Dungeon, third floor—a small safe zone.

It was a long corridor paved with large pale-yellow bricks, stretching over a hundred meters.

Since no traps spawned here, and there weren’t many monsters wandering the third floor anyway, adventurers treated this place as a safe area.

Many paused here to rest, and some even sold potions and supplies to others.

Because so many adventurers had poured in after the dungeon reopened, the number gathered here was greater than before the monster tide.

Among them sat Dylan, chewing dried meat while chatting with his “good companion,” the yellow book.

[The third floor isn’t bad.]

[So many traps and mechanisms here for you to use.]

“So… what should I do?”

[Do? Anything at all!]

[When someone walks into a trap, you trigger it for them.]

[Let the dungeon finish the work, then you just pick up the spoils.]

[Trust me—you’ll gain endless power!]

“But… they’ve done me no wrong,” Dylan hesitated, sensing something was off.

[This is the dungeon. The rule here is survival of the fittest.]

[Besides, don’t you want money to send to your daughter?]

[And with power, you could protect your Bella yourself.]

The book had figured out his weakness.

Though uneasy, Dylan nodded.

“Argh—!”

His foot, stretched out a little too far, was suddenly kicked. He pulled it back with a grimace.

The corridor was wide—his foot shouldn’t have been in anyone’s way.

Looking up, he saw a mocking grin.

“Oh, sorry, old man. Didn’t mean to kick you.”

The man didn’t even stop, just followed his teammates out of the safe zone.

Dylan overheard a few words.

“Wells, stop looking for trouble all the time.”

“He stuck his foot out. Just an old man, what’s the big deal?”

Dylan wasn’t angry. Adventurers came in all kinds, and he was long used to it. Hotheaded brats like that always learned their lesson eventually.

He lowered his head and reopened the book.

[What are you waiting for? Follow them!]

[He kicked you on purpose.]

[You need to teach him to respect his elders.]

[Just a little punishment. Nothing more.]

Was that true?

Dylan frowned, but the book’s words always seemed right. Maybe a little lesson wouldn’t hurt.

He packed up, drank some mana potion, and left the safe zone.

Keeping his distance, he shadowed them with his camouflage skill.

But finding a chance wasn’t easy. Their party clearly had a trap expert—every mechanism was either avoided or dismantled.

Meanwhile, Dylan himself triggered a trap.

A short arrow pierced straight through his palm.

“Ah—!”

Grimacing, he yanked it out, then poured mana potion onto the wound.

He had discovered that mana potions sped up the way the mycelium in his body sealed injuries.

[Your unique body really is convenient.]

[Even when you fell into that pit, your bones knit back together the same way.]

Dylan nodded. His body was indeed useful. He murmured:

“All thanks to the Boss’s gift.”

[Boss?]

“Oh right! I should introduce you to him!”

[Wait—!]

But before the book could “speak” further—

Pupupu—Pupupu—

A chorus of noises interrupted.

From around the corner appeared several Pujis with scales and tentacles.

Dylan blinked in surprise.

“New species? Did Boss send them to fetch me?”

Smiling with relief, he stepped forward.

[No, something’s wrong! Wait!]

But Dylan wasn’t listening.

The next moment, countless mycelium tendrils lashed out, binding him tight—along with the yellow book.

[???]

——

【Status: Charmed. Moderate (Complete trust in caster)】

The moment Dylan entered the dungeon, Lin Jun had noticed this condition.

So… old man Dylan, did you sneak off to find a succubus behind my back!?

And sure enough, Dylan showed more abnormalities.

He’d been wandering the third floor all day, with no sign of descending.

After some thought, Lin Jun decided to play it safe—better to drag him back personally.

Thanks to most adventurers being slower, the Pujis carried the “tied-up dumpling” without anyone noticing, straight down to the fifth floor.

In the mushroom grove, Dylan was dumped onto the ground.

“Ha—ha—”

He gasped for air, nearly suffocated on the way.

Then he looked up… and saw a circle of Pujis.

“Boss? W-Why tie me up?”

He was completely bewildered.

“Why are you wandering the third floor instead of coming down?”

“Because… because…”

Yes—why was that again?

The answer that had seemed so clear before was suddenly gone.

Dylan frowned in confusion. Then he brightened. Right, the book would know!

He opened the yellow book and asked, “Why were we staying on the third floor again?”

The book lay still, lifeless.

No matter how he asked, not a single word appeared.

To Lin Jun, Dylan looked exactly like a lunatic, babbling at a book, emotions unstable, staring off into space.

So this was how terrifying succubi were in this world.

Of course, maybe it wasn’t a succubus—maybe the book itself was the problem.

A mycelium tendril speared into Dylan’s mouth.

Purple hallucinogenic spores flooded in. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed, unconscious.

In this state, he was useless. Better to let him sleep.

As for the book—

Since Dylan thought it could talk, Lin Jun decided to test it.

A tendril grabbed a page.

Rip—!

What? It didn’t tear.

So it really was the book, not a succubus.

A book that could use a charm skill?

Did it seduce Dylan with lewd pictures?

“Gray, come here.”

Soon, the dragon-girl arrived, her face slick with slime, licking her lips.

“Try tearing this.”

She nodded and grabbed—

“Not him! The book!”

He shoved the book toward her.

She squeezed with her claws.

Riiip—

Even with her monstrous strength, she couldn’t rip it cleanly. But the page strained, on the verge of snapping.

Suddenly, words spilled across the parchment in frantic repetition:

[Stopstopstopstop!!! I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die!!!]