Chapter Summaries

The Dwarf King ordered an envoy to investigate Mycelium Puji Fortress and assess whether it could help contain the Empire’s forces. Led by Baduo Firebeard, the dwarves crossed the border and met Spark, beginning the fortress’s first diplomatic contact.

• The four clan chiefs debated whether Mycelium Puji Fortress was a genuine power and whether the dwarves should approach it.
• The Dwarf King ordered an envoy to investigate the fortress and consider relations and aid if it could restrain the Empire.
• Baduo Firebeard was selected to lead the envoy after the Deepforge Clan chief maneuvered his appointment.
• Baduo rejected the safer tunnel route and led the envoy across the surface near the Empire’s border.
• Spark welcomed Baduo and the dwarven envoy near the tunnel exit, beginning the Fungal Fortress’s first diplomatic activity.

Baduo and the dwarven envoy group visited the Fungal Fortress, where its wealth and military strength impressed them. Linden sent Number Two to The Mountains as a hostage in exchange for formal diplomatic relations and permission to recruit dwarven Blacksmiths.

• Spark welcomed Baduo and the dwarven envoy group, and the deputy envoy mistook quick-grown mushroom and meat stew for poison.
• The dwarves toured the Fungal Fortress, and Baduo praised the humiliation of a Vampire displayed in the Clock Tower.
• Torin and Master Marco urged the dwarves to send Blacksmiths to help research Battle Puppets in return for sharing the technology.
• Number Two tried to impress Baduo in its blue cloak, slipped, and later denied that Baduo had seen it before.
• Linden sent Number Two with the dwarven envoy group to The Mountains to secure diplomatic ties and legalize recruiting dwarven Blacksmiths.

Will completed the Mushroom Worship Cult’s initiation ceremony and chose to remain behind to help maintain the Mushroom Forest while Julia’s group moved on to shelter other refugees. During his first trip back to the city in a long time, he struggled to find Firefly Grass and followed a stranger who offered it at a steep price.

• Will remembered how Julia and the Mushroom Worship Cult had given refugees like him shelter, and he prepared to formally join the cult.
• Julia held the initiation ceremony by sharing a pot of soup in which Twelve, the Mushroom Envoy, had briefly soaked.
• Will drank the soup and became a full member of the Mushroom Worship Cult.
• Will chose to stay behind and maintain the Mushroom Forest while Julia and the others left to help more refugees.
• Will went to the city with two believers to buy supplies, but found no Firefly Grass in the shops.
• A stranger offered Will Firefly Grass at a fifty-percent markup, and Will followed him toward the lower district.

Will was lured into a trap by a Cultist of the Hand of Passing and killed, but Linden noticed his disappearance through the Mycelium Network and sent Puji after the cultist. Will’s companions found his remains and went to seek help from Julia and the Mushroom Envoy as a new Mycelium Cocoon formed.

• A Cultist lured Will to a remote house with the promise of stolen goods and tried to persuade him to believe in reincarnation.
• Will praised Puji and rejected the cultist’s beliefs, so the cultist revealed a sword and attacked him.
• Will fought back but was mortally wounded, and the cultist lamented that he could no longer use him as a living sacrifice.
• Linden noticed Will’s disappearance through the Mycelium Network, and Mycelium sealed the room as Puji emerged and overwhelmed the cultist.
• Will’s companions found his remains and returned to seek help from Julia and the Mushroom Envoy, while a Mycelium Cocoon took shape in the Mushroom Garden.

Will died and was reborn as a Puji in Linden’s Mushroom Garden, where he learned that his independent soul could command Puji and potentially return after death. Linden recognized the strategic value of converting people into Puji and decided to expand the Mushroom Worship Cult gradually before revealing the transformation publicly.

• Will stepped into the sea and sank into darkness before awakening inside a Mycelium Cocoon.
• Will burst from the cocoon as a tentacled Puji and met Sword Saint Puji and Cave Seven.
• Will explained that his name was Will, and Cave Seven and Sword Saint showed him around the Mushroom Garden.
• Will praised the Fungal Lord, who told him to adapt in the garden before being sent back later.
• Linden realized Will’s independent soul could command Puji and be revived if his body was recovered after death.
• Linden decided to increase support for the Mushroom Worship Cult and postpone publicly revealing that people could be converted into Puji.

