This Dungeon Grew Mushrooms – Chapter 29

Beneath several massive gray mushrooms at the edge of Poison Mist Lake, three young adventurers lay prone under the mushroom caps, quietly observing the mutated Puffshrooms in the distance.

Ever since the Puffshrooms had occupied this floor, the spores they released had spawned countless gray-green mushrooms of various sizes.

According to experience, though these mushrooms were generated by Puffshroom spores, they bore no direct connection to the Puffshrooms themselves.

The only relationship was that occasionally, areas where mushrooms grew particularly well might spawn new Puffshrooms.

These large mushrooms now provided excellent concealment with their wide, low caps.

However, the air between breaths was filled with the putrid stench seeping from the soil—there had definitely been monster corpses here before.

Fei Ling, the girl carrying a short bow, rubbed her nose. She felt like she was about to lose her sense of smell from the overwhelming odor.

“Wei La, stop dawdling! We’ll only know if it works by trying it!”

“Alright then.”

Continuing to observe seemed pointless. Wei La set down the two large cloth bags on her back and retrieved a dead two-headed python from one of them.

This snake had heads at both ends—one black, one white—with a black-and-white striped body. It was a common monster from the dungeon’s second floor.

Valuable materials like fangs and venom sacs had already been harvested; what remained was merely low-value snake meat.

Wei La coiled the python and hoisted it onto her shoulder in a throwing stance, softly calling out another girl’s name:

“Fei Yin.”

“Ready.”

An almost inaudible response came from behind Wei La.

Raising a small magical staff about two palms long, Fei Yin cast an enhancement spell on Wei La.

[Strength Amplification]

Wei La immediately felt the two-headed python become much lighter in her hands.

After testing its weight twice, she hurled it out.

The snake’s corpse unfurled in midair before landing heavily near the Puffshrooms.

*Thud—*

The startled Puffshroom immediately fired a shot.

The Mushroom Cannon, now upgraded to LV8, struck the python’s midsection directly. This medium-sized monster from the second floor was instantly blown into two pieces.

The power made those hiding under the mushrooms break out in cold sweat.

No wonder so many people had died to these Puffshrooms, including experts capable of reaching the sixth or seventh floors.

Just one attack packed such devastating force, and these creatures could coordinate group tactics!

It was said that even after defeating a small squad of Puffshrooms, one would only end up being chased by reinforcements that came rushing in.

No wonder most Silver-rank adventurers crowded the taverns drinking, each one waiting for reliable strategies before venturing down.

After confirming the snake was dead, two Puffshrooms with tentacles each balanced a segment of the corpse on their caps.

The entire group then departed toward the marsh area, as if their hunt was complete.

Just like the strategy described—Puffshrooms could be lured away using monster corpses!

The key was that with materials already harvested, the remaining corpses weren’t valuable. The only inconvenience was carrying them down.

“It actually works…”

Fei Ling’s small mouth hung slightly open. She still couldn’t quite believe Wei La had struck gold with genuine first-hand intelligence.

Wei La herself was equally excited.

“I knew it was real!

Fei Ling, Fei Yin, let’s not rush to the caverns to find Iron Heart Orchids just yet.

Let’s check out that additional intelligence first!”

Fei Ling saw no reason to refuse and nodded in agreement.

The group followed the path toward a location at the edge of Gnoll Forest.

However, they failed to notice that beneath another large mushroom in the distance, two figures had been observing them for quite some time.

“They seem to have a strategy guide. Should we still make our move?”

The speaker was the half-elf Nasha.

Only half his left ear remained, and beneath his sunken cheeks and heavy dark circles under his eyes, the beautiful elven features he’d inherited were still faintly discernible—unfortunately marred by an appearance hollowed out by drink and debauchery.

His companion was a stocky dwarf with a mouth full of steel teeth and cold, cruel eyes.

Axe blade flashing with cold light, the mushroom cap above them slid away diagonally as Grung’ba stepped on the fallen stem and straightened up.

“No rush. We can take them out anytime. Let’s see what they’re up to first before dealing with them.”

Various characters lurked in the dungeon’s shadows. Just as there were adventurers hunting monsters, naturally there were also villains who specialized in killing other adventurers for money. Such people were called Marauders.

Nasha and Grung’ba were precisely such marauders disguised as adventurers.

Despite their combat levels having reached LV34 and LV36 respectively, they habitually lingered on the fourth and fifth floors, searching for suitable prey.

The excessively youthful faces of Wei La’s party had drawn their attention.

Moreover, with these Puffshrooms causing such a stir on the fifth floor lately, three more young deaths here wouldn’t arouse anyone’s suspicion.

Nasha retrieved a packet of powder from his pack and sprinkled it on both of them.

This was a powder that could block common detection skills—equipment specifically designed for use against adventurers.

Nasha himself used detection skills to trail Wei La’s group from a distance.

It was precisely this technique that allowed them to succeed in their ambushes time and again.

————

At the edge of Gnoll Forest stood a small cave with an entrance less than two meters high.

Hidden beneath wire ferns and snake vines, it blended seamlessly with the surrounding rock face, perfectly concealed.

Wei La’s trio now stood inside the cave, somewhat stunned by the Puffshroom sitting in the center.

They were stunned because this Puffshroom was simply too large…

Nearly reaching the cave’s ceiling in height, with width matching its impressive stature, it completely overturned their understanding of what Puffshrooms looked like.

Just sitting there, it occupied a third of the cave’s space.

Fei Ling bumped Wei La’s shoulder and whispered:

“Is this the one the strategy mentioned—the Puffshroom that trades various random items?”

Wei La wanted to say how should she know, but admitting that would definitely earn her a beating.

“Probably. Let me try.”

With that, Wei La set down the other cloth bag from her back.

She retrieved another canine-type monster corpse from within and carefully advanced two steps to place it before the fat Puffshroom.

The previously motionless fat Puffshroom finally reacted upon seeing the monster corpse. Six tentacles composed of fungal threads extended from its back.

Wei La quickly retreated to her teammates’ side, drawing her curved blade in alert readiness, though her caution proved unnecessary this time.

The tentacles wrapped around the corpse and stuffed it into the creature’s hollow body.

The fat Puffshroom then continued rummaging inside itself with its tentacles for quite a while before finally producing an exquisite small round shield.

The carved round shield clanged and rolled all the way to the group’s feet.

The three exchanged glances for a long moment, each seeing incredible disbelief reflected in the others’ eyes.

While it wasn’t too strange for some high-intelligence monsters to communicate or even trade to a certain degree, this was a Puffshroom!

“This shield… it’s not from other adventurers, is it?”

Fei Ling thought of the many adventurers who had recently died on the fifth floor. Surely the Puffshrooms hadn’t forged this small shield themselves?

“Should we not take it then?” Wei La looked somewhat reluctant. The small shield appeared to be of good quality—even if she didn’t use it, it could sell for considerable money.

To her surprise, Fei Ling suddenly became excited:

“Not take it? Why wouldn’t we take it?

Quick, quick! Let’s go back up and hunt more monsters to drag down here!

This Puffshroom’s good items are definitely limited—we need to trade for as much as possible before others discover this!”

She enthusiastically bent down to pick up the small shield.

However, before her hand could touch it, Wei La kicked her shoulder. A crossbow bolt grazed Fei Ling’s cheek and embedded itself in the ground, leaving a thin wound.

“Marauders!!!!!!”