CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32: BENEATH THE CAVERN

Hey bro, how did you pull that off?

How come you have so many LV10s like you bought them wholesale?

Crystals on regular bats only boost power by 20-30%, how did it reach 500%?

Is your whole body made of S-level Demon Crystals?

If Lin Jun still had his eyes, he’d definitely have to rub them.

Otherwise, how could he be seeing such an absurd status panel?

The craziest part is that "Transcend Death" title.

Titles are usually earned by meeting certain criteria.

Seeing such a sick title on a regular Crystalized Bat...

Lin Jun called over a few more Hallucinogenic Pukis.

This time, they came out from two different tunnels in succession; the second group appeared after the first group died.

By taking advantage of the attack intervals, Lin Jun finally got a glimpse of its true form.

A massive body over three meters long hung upside down in the cave center, with dark red vascular networks visible between its wrinkled wing membranes, and the end of each wing bone embedded with pure deep purple Demon Crystals.

They really are all S-level Demon Crystals!

And so big!

Compared to these, the S-level Demon Crystals Lin Jun had should be called fragments.

If not for the status panel, Lin Jun could be convinced it was a dragon.

However, upon seeing it, Lin Jun immediately thought of a question: Can it fit through a tunnel?

The tunnels here aren’t like the ones in the Deep Area, which can have diameters of dozens of meters.

Most of the smaller tunnels here were gnawed out by Rock Lizards, uneven and usually no wider than two meters in diameter.

This Old Bat is way too big to squeeze through a tunnel, right?

Doesn’t that mean it’s stuck in this cave?

Nice, at least we don’t have to worry about it running away now.

Over a hundred Hallucinogenic Pukis were scattered in the cave, and Lin Jun directed them all to converge here.

They spread around in different tunnels but didn’t go in, just started releasing Hallucinogenic Spores in place.

The Old Bat immediately noticed the toxic mist seeping in from the tunnels, and being fairly smart, it clearly wasn’t going to sit and wait for death.

It flew to one tunnel entrance, flapping its wings forcefully.

Even without using skills, the wind it generated was enough to blow away the not-yet-thick spores.

Then the Old Bat positioned its mouth at the edge of the tunnel and directly used an [Infrasound Attack Level 10] inside.

The nine Pukis in that tunnel were predictably annihilated in an instant.

Then it repeated the process for the rest of the misty pathways.

Just as Lin Jun realized things were going south and tried to retreat, it was too late; not a single Hallucinogenic Puki was left.

Got completely wiped out...

My Pukis are helpless against this unavoidable AoE attack.

And in the cave tunnel environment, the sound wave attack’s range was greatly extended; the last batch of Pukis got yelled to death from far away.

Tsk.

No cannons, poison’s useless, how am I supposed to fight this?

Over a hundred Pukis couldn’t even scratch its health.

Even with a flourishing estate now, I can’t afford this kind of attrition.

Thought about it, the only way to deal with it in the short term is to bring in High-tier Adventurers.

But what spoils would be left for me after the Adventurers finish?

At most, I’d get a corpse.

But the most valuable things on the Old Bat are those three S-level Demon Crystals.

Not to mention any other secrets it might have.

Lin Jun could wait for the Adventurers and then kill them for loot.

But even if I can manage that, it goes against my principles.

So rather than calling humans, it’s better to leave it be.

After all, with that body size, the Old Bat isn’t escaping this cave.

Things aren’t going well in the cave, but the business with the Adventurers is progressing smoothly.

A few more teams of Adventurers have come to buy intelligence after the young group left.

Most completed transactions properly; only one team played dirty.

After blowing up a Thief, they dragged away a Healer, and then the remaining two ran off.

Let them run, the news will spread, and no one else will come looking for trouble.

But the cave has expanded a bit more, and Lin Jun is a little worried that a few more times might bring the rock wall down...

————

"Boss, I’m back!"

Dylan immediately greeted Lin Jun as soon as he connected to the Fungal Network, always having a knack for the details.

Descending to the fifth layer felt like returning home for Dylan; he didn’t even have his weapon out and swaggered toward the forest camp.

He waved at a Puki along the way, not caring if it responded, looking quite cheerful.

He even chatted with Lin Jun about the mission as he walked:

"Boss, I sold nine copies of our strategy; have any Adventurers shown up yet?"

"Yes, the plan... has been going smoothly."

"That’s good. Oh, right, boss, here’s the money from the sales; I only used a small bit for housing..."

Saying this, Dylan took out a bag of coins from his clothes but was cut off by Lin Jun:

"Keep the money for yourself. You did well on this trip; there’s gear and bonuses for you in the tent."

Even though wages were paid in advance, Lin Jun would reward good work to ensure motivation.

"Hehe, thanks, boss!"

Dylan suddenly felt like having a money-indifferent monster boss was way cooler than he imagined.

The place offered room and board, plus salary; it was earning much faster and safer than adventuring.

Though he rarely had expenses in the Underground City, he could save it and send it to his daughter!

Dylan happily tucked the money bag away and quickly thought of something else:

"Oh, boss, I need to replenish my nutrients."

"You know where the coffin plank is; it’s available 24/7. No need to check with me."

Dylan’s eye twitched, realizing the boss felt the same about the "coffin plank."

But since Lin Jun hadn’t caught his meaning, Dylan had to clarify:

"Boss, I meant... that special nutrition from last time..."

Huh?

Nutrition is just nutrition, what ’last time’...

Ah, this...

Lin Jun checked the skills panel; no signs of addiction...

What’s up with you, buddy?

...

In the end, Lin Jun prepared the special nutrition for Dylan.

How can you deny someone a bit of R&R after a business trip?

But seeing Dylan lay there, looking utterly blissful, Lin Jun felt pretty speechless.

This guy isn’t going to end up down a bad road, is he?

He felt like Dongfang Bubai, controlling his men with mind-control pills...

No, no, we’re a legit Mushroom Garden; it’s just like having a drink before bed.

Yes, that’s it!

————

Dumb Wind Town Adventurer’s Guild branch.

A report from the guild’s intelligence analysis department lay on Branch President Obel’s desk.

The report was titled "Fifth Layer Mutation Analysis and Future Impact Forecast."

Obel sipped fruit wine as he read it from start to finish and then called for the mission management department head.

"Check out this report.

Once you’re done, issue a mission in the guild’s name for a comprehensive investigation of the fifth-layer Puki, especially the swamp area.

Let’s set the mission level at A-class."