Julia and Twelve settled Will’s death by telling the Mushroom Worship Cult that he had been reborn in the Mushroom Garden and showing them the murderer suffering. Linden then turned his attention to spreading the cult’s faith beyond the United Kingdom, including through the Spore Society and Eleanor’s Blood Cattle Breeding Farm.

• Julia told Will’s grieving companions not to seek revenge, and Twelve said Will had been reborn in the Mushroom Garden.
• Twelve projected an image of Will’s murderer suffering, convincing the cultists that the killer was being punished.
• Julia directed the cultists to bury Will’s bones beneath the Mushroom House, while Twelve asked the newly born Will for his skull.
• Cave Seven trained Will to command Puji and use the Mycelium Network, while Linden helped the cult by clearing dangers and displaying powers that strengthened believers’ faith.
• Linden decided believers did not need to die to become Puji and planned to spread the faith through the Spore Society and Eleanor’s Blood Cattle Breeding Farm.

Mengya and Stinky Fish visited Thirteen, where Eleanor discussed her failing military strength and the profitable but temporary Delicious Mushroom trade. Thirteen suggested experimenting with Mycelium Symbiosis to make Blood Jade Wine, and Eleanor eagerly agreed to provide whatever resources it needed, leaving Thirteen poised to exploit her promise.

• Mengya confronted her former superior Salina and made her address her as Steward Mengya before letting her go.
• Thirteen secretly inflicted despair on a Half-Vampire servant, and Eleanor ordered guards to remove the sobbing attendant.
• Eleanor told Thirteen that her forces had been reduced, while Delicious Mushroom sales had eased her financial troubles but would not remain profitable for long.
• Thirteen suggested that Sigismund's Blood Jade Wine might come from Mycelium Symbiosis mutations that made blood delicious.
• Eleanor promised Thirteen anything it wanted and offered plenty of nearby subjects for experiments, and Thirteen agreed to work for her.

Eleanor gave Thirteen nearly half of the Blood Cattle factory’s management authority, allowing Linden to begin secretly spreading faith in the Fungal Lord among the captives. The Blood Cattle found hope in their prayers, while Thirteen looked forward to Eleanor discovering the scheme.

• Eleanor handed Thirteen nearly half of the factory’s management authority, and Thirteen began parasitizing the staff while carrying out the Fungal Lord’s mission.
• Linden parasitized the imprisoned captives and spoke to them through the Mycelium Network, promising salvation to those who believed in the Fungal Lord.
• Linden used [Paralysis Toxin LV2] to dull the Blood Cattle’s pain, encouraging them to pray and strengthening their faith.
• Some captives tried to report the voice to their breeders, but mushrooms blocked their throats and turned them into puppets before Linden abandoned them as corpses.
• Gan San passed off the deaths as failed symbiotic mutation experiments, while Eleanor ignored the losses and faith in Puji spread through the factories.
• Thirteen eagerly awaited the day Eleanor would learn what had happened and regret giving him authority.

Marshal Puji sent Ming and Norris to the front to gain battlefield experience as the Fungal Fortress fought the Empire. When Ming became trapped in the enemy formation, Norris tried to reach him, but General Renard moved in first.

• Marshal Puji assigned Ming to fight alongside Norris after Ming passed his inspection.
• Louisa placed Ming and Norris on a less intense part of the battlefield, where the Puji kept attacking the Empire in waves.
• General Renard struggled to understand why the Puji forces kept appearing and wondered whether to request reinforcements or retreat.
• Renard went to the unstable right flank, where Norris's Resonance Cannon struck him and shattered his shield.
• Ming charged too far into the enemy formation and became surrounded, so Norris rushed to help him and requested a fallback plan.
• Renard reached Ming and gathered fresh blood into a spear.

Ming was overwhelmed after charging too far into the enemy formation, but Renard’s attacks failed to stop him. With Jida’s Resonance Cannon aimed at Renard, Ming emerged from the Blood Crystal Needles and seized him, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Ming was surrounded by soldiers and mages, and his injuries and magic power steadily worsened as he regretted ignoring Senior Norris.
• Renard struck Ming with a blood spear, then restored order to the right wing before returning to fight him.
• Ming charged Renard, killed his armored War Beast with a collision, and was knocked back by another blood spear.
• Renard kept drawing Ming into a dense blood mist, then formed more than a hundred Blood Crystal Needles and pierced the area around him.
• Jida approached from the flank and aimed the Resonance Cannon at Renard, while Ming emerged unharmed from the needles and grabbed Renard by the throat.

