Chapter Summaries

As pujis reunited with relatives in an overcrowded Mushroom Capital, Norris enforced order at Puji Dungeon while people waited for their loved ones. Bianka finally recognized her father Evan, but Evan hesitated to visit her mother after assuming the family had moved on.

• Bianka turned away more guests as crowds overwhelmed Mushroom Capital, where people gathered to meet the dead reborn as pujis.
• Norris released ten Mushroom Transformers to find their relatives and stopped a Diamond Rank man who tried to force his way into Puji Dungeon.
• The crowd quieted after Norris warned that access would expand once the United Kingdom and Fungal Fortress formally signed an alliance.
• At dusk, Bianka recognized her father Evan as a puji and embraced him, then urged him to come home and tell her mother.
• Evan resisted, believing Bianka's family had a new home, while Old Dylan watched their reunion and refused to risk making Bianka cry.

Alama visited the Fungal Fortress to judge whether the United Kingdom should ally with it, and the city's peaceful order and Inanna's happiness convinced him that the Fungal Lord was worth cooperating with. The United Kingdom formally allied with the Fungal Fortress, while Linden revealed that he had used a nearly ruined voice box to imitate the Fungal Lord's childlike voice.

• Lorenzo and Alama agreed that someone should inspect the Fungal Fortress before the alliance, and Alama chose to go himself with Inanna.
• Fifteen reunited with Sword Saint Puji, then was pressured by Puji and Number Nine into a spar.
• Alama crossed the rift with Inanna and saw her happily welcomed by the Mushroom Race in the Fungal Fortress.
• Alama toured the city, admired its order and relaxed residents, and decided the Fungal Lord deserved deeper cooperation.
• The United Kingdom and the Fungal Fortress officially formed an alliance in Oath City's Victory Square.
• Linden discarded the worn-out voice box he had used to imitate the Fungal Lord's childlike voice.

After opening the Dungeon Rift passage and addressing diplomatic and military concerns, Linden arranged for Cave Four to receive the Leviathan skill and prepared for Piggy’s Blood-Stealing Ritual. Eleanor remained unaware that a message above her head announced her public execution in three days at Puji Square.

• Linden opened the Dungeon Rift passage for exchanges, while anti-Mycelium sentiment complicated relations with the Mountain Dwarves.
• Cave Four chose to install [Leviathan], accepting that it would lose its small body and ability to curl up in Inanna’s arms.
• Linden raised Little Black’s [Ancient Dragon Path] progress to 64% and spent scarce S-Rank Magic Crystals to prepare Piggy’s Blood-Stealing Ritual.
• Eleanor drank dragon blood, grew angry at the Lizardman maid, and planned to use Louisa’s advancement to regain her former power.
• The maid saw the floating message announcing Eleanor’s public execution in three days at Puji Square.

Vera and his companions visited Fungal Fortress during a major gathering, where they learned that the event centered on exposing the crimes of the imperial duke Eleanor. The chapter ended as recordings of Eleanor’s brutal treatment of slaves played before the crowd, leaving her visibly unsettled.

• Vera and his companions entered Fungal Fortress, toured its attractions, and gathered in Puji Square for an event.
• Eleanor crushed Feiyin’s glowing Puji, and Vera stopped her from attacking Feiyin.
• A Half-Demon explained that Eleanor was the event’s main attraction and that Fungal Citizens had endured her presence for months.
• Norris introduced Eleanor as an imperial duke and showed recordings of her imprisoning, draining, and torturing slaves.
• Eleanor asked Marshal Puji what was happening, but he told her to stay calm and watch until the end.

Fungal Fortress publicly executed Eleanor for her crimes, using the spectacle to reassure allied visitors that its multiracial citizens stood for justice. Louisa advanced by draining Eleanor’s Blood Power, while Vera’s group left reconsidering their view of the Demon Race.

• Linden and Norris showed recordings of Eleanor’s abuses to the crowd, then announced that she would be executed.
• The shackles restrained Eleanor as ten victim representatives each stabbed her with pain-amplifying daggers.
• Marshal Puji declared that Fungal Fortress would not shelter villains, and Louisa rejected Eleanor’s plea to become her Blood Scion.
• Piggy and Thirteen activated the Blood-Stealing Ritual, draining Eleanor’s Blood Power to help Louisa advance until Eleanor was reduced to ashes.
• Vera’s group watched the crowd accept the execution, and Feiyin wondered whether the Fungal Lord truly sought a nation for every race.
• Sirian looked back at the Puji statue and remarked that the more perfect something was, the more fleeting it became.

