772. The Illness

A certain uninhabited zone in the north.

There had originally been two cities nearby, but neither was suited for defense, so during the Dragon Calamity, they became abandoned cities, and their populations were transferred to other, sturdier cities.

An uninhabited zone meant reduced mana consumption, so Linden threw the growing Cave Four here.

By now, Cave Four was already several times larger than a Giant Puji, its size comparable to one of Kees's flesh pillars coiled up.

It lay on the ground like a white Little Hill.

And right now, a figure was running back and forth with all her might on that Little Hill!

Inanna used magic to turn herself into a small giant, pressed both hands against the lower edge of the enormous mushroom cap, and ran rapidly along the grooves of the cap's rim. She ran to the end, turned back, ran again, turned back again, her footsteps hurried, her panting fading in and out on the wind.

A long while later, the mana-maintained giant body dispersed with a "poof," and Inanna fell from midair, landing lightly on the huge, soft mushroom body.

She lay on her back, her chest heaving violently, sweat soaking the pink hair on her forehead.

"Little Four, how was it?" she asked through the Mycelium Network, her voice still breathless.

"Huh? It's already started—no, it's already over?!" After a brief silence, the Puji mountain beneath Inanna shook violently. "I didn't feel anything! Pink Puji, you're too small, I couldn't feel you! Wuaaah—"

It twisted its body, and the spores it shook off spread like a blizzard, blanketing the entire area in gray-white spore mist.

The Fire Cloak on Inanna automatically appeared, its flames flickering bright and dim as they burned the approaching spores into fine ash.

Only after quite a while did