“Say that again.”

Duke Arama’s knuckles turned bone-white as the rosewood armrest beneath his grip groaned under the strain.

Butler Eric’s nape was dripping cold sweat, yet he still forced out each word clearly.

“Pero and Ox tricked the young lady in your name. They first took her into the Amethyst Dungeon, then crossed the border and fled into the Hermit Empire. Judging from their direction, they’re likely going to seek Duke Sigismund’s protection.”

“Damn traitors! Damn vampires!” The hardwood armrest shattered in his grip, scarlet flames churning in the duke’s pupils. “Inanna is still alive—the Tracking Seal remains, the Revenge Mark hasn’t transferred. I must go save her.”

“My lord!”

Seeing the duke reach for his greatsword, ready to rush off regardless of consequence, Eric had no choice but to shout.

“The moment you leave, Sigismund will bring his Blood Knight Regiment to trample Highfort Fortress.

If Highfort falls, there will be no line of defense left. Not only your duchy, but the entire Southern Federation will be at risk!”

“Are you asking me to just watch Inanna die?”

The stone tiles beneath Arama’s boots cracked, spiderweb fractures spreading outward as the aura of a Level 70 top-tier human pressed Eric to one knee.

“The diamond-ranked adventuring party ‘Silver Thorn’ is active nearby. You can commission them privately to search the Amethyst Dungeon for the young lady.

Meanwhile, you should feign leaving Highfort, luring Sigismund to attack, and then strike him head-on—settling the score for this treachery.”

By the time he finished, Eric nearly collapsed to the floor.

The crushing pressure faded. Duke Arama sat back down, holding out his hand. The coordinates tracking Inanna condensed into a crystal, which he handed to the butler.

“Do as you say. Tell those adventurers—bring Inanna back alive, and I will grant them a city!

But if my daughter suffers so much as a scratch…”

“Yes, my lord.”

———

Deep in the dungeon, inside the Mushroom Garden.

Unaware that her father had already set wheels in motion to find her, Inanna stood near the breeding pit, staring in alarm at the scene before her.

Beside the slime pit, a hollow-bodied Pujis was pouring in mushrooms as feed.

But when it tipped the load, a slime leapt up, snagging its leg and dragging it down.

In the next moment, the pit swarmed with slimes, engulfing the Pujis completely.

The trapped Pujis still struggled—it might have been possible to save it.

“Lin Jun, Lin Jun! The slimes are eating a Pujis!”

Busy with other tasks, Lin Jun flicked his attention over.

“I see. I’ll just spawn another one. I did say the breeding zone is dangerous—don’t wander too close.”

Inanna wanted to argue that wasn’t what she meant, but seeing the Pujis stop moving as it was digested, she swallowed the words.

The underground world was merciless.

———

Indeed, merciless.

To survive here, Lin Jun had no time for rest.

Pujis were only intelligent enough to follow simple pathing after being ordered.

Farming, mining—everything required his micromanagement. And the borders of the Mushroom Garden were constantly harassed by monsters.

Even with [Mental Unification] LV5, it was exhausting.

The fact that he had spared time to guide Inanna around earlier was already remarkable.

Though he didn’t show it, he was actually glad to have someone to talk to.

At least now he wouldn’t have to keep muttering to himself to maintain his speech skills.

But after that, he really had no time to babysit. He left her to explore on her own while he focused on the garden’s defenses—because another swarm of Fire Mosquitoes was coming.

These creatures looked like mosquitoes but were larger than Pujis, averaging Level 20.

Far from the strongest beasts around, but easily among the most annoying.

They flew, were nimble, moved in swarms, and whenever possible would snatch up stray Pujis with their sharp proboscises—Lin Jun’s greatest threat in the early days.

Fortunately, he had developed countermeasures.

As the swarm closed in, several Pujis with nozzle-like caps sprayed streams of sticky, corrosive slime.

Once coated, the Fire Mosquitoes couldn’t keep flying and plummeted to the ground.

There, fields of violet mushrooms released hallucinogenic spores, sapping their strength.

Soon, after losing seven of their number, the rest fled.

But Lin Jun knew—they’d be back.

Armored Pujis moved in to finish off the paralyzed insects. Their corpses were tossed into the garden as fresh fertilizer.

【Greed of the Seven Sins Triggered】

【Looted Skill: Heat Resistance LV5 → LV6】

“Leveled up? Nice. A little more heat resistance, and I can try sneaking past that Flame Demon’s nest to see what’s above.”

He opened his panel.

【Race: Mushroom – Mycelium Lord】

【Level: LV42】

【HP: 420 / 420】

【Mana: 8045 / 12450】

【Racial Talents】

* Mana Harvest (Mycelium absorbs ambient mana for constant EXP gain)

* Corpse Decomposition (Break down corpses for nutrients and EXP)

【Fixed State】

* Linked to Spore Network

【Skills】

Pujis Creation LV5, Mana Storage LV4, [Mana Perception] LV4, Entangle LV3, Mushroom Artillery LV6, Precision LV4, Mimicry LV2, Storage Pouch LV4, Mycelium Network LV6, Minion Control LV6, [Mental Unification] LV5, Airflow Perception LV6, Heat Resistance LV6, Evasion LV6, Pecking LV7, Hallucinogenic Spores LV4, Chitin Shell LV4, Digestive Slime LV3, Rolling Charge LV5

【Titles】

* Greed of the Seven Sins (Unique Title): Randomly plunder skills or buffs from corpses

* Mosquito Slayer: +10% damage vs insects

* Hero: Ignores racial level caps; grants one random special title/skill (used)

Lin Jun’s panel didn’t even show attributes—his body was just an ordinary-looking mushroom.

Level 42 with only 420 HP—that was normal for a mushroom. Inanna’s absurd 3000+ HP was the real anomaly.

As for his sky-high mana, that was because the entire Mushroom Garden counted as part of him.

The most absurd entry, however, was the “Hero” title. Even he found it ridiculous.

A mushroom, a Hero?

He’d never even seen his summoner. Was it some mad archmage, or a god with terrible humor?

Either way, whoever it was clearly wasn’t sane.

Who in their right mind would summon a mushroom hero?

Still, it was thanks to that title that he drew Greed, and thanks to Greed that he kept stealing skills from monsters to arm his Pujis.

From being chased as food by slimes, to establishing this corner of the dungeon as his farmstead—it had been a road paved with blood and tears.

Without Greed, he’d probably have become fertilizer long ago.

So why… why summon him as a mushroom?

That question haunted him, second only to his obsession with reaching the surface.

…

After fending off the Fire Mosquitoes, Lin Jun finally checked what the newcomer was doing.

Ah… she was secretly pocketing the mined amethysts…