Norris discovered something disturbing while feeding Louisa, as the Fungal Fortress’s image of justice concealed unsettling secrets. Meanwhile, unrest among the dwarves worsened, and the Demon King made a breakthrough in developing Slimes that could remove Mycelium from parasitized hosts, turning his attention toward the Mountains.

• Norris brought blood to Louisa and poured the remainder into a slit in a carefully maintained Blood Clan statue, then sensed something alarming with Qi Sense LV9.
• News of Eleanor’s execution reached the other powers, while the Anti-Mycelium Faction’s attacks on border Fungal Carpets drove conflict between dwarves and the parasitized toward open rebellion.
• Linden suspected high-ranking dwarves had coordinated with the Empire, while Sigismund trained troops, studied souls, and worried that Blood Clan would defect to the Fungal Fortress for Blood Jade Wine.
• In the Demon King’s laboratory, a modified Slime removed the Mycelium from a Demon Descendant without harming him, though the Demon King had to restrain it through Familiar Control.
• The Demon King recognized the research breakthrough’s potential and considered the Mountains as his next target.

The mist rapidly advanced toward the Tidal Sanctuary, forcing Sephiria to rescue Sarah and Lillian from the Trench. It swallowed the mermaids and Linden, transporting them into an illusion aboard a ship where Linden recognized the ghost ship from Dylan’s sea and heard that Water Ghosts had appeared.

• The mist surged across the sea, and Sephiria summoned the mermaids to the Tidal Sanctuary while Linden sounded the alarm through the mycelium network.
• Sephiria learned Sarah and Lillian had gone to the Trench, then swam out to find them despite Linden’s warning that the mist was approaching.
• Sephiria found the sisters as the mist closed in and asked Linden to deliver a threatening message to Elwin if she died.
• The mist swallowed Sephiria, Sarah, Lillian, and Linden, then placed them in a water tank aboard a ship in an unfamiliar illusion.
• Linden’s Puji Fish attacked the ship’s guards and took the merchant hostage, but a cannonball and a sailor’s warning revealed the ghost ship and the arrival of the Water Ghosts.

Linden and the Mermaids escaped the sinking Ghost Ship after Gugulu used the [Scepter of the Ocean] to break the mist’s attack. Before the scene vanished, Linden recovered a portrait of a crowned blond man whose face resembled Vera.

• Linden killed the fat merchant, and Puji killed the guards who attacked him as Water Ghosts overwhelmed the deck.
• Sephiria froze the Water Ghosts that reached the Mermaids, and Linden ordered everyone into the sea as the ship began to sink.
• Linden spotted a portrait before it fell through the deck, then Sephiria raised an ice wall to shield the group from the Water Ghosts and the Ghost Ship’s cannons.
• As the ice wall neared collapse, Gugulu arrived with the [Scepter of the Ocean] and unleashed the sea against the Water Ghosts and Ghost Ship.
• Linden found the portrait in the water and saw that its crowned blond subject resembled Vera before the mist scene disappeared.

As the mist swallowed the sea, Linden prepared the Fungal Fortress and warned The Kingdom that the threat had reached the continent. The chapter ends with Baduo leading dwarves toward two battling dragons in a ravine, unaware that they have run into a tough opponent.

• Sephiria recovered from mild magic addiction while Linden assessed the mist's renewed advance and the losses to the Floating Mushroom Fungal Carpet.
• Linden ordered Piggy to train elite squads and establish three lines of defensive positions along the southern coast, and Little Pink alerted The Kingdom's leaders.
• Lorenzo and Alama confirmed the mist's arrival, while Sophia remained calm and the elves sent help; the dwarves remained consumed by conflict over Parasitism.
• The dwarves continued trading dragons for S-Rank Magic Crystals despite their infighting, and Baduo led his elite subordinates toward a weakened Blue Dragon and Red Dragon fighting in a ravine.

Baduo’s dwarf squad approached the ravine after Azra defeated the Red Dragon, but their ambush failed against the Blue Dragon’s overwhelming power. As Azra moved to kill Baduo, another dragon landed on the mountaintop.

