The Old Bat Dropped Loot

On the damp rock ceiling, droplets on the verge of falling trembled violently.

The Infrasonic Attack echoed through the cave, where a layer of Puji corpses had piled up below.

Yet that aged Crystallized Bat was unusually agitated, its bony claws constantly scratching white marks across the surface of the rock it hung from.

Every so often, it swooped down and swept aside any Puji that came too close.

A Wing Bone Stab accidentally tore through the cap of a Mushroom, and pale purple Hallucinogenic Spores immediately burst forth.

Old Bat flapped his wings and kept retreating, scrambling back to the ceiling as his chest heaved violently.

Once he finally recovered, some of the Pujis below had already repaired their bodies and started moving again.

Another wave of infrasonic sound immediately exploded through the cave, knocking down the newly revived Pujis once more—this stalemate had repeated itself countless times.

Pujis killed by the sound waves would revive, while Pujis torn apart would explode into hallucinogenic poison mist at close range.

Old Bat could only stall for time like this again and again, but the Pujis were still getting closer and closer...

When even his last foothold was covered by Hallucinogenic Spores, Old Bat was finally knocked unconscious by the poison and fell from the ceiling, lying motionless.

Linden had thought Old Bat would make one final desperate outburst.

But perhaps the older he got, the more he cherished his life. He had only curled up overhead, too scared to come down and tear apart a few Pujis even when death was staring him in the face.

The final losses were far lower than Linden had expected.

Outside the Cave, two figures had been waiting for a long time.

Mushrooms had sprouted from the half-Elf's damaged ear, while the human woman's emerald wooden staff had fused with the fungal membrane growing between her fingers.

These were both Parasitic Puppets Linden had made earlier.

This time, the task of dissecting Old Bat was left to these two Puppets.

But before that, each Puppet had to be given a bottle of Antidote Potion.

Otherwise, they too would be paralyzed by the hallucinogenic poison mist.

It really felt as though, after becoming Puppets, they had inherited both the weaknesses of Mushrooms and the weaknesses of humans.

After entering the Cave, Linden first controlled the two Puppets to slit the unconscious Old Bat's throat.

Hm?

Why was there still a Panel he could open?

He wasn't dead yet?

This time, Linden simply cut off the entire bat head.

The Panel still did not disappear.

Linden opened the Panel with a puzzled expression, only to find that it was not Old Bat's Panel.

[Artifact: Sun Stone Fragment]

???

Not even bothering with the S-Rank Magic Crystals, Linden hurriedly controlled the Puppets to search through Old Bat's corpse.

After cutting open his chest, they finally found a Sun Stone Fragment emitting heat and light.

Well, no wonder the Cave was so cold, yet Old Bat had Level 5 High Temperature Resistance.

So he had been baked by the Sun Stone Fragment!

Then was Old Bat's Beyond Death title also related to this Sun Stone Fragment?

Had this Artifact extended his life?

Unfortunately, there was still no information about it on the Panel.

Based on the available information, aside from emitting light and heat, the Sun Stone might also be used to cling to life?

So the question was, what use was that to Linden?

Mushrooms on Earth could live for as little as a few months or as long as thousands of years.

But this wasn't Earth. After being here for so long, Linden had not felt any signs of aging.

Rather than worrying about dying of old age, it was more realistic to worry about whether some powerful Monster or Adventurer might one day kill his main body.

That reminded Linden of another incomplete Artifact he had seen.

An Artifact capable of unleashing devastating killing moves was what he truly wanted.

The three arm-sized S-Rank Magic Crystals and the Sun Stone were ultimately sent to Linden's secret space hidden at the bottom of the Swamp Zone.

As for the rest of Old Bat's corpse, it would not go to waste either. The Puppets were still cutting it apart over there, and would bring it out once it had been chopped into small pieces.

After all, Old Bat had so many max-level skills that could yield a great deal of proficiency through Plunder.

Taking out his own Sun Stone Fragment, Linden studied the broken surface for a long time before finally finding the matching spot and joining the two Sun Stones together.

The fracture automatically fused shut, becoming seamless. That at least matched Linden's stereotypical impression of an Artifact.

