talk about it later."

The group unwrapped the cloths from their faces, and Linsey led the way back towards the direction where the fleet was docking.

On the way, Linsey opened the Attribute Panel and moved her gaze to the Task Bar.

As expected.

[Jungle Exploration!! ] Mission complete.

After verifying the mission skills, the poisonous valley we just visited was indeed a type of the Forest Secret Realm.

Linsey casually collected the reward.

His attributes are now too high, and a small amount of experience is no longer enough to improve them. The most noteworthy reward is still the Echo Grass.

[Miraculous Plant: Echo Grass]

[After planting, a small grass will grow, its leaves containing countless tiny tubes that can store surrounding sounds. Effective for 2-3 days.]

[A miraculous plant with special effects, but of low value.]

The group returned to the riverbank.

Everything was normal after the fleet docked.

Led by female doctor Mira, some members of the fleet were sorting food on the shore.

Because someone had food poisoning yesterday.

The berries gathered in the forest are also treated with great care, and today they are being sorted and inspected specifically by the ship.

Then they saw five people appear in the forest.

Mira, her expression excited, charged straight at them.

"Reze, you're back?"

"You only returned from last night; did you find anything?"

Reze turned his gaze to Linsey, handing over the power of explanation to her.

Linsey stepped forward and then spoke, "Following the trail of those poisonous mushrooms, we found a secret place in the forest, but it was highly poisonous."

Mira's expression was already one of great surprise upon hearing the Forest Secret Realm."

Hearing this, many of the people sorting food behind stopped what they were doing and turned to watch.

Everyone knew the significance of the secret realm! However, under everyone's expectant gaze, Linsey delivered a rather uninspiring message: "But unfortunately..."

"Someone got there before us and dug up the most important thing inside!"