• Baduo led his squad toward the ravine and saw that Azra had devastated a High-Horn Goat pasture.
• Azra killed the Red Dragon after telling it that constant fighting had made him stronger.
• Baduo and the dwarves ambushed Azra with Shadow Bind, but he tore free and blasted most of them with lightning Dragon Breath.
• Baduo survived the attack but was badly burned, while Azra overpowered him and moved to crush him.
• Another dragon landed on the mountaintop, making Azra withdraw his claw as Baduo recognized the Great Dragon.

The Great Dragon attacked Azra after the Blue Dragon mocked its bond with Mother, but spared it to allow a fair rematch and demanded that Azra leave Swergis to the Great Dragon. Meanwhile, Little Black defeated Norris in the Arena, and Linden reflected on her rapid progress before looking toward Lord Sword Saint.

• The Great Dragon asked Azra whether it had seen Swergis, then attacked when Azra mocked Mother and called the Great Dragon foolish.
• The Great Dragon released the battered Azra and promised a fair fight after it recovered, provided Azra let the Great Dragon kill Swergis if they met.
• The old Dwarf mage dragged the wounded Dwarves toward a patch of Fungal Carpet, hoping it could help save them.
• Little Black emerged victorious over Norris, and Cave Seven and the Delicious Puji celebrated around her.
• Linden noted that Little Black was halfway along the Ancient Dragon Path and had won in only two rounds, then turned his gaze toward Lord Sword Saint.

Fifteen used a feint to expose Sword Saint Puji’s tentacles, but Puji defeated him with a mushroom cannon before being caught in a teleportation trap. Galadriel negotiated territory for the Treants with Number One, then confronted the resurrected Puji about his identity as the human Sword Saint Elwin Slayne.

• Fifteen knocked aside Sword Saint Puji’s four tentacles and charged, but Puji blasted him across the Training Ground with a mushroom cannon.
• A teleportation array activated beneath Puji, sending him away while leaving two severed tentacles behind.
• Galadriel questioned Number One about Puji’s apparent death, and Number One explained that the Mushroom Race could resurrect him.
• Galadriel gave Number One a royal necklace to secure territory for Little Green’s Treants, but said an alliance would require the elves’ discussion.
• After Number One left, Galadriel entered the secret chamber and confronted the resurrected Puji, identifying him as the human Sword Saint Elwin Slayne.
• Puji immediately cut himself into over a hundred mycelium blocks.

Linden assessed the Treants’ new growth and planned to use them as signal extenders beyond the Fungal Carpet. At an Elf Council meeting, Galadriel dragged the mangled Sword Saint Puji along as her captive pet, but he tried to escape and tore himself apart.

• Linden inspected the giant Treants, noted their strength and limited mobility, and decided to use them as mobile signal extenders for Fungal Fortress.
• Linden gave Little Green another batch of A-Rank Magic Crystals despite his dwindling supply.
• Echo attended the Elf Council without Number One, and Galadriel arrived dragging the bizarrely reassembled Picasso Puji by a magical restraint.
• Galadriel discussed diplomatic relations with Fungal Fortress while the elves wondered about Picasso Puji, then left without explaining him.
• Galadriel told Sword Saint Puji that he would be her pet, but he broke free and used Moon Treading to run, tearing his body apart in the process.

Baduo woke after being defeated by a Blue Dragon and discovered that Mycelium had parasitized him, along with a new ability to sense vibrations. He learned that the Mountains Council had ordered the Parasitized removed from rear cities, and decided to return to Forgefire Capital to investigate the escalating conflict.

• In a vision amid chaos, Baduo saw a Half-Demon before the chaos swallowed him.
• Baduo woke in a room and recalled that the Blue Dragon had defeated his group; he accepted that his comrades had used Mycelium to save him.
• Baduo developed Vibration Sense and used it to perceive the old mage arguing with a well-dressed official about the order to remove the Parasitized.
• The old mage told Baduo that another clan member had been assassinated and that two days had passed while he was unconscious.
• Baduo said he would return to Forgefire Capital, and the official offered to send an escort.

Baduo returned to Forgefire Capital to challenge the council’s decision to isolate the mycelium-infected, but Bretta and the succubus Mofulei trapped and charmed him. After the mycelium was removed, Baduo had another strange dream and his Mental Resistance rose to LV7.

