Chapter Summaries

After the Fungal Fortress repelled the mist’s first wave, Linden considered how Cave Four’s destruction had helped clear it and gave the exhausted troops supplies and rest. The southern outpost then spotted a second mist surge coming from the Empire’s direction and was swallowed by it.

• Linden concluded that widespread destruction could accelerate the mist’s collapse and noted that many teams had encountered unfamiliar scenes while clearing it.
• The Fungal Fortress celebrated repelling the first wave, and Linden’s troops received food, Puji wine, and Blood Jade Wine.
• At the southernmost outpost, Erich sensed danger and warned his squad that mist was approaching.
• The Fungal Lord’s alarm sounded, and Erich identified the mist as coming from the Empire’s direction rather than the sea.
• The mist swallowed the southern outpost for the second time that day.

As the fog surged toward the Fungal Fortress, Linden arranged defenses and discovered Dwarf armies advancing on the eastern border. He confirmed that the Slimes were involved in a strange mental field, while the threat of war forced him to weaken the southern line.

• Galadriel left Sword Saint Puji bound in her grove, where Linden used the Fungal Carpet to teleport Elwin away and send him to defend a nearby city from the fog.
• Linden suspected the Slime Demon King had sent the fog from the Empire and ordered Piggy to guard key routes while preparing Scout Puji to investigate.
• Linden spotted elite Blacksteel Clan and Firebeard Clan armies advancing toward the eastern border and shifted forces east, giving up some southern territory to protect the Fungal Fortress.
• Linden detected a possible mental field around the Dwarf army and teleported the Yellow Book to investigate it.
• The Yellow Book confirmed a mental field on the other side and said it seemed different from its own.

The Mountain Dwarves launched a planned invasion of the Fungal Fortress, leaving Marco, Grum, and Torin shaken by the news and the mistreatment of Parasitized people. Linden offered the dwarves living in the Fortress safe passage home, but Marco chose to help the Fortress as it prepared to fight.

• Marco learned that the Mountain Dwarves had attacked the Fungal Fortress, and Linden showed him, Grum, and Torin images of the advancing legions.
• Linden showed the dwarves a Parasitized person being beaten and dragged away, then warned that the Fortress would have to fight despite suspecting the Empire had stirred up the conflict.
• Marco asked Linden to spare the Mountain Dwarves after the Empire's role was exposed, and Linden agreed; Marco then went to assist at his Battle Puppet factory.
• Dwarf soldiers spread Strong Acid across the Fungal Carpet to keep it from regrowing, while an unseen influence suppressed a noncommissioned officer's doubts about the campaign.
• Scout Puji failed to locate the signal source behind the dwarves' mental field, and Marshal Puji prepared to face the advancing army.

The dwarves’ first defensive line initially held back the Puji, but the Fungal Fortress overwhelmed it with parasitic spores and Dragon Breath attacks. Baduo covered the retreat, then faced Number Ten, whose simultaneous spells and eighteen tentacles threatened to turn the fight against him while Linden watched his [Charm] status.

• Aierlin and the dwarves used explosive crossbows, storms, and S-shaped trenches to repel the first Puji assault, but spores parasitized Aierlin’s officer.
• The Fungal Fortress sent Dragon Breath Puji that destroyed the dwarf Mages’ fortresses and broke through the first line of defense.
• Baduo arrived and cut down Puji while the surviving dwarves withdrew to the rear position.
• Number Ten raised an earthen wall to block Baduo’s retreat and attacked him with several spells at once.
• Baduo escaped the Light Prison with light injuries and cut off two of Number Ten’s tentacles before Number Ten revealed all eighteen.
• Linden watched the confrontation and studied the [Charm] status on Baduo’s panel.

Sword Saint Puji used the mist’s reconstructed scene to search for Boss’s possible main body while Linden’s forces fought the Dwarves. The Dwarves defeated Number Ten with two Battle Puppets and drove the Fungal Fortress back, but Number Ten returned with a Puji army three days later.

• Sword Saint Puji blended into a mist-created army of puji to search the Dungeon for clues about Boss’s possible main body.
• Linden kept defenses ready for the Empire and planned to defeat the Dwarves so Yellow Book could locate the Spirit Field’s source.
• Number Ten gathered mana to attack the Dwarven position, but Bretta activated three metal coffins and released Battle Puppets.
• The Battle Puppets disrupted Number Ten’s lightning attack, and Baduo seized and smashed Number Ten before the Dwarves countercharged and forced the Fungal Fortress to retreat.
• Three days later, Number Ten appeared before the two armies again with a vast Puji army.

