The Pujis were fully armed and ready.

Every single one—including Inanna—had their mana reserves topped off. Not only had all the Fire Mosquito essence been consumed, even Lin Jun’s stored reserves were drained to nothing.

From here on, natural mana absorption wouldn’t keep pace with consumption. This meant: this army would get no second refill.

The Earthworm Hunt began today.

Four hundred Pujis gathered together made for an awe-inspiring sight, most of them configured as artillery.

Earthworms were massive, their bodies sheathed in layers of rocky armor. Neither hallucination spores nor digestive fluids could affect them.

As for armored Pujis, they were pointless. Anything hit by a monster of that size would be crushed instantly, shell or no.

To defeat it, Lin Jun had only one option: overwhelming damage output.

Of course, there was a plan.

These worms tunneled endlessly underground, their diet mostly minerals. And their favorite treat? The signature resource of Amethyst Dungeon—mana crystals.

And Lin Jun knew exactly how to make mana crystals explode.

He had specially prepared ten Pujis for this mission.

Their hollow bellies were packed with crystals, and they were equipped with Mana Storage skills to trigger detonation.

To afford this, Lin Jun had dug up every last crystal from his Garden’s soil—crystals that had been boosting natural mana collection. Now, his passive intake rate was cut in half.

But these crystals would serve as both bait and the first strike

.

After that, everything depended on whether Inanna’s Swamp spell could hold.

“Do we really have to do this…?”

Her pink mushroom cap trembled. The thought of crossing blades with something 15 levels higher gave her zero sense of safety.

“Recruit, I recall your commission fee is already in your hands, isn’t it?”

Inanna looked up at the massive A-rank crystal atop her cap. The words of refusal died in her throat.

Too good. Too damn good.

It let her cast spells even in Puji form, and her power was nearly doubled. The boost was nothing her old B-rank crystal could compare to.

“If it really goes badly, I’ll permit you to flee. I won’t reclaim the crystal either.”

Lin Jun’s calm concession helped. She still thought her stubby legs might not carry her far, but having the option was better than nothing.

She nodded, and the deal was struck.

It wasn’t sentimentality on Lin Jun’s part. He simply recognized that Inanna was valuable.

The Fire Mosquito battle had proved magic’s worth.

Pujis could be replaced. Crystals could be mined again. But where could he find another mage as pliable and usable as her?

This time the journey was far longer than the Fire Mosquito raid, with deliberate detours.

Fortunately, few obstacles appeared. Only once did they encounter a black-and-white spider—promptly decapitated by Inanna’s homing Ice Blade.

Their destination was a shattered cavern.

No, not even a cavern anymore—just a honeycomb of collapsed tunnels, riddled with worm tracks. “Drafty” would have been an understatement.

Lin Jun noted more tunnels than in his last survey.

He placed the explosive Pujis and their crystal payloads on one relatively intact floor section, while artillery spread across the perimeter.

Inanna, however, he stationed near the entrance tunnel—close enough to withdraw.

As Lin Jun funneled mana into the crystals, even he felt the intoxicating waves they gave off.

Inanna, aware of the plan, stared at the pile with pained regret.

Such waste!

Even some A-rank crystals were buried in the explosives.

Not as big as hers, true—but still! Each one could buy a diamond-ranked squad to kill a dozen Earthworms. And here they were, just fodder for a bomb.

Wasteful to the extreme.

The mana lure worked quickly—though at first it drew only lesser monsters.

More spiders. Misshapen beasts with snapping jaws.

But artillery fire cut them down swiftly.

The real surprise was a LV35 Minotaur—a bull-headed giant.

Lin Jun had never seen one in person before.

It spotted their formation from afar, hesitated, then retreated.

Clearly intelligent.

On another day, Lin Jun might have approached to talk. Perhaps, as fellow sapient monsters, coexistence could be possible.

But not today.

Finally, it came.

The ground shuddered violently, loose rocks raining down. New tunnels crumbled as a colossal presence forced its way upward.

One unlucky Puji was flattened instantly, the first sacrifice of the hunt.

“It’s coming! It’s coming! Do I cast now? Swamp—should I use Swamp?!”

Inanna’s nerves frayed.

“Stay calm! I’ll give the order. Don’t break formation!”

Lin Jun’s voice was calm, but his pitch betrayed suppressed excitement.

Then—

With a deafening collapse, the ground erupted.

A titanic worm surged upward, its maw yawning wide, and twenty Pujis vanished into darkness.

【Level: 49】

Target confirmed. Earthworm.

“Here it comes!”

The beast twisted midair, diving straight for the baited crystals.

Not yet.

Not yet.

Lin Jun held every trigger, even halting Inanna’s reflexive spellcasting.

Closer… closer…

Mana pulsed violently in the bait crystals, their resonance climbing toward rupture.

And then—its gaping jaws swallowed the entire payload.

One… two…

BOOM!

The explosion shredded the Earthworm’s maw, blasting apart meters of rocky armor from the inside.

Shrapnel flew like cannonballs, cutting down Pujis in droves.

The worm’s mouth was obliterated—but was that its head? Did it even have a head?

Regardless, it lived, thrashing violently.

Its half-body slammed walls into collapse, its digging limbs clawing frantically to burrow away.

“Inanna! Swamp—NOW!”

Lin Jun’s command tore into her mind like a cracking whip.