Chapter Summaries

Solalin agreed to avoid the Fifth Floor’s Mushroom Forest, while Linden confronted the Yellow Book over the damage and danger it had caused. The Yellow Book warned that the Amethyst Dungeon was in peril because a long-term rift had appeared, leaving Linden eager to hear more.

• Solalin used her Vision of Truth to see chaos throughout the mushrooms and agreed with the adventurers to bypass the Mushroom Forest.
• Linden listed the losses caused by the Yellow Book and asked it to explain its value to the Mushroom Garden.
• The Yellow Book claimed it could detect outsiders, boost attributes, and control people, but Linden dismissed its abilities as too troublesome to use.
• Little Black tore a page from the Yellow Book, and the book cried out before warning that the dungeon was in peril because a long-term rift had appeared.
• Linden stopped Little Black and told the Yellow Book to explain its warning.

Linden learned from the Yellow Book that the growing rift might signal the dungeon’s collapse and that the Dungeon Core lay in the deepest part of the Deep Zone. He allowed the Yellow Book to accompany Norris on the fifth and sixth floors while planning to investigate the core and watch the book closely.

• Linden noticed that the rift beneath the Sixth Floor’s Suspension Cage had grown slightly, and the Yellow Book warned that rifts could signal a dungeon collapse.
• The Yellow Book explained that controlling the Dungeon Core in the deepest part of the Deep Zone could let Linden repair the dungeon.
• Linden permitted the Yellow Book to travel with Norris on the fifth and sixth floors under strict conditions, while Norris resolved to avoid carrying it if possible.
• Three Pujis carried sleeping Little Black to her Mushroom House, where she grabbed one of them and held it tightly.
• Linden remained skeptical of the Yellow Book but added the Dungeon Core to his plans and decided to keep the book under observation through Norris.

Linden expanded the Fungal Carpet onto the Seventh Floor, a vast underwater sewer, and realized he needed stronger underwater skills to explore it safely. As he considered luring aquatic monsters up to the surface, he concluded that fishing was the answer.

• Linden cultivated young Treant Demons in the Sixth Floor’s Mushroom Forest and built a Puji sprinkler to water them.
• Norris met the Yellow Book, became absorbed in its dark Hero-and-princess story, and agreed to hear a new story every three days.
• Linden spread the Fungal Carpet from the Sixth Floor onto the Seventh Floor, where the terrain was mostly waterways and the monsters were aquatic.
• Linden found that his low-level underwater skills could not protect Puji during exploration, and previous attempts had ended with their mushroom caps floating back up.
• Linden decided he needed to lure aquatic monsters to the surface or onto land so he could kill them and improve his underwater skills.

Linden tried several ways to catch the Seventh Floor’s dangerous fish, eventually using an explosive Fatty Puji to kill a Frost Giant Eel and obtain underwater skills. Elsewhere, a Gold Rank adventuring party caught a giant catfish and found a small sickle inside its stomach.

• Linden’s bait Puji was eaten by a giant catfish, and subsequent fishing attempts lost more Pujis to monsters, until Little Black caught a catfish by hand.
• Linden used Infrasonic Attack to kill small fish, then sent a stone-weighted Fatty Puji underwater as bait for larger prey.
• A Frost Giant Eel attacked Fatty Puji and was killed by an underwater explosion; the Pujis also recovered a Giant Shrimp with injured pincers.
• Linden plundered skills from the eel and shrimp, tested them, and began producing Fatty Pujis to prepare for underwater threats.
• A Gold Rank adventuring party froze and killed a giant catfish, then found a small sickle in its stomach.

Dylan and the passengers aboard the Wind Feather were pursued by the pirate ship Blood Shark, and the captain surrendered when escape proved impossible. The pirates boarded the ship, and Linden identified three Gold Rank among them.

• Dylan sunbathed on the aft deck, then used water from the second mate to care for Puji and himself.
• Dylan estimated that the Wind Feather would reach Siren Island in less than a week and considered taking Bella to the Dungeon to keep her safe from the growing threat of war.
• A lookout spotted the Blood Shark, and the captain tried to flee before realizing the pirates had a wind mage and ordering the passengers back to their cabins.
• Dylan discussed the pirates’ likely strength with Linden, then had Puji mimic a wooden stool and placed it inconspicuously on deck.
• The Wind Feather raised a white flag, and more than thirty pirates boarded under a scar-faced leader.
• Linden examined the pirates’ status panels and found three Gold Ranks among them.