Baduo and the dwarves faced collapsing morale as the Fungal Fortress unleashed a new magic-disrupting Giant Puji that shattered their defenses. As the legions fled, Number Ten pursued Mofulei at Linden's command to capture her alive.

• Baduo warned Bretta that the dwarves' morale was failing, but Mofulei used [Charm] to make him obey orders to keep fighting.
• The dwarves' battle puppets struggled against Number Ten, until a Siege Battle Puppet fused with a Giant Puji arrived and its magic impacts disabled weapons, fortifications, and puppet movements.
• Linden summoned a second Giant Puji with [Familiar Creator] and [Dragon Might], breaking the dwarves' morale and sending both legions fleeing.
• Number Ten abandoned its fight with the battle puppets, followed the Yellow Book toward the fleeing dwarves, and found Mofulei.
• Linden identified Mofulei as Lust and ordered Number Ten to take her alive.

Number Ten and the Pujis routed the Dwarves, but Mofulei escaped with [Lust] and reached a fortress where Baduo killed her. Baduo resolved to stop the war and expose the Empire’s conspiracy.

• Number Ten defeated Bretta and pursued Mofulei, but her [Charm], strengthened by [Lust], disrupted his magic and let her escape.
• The Pujis captured most of the Dwarf forces and Bretta, while Baduo fought his way free and Mofulei fled the pursuit by hiding outside the Fungal Carpet’s range.
• Linden ordered the Pujis to keep pursuing Mofulei, hoping to seize [Lust] before it returned to the Demon King.
• Mofulei reached a Dwarf fortress and urged Baduo to escort her back to Forgefire Capital, but his Mental Resistance let him withstand her Charm.
• Baduo killed Mofulei with his axe and resolved to stop the war and prevent further Dwarf deaths.

The Great Dragon encountered the human musician Red, whose performances revived Sylvia’s spirits, and later learned that Sylvia’s affection for the half-dragon hatchling Swergis stirred feelings of jealousy in him. When Swergis entered a nearby rift, the Great Dragon let him go, and Sylvia’s fury shook Dragon Cliff.

• Ern escorted Red to Dragon Cliff, where Red refused guards and entered the dungeon alone to seek inspiration from dragons.
• The Great Dragon found Red playing music among the Dragon Beasts and brought him to Sylvia, whose spirits lifted as Red played and sang for her.
• Red stayed on Dragon Cliff for years, helping Sylvia regain her vitality, but died during one of the Great Dragon’s long sleeps.
• Before her condition worsened, Sylvia entrusted the weak half-dragon hatchling Swergis to the Great Dragon, and he saw her treat Swergis with a love he had never received.
• The Great Dragon watched Swergis follow the magic into a nearby rift without stopping him, and Sylvia’s fury made Dragon Cliff tremble.

Sword Saint Puji fought through the Mist Illusion, failed to find Boss's main body, and died after the Fungal Carpet drained his mana. After reviving, he learned the United Kingdom was in danger and was teleported to Oath City, where the city remained under siege and its shield began to fail.

• Sword Saint Puji searched the Dungeon for Boss's main body while fighting Pujis, Little Black, Knight Puji, and other attackers, but found nothing.
• Sword Saint Puji realized he could not escape the Mist Illusion, sat on the Fungal Carpet to recover mana, and was drained dry and killed.
• After reviving, Sword Saint Puji learned from Boss and Linden that the mist had ebbed, but the United Kingdom was facing an extreme crisis.
• Linden teleported Sword Saint Puji to Oath City, where he saw humans, Pujis, and the Demon Race fighting as the city remained surrounded.
• Sword Saint Puji saw lightning strike Oath City's Mana Shield, and the shield and lightning ball dissipated together.

As the mist approached, Vera left Longwu Fort to defend Lal Fortress while Sirian stayed behind with Number Five. The human defenders’ Puji unexpectedly disrupted the teams’ experiences inside the mist, allowing it to break through and engulf Lal Fortress.

• Vera refused to stop her subjects from fleeing Longwu Fort and told steward Cole to seek shelter.
• Vera went to Lal Fortress with Feiling and Feiyin, while Sirian declined to join them and stayed with Number Five.
• Lal Fortress’s commander assigned Vera to the city instead of the front line as elite teams prepared to hold back the mist.
• The human teams encountered strange illusions after entering the mist, and defenders discovered that their Puji had triggered the disruptions.
• The mist passed through gaps in the defenses and engulfed Lal Fortress, trapping its people and Puji in an unknown illusion.

