Chapter 12 – The Garden’s Visitors

A sickening stench filled the dark tunnel. Green blood dripped along the giant spider’s own web.

It was an Arachne. Like its spider relatives, however, it received no better name than “giant spider monster” from most illiterate adventurers.

Those who truly understood the creatures knew that an Arachne was a specialized giant spider capable of weaving enormous, venomous webs.

The thick strands were impossible to overlook, and weaker monsters gave them a wide berth.

Some creatures were strong enough to ignore such webs. Those were precisely the prey an Arachne hunted.

Today, this one had chosen badly.

A huge battle-axe was buried in the center of its head, which had collapsed into pulp beneath the blow.

Huff. Huff.

The bull-headed monster holding the weapon panted as it wrenched the axe free. A slight flick scattered most of the gore clinging to the blade.

Nearly fifteen feet tall, the creature’s powerful body was knotted with muscle that shifted beneath its hide with every breath. Even among Minotaurs, it was an exceptional specimen.

Its furious assault had turned hunter into prey.

The Minotaur had not escaped unharmed. Venom from the web had entered its left arm and spread along the veins. Poison Resistance LV5 had managed only to stop the advance.

Losing the use of one arm would make survival in the dungeon exceedingly difficult.

Fortunately, the problem would not trouble it for much longer.

A jet-black dagger slipped from the shadows and swept lightly around the Minotaur’s thick neck. Its throat parted as easily as soft cheese.

Nyx stepped from the darkness and watched the fallen Minotaur twitch. Then she turned to complain to her three companions, who had only just arrived.

“That was an LV40 Minotaur at the very least. On the Eighth Stratum, it could have guarded a treasure chest. If it hadn’t already been injured, killing it would have taken real effort.

“If we keep wandering like this, we’re bound to meet something truly dangerous. Nolan, how much farther?”

Nolan felt the pull of the Tracking Crystal. “Not far. The direction is changing more sharply now, which means we’re close.”

“Garrick, cut open its abdomen for me,” Ivan said, pointing at the spider.

“Why? Giant spider fluids stink.”

Garrick made his displeasure obvious, but he drew a dissecting knife and opened the Arachne’s belly. A wave of fetid air struck him at once. He backed away two steps, fanning his face.

Ivan’s eyes lit up. Ignoring the smell, he rushed forward and reached into the corpse with both hands to extract an organ.

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“It really is an Arachne. Its venom sac is the finest possible material for a poison-cloud ritual.”

Only after Ivan placed the reeking organ into an ornate case with exquisite care did Nolan order the party onward.

He had a feeling they would reach their target within three caverns.

* * *

In fact, they passed through only one more cavern, where a few scattered Ember Gnats remained, before reaching their destination.

The four adventurers stared at the Mycelial Garden in disbelief.

A group of Puffcaps had claimed territory in the Deep Strata?

More fundamentally, why were Puffcaps in the Deep Strata at all?

The region might contain monsters of every level, but that should not include a species with no ability to survive. The Ember Gnats next door ought to have treated them as an endless buffet.

Garrick stood with his mouth open for a long moment before murmuring, “If she’s here, I think I understand how Lady Elara survived.”

“One is coming this way.”

A Puffcap approached on short legs.

Only then did Ivan remember to use Reconnaissance.

“It really is LV1... Wait. A skill? It has...”

Someone else reacted more quickly. As the Puffcap drew near, Nyx vanished.

[Shadow Step LV9]

An experienced adventurer never allowed an apparently harmless scene to dull her instincts. Nyx struck with full force from the beginning.

She reappeared behind the Puffcap and swept her black blade down.

The Puffcap exploded.

“Nyx! Be care...”

Ivan’s warning arrived too late.

Fortunately, the explosion was small and could not truly injure her. Nyx emerged from the smoke covered in soot and fixed Ivan with a murderous glare.

“Ha... sorry. I was distracted. It was so unusual.”

“I’ve never heard of walking mushrooms that explode,” Nolan said, directing everyone’s attention elsewhere. He pointed at several other Puffcaps. “Those don’t look ordinary either.”

Ivan used Reconnaissance again. “Those can fire mana projectiles. The power is low, and they don’t appear especially aggressive.”

He was right. Their party had attacked and killed a detonation Puffcap, yet the others had not reacted. They neither attacked nor fled.

It was strange.

“Should I clear them all?”

Nyx asked the question, but her body was already preparing to move. The embarrassment of the explosion still burned.

Nolan restrained her.

“Wait. Lady Elara is somewhere inside, and we don’t know what chaos might do to her.

“They pose little threat and aren’t attacking us. We’ll enter directly. Stay alert.”

The final order was for the Half-Dragon. Garrick would have to protect the others if something attacked without warning.

[Damage Transfer LV7]

[Shield Domain LV8]

[Mass Defense Boost LV8]

Garrick activated several defensive skills in succession.

“All right. Let’s go.”

* * *

Evan had sensed the party from the moment they entered the passage connected to the Ember Gnat Nest. Mushrooms hidden along the route relayed their presence to him.

Archmage Ivan Netz never discovered that Evan was secretly observing the entire Mycelial Garden. Evan heard every word the adventurers exchanged.

There was only one problem.

He understood none of it.

He should have expected that another world would not speak any language from Earth.

Communication through the Mycelial Network resembled a private network of thought. It transmitted concepts rather than words, so Evan and Elara had never faced a language barrier.

Now he had finally met people speaking the language of this world, and naturally he could not understand them.

Even without their words, the situation was clear. He had lived here for years without seeing a single human. Now a group was heading directly for the Mycelial Garden.

There was a 99 percent chance they had come for Elara.

Whether they meant to save or kill her remained uncertain.

Elara bore a [Tracking Sigil], and her father was a duke. Surely he had placed it on her.

That made rescue the likelier purpose.

Even if Evan was wrong, there was little he could do.

He did not wish to abandon the little follower he had picked up. At the moment, however, he possessed only 40 combat Puffcaps and 100 support Puffcaps.

The four intruders ranged from LV52 to LV58. Each stood above the Earthborer and possessed a long list of well-matched, high-level skills.

Even if Evan deployed his prime Puffcap, he had no chance of victory.

Nor could he flee. The adventurers had found Elara with Precision tracking. Where could he possibly take her?

He looked at the pink Puffcap practicing magic in the garden with blissful ignorance. He ought to warn her.

“Elara.”

“What is it, Boss?”

“Your family has sent people to collect you. Probably.”

“My family? Probably?”

“They might also be here to kill you.”

“...”