Caspar and the Blood Shark seized the Wind Feather after rejecting Captain Gerhard’s offer to surrender part of its cargo. Garon betrayed Gerhard, and Caspar began ordering his pirates to take everything before an unseen mishap interrupted him.

• Caspar boarded the Wind Feather with his officers and more than thirty pirates, confident that his wind mage had let the Blood Shark overtake the merchant ship.
• Gerhard offered one-third of the cargo for safe passage, but Caspar demanded the entire cargo, the ship, and its people, revealing that he had taken command after Wright’s death.
• Gerhard called on the sailors and passengers to fight, threatening to sink the ship rather than let the pirates enslave them.
• As Caspar clenched his fist, Garon stabbed Gerhard in the chest and then joined Caspar, who praised him for betraying Gerhard and laying guide beacons.
• Gerhard drank a life-saving potion, but Caspar’s order to take everything was cut short when he suddenly cried out in pain.

Linden controlled Puji the Scout to attack Caspar and Garon, but a sudden, mana-filled mist interrupted the fight. Gerhard warned the pirates and the Wind Feather’s crew that they had to cooperate to survive, while Dylan claimed Puji was his magical pet.

• Linden pulled Puji the Scout’s Mycelium Tentacle from Caspar, then slit Garon’s throat when Garon tried to reach for a potion.
• Puji the Scout faced the two Gold Rank pirate first mates as Linden prepared to attack, but he sensed mana gathering around the Wind Feather.
• Dense mist swallowed the moonlight, and the sailors and pirates panicked as they realized it was moving mist.
• Gerhard used an illumination crystal and told everyone about the Golden Griffin, a ship lost in the mist, then demanded that they follow his orders to survive.
• The pirate first mate agreed to cooperate for the moment and asked what to do about Puji the Scout, so Dylan claimed it was his magical pet.

Dylan and the survivors fought off a swarm of Water Ghosts that nearly wiped out the crews of the Wind Feather and Blood Shark. As they surveyed the wreckage, a vast, ornate ship emerged from the fog, leaving Linden puzzled by the familiar-looking grids on its hull.

• Gerhard ordered the crews to prepare for Water Ghosts, and Pirate First Mate enforced his commands by killing a disobedient pirate.
• Water Ghosts climbed aboard the Wind Feather, and Dylan and Scout Puji fought them off while the Blood Shark came under attack as well.
• Dylan regrouped with Gerhard and Pirate First Mate after the fighting overwhelmed the aft deck, and the three survived as the Water Ghosts were defeated.
• Dylan, Gerhard, and Pirate First Mate found that nearly everyone else had died, while a mage on the Blood Shark remained alive.
• A giant, elaborately decorated ship emerged from the fog, and Linden noticed unfamiliar square grids on its hull that seemed familiar.

Dylan, Linden, and the others were attacked by a mysterious, unmanned giant ship whose cannons destroyed the Blood Shark and Wind Feather before the vessel vanished into the fog. The Scout rescued Dylan from the wreckage, and as their boat neared the edge of the mist, a voice urged them to keep going.

• A silent giant ship approached the Wind Feather and opened its hull hatches to reveal rows of cannons.
• The giant ship blasted the Blood Shark apart, and its mage retaliated with a Great Storm that damaged the ship before it instantly restored itself.
• Grappling hooks struck and killed the mage, and the giant ship aimed its cannons at the Wind Feather.
• Dylan jumped overboard with the Scout as the Wind Feather was destroyed, and the giant ship disappeared into the fog.
• The Scout rescued the unconscious Dylan, found a small boat, and drifted with him until the fog began to thin.
• A clear voice passed through the Scout and into the Mycelium Network, telling them to keep going.

Linden and Dylan escaped the fog in a small boat but were left stranded at sea without food or water. After Linden captured and forced a Mermaid to tow them, she led them to a small island, where Linden noticed a tree bearing fruit with the skill Delicious.

• Dylan woke in the boat after the fog had vanished, while Linden warned that they still lacked food and fresh water.
• Puji caught a fish for Dylan, and two Mermaids sang to lure the men; one Mermaid swam to their boat and charmed Dylan.
• Linden restrained the Mermaid and ordered Dylan to beat her, then made her tow the boat across the sea.
• The Mermaid led the boat to a small island before she was exhausted, and Puji stepped ashore with Dylan.
• Linden inspected nearby panels and noticed red-shelled fruit on a tree whose skill was Delicious.