Vera, Feiyin, Feiling, and the soldiers fought a devastating battle against an invisible Kees swarm inside the Mist Illusion, only to face an Empire assault as the mist receded. Feiling was struck by a Blood Arrow, and Duke Levi ordered the Empire's army to attack Lal Fortress.

• The mist transported everyone inside Lal Fortress to a different fortress, where a scarred general ordered them to defend against the revealed Kees swarm.
• Vera and the soldiers fought off the climbing insects, while the commander shifted troops to guard the southern wall after a soldier warned the attack might be a feint.
• A Giant Tentacle Beast smashed the caster tower, and Vera caught Feiyin as it collapsed, with Feiling's arrow helping pull her within reach.
• The insects broke through the wall, and after the mist receded, Feiling killed the Eye Bug controlling the swarm, though the battle left many dead and wounded.
• Vera reunited with Feiling and Feiyin, but a Blood Arrow struck Feiling in the brow as an Empire force appeared outside the fortress.
• Duke Levi swept away the remaining mist and ordered the Empire's army to attack Lal Fortress.

After Feiling died and Feiyin fled, Vera fought Levi during the fall of Lal Fortress and was gravely wounded. A transport team carried Vera and the fortress commander to Mushroom Capital, where Vera woke with no memory of the commander.

• Feiyin used Sirian's healing elixir on Feiling, but it failed, and Vera sent Feiyin away with her sister's body.
• Vera killed a pursuing Blood Clan member before entering the fight against Levi at Lal Fortress.
• Levi defeated the fortress commander and escaped Vera's ambush with help from a Slime, while his army captured the fortress.
• The mist swept over Lal Fortress, and the wounded commander dragged Vera east until a Fatty Puji transport team found them.
• Vera woke near Mushroom Capital and asked the commander who he was, prompting him to suspect her brain had been damaged.

After Feiling died at Lal Fortress, Number Five asked Linden to revive her, and Vera’s Sacrifice ability supplied enough soul adhesion for Linden to convert her into a Puji. Feiyin learned the revival had succeeded, while Vera quietly considered what his sacrifice had done.

• Vera reunited with Feiyin, learned Feiling had died at Lal Fortress, and saw her body preserved in ice.
• Number Five proposed asking the Fungal Lord to revive Feiling, and Vera and the others brought her body to the Fungal Carpet.
• Linden began decomposing Feiling but found her soul lacked enough adhesion until Vera’s Virtue of Sacrifice increased it.
• Linden placed Feiling’s soul in a Puji Body, and several Puji carried the dazed Feiling away.
• Number Five told Feiyin that the revival had succeeded and that the Fungal Lord would return Puji Feiling after playing with her.
• Vera watched the others with a thoughtful expression as Feiyin and Sirian reacted to the news.

Norris reunited the revived Feiling with Vera and Feiyin, while Linden’s attempt to spy on an embarrassing encounter instead captured a heartfelt reunion. The chapter ended with Number Five teaching Feiling about life as a Puji and Vera asking Feiyin to tell her more about their past.

• Norris reassembled the severed Puji Mushroom Linden had sent him, and it revived as Feiling, who asked about Vera and Feiyin.
• Norris learned through the Mycelium Network that Vera and Feiyin were alive in the Mushroom Capital and arranged for Feiling to teleport there.
• Feiling recognized Norris as the person who had once kept order at the Dungeon entrance and thanked him before teleporting away.
• Linden angrily smashed his Recording Crystal after Norris responded to Feiling with kindness instead of the embarrassing behavior he had expected, then picked the crystal back up.
• Number Five reassembled Feiling after the teleportation split her into three sections, and Feiling embraced Vera and Feiyin.
• After Number Five took Feiling aside to teach her about being a Puji, Vera asked Feiyin whether she had acted correctly and invited her to share more about their past.

As Levi and Sigismund’s forces closed on Oath City, Linden discovered that the Empire’s Obelisk was absorbing the souls of the dead, while Sophia harassed the Imperial camp with long-range attacks. Number Ten and other Mushroom Race members arrived to reinforce the city as three Puji armies marched toward the Empire.

• Blood Clan members killed the watchtower sentries and Puji, while Linden saw their souls fly to the Empire’s Obelisk.
• Alama and Lorenzo discussed the approaching armies and the Empire’s capture of North Gate Fortress and Valley Bridge Fortress.
• Sophia repeatedly attacked the Imperial camp from afar, eventually firing arrows beyond sight after sacrificing one of her eyes.
• Number Ten teleported to Oath City with several Mushroom Race members to support its defenders.
• The Boss led three Puji armies toward the Empire, declaring that they would destroy the Slime tyranny.

