Huh? A Divine Artifact?

Facing the incoming Fire Mosquitoes, Linden was not the least bit flustered after having been neighbors with them for so long.

Only when they entered within fifty meters did several Slime Pujis spray Digestive Mucus, drenching the unsuspecting Fire Mosquitoes and bringing them down.

The Fire Mosquitoes that fell to the ground tried to shake off the slime and take flight again, but once the mist spewed by the Hallucination Pujis enveloped them, they completely lost the ability to resist and were smashed to death one by one by the Hallucination Pujis' shells.

But it was not over yet. More Fire Mosquitoes swarmed in, and Linden's side and the Fire Mosquitoes launched into a frenzied, meat-grinder battle at the mouth of the passage.

Facing Fire Mosquitoes several times their number, even with Hallucinogenic Spores sealing off the space below and restricting the Fire Mosquitoes' approach, Linden could not intercept every enemy with slime.

Every now and then, a Fire Mosquito broke through the barrage, plunged down with its proboscis, and pierced a Puji—only to be paralyzed by the Hallucinogenic Spores on the ground itself.

"Ice Blade! Ice Blade! Water Snake Art!"

There was good news from Inanna's side too—she had finally killed several Fire Mosquitoes!

With Fire Mosquitoes filling the sky, even attacks cast with closed eyes could hit something. The Evasion skill on the Fire Mosquitoes had practically become useless in a situation like this.

Killing monsters with her spells in a real battle for the first time excited her so much that she laughed. Compared to this, the hunts she had taken part in before could hardly be called battles.

But that excitement came to an abrupt end when a mosquito that had broken through the barrage pinned a Turret Puji beside Inanna to the ground with one stab of its proboscis, making her shudder instantly.

What if that Fire Mosquito had gone for me...

"Linden! What do we do now? So many Pujis have died!"

It was only a dozen or so Pujis. This was nothing yet, was it?

The fellow whose main body was still hidden deep within the Mushroom Garden internally lamented the poor mental fortitude of a new recruit.

Still, Linden offered his advice.

"Stop using attack magic all the time. Use Illumination Art."

Illumination Art?

What could that possibly do?

Inanna could not figure it out, but remembering that she had promised to follow orders, she cast Illumination Art anyway. The spell's mana cost was low, after all.

To Inanna's surprise, the instant Illumination Art appeared, the swarm of Fire Mosquitoes immediately fell into disorder.

The Fire Mosquitoes at the front began darting around like headless flies. Some crashed into other Fire Mosquitoes behind them, while others simply plunged headfirst into the Hallucinogenic Mist below.

Inanna stared in stunned disbelief.

"It actually works!" Even Linden was surprised.

"Huh? You didn't know it would work?"

"I just didn't expect it to work this well... Extinguish it, then keep casting!"

"Okay!"

The Deep Zone was dark year-round, with either no light at all or only a faint glow. Seeing that the Fire Mosquitoes had eyes, Linden had wanted to try a flashbang tactic. He had not expected the results to be this outstanding.

At times like this, the advantage of mushrooms not relying on their eyes to observe the world became apparent.

With Illumination Art assisting them, the already outmatched Fire Mosquitoes became even weaker, falling in batches.

When there were no longer enough Fire Mosquitoes to pack the passage entrance airtight, these nearly brainless monsters seemed to finally recall the taste of Fear. They fled in all directions and vanished into the other passages.

All that remained was an empty Fire Mosquito Cave and a high-temperature pool full of larvae.

"It's finally... over."

Inanna dropped to the ground.

Even though they had held the advantage throughout, she had first cast several attack spells in succession, then used more than twenty Illumination Arts in one go. Inanna felt utterly exhausted, and barely any mana remained.

Though her body was tired, this was her first time personally taking part in such a "grand spectacle," and Inanna was still buzzing with excitement.

"Linden, what do we do next?"

"Next? Next, of course, we collect the spoils!"

The twenty Ox-Horse Pujis that had remained at the back of the group without taking part in the battle began their work—using their tentacles to pack the Fire Mosquito corpses into their bodies.

The number was roughly what they had estimated. Two trips for the Ox-Horse Pujis would probably be enough. Once Linden finished breaking down these Fire Mosquitoes, his High Temperature Resistance should rise another level.

As for this Fire Mosquito Cave, Linden had not considered expanding the Mushroom Garden here.

There were too many passages connected to this cave, extending in every direction. It would be impossible to defend them all.

The Mushroom Garden was territory Linden had carefully selected. Only one side had four passages, making it especially suitable for lying low and developing.

As for the pale Fire Mosquito larvae in the pool, after Linden had the Turret Pujis bombard the pool with all their remaining mana, they turned into scraps floating on the surface.

"These are the spoils?"

Looking at the mosquito corpses being carried away, Inanna felt they were just a tiny bit different from the spoils she had imagined.

"What else would they be, Miss Duke? What kind of spoils were you expecting from hunting monsters?"

Did she think splitting open their bellies would make swords and gold coins drop out...?

"Wait, maybe not. There might be something good in that pool."

"The pool?"

The pool, with chunks of flesh floating on it, was still giving off white steam. But what exactly was heating it?

Underground lava?

Probably not. The place where the Flame Demons lived was not nearby, and the surrounding environment was not hot at all.

Linden felt there was a high chance that something inside could continuously generate heat.

But now there was a problem—

He could not swim.

The Pujis would not dissolve upon touching water, but after soaking in it, they would only become bloated and float helplessly on the surface.

Those Fire Mosquito larvae did have the [Underwater Adaptation] skill, but he would have to transport them back, break them down, obtain the skill, and create a new type of Puji before that could be dealt with.

While Linden was still considering a solution, Inanna had already plunged headfirst into the pool to look for treasure.

Only then did Linden remember that she had Level 6 Underwater Adaptation.

Second-generation heirs really are something else...

"Linden! Look what I found!"

Inanna climbed out of the pool. Behind her, Water Snake Art carried a fragment glowing orange, continuously radiating heat that evaporated the water around it.

Water Snake Art could not hold it for long, so Inanna tossed the fragment onto the ground beside the pool.

"Do you know what this is?"

Linden had not known at first, but this thing actually had a Panel?

He had never seen a Panel on an inanimate object before!

[Divine Artifact: Sun Stone Fragment]

???

What the hell? A swarm of Level 20 mosquitoes could drop a Divine Artifact? Was this monster loot system badly designed?

There was no other description besides the name. Was that because it was only a fragment?

In any case, he could not go wrong taking it back for research.

"Linden?"

"Uh, how would I know? But it looks somewhat useful. We can take it back to keep the mushrooms warm."

An Ox-Horse Puji wrapped the fragment in mud into a large ball and carried it away. Inanna had no objections. She was working here for that A-Rank Magic Crystal in the first place, so the spoils naturally belonged to Linden. She had merely been curious.

While Linden and Inanna happily embarked on their grand expedition here, another group on the surface was being driven to distraction by Inanna.