Splatter!
Galen stomped the noisy Voice Puffshroom, bursting its mycelium. His lungs felt ready to explode with anger!
“Getting mad hurts your liver and shortens your life. Why bother?” A new Voice Puffshroom popped up in the snow, spouting Lin Jun’s favorite trash talk.
Galen ignored it, clutching his pierced chest with his working left hand. Each step left a bright red footprint in the white snow.
Stumbling, he locked his gaze on the icy rubble where Little Black crashed. He had to finish that dragonkin!
Boom—!
A magic cannon blast hit his feet, flinging him through the air. Crawling up, he saw that familiar long weapon nearby.
Closer now, Galen could tell—those countless grips were Puffshroom feet…
A weapon made of Puffshrooms?
The wild thought hit him, and it looked more real the longer he stared.
This weapon’s power was weaker than the first one he saw, but his condition was far worse now.
Where did these Puffshrooms even come from?
Galen couldn’t figure it out.
Another Resonance Cannon shot came. Galen rolled sideways with all his strength, barely dodging the main blast, but the shockwave slammed his battered body, knocking him flying again.
The weapon had clear gaps between attacks… If he could kill the dragonkin before the next shot, he might still—
He lifted his bloodied face toward the rubble, only to see something hopeless.
In the icy pile, Little Black shook its head, brushing off ice and dust.
A scale on its forehead was cracked, blood trickling down, staining half its face. It looked rough.
But that was it!
This was far from what Galen expected.
That was his full-force hit, traded for heavy wounds!
“Even… even its defense… is this strong?!”
Little Black shook its head, golden slit eyes scanning blankly.
When they locked on Galen, the memory of that heavy punch sparked rage!
Roar—! A low dragon roar, full of pain and anger, shook the icefield!
Its hind legs pushed off, turning it into a black lightning bolt, faster and fiercer than before, screeching through the air!
It pinned Galen, blasting black dragon breath down!
“Crap! Not that move!”
The breath engulfed nearby Puffshrooms too.
When Puffshrooms with [Acid Resistance] crawled from underground tunnels, Galen lay like a charred rag, life or death unclear.
Not quite unclear—his status panel was still active.
Little Black growled, unsatisfied, raising a claw for the final blow!
“Little Black! Stop!” Lin Jun’s voice rang in the Mycelial Network.
Little Black paused, tilting its head.
Blood from its forehead covered one eye, annoying it.
That irritation made it think—better to smash him!
Then a bright red-capped Tasty Puffshroom bounced into Little Black’s arms!
Seeing that familiar color, saliva dripped before it even took a bite.
Chomp!
One bite, and the ultimate flavor of [Tastiness LV6] exploded in its mouth, wiping away the pain and the enemy on the ground.
One bite, two, three…
No worry a Tasty Puffshroom couldn’t fix!
Lin Jun promised more shiny gems later, calming the furious Little Black.
Even without Lin Jun’s help, Galen couldn’t beat Little Black.
Galen didn’t see the details, but Lin Jun checked the panel. That desperate hit caused brief dizziness but only minor damage.
Little Black’s black scales were like high-defense armor.
After devouring the Tasty Puffshroom, Little Black licked its lips, still wanting more.
Then it searched the snow, picking up every precious black scale lost in the fight, carefully storing them.
Lin Jun didn’t know why—those scales weren’t its “shiny gems.”
Several Puffshrooms bundled up the near-dead Galen.
They grabbed a healing potion from Piggy, keeping him alive.
Time to question him about the Empire.
Lin Jun didn’t plan to break him down. His skills were tempting, but that rare max-level [Physical Resistance] was worth testing a theory.
The issue? Lin Jun’s own [Physical Resistance] was only LV8. It was close to leveling up, but reaching LV10 would take time.
For now, Galen would stay locked up.
Louisa watched the Puffshrooms carry Galen away, her red tongue sliding over sharp fangs.
Shòu and Norris arrived late.
No choice—with only an hour’s notice of Galen, only Little Black’s speed kept up.
The Mycelial Network wasn’t spread far enough yet. With hours or days of warning, they wouldn’t be so rushed next time.
Little Black trotted to Norris, tapping the Yellow Codex on Jida’s chest.
The Scout Puffshroom on Jida’s head got knocked off, and Norris popped out, confused.
“Big Sis Black, what’s up?” Norris didn’t know Little Black’s age, but with that strength, “Sis” worked!
Little Black held out its claws, showing a dozen bloodied scales.
“For me?” Norris pointed at himself.
Little Black nodded eagerly.
Norris didn’t want them, but facing Little Black’s excitement… he nervously took the cold scales.
After handing them over, Little Black didn’t leave. Its golden eyes stared at Norris expectantly.
“She wants a gift back,” Louisa whispered, holding back a laugh.
Norris: “…”
That day, Little Black’s smarts earned it extra shiny gems.
After everyone left, Ox-Horse Puffshrooms cleaned the battlefield, finding a cracked device crystal in the snow…
“Gray, the clan leader summons you!”
In the training arena, Gray, sweating and practicing, stopped.
He grabbed a cloth, wiped his face and body, fixed his appearance, and strolled out.
On the way to the hall, Gray felt odd.
Why send two fully armed clansmen for a simple message?
And after delivering it, they didn’t leave, following close on his sides like escorts.
They couldn’t be guarding against him, right?
Poof!
The thought made Gray laugh and shake his head—it was ridiculous.
Clink!
A faint but clear metal scrape sounded behind him. Gray knew it—the sound of a sword sliding from its sheath!
His smile froze.
In the hall, the clan leader stood with his back to the door, toying with a small, fancy device.
Gray recognized it—a pricey magic communication tool, used only for secret missions or strong core members.
The clan leader’s magic flashed, activating it. A voice Gray hated came through:
“Gray! You set me up!”
It was Galen!
The clan leader turned slowly, facing Gray. His tall shadow loomed like a heavy weight, a crushing pressure hitting Gray.
“Gray, about Galen’s message… can you explain yourself?”
(End of Chapter)
