At the entrance to the fifth floor, the mage stumbled into the staircase zone.

His appearance was utterly miserable.

He wore nothing but underpants—his robe and hat gone, staff gone, even the two enchanted rings on his hands were gone.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, he collapsed to his knees in despair.

“Unbelievable…

I actually got robbed by Pujis!!!”

Back during the clash in the cavern, he had been the only one at the rear. He alone had seen it—the faint flash at Jeanne’s sleeve.

In an instant, everything about her strange behavior clicked together.

But the battle had already begun. Even if he’d shouted his suspicions, who would have believed him?

Those half-bewitched idiots of teammates?

Or that band of strangers they were fighting against?

And then Jeanne had turned and smiled at him.

He hadn’t hesitated long. His choice was clear—sell them out.

They were just temporary teammates. A few days’ acquaintance wasn’t worth risking his life.

Besides, if those fools had let a woman reel them in, that was their problem.

Up to that point, the mage still felt he had done nothing wrong.

His mistake was panicking when he fled—he hadn’t thought to grab one of the monster corpses Wells carried.

So when a Puji squad blocked him, they refused to let him pass.

He tried to fight through, managing to kill two, but tentacles soon ensnared him.

He had known the Pujis weren’t weak, but he hadn’t expected that much strength. For a moment he thought he was finished.

But instead of killing him, they simply stripped him bare—and let him go.

Truly…

“Damn it! Ughhhh…”

What he didn’t know was, he had been lucky

.

——

Ralph’s scream nearby didn’t last long.

Despite his resentment toward the captain, Wells couldn’t help but feel a pang of dread at their shared fate.

Soon, a figure pushed through the mushrooms, glowing faintly under bioluminescence.

“Jeanne?”

She glanced at him and gave an apologetic smile.

“You’re awake? Was that Ralph’s cry? Sorry… I’m not very skilled with sleep spells. I didn’t expect him to wake halfway through.

Don’t worry—I’ll give you one now. I promise, no pain.”

With effort, she began dragging the bound Wells. Sweat trickled down her brow.

Wells’s mind reeled, unable to fully process her words.

Something about her was utterly different now.

That sweet, reassuring smile was gone—replaced by something that felt… genuine.

Why did he even think that?

But one thing was clear—he was going to die.

Dragged outside, Wells saw Ralph and the dwarf.

Their bodies bore no blood, just peaceful expressions as they lay still—chests unmoving.

Wells tried to struggle, but he was weak and tightly bound. In desperation, he begged.

“Jeanne… Jeanne, we’ve no grudge between us! Please, let me go!

I swear I won’t tell anyone. I’ll even swear they died to monsters—I’ll cover for you!

You don’t need to kill me. I’ve got savings at the Adventurer’s Guild—I’ll give it all to you!

I… I…”

He faltered. Jeanne showed no hesitation, dragging him toward an unfamiliar ritual circle.

“C-cultists…?”

She laid him upon the formation, replacing the cracked shards of magic crystals with fresh ones.

Then, gently, she lifted Wells to lean against her.

His head sank into her chest—but now, there was no joy in it.

Only terror and despair.

She ignored his curses, simply raising a tiny bell before his face and ringing it softly.

Ripples seemed to spread through the air. His eyelids, no matter his will, drooped.

Just before unconsciousness claimed him, he heard her whisper like a bedtime tale:

“Silver radiance cleanses the husk, the ritual weaves the return. Fear not, sorrow not, Nephryla shall cradle you, stripping away the chains of the mortal world…”

Wells fell into deep sleep.

Silver light flared across the ritual as crystals shattered one by one.

Watching from the mycelium, Lin Jun witnessed the same miracle for the third time.

On Wells’s status panel, skills vanished one by one—like words erased with a backspace key.

And when the last skill was gone, his panel disappeared entirely.

Though still full HP, he simply… died.

Afterward, Jeanne kissed his forehead, then dragged him aside with the others.

She carefully erased all traces of the ritual.

Then she left, without taking a single coin or item.

As soon as she was gone, Pujis emerged from the forest.

They gathered the abandoned loot—three sets of gear, a pile of monster corpses, and the bloodied hound’s carcass.

Lin Jun hadn’t understood her chant.

But the ritual was no joke.

Those skills hadn’t been stolen—they had been erased.

He tested it. Mycelium accelerated decomposition.

【Seven Sins of Greed Triggered】

【Plundered Skill: Human Common Tongue LV2 → LV3】

【Plundered Skill: Bite LV5 → LV6】

…Bite?

Ah—the hound’s corpse had been mixed in.

But beyond that, nothing.

The skills really were deleted.

This wasn’t just some evil rite—it was something worse.

From now on, that woman was banned from the fifth floor.

This world truly was full of bizarre horrors.

He stuffed the reclaimed A-rank crystal back into Fatty Puji’s belly, then went to the Puji sealing the Little Yellow Book.

It was fully petrified, though a thin crack remained.

At his command, the book was spat out.

Finally free, it immediately groveled.

[You finally let me out!]

[I can help you, I swear!]

[Please don’t put me back—it’s so dark in there!]

Hmm…

The words seemed a little clearer than before.

Maybe when his Reading skill hit LV4, he’d understand fully.

[???]

After the test, he stuffed the book back in.

Now came the real task.

…

In the mushroom forest, Gray was gleefully smashing mushrooms.

Leaping high, she kicked a mushroom tree in half, then stomped it into pulp.

Lin Jun twitched. That was the third one today…

“Gray, want to go outside and play?”

“Yes!”

She froze mid-stomp, her black-scaled feet tapping excitedly, crushing the remains even further.

“Then sleep first. When you wake, you can go.”

At the word sleep, her scaly face scrunched unhappily.

Only after his repeated promises did she reluctantly agree.

Lin Jun flooded the air with hallucinogenic spores—fourteen times Dylan’s dose—until Gray’s panel finally showed “Hallucinogenic Coma.”

Assured she wouldn’t wake suddenly, he began channeling the entire fifth floor’s mycelium energy.

Had anyone opened Mana Sense, they’d see it—like the tide receding, power drained from every inch of the mats, all surging into the forest.

To install 【Mimicry LV4】 into Gray would cost far, far more than Dylan’s upgrade…