The more complete Sun Stone emitted even stronger light and heat. It was so hot that even Level 7 High Temperature Resistance was nearly unable to endure it, forcing him to hold it a little farther away.

Would this thing really turn into a tiny sun capable of burning mountains and boiling seas once it was complete?

Even the Panel had changed.

[Artifact: Sun Stone]

It had obviously upgraded, but Linden still could not think of how to use it.

This useless feeling was really making the Mushroom anxious.

Fortunately, Linden knew what the three S-Rank Magic Crystals were for. Old Bat's 500% skill power bonus had tempted him to death.

He planned to tinker with them and see if they could be installed on his vehicle.

Two days after dealing with Old Bat, a burst of magical turbulence suddenly appeared throughout the Fifth Floor, immediately drawing Linden's attention.

It had risen from the lower floors, and it had not come through the Floor Passage. It had pierced through the floor barrier directly from underground and traveled vertically upward.

It did not resemble the violent magical turbulence of battle, but rather a more sustained and rhythmic fluctuation of magic power.

This was something he had never encountered before.

The magical fluctuations continued for more than ten minutes before finally settling down again.

Had some unknown change occurred within the Dungeon?

He asked Dylan, who was building a wooden cabin. As expected of a bottom-tier Adventurer, Dylan knew absolutely nothing about slightly more advanced matters.

Linden could only have Dylan put down his work and make a business trip to the surface to gather information. He could also have him look into Inanna's situation while he was at it.

Even after sending Dylan out, Linden was still uneasy.

Such large-scale magical turbulence meant something must have happened. The unknown always made the Mushroom anxious.

He planned to produce more Pujis in the near future, then send some of them down to the lower floors to investigate.

It seemed he would also have to speed up the vehicle enhancement plan he had intended to take slowly. He did not want inadequate preparations to place him in potential danger.

Mute Wind Town, inside the Guild president's office.

Oberon had just finished listening to Helena's report. It concerned two Gold Rank Orc Adventurers who had accepted an A Rank mission on the Fifth Floor and had not returned after ten days.

The young branch president rested his cheek on one hand and tapped the desk with the other, hesitating between raising the mission's rank or setting it aside for now.

Recently, many Diamond Rank Adventurers had been invited to the capital. Through certain special channels, he had learned that the higher-ups seemed to be planning a major move.

There were not many Diamond Rank Adventurers still wandering outside. Even if an S-Rank mission were posted, no one might accept it in the short term.

Besides, according to the current intelligence, those Pujis would not attack on their own as long as no one forcibly entered the Swamp Zone. They would not have much impact on Adventurers exploring the Dungeon.

Updating the official guide and telling Adventurers to stay away from the Swamp Zone seemed like a more cost-effective solution.

A rapid knock on the door interrupted Oberon's thoughts.

"Come in."

The visitor was Mirabelle, head of the Intelligence Analysis Department. The moment she entered, she got straight to the point.

"The Detection Crystals placed on the Seventh, Fourth, and First Floors have all detected magical fluctuations, decreasing floor by floor."

In an instant, Oberon threw the matter of the Fifth Floor Pujis completely to the back of his mind.

Holding onto a sliver of hope, he asked, "Are you sure it isn't interference or a false alarm?"

Mirabelle did not answer, but her meaning was obvious.

"Ah..."

Oberon realized he had asked a stupid question. Mirabelle would never make such a basic mistake.

But—

"The timing shouldn't be here yet, should it? Why is it so far ahead of schedule this time? And it just happens to coincide with all the Diamond Rank Adventurers being transferred away..."

Oberon raked his fingers through his golden hair, sending the once-neat strands jutting out in messy arcs.

He abruptly pulled open a drawer and took out a tea tin, then flicked a flame from his fingertips to brew himself a cup.

After drinking a mouthful of hot tea, Oberon finally calmed down and said to Mirabelle,

"Send out a Magic Tide warning, and seal off the Dungeon entrance at the same time.

I'll report this to the main Guild and write to several nearby cities to request support.

Ixion protect us. I hope nothing serious happens this time..."