Linden found Red Reef Fruit on the deserted island and planned to grow more hyphae while waiting for a ship. At Adventurer Guild headquarters, Fahr learned that the Church of Light planned heresy trials in the Amethyst Dungeon because it might be occupied by a collective consciousness, and he looked forward to investigating the situation.

• Linden knocked down a Red Reef Fruit for Dylan, who ate it eagerly before its paralysis toxin made him collapse.
• Linden scattered spores across the island to produce more hyphae for later use.
• Lillian prepared purified Red Reef Fruit and soup for Fahr, then gave him documents about his appointment to the Mute Wind Town branch and a report from the Church of Light.
• Fahr told Lillian that the report claimed a squad captain from the Wings of Judgment suspected a collective consciousness had occupied the Amethyst Dungeon.
• Fahr explained that the dungeon might have a loophole involving its core, recalled a past treasure-chest exploit that ended with the imitators disappearing, and said the investigation would not be boring.

Norris was released from prison, welcomed by Linden and the Pujis, then knocked unconscious by poisoned mushroom soup for a second round of strengthening. Linden sent sixty Diving Pujis to explore the Seventh Floor, but dangerous aquatic creatures killed the entire first batch.

• Norris climbed out of the mycelium passage and was welcomed by Linden and a crowd of Pujis.
• Linden told Norris to follow the Mushroom Garden’s rules, and Norris cried with joy at being welcomed home.
• A Puji gave Norris mushroom meat soup containing a blue-green mushroom slice, and he collapsed unconscious.
• Linden prepared sixty Diving Pujis with underwater skills and sent them into the Seventh Floor to explore.
• A giant catfish swallowed five Diving Pujis at one entry point, while the others began exploring the underwater regions.
• Linden lost nearly all the Diving Pujis to dangerous aquatic monsters, and the first batch was wiped out.

Linden sent Diving Pujis to explore the Seventh Floor’s underwater ruins, avoiding giant monsters and discovering traps made by intelligent creatures. The Pujis found a hidden passage to a tentacled statue’s hall, where living things were approaching.

• Linden’s Diving Pujis avoided giant aquatic monsters and reached the sandy bottom, where they fought Crab Monsters hiding beneath the sand.
• Linden explored the ruins with the Pujis and found no rift or treasure, but discovered hooked seaweed traps that dragged prey onto sharp stone pillars.
• Linden had two and a half Pujis turn a switch in a ruin wall, revealing a passage that led to a hall with a headless tentacled statue and worn murals.
• Linden detected living things closing in on the hall.

Linden encountered intelligent Murlocs led by the sage Gugulu while exploring an underwater ruin, and learned that a rift once existed but had vanished. After the Murlocs helped search the lakebed without finding one, the exhausted Diving Pujis disappeared into the Mycelium Network, and a Murloc retrieved their uneaten corpses.

• Linden found three Diving Pujis surrounded by Murlocs in a ruin and identified their leader as Gugulu, a level 35 sage blessed by Nephrela.
• Linden asked Gugulu about rifts, and Gugulu said a small rift had existed long ago but that the Murlocs had found no recent underwater abnormalities.
• Gugulu sent three Murlocs with the Pujis to search the lakebed, and they guided and protected them through the underwater terrain.
• After more than ten hours, Linden found no rift and watched the Murlocs return to their ruin.
• The exhausted Diving Pujis disappeared into the Mycelium Network, and a Murloc later carried their uneaten corpses back to the ruin.

Horn’s party watched Fatty Puji draw rewards from monster corpses, while Linden moved his voice experiments underground to avoid alarming adventurers. His first Voice Puji managed to call Louisa by name, terrifying the starving vampire into a panicked escape attempt.

• Horn traded his share of harvested materials for the monster corpses and finally drew a glowing attribute dagger after many failed attempts.
• A strange, miserable cry from the Mushroom Forest startled Horn’s party and sent them retreating toward the stairs.
• Linden moved his voice experiments into his underground dungeon, where he realized he had forgotten to feed Louisa for several days and sent her a monster corpse.
• Linden’s First Edition Voice Puji called Louisa’s name, and she mistakenly hoped someone from the Demon Race had come to rescue her.
• Louisa screamed and tried to flee, but two Elite Puji subdued her with [Hallucinogenic Spores].