• Baduo reached Forgefire Capital, where guards barred infected people from entering until the gate captain recognized him and brought Bretta to meet him.
• Bretta explained the clan leaders’ dispute over the infected and the Dwarf King’s support for strict containment, while Baduo insisted on confronting the king.
• Bretta promised to arrange a meeting, but later led Baduo into an underground passage where Zafa Clan soldiers surrounded him and revealed that the king was absent.
• Bretta admitted she had conspired with Mofulei to pursue magical knowledge, and Baduo defeated the soldiers before Mofulei used her power to charm him.
• Mofulei ordered Bretta to remove Baduo’s mycelium with Slime, and Baduo’s next dream raised his Mental Resistance from LV6 to LV7.

Inanna trained on Cave Four to prepare for Leviathan, but Cave Four refused to give up despite being unable to feel her efforts. Piggy then reported unexplained bodily mutations among Fungal Citizens, and Linden discovered they were caused by skills appearing on their Panels without his intervention.

• Inanna ran along Cave Four's mushroom cap, but Cave Four said it could not feel her and resisted her suggestion to give up on Leviathan.
• Piggy asked Linden to produce more high-tier Pujis for the coastal defenses, and Linden agreed to move Cave Four east.
• Piggy showed Linden reports of Fungal Citizens growing horns, tails, scales, and carapaces, and said the cases had resisted Water of Life.
• Linden examined the patients' Panels and found unexpected skills such as [Chitin Shell LV2] and [Tail Whip LV1] causing their mutations.
• Linden decided to investigate whether similar cases had appeared in the United Kingdom.

Linden investigated the unexplained “Self-Study Phenomenon” affecting people parasitized by mycelium and sent Norris to rescue Ailala after she gained frost Dragon Breath. Ailala woke in the Dungeon and mistook Norris for a Demon, freezing him before he could explain; Norris survived and began warming her, while seven other affected people awaited observation.

• Ailala was cornered by three men demanding repayment of her father's debt, and her two Pujis were killed as they attacked her.
• Ailala unleashed frost Dragon Breath, killing two men, while Norris killed the third; Ailala then collapsed from her own breath.
• Linden named the unauthorized skill acquisition among mycelium-parasitized people the “Self-Study Phenomenon” and decided to gather those affected for observation.
• Ailala woke in the Dungeon, saw Norris's scales and claws, and panicked, freezing his face with another burst of Dragon Breath.
• Norris broke free of the ice and used a Heating Puji to warm Ailala, noting that seven other people with the phenomenon were also in his care.

Norris cared for the Self-Study Phenomenon patients while Linden observed their unusual connection to him and prepared defenses against the advancing Mist. The Mist suddenly surged onto the western coast and pushed inland, forcing the garrison troops to confront it.

• Norris comforted Little Kai, filed his dangerous nails, and gave Ailala her daily resistance potion.
• Linden observed the patients’ growth and sensed their emotions more clearly than those of ordinary Fungal Citizens.
• Linden reinforced the western coastline with Diamond-level Knight Pujis as the Mist advanced across the sea.
• The Mist abruptly accelerated near the coast and surged dozens of miles inland, where evacuated cities left only garrison troops to resist it.

Inanna became trapped in the mist and witnessed an illusion of demons slaughtering humans before fighting Mad Wolf with her elemental lords. Just as Mad Wolf lunged for her, Pink Puji burst through the city to intervene.

• Inanna lost contact with Cave Four in the mist and entered an alley where demons tortured a human noble.
• Inanna hid in a house, but demons found her and threatened her before she froze the southeast corner of the city.
• Mad Wolf attacked Inanna and the Frost Elemental Lord, whose ice magic could not keep him at bay.
• Inanna summoned Little Fire, and the Flame Elemental Lord joined the Frost Elemental Lord in battling Mad Wolf.
• Mad Wolf broke through their attacks and charged at Inanna, but Pink Puji erupted from underground and blocked his path.

Cave Four and Inanna stalled Mad Wolf inside the Mist Illusion by protecting Inanna and rolling through the city, crushing many Demon Race soldiers. As the illusion weakened, they escaped into an open wilderness ten li from where they had started.

• Mad Wolf tried to reach Inanna while Cave Four attacked him, but Cave Four curled around Inanna to shield her.
• Mad Wolf struck Cave Four as it rolled through the city, while the Demon Race troops were crushed in its path.
• Inanna relayed Cave Four’s promise that it would stop crushing soldiers if Mad Wolf stood still, but Cave Four attacked him as soon as she ducked back inside.
• Mad Wolf dodged the attacks and pursued Cave Four as it resumed rolling through the city.
• After Cave Four rolled through the ruins for the fifth time, the Mist Illusion collapsed and Cave Four and Inanna appeared in an open wilderness ten li away.