Norris and Ming were trapped in the Empire’s ranks after Norris killed General Renard with the Resonance Cannon, leaving Ming gravely wounded. Louisa’s rescue plan sent thousands of Flying Pujis to carry them north, while the ground Pujis broke through the Empire’s right wing.

• Norris found Renard torn apart by the cannon blast and Ming barely alive, with severe injuries.
• Norris used Ming’s [Physical Immunity] to shield them from physical attacks while Jida charged and fired another Resonance Cannon shot.
• A javelin pinned Jida in place, and Norris prepared for a final fight as the Empire’s soldiers closed in.
• Louisa announced Plan Number Three, and thousands of Flying Pujis formed a shield around Norris and Ming and carried them north.
• The ground Pujis broke through the Empire’s line, collapsing the right wing and Renard’s reserve troops.

After the battle, Linden planned to strengthen puji conversion and promote faith in the Fungal Fortress, while Eugene and Dean prepared a new joint campaign against the Northern Territory. The chapter ended as three newly transformed Mushroom Citizens appeared and a storm gathered in the north of the Empire.

• Louisa reprimanded Ming and Norris for disobeying orders and disrupting Linden's delaying plan.
• Linden celebrated the flying pujis' success, investigated Abyss Magic, and planned a faith campaign called the Truth of the Mushroom Garden.
• Eugene learned that Renard had died and identified the flying puji swarm as the key threat.
• Eugene and Dean agreed to prepare a stronger joint operation, with Dean eager to learn how Ming had surpassed [Physical Resistance].
• The Fungal Citizens saw the first three Mushroom Transformers.

Baroque died in battle and returned as a Puji, joining two other revived Mushroom Transformers as the Fungal Fortress prepared to publicize their story. Sword Saint Puji was the only one in the fortress who showed concern about their appearance.

• Torin, Grum, and Baroque reunited, and Baroque revealed that he had joined the army to earn enough Contribution Points to open a tavern with Aisha.
• Torin and Grum discovered that Baroque had become a Puji after dying during battle and learned that Boss had given him a new body.
• Baroque explained that he and two others had been revived as Pujis, and he left to take part in the Fungal Fortress's publicity campaign.
• The three Mushroom Transformers appeared at the fortress plaza, where citizens gathered to see them while the Dwarves dismissed the story as political performance.
• Sword Saint Puji showed concern about the appearance of the Mushroom Transformers.

Marshal Puji explained to the Sword Saint that resurrecting people cost nothing, while Will welcomed three new Mushroom Transformers and looked forward to finding others like himself. As Eugene and Dean prepared an army against the Fungal Fortress, Linden sought aid from the Dwarves.

• The Sword Saint asked Marshal Puji whether he was a god and why he had resurrected the three new mushrooms, and Marshal Puji said they were his subjects and resurrection cost nothing.
• The Sword Saint considered how resurrection could lead to a world full of puji but decided the mist remained the greater crisis.
• Marshal Puji teased the Sword Saint about being exposed for being toyed with by Inanna and Galadriel, and the Sword Saint regretted how difficult mushroom life could be.
• Will recalled his loneliness as the only human-turned-puji and rejoiced at the arrival of three new Mushroom Transformers.
• Eugene and Dean organized an army and sought outside aid against the Fungal Fortress, while Linden sent a request for aid to the Dwarves.

Linden secured the dwarves’ aid by sending them three S-Rank Magic Crystals, while the clans began preparing troops and craftsmen with conditions of their own. As the Northern Territory braced for battle, Mortis focused on drawing the Demon King to a decisive confrontation and quietly prepared to eliminate the Fungal Fortress afterward.

• Linden sent a letter requesting help from the dwarves and included three matching S-Rank Magic Crystals as a gift.
• Zafa and the other clan chiefs recognized that the crystals suggested a rich Northern Territory vein and agreed to organize aid, though Deepforge planned to use it to gain control and mining rights.
• Linden prepared logistical and medical support for the dwarves while considering how Mycelium Dwarves could help the Fungal Carpet spread through The Mountains.
• Mortis dismissed reports of the Northern Territory conflict and focused on gathering trusted forces to confront the Demon King at an unavoidable Node.
• Mortis ordered Feixi to mobilize elite forces, while Linden treated the order as routine and watched for Number Ten to emerge from seclusion in Norwid.

