Hunting Earth Worm

Puji had already finished preparing.

Filling every Puji's magic power to the brim, including Inanna's, had not only consumed all the magic power from dismantling the Fire Mosquitoes, but also drained the reserves completely.

The magic power naturally collected afterward would inevitably fail to keep up with consumption, which meant this batch of Puji would not have a second chance to replenish.

The worm-hunting operation was today.

Four hundred Puji packed together was quite a spectacle, and the overwhelming majority of them were Turret Puji.

Earth Worms were not only enormous, but their outer layer was also covered in a thick rocky shell. Neither Hallucinogenic Spores nor Digestive Mucus would work on them.

There was even less need for shell-bearing Puji. If they were grazed by an attack from something as heavyweight as an Earth Worm, they would be instantly killed whether they had shells or not.

To defeat such a worm, Linden could only choose to pour on the damage.

Of course, there was still a plan.

These worms that burrowed through the ground all day ate nothing but various minerals, and their favorite snack was naturally the Amethyst Dungeon's specialty—Magic Crystals.

And Linden happened to know how to detonate Magic Crystals.

Within the team, Linden had specifically prepared ten special Puji.

Their hollow bellies were stuffed with Magic Crystals, and they themselves were equipped with the Magic Storage skill to provide the energy needed to detonate the crystals.

For this hunt, Linden had truly taken out all his savings.

The Magic Crystals originally planted in the Mushroom Garden's soil to accelerate Mana Collection had all been dug up, directly cutting the Mushroom Garden's natural mana collection efficiency in half.

These Magic Crystals were both bait to lure the Earth Worm out and the first blow to hit it head-on.

As for what happened after that blow, it would depend on how effective Miss Inanna's Mud Swamp Art was.

"Do we really have to go...?"

Her pink Mushroom Cap trembled. Going up against an Earth Worm at least fifteen levels above her gave her absolutely no sense of security.

"Rookie, I believe you've already received your payment, haven't you?"

Feeling the large A-Rank Magic Crystal atop her head, Inanna simply could not bring herself to say she wanted to give up.

It was just too good!

Not only did it allow her to cast spells in Puji form, but it also nearly doubled the power of her magic.

Its enhancement effect was far beyond what her previous little B-Rank Magic Crystal could compare to.

"If things really go badly, I'll allow you to run away, and I won't take back the Magic Crystal." Linden relaxed the terms at the right moment.

Although Inanna still wanted to say that her short little legs might not be able to escape even if she ran, after thinking about it, having permission to run was better than not having it.

Her pink Mushroom Cap nodded, and that settled their agreement.

Linden was not allowing Inanna to flee out of kindness. It was simply that if things proved impossible, there was no need to let her die for nothing.

After the battle at the Fire Mosquito Nest, Linden had also realized that magic was indeed extremely useful.

Puji could be produced again if they were gone, and Magic Crystals could be mined again if they were gone, but if Inanna was gone, where was he supposed to find another mage who was so easy to order around?

This journey was much farther than the one to the Fire Mosquito Nest, and Inanna even felt that they had deliberately taken quite a few detours.

However, they encountered almost no obstacles along the way. They only ran into a black-and-white Giant Spider midway through, and Inanna severed its head with a Tracking Ice Blade.

Their destination was a shattered Cave.

It could no longer even be called a Cave.

The entire space was densely packed with tunnels left behind by passing Earth Worms. Even describing it as drafty on all sides would have been giving it too much credit.

After observing it, Linden discovered several new tunnels had appeared since his last scouting trip.

The Self-Destruct Puji and Magic Crystals were placed on a relatively intact patch of ground, while the other Turret Puji spread out around the scattered remnants of the Cave.

Linden did not assign Inanna elsewhere. Instead, he had her stay at the edge of the tunnel they had come through.

As he slowly poured mana into the Magic Crystals, even Linden felt tempted by the mana fluctuations emitted by the large pile of crystals.

Inanna also knew the specific plan, and she could only feel immense regret as she looked at that pile of Magic Crystals.

Her boss Linden was such a spendthrift. To raise the chances of success, he was actually using A-Rank Magic Crystals as explosives.

They might not have been as big as hers, but they were still A-Rank Magic Crystals!

That pile of Magic Crystals would have been enough to hire a Diamond Rank team to kill ten Earth Worms outside, yet now they were being used merely to blast one Earth Worm once.

It was truly a terrible waste.

After the mana fluctuations spread out, no Earth Worm appeared for a while. Instead, several other Monsters arrived.

There were black-and-white spiders like the ones they had encountered earlier on the road, as well as malformed creatures with sharp fangs and teeth.

However, they were all blasted to death by several shots from the surrounding Puji and caused no trouble at all.

What surprised Linden was that he actually spotted an LV35 Minotaur, commonly known as a bull-headed man.

It was also Linden's first time encountering such a classic Monster as a Minotaur.

The other party clearly possessed considerable intelligence and retreated the moment it saw their formation from afar.

If they had encountered it at another time, Linden would definitely have tried to communicate with it. Since it was also an intelligent Monster, perhaps they could coexist peacefully?

But not today.

Finally,

A continuous tremor rose from underground. The rubble by Inanna's feet shook violently within the soil, and fragments of rock began to patter down from several newly opened tunnel entrances.

One unlucky Puji was smashed into a puddle of Mycelium by falling rocks overhead before the battle even began, becoming the first Sacrifice Mushroom of the operation.

"It's coming, it's coming! When do I use magic? Should I cast Mud Swamp Art now?"

With the moment at hand, Inanna grew nervous again.

"Stay calm, Inanna. I'll tell you when it's time to cast it. Don't panic."

Linden quietly advised Inanna to remain calm, but he did not notice that his own tone was tightening uncontrollably. Beneath his steady voice was excitement he could not suppress.

It did not keep the two of them waiting in suspense for long.

The ground on one side of the Cave suddenly collapsed with a roar, and a Giant Worm burst from the earth. Twenty Puji vanished into its enormous maw in an instant.

[Level: LV49]

It was Linden's target—the Earth Worm!

"It's here!"

The Earth Worm's body curved through the air, diving directly toward the Magic Crystals with a clear target in mind.

None of the Puji opened fire. Linden even stopped Inanna, who had nearly reflexively cast magic.

Just a little longer. It wasn't time yet.

Mana surged madly into the Magic Crystals, and the mana fluctuations grew increasingly violent.

Just as they were about to reach their peak, the enormous mouth came down, swallowing those ten Puji along with all the Magic Crystals.

1... 2...

Boom—

The earth-shaking explosion tore apart the Earth Worm's enormous mouth, and several meters of Rock Armor burst apart from within.

Shattered rock fragments sprayed outward at terrifying speed, causing considerable casualties among the Puji.

The Earth Worm's entire mouth had been completely blown apart.

As for its head, Linden was not entirely sure where an Earth Worm's head was—or rather, whether it even had one.

He only knew that even after suffering such injuries, it had not lost its vitality and was instead struggling in agony.

Its remaining body writhed madly. Half its worm-like body lashed against the surrounding rock layers and triggered collapses, while its remaining digging legs frantically clawed at the ground, trying to burrow back underground.

Inanna's body suddenly trembled, and Linden's command exploded directly in her mind in a cracking, off-key voice:

"Mud Swamp Art! Now!"