The First Fungal Legion captured Wind-Breath Pass through a disguised attack and continued advancing toward Twilight Castle, while the Second Fungal Legion slowly crossed the north and the Third headed to support the United Kingdom. The Empire’s army swept through the United Kingdom as its people waited inside Oath City for the decisive battle.

• The disguised Viscount and his mushroom-Puppet followers entered Wind-Breath Pass, killed the gate guards, and opened the gate for the Puji.
• Norris led the First Fungal Legion through the pass and ordered the soldiers to destroy Slime generators, kill resisters and Slimes, and spare buildings and facilities without cause.
• The First Fungal Legion advanced toward Twilight Castle after breaching the Empire’s strongest pass on its route.
• Cave Four’s slow advance turned the Second Fungal Legion’s march through northern cities and fortresses into a series of surrenders and abandoned settlements.
• The Third Fungal Legion headed toward Stone Fort Dungeon and the Rift to support the United Kingdom and protect the Mushroom Capital.
• The Empire’s army rampaged through the United Kingdom while humans huddled in Oath City awaiting the decisive battle.

Anna escaped the Demon Race’s attack on her village through the help of the Puji and was brought with other children to the Mushroom Capital, where Fahr awaited an imminent assault. As Prince Darean approached with the Demon Race forces, he questioned the Demon King’s order to leave no survivors and resolved to ask him about it.

• The Demon Race attacked Anna’s village, killing her father and mother as she hid in a hole.
• A Puji dragged Anna underground, where she joined other rescued children and was carried through the Underground Network to the Mushroom Capital.
• Fahr learned that nearly a thousand children had been brought to safety, while Mirabelle said reinforcements from the Fungal Fortress would arrive in two days.
• A Demon Race force appeared near the Mushroom Capital sooner than Fahr expected.
• Prince Darean questioned the Demon King’s order to leave no survivors and decided to ask him about it after returning.

Darean’s Blood Clan forces attacked the Mushroom Capital while the city descended into chaos, and Dylan defended Puji House with skill equipment. Inanna and Marshal Puji arrived with the Third Fungal Legion, and Linden ordered the raising of a War Banner from screaming Blood Clan captives.

• Darean’s blood beast battered the western wall as Blood Scions rained arrows on the defenders, while Pujis fought back and suffered heavy losses.
• Dylan reassured Bianka at Puji House, froze looters who targeted the shop, and watched as panicked residents gathered at the blocked Puji Dungeon entrance.
• A Blood Scion broke through the wall, killed two civilians, and smashed part of Puji House before Dylan shielded Bianka and faced its attack.
• Inanna froze the Blood Scion and its blood whip, while Marshal Puji arrived with the Third Fungal Legion.
• At Linden’s command, Blood Clan captives enhanced with [Sensory Enhancement LV10] were raised as the War Banner, their screams carrying across the Mushroom Capital.

The Fungal Lord used captured Blood Clan members and a coerced defector to break the Imperial army’s morale, prompting Darean to retreat from Mushroom Capital. The city celebrated its survival, while Linden chose not to pursue the retreating forces.

• The Blood Beast destroyed part of Mushroom Capital’s wall, but the Puji emerged from the dust carrying captured Blood Clan members tied to flagpoles.
• Belian rescued two captives; one thanked him and killed himself, while the other stabbed Belian and fled to the Fungal Lord, who sent him back to the flagpole to keep screaming.
• Belian succumbed to the mushrooms growing through his body and forced his friend to kill him; the friend collapsed in shock as the Pujis advanced.
• Marshal Puji rallied Mushroom Capital’s residents, and Darean ordered the Imperial army to retreat after its soldiers’ will to fight faltered.
• Linden did not pursue the retreating army, and Mushroom Capital’s residents cheered and praised the Fungal Lord.

Linden sent the First Fungal Legion toward Twilight Castle while the Third Fungal Legion hunted the Demon King's roaming squads. Norris's Jida squad found the last city before Twilight Castle abandoned, but the city proved to be a trap when Valerice emerged fused with an Abyss Beast and charged the halted First Mycelium.

• Linden sent the Third Fungal Legion to hunt the Demon King's massacre squads while the First Fungal Legion hurried toward Twilight Castle.
• Norris led a Jida squad into the empty city near Twilight Castle and found fresh bloodstains but no bodies or sentries.
• A Shadow Bug trapped a Jida, and Norris recognized it as an abyssal creature before ordering his squad to retreat.
• A vast darkness spread across the city as an Abyss Beast emerged, and Valerice revealed herself fused with the monster.
• Valerice controlled the Abyss Beast and charged toward the stopped First Mycelium.