Fifth layer caverns.

The mine tunnels that Lin Jun had blown shut during the magic tide were now almost all dug back open, and even a few new passages had been widened beyond their original size.

This was all thanks to the more than fifty digging Pujis who worked here constantly, along with a few humans who had figured out the “mine rules.”

The ringing of pickaxes echoed through the caves.

Norris carried a pick in his hand and a basket of stone mixed with magic crystals on his back as he walked out from the depths.

On the way he passed quite a few digging Pujis. Scattered at their feet were some crystals as well, but Norris didn’t touch them.

One of the rules of the mine was: don’t steal the Pujis’ labor. Norris had seen plenty of dishonest fellows before—those with better luck got stripped naked, those without… well, chances were they had become part of the fifth layer.

The uproar outside about the “Big Black Mushroom incident” wasn’t unknown to him, but he wasn’t worried.

He had met the Big Black Mushroom twice. Each time, a single glass bead had sent it on its way. In his view, that gold-ranked squad that got wiped out most likely violated the rule against attacking Pujis on the fifth layer and were mobbed to death.

As long as one kept the rules, the fifth layer was practically paradise for a copper-ranked adventurer like him.

No monsters suddenly jumping out to kill him, the chance to mine crystals and earn more pay than on the upper floors—his only real cost was preparing two monster corpses as toll payment for the trip.

But today was a little different. As he finally walked out of the cavern, he encountered a noble-looking middle-aged man.

Norris instinctively wanted to hide the crystals on his back, but quickly gave up. Just a single button on the man’s clothing probably cost more than everything Norris owned put together. The only ones he needed to guard against were people as poor as himself.

But why was someone like this showing up in the mines?

He didn’t know, but the man’s eyes never left him. Under the invisible pressure, Norris had to speak first.

“Sir… is there something you need?”

Aedin looked curiously at the youth before him. He had wandered around the fifth layer for a while now and only just met a living soul.

Most adventurers had been thoroughly frightened by the Big Black Mushroom incident.

“Why are you here alone?”

Norris looked at the pick in his hand, then at Aedin.

Aedin realized he had asked wrong and corrected himself: “Aren’t you afraid of meeting the Black Puji?”

“Not afraid. I brought glass beads.”

Norris shook his head and showed the small pouch at his waist, with five glass marbles of different colors inside.

“You’ve met the Black Puji?” Aedin seemed interested. “So the rumor is true—that it likes glass things?”

Norris nodded.

“How amusing. Could you sell me two beads? I’ll pay a gold coin each. Of course, you’ll get the coins once you’re back on the surface—I didn’t bring money down.”

He even patted his pockets to show he was empty-handed.

Norris handed over two glass beads without any change of expression. Forget glass beads—if someone like this noble wanted to take away the crystals he had dug these past days, he could only agree.

As for that gold coin reward? He took it as empty talk.

After passing the beads to Aedin, Norris was ready to leave.

Not daring to get too close, he stepped off the mushroom path and onto the mycelium carpet—only to be pulled back by Aedin a moment later.

Norris looked puzzled.

Aedin merely stepped aside and said, “Stay on the path. Don’t step off it.”

Watching Norris walk away, Aedin drew a scroll from his robes.

As he channeled magic, a flood of information filled his sight.

【Race: Mushroom – Puji】

【Race: Mushroom – Puji】

【Race: Mushroom – Puji】

【Race: Mushroom – Puji】

……

As expected.

Though this wasn’t the first time he’d seen it since coming down, watching the scan fill with self-exploding Pujis all around him still made his scalp prickle.

Just within the circle around him were seven or eight. With the naked eye, he could never tell!

He thought there was no need to even look for the Big Black Mushroom—this alone was enough to explain why that gold-ranked squad got wiped out.

With numbers like this, he wouldn’t be surprised if the whole fifth layer vanished one day!

Still, he had to find the Big Black Mushroom, otherwise he couldn’t turn in the mission.

The problem was, every scan target drained magic. So many responses drastically reduced the effective range of his reconnaissance scrolls.

He had originally thought five scrolls would be enough to locate the Big Black Mushroom. Now it seemed impossible—maybe he would return empty-handed.

Just as he thought so, the Big Black Mushroom wandered into view.

It strolled leisurely along the mycelium outside the path, and when it saw Aedin, it came closer.

He wasn’t surprised. The reports said it liked shiny things—dressed as lavishly as he was, of course it would be drawn in.

Still, Aedin tossed a glass bead.

The Big Black Mushroom waddled over and clumsily picked it up.

Then he threw a second bead. It hurried off in pursuit.

After that, Aedin pulled out another scroll and quietly waited.

When the mushroom came close a third time, he activated the scroll: Wind Blade.

The slicing wind cut off the cap of the Big Black Mushroom.

The fallen cap crumbled into a heap of white threads, and from inside climbed out… a very ordinary-looking Puji.

That sight surprised Aedin, but before he could think further, all the minefield Pujis nearby popped up at once—

A chain of explosions swallowed him.

When the smoke cleared, Aedin was gone. Only a shattered magic crystal lay on the ground.

Lin Jun, orchestrating everything from behind, wasn’t surprised.

He had been watching Aedin from the moment he entered the dungeon.

Not because of anything else—simply because the man had no status panel.

A puppet? An illusion?

Something like that, surely. It couldn’t have been his real body.

Too unusual. One look and it was obvious he came specifically for the fifth layer.

So Lin Jun used 【Assimilation Absorption LV3】 + 【Mimicry LV4】 to shape a fake Big Black Mushroom, acting out the role of some monster with fixed patterns.

Patterns meant control. And control meant no need to eliminate it by force.

If this impression could be carried out, then the problem might just blow over.

Still, Lin Jun had sensed from this stranger a faint presence of the same kind as himself. Hopefully this improvised performance wouldn’t reveal any flaws…

——

In a Yafeng Town inn room.

Aedin slowly opened his eyes, looking at the broken magic crystal in his hand with a playful expression.

Attacking the Big Black Mushroom triggered the explosion trap. Glass beads perfectly lured it away. And its “true form.”

The information in his hand would be enough to report back.

But he couldn’t help feeling that the whole chain of events had gone far too smoothly.

Just like that time he walked to the granary.

Should he go again, dig deeper?

Hmm…

Rubbing his chin, Aedin didn’t think long before giving up.

He had lost two specialized crystals and several scrolls in one run. Come again and he’d only be losing money.

And after all, there was no extra pay for doing more…