Linden studied magic and learned to cast Fireball through Magic Puji, but his attempts to speed up spellcasting destroyed several Pujis, leading him to consider magic arrays. Meanwhile, Norris woke with enhanced abilities, accidentally killed Linden’s Illumination Puji, and was forced to test Rolling Charge, which left him unconscious in a rock wall.

• Linden studied spell theory, equipped Magic Puji with the skills and a Magic Crystal needed for casting, and destroyed his first Magic Puji when its spell path lacked an exit.
• Linden corrected the spell model and successfully cast Fireball, then practiced until he could launch a stronger shot in ten seconds before his Magic Puji ran out of mana and died.
• Linden tried embedding spell models directly inside Pujis to cast faster, but the attempts caused more explosions, so he noticed a book about magic arrays.
• Norris woke and accidentally shot his spit through the Illumination Puji with Saliva Arrow, after which Linden gave him a voice device and explained his new skills.
• Linden persuaded Norris to test Rolling Charge, and Norris rolled into a rock wall and passed out while Little Black collected the Silver Scales he left behind.

Linden completed an Illumination Art Puji and decided to stockpile dungeon materials while postponing the search for rarer supplies and formation books. Norris retrieved the Yellow Book, and Louisa offered Linden important intelligence in exchange for her freedom.

• Linden used Magic Crystal powder, Slime fluid, Grey Wood bark, and Firefly Grass to create an Illumination Art Puji.
• Linden considered the cost and scarcity of formation materials, then decided to work with what Amethyst Dungeon could provide.
• Norris followed the Mycelium Network to the hidden Happy Cabin and retrieved the Yellow Book.
• Norris passed Louisa in the mine, where she watched him leave with the Holy Scripture.
• Louisa contacted Linden through the Mycelium Network, pledged loyalty, and warned him that the Holy Scripture was dangerous.

Linden learned that the Holy Scripture must not absorb too many intelligent souls and continued developing hidden planting sites throughout the Dungeon. When the Eighth Floor proved to be fragmented areas disconnected by teleportation arrays, he abandoned spreading the Fungal Carpet there and decided to explore the Deep Zone through a crack on the Sixth Floor.

• Louisa warned Linden not to let the Holy Scripture absorb enough intelligent souls, and Linden considered using her as bait to learn more from the Yellow Book.
• Linden’s Pujis secretly transplanted plants to hidden cultivation sites, where Treant Demons expertly cared for them.
• Linden moved a dead giant Great Flower Demon’s bud behind the Mushroom Forest after discovering that a new flower demon was growing there.
• Linden spread the Fungal Carpet onto the Eighth Floor, but a Puji lost contact with the Mycelium Network after entering a teleportation array.
• Linden concluded that the Eighth Floor consisted of separated areas linked by teleportation arrays, preventing the Fungal Carpet from connecting across it.
• Linden gave up on expanding through the Eighth Floor for now and decided to explore the Deep Zone through the crack on the Sixth Floor.

Horn’s new party discovered that Fat Pujis would lend Illumination Pujis in exchange for monster corpses, while Linden used the service to make adventurers more accustomed to Puji. The chapter ended with an important Adventurer Guild party setting out from Oath City for Mute Wind Town.

• Horn entered the Dungeon with his new teammates after his old party left him out of jealousy over his Agility +2 dagger.
• Horn and the crowd learned that a Fat Puji would turn a Puji into a bright, follow-along light after receiving a monster corpse, and they drove off a warrior who nearly attacked the explosive creature.
• Horn’s party tested the Illumination Puji and found that they had to pay again on each floor, while the lights could die easily and lasted at most a day.
• Linden watched the rental service succeed and planned to use convenient Puji services to make adventurers increasingly reliant on them.
• A party bearing the Adventurer Guild’s Sword and Shield Emblem left Oath City for Mute Wind Town with clerical staff and Gold Rank guards.

Fahr stopped with his convoy at Antler Village, where villagers reported that a mysterious disaster had ruined their wheat fields. After inspecting the blackened crops and soil, Fahr recognized the damage as possibly caused by a Corruption Potion.

• Fahr reviewed reports of Demon Race spies moving from cities into the wilderness and wondered what they were planning.
• After a water barrel broke, Fahr ordered his convoy to replenish its supplies at Antler Village.
• At the village entrance, the chief and villagers told Fahr that an unknown disaster had destroyed much of their wheat.
• Fahr inspected the dead crops and blackened soil, felt a burning sensation, and identified the suspected cause as a Corruption Potion.