Linden entered Ivan’s mental space and had Number Ten dismantle the Super Magic Library in an attempt to save him. The library’s collapse unleashed a massive surge of magic around the mansion, leaving Ivan floating amid a storm and Night Owl scrambling for shelter.

• Nova brought breakfast to Orcas, who continued caring for the unconscious Ivan wrapped in mycelium.
• Linden entered Ivan’s mental space and found him restrained while Number Ten absorbed the library’s knowledge.
• Number Ten said it had finished reading but still could not understand the essence of magic, so Linden knocked it back to clear its head.
• Number Ten dismantled the Super Magic Library and offered to try to save Ivan as the library collapsed around him.
• Magic flooded toward the mansion, causing chaos throughout Norwid City as Ivan floated in the storm and Night Owl asked Garr and Nova which one she should hide with.

The Demon King maintained his preparations beneath the Empire and sensed a human approaching, then used magic to help the newcomer reach the truth. In Norwid, Ivan’s growing magic vortex resisted every attempt to stop it as a terrifying thunderball formed above him.

• The Demon King used the magic-rich cavern and the Dual-Color Slime to produce slimes and refine materials for his preparations.
• The Demon King sensed a latecomer approaching from the south and decided to help him survive long enough to glimpse the truth.
• In Norwid, Nova, Garr, and Night Owl retreated from Ivan’s expanding magic vortex as Lens arrived and demanded they stop him.
• Lens attacked Ivan with a magical sword arc, but the vortex swallowed it without effect.
• Lightning gathered above Ivan into a blinding thunderball, alarming Lens, Linden, and the others.

Number Ten used the mana drawn from the Fungal Carpet to wear down the lightning sphere and save Ivan, though the blast destroyed much of the city’s center. After rescuing Ivan, Number Ten collapsed into the Fungal Carpet, where Linden dubbed it the Archmage Mushroom.

• Linden summoned the Underground Network’s tentacles to feed mana into Number Ten, then watched as Number Ten prepared to fight the lightning sphere.
• Number Ten unleashed waves of spells that gradually weakened the descending lightning sphere while Night Owl, Nova, and Garr watched from outside the city.
• Number Ten broke the lightning sphere, and the explosion damaged the Lord's castle and Magic Tower as a Mana Shield protected Ivan.
• Night Owl caught Ivan as he fell and brought him to Garr, while Number Ten landed, contained a fragment of unknown information, and sank into the Fungal Carpet to recover.
• Linden called Number Ten the Archmage Mushroom, and Night Owl rescued Orcas from a buried cellar in the ruins.

Ivan woke after the mana rampage and discovered he could cast lower-tier magic effortlessly, while Linden mastered teleportation across the Fungal Carpet and began planning how to defeat the Demon King. Inanna was relaxing with Cave Four when an alarming magical surge appeared in the Duke's Mansion, and she saw half of Number Ten outside her window.

• Ivan woke in the ruins and found that magic came naturally to him, though he could not cast above the sixth tier and wept over a loss he could not remember.
• Linden used the Fungal Carpet to teleport Number Ten ten meters, then considered how to counter the Demon King's teleportation.
• Inanna received a noble follower, then let down her public mask and relaxed with Cave Four.
• Inanna sensed a violent magical surge, activated her Fire Cloak, and saw half of Number Ten outside the window.

Sword Saint Puji decided to hunt the Hand of Passing while the Fungal Fortress faced no immediate need for his help. Linden supported the expedition after noticing signs that the cult was operating near Eleanor's territory and might be plotting against him.

• Number Four waved a luminous white tooth in front of Number Ten, then resolved to seek a larger trophy despite hesitating to leave Pink Puji.
• Sword Saint Puji defeated Norris and Ming in a sparring match, cutting apart Jida and sending Ming flying with the spinning drill attack.
• Sword Saint Puji told Linden he planned to eradicate the Hand of Passing, and Linden agreed to let him leave while asking him to make contact monthly.
• Sword Saint Puji set out alone after Boss provided areas where the Hand of Passing had recently been active.
• Linden grew suspicious of the cult's activity near Eleanor's territory, including stealing Pujis and collecting Mycelium, and planned to use information taken from a captured Lizardman Priest to eliminate them.