“What… what is this!”

At the edge of the Mushroom Garden, one hundred and twenty Pujis stood neatly in six rows.

40 Artillery Pujis: [Mana Storage LV4] + [Mushroom Artillery LV6] + [Precision LV4]

40 Slime Pujis: [Mana Storage LV4] + [Mushroom Artillery LV6] + [Digestive Slime LV3]

20 Illusion Pujis: [Hallucinogenic Spores LV4] + [Chitin Shell LV4]

20 Carrier Pujis: [Storage Pouch LV4] + [Entangle LV3]

This was Lin Jun’s fourteenth expedition team.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to cram more skills into each Pujis. But the more skills they carried, the greater the mana and time costs to produce them—growing exponentially.

Keeping each under four skills balanced efficiency with practicality.

“So Pujis really come in so many types?!”

Inanna was shocked. She had never even heard of so many subspecies.

Some had caps shaped like jars.

Some were covered in carapace, but unlike mining Pujis, their shells were dotted with vents.

Some even sprouted tentacles!

So nice… if only I had tentacles, I wouldn’t need to tie the crystal to my head…

“Lin Jun, you called them an expedition team… what exactly are they going to do?”

“This is the Dungeon. Of course, they’re going to slay monsters.”

“Earth… Worms?”

Inanna immediately wore an expression that said: If it’s Earth Worms, I’m not going.

She could not imagine Earth Worms being crushed by sheer Pujis numbers.

“I told you—not Earth Worms. This time, our target is Fire Mosquitoes! Those parasites that keep buzzing into the Mushroom Garden, never working, only stealing. Today, we’ll wipe their nest off the map!”

Lin Jun had long grown tired of their harassment from above. He had found their lair ages ago, but hadn’t exterminated them yet—because he needed them to farm resistance.

Now his Heat Resistance was already LV6. A full extermination might push it to LV7, which was plenty.

And since his escape plan now relied on Inanna helping him kill Earth Worms instead of sneaking past the Flame Demon, there was no longer any reason to let these pests live.

They would serve one last purpose—becoming his army’s grindstone.

“Inanna, stay in the middle of the formation and follow my commands.”

“Understood, understood.”

Hearing they were only fighting mosquitoes, Inanna finally relaxed.

She knew of Fire Mosquitoes—average level LV20. Their attacks were straightforward, easy to counter.

The trouble was they could fly, had evasion skills, and swarmed in groups.

Still, with her magic, she could handle herself even if outnumbered.

So this is… war? Even if just between monsters.

Her old mentor never allowed her to join military or adventuring activities. Now, facing it firsthand, she couldn’t help but feel a little excited!

And these Pujis marched in perfect order, their steps so uniform even armies couldn’t compare.

Is this because Lin Jun controls them all?

——

Yes.

Through [Familiar Control], the Mycelium Network, and Mental Unification, Lin Jun controlled his Pujis like units in an RTS game—though it drained focus.

That unified command was how he had survived in the Dungeon with creatures that each had only “1” in every stat.

Against near-mindless monsters, even basic tactics like feints or ambushes were devastating.

But this time? No strategy needed.

Strategy was for the weak to beat the strong.

Here, he was the strong one.

Why not just press F1-F3 and charge?

Besides, this was a good chance to show strength—to inspire trust in his new recruit.

——

The “deep layers” of the Dungeon referred to anything below the tenth floor. From that point on, there were no fixed passageways between layers.

Instead, endless interwoven tunnels linked colossal caverns.

The Fire Mosquito nest and Lin Jun’s Mushroom Garden were connected by a fifty-meter-wide passage.

Along the way, hidden in cracks of stone, tiny mushrooms grew—Lin Jun’s hidden eyes, and relay stations expanding the Mycelium Network beyond the Garden.

That network allowed him to direct the Pujis semi-autonomously.

If he had to micro-manage every one with [Familiar Control], it would be exhausting.

The Pujis’ stubby legs went puchi puchi on the stone floor. Suddenly, three hundred meters ahead, several crimson glows flickered—Fire Mosquitoes had spotted the expedition.

“Ice Blade!”

A two-meter ice blade shot forth—but completely off-target. The mosquitoes didn’t even need to dodge; it slammed harmlessly into the rock wall.

“Rookie. Don’t waste your mana.”

“S-sorry.”

Inanna then noticed—the Pujis marched on at steady pace, completely unfazed by the encounter.

The Fire Mosquitoes, instead of attacking, quickly turned and flew away.

Watching them vanish, Inanna asked uneasily, “Won’t they… go report this?”

“Of course.”

“Even low-intelligence monsters have instincts to defend their nests. Soon enough, we’ll face the swarm.”

…You do realize you’re a monster too, Inanna thought silently.

“Then why let them go?”

The real reason: they were out of range.

But Lin Jun only said—

“To wipe them all out in one stroke.”

——

Steam billowed in a cavernous dome. Hundreds of Fire Mosquitoes swarmed above a vast pool, wings buzzing deafeningly.

They bred in hot springs. Their larvae remained in the pools, fed by adults. Destroy the pools, and their colony would collapse.

Thus, they would defend them to the last.

As Inanna followed the Pujis into the cavern, every mosquito’s abdomen glowed orange—their danger signal.

Several nearby mosquitoes darted forward.

“Water Serpent!”

Inanna cast first, unable to hold back.

Better than last time—at least she chose a spell with some directional control, unlike the straight-line Ice Blade.

But against foes with evasion skills, it wasn’t enough. The water snake grazed one mosquito, knocking it down a few meters before it recovered.

Lin Jun could only shake his head.

“Eh… rookie.”