This Dungeon Grew Mushrooms

Countless crimson blood arrows condensed along the inner walls of the Blood Prison, whistling through the air with a shrill hiss. Arama was forced to keep moving, his greatsword weaving a silver barrier that shattered the oncoming volleys one after another.

“Die already, you disgusting wretch! What’s wrong—running out of strength?” Elinor’s laughter echoed through the Blood Prison. “Where’s that arrogance you had chasing my troops across the battlefield before? What’s the matter—too scared to fight back?”

【Block LV10】

【Trample LV9】

【Charge LV10】

【Heavy Strike LV10】

The shockwave of Trample fused perfectly with the burst of speed from Charge. In an instant, Arama appeared before Elinor.

His massive sword swept out in a broad arc, smashing through two hastily raised walls of blood before crashing solidly against her shoulder.

With a thunderous crack, Elinor tumbled backward like a broken kite, slamming hard into the stone wall behind Sigismund. The impact left a web of cracks spreading across the surface.

If not for the Blood Prison’s sealed space, that single blow’s aftermath alone would have collapsed half the hall.

Sigismund didn’t even turn to check her condition. No matter how bad it looked, she was still a duchess-ranked bloodkin—hardly someone who could die from a single strike. The fact that the Blood Prison still held steady was proof enough she remained alive.

He sighed lightly and said, “Support me. Be careful not to get ambushed.”

Crimson blood energy slithered like a living creature up his weapon as he joined the battle with Arama.

Sigismund fought with extreme caution—every strike reserved, every motion guarded, as though expecting Arama to unleash a hidden trick at any moment.

There was no need to rush. Within the Blood Prison, time favored them. The longer the fight dragged on, the worse it became for Arama, whose body was being steadily eroded by the blood toxin.

All Sigismund needed to do was hold steady, and victory would come naturally.

Elinor, after taking that hit, had indeed become more restrained. While muttering curses under her breath, she directed waves of blood arrows to assault Arama from oblique angles, creating openings for Sigismund.

As time passed, though Arama hadn’t yet taken serious injury, dark red blotches were already surfacing on his exposed skin.

Blood toxin wasn’t something that could be wasted casually—it was, in essence, the concentrated essence of a bloodkin’s own life essence.

That essence was normally used to conduct promotion rituals for their underlings. If a human who wasn’t already half-vampire absorbed it directly, the transformation would fail, producing a mindless ghoul.

Blood toxin—or blood essence—was therefore immensely valuable. But using it against an opponent like Arama was clearly worth it. From the look of things, Elinor had paid a heavy price this time.

As the toxin’s corrosion deepened, Arama’s movements grew sluggish. Even though Sigismund continued to fight conservatively, he was gradually forcing Arama onto the defensive.

“Come on, show your little trick already. Or are you planning to take it with you into your coffin?”

Arama didn’t respond. He simply swung his greatsword in a wide arc, scattering the incoming blood arrows.

“Look at yourself,” Sigismund sneered, his tone needling for weakness. “Stuck at level seventy, getting weaker by the day since passing your prime. How does it feel, clinging to your pathetic humanity—watching your strength drain away day by day?”

“My power has declined these two years, yes,” Arama replied with a smirk, eyeing Sigismund’s plump face, “but not nearly as fast as yours has.”

Sigismund’s smile instantly fell, though he didn’t lose his composure. His blade work remained careful, measured.

Arama continued, his voice calm but biting. “I’ve been meaning to ask—what’s so great about being a blood-sucking mosquito? No taste, no warmth, no feeling. Is that even life? A creature that can’t even perform life’s most basic act of reproduction—no wonder Ina didn’t choose you. You were never an option to begin with!”

“I think he’s got a point,” Lin Jun whispered in Sigismund’s mind.

It was true, really. Lin Jun himself was getting a little tired of eating sugar lately, but he didn’t have much of a choice. It was starting to bother him.

Sigismund ignored his tactless roommate, keeping his face taut. “That’s why she died. And today, you’ll repay the life you owe me!”

“I owe that debt to the boy you used to be,” Arama retorted coolly, “not the bloodkin duke you’ve become.”

The clash grew fiercer. Sigismund’s bulky frame exploded with startling speed, pressing Arama back with relentless assaults. Within a few exchanges, he looked poised to finish it.

Then, during another strike—after slashing a deep gash across Arama’s chest—Sigismund abruptly pulled back.

He wore a smug, cold smile. “What, you think I’d lose my temper and fight recklessly? I said it already—whatever trick you’re hiding, best use it now before you die.”

Before Arama could reply, a blood arrow shot through his ankle.

The instant he faltered, several more pierced his back.

“Pffft—!” Arama spat a mouthful of blood, his body sagging weakly.

“Sigismund, you coward—if you don’t dare take his head, I’ll do it for you!” Seeing the opening, Elinor conjured two crimson blades of silk and lunged past Sigismund straight at Arama.

“Elinor!”

Sigismund’s furious roar from behind only spurred her to move faster.

Facing Elinor’s unstoppable charge, Arama sighed softly and murmured to himself:

“So it’s only you…”

The next moment, the round bulge at the spine of his sword snapped open—blinding golden light erupted from within!

【Sunstone (Fragment)】

Elinor shrieked in agony. The radiant brilliance robbed her of her vision instantly.

Their figures crossed in a blur—and when her senses returned, her arms were gone, her neck nearly severed, blood gushing in fountains.

“Tch! Not even one dead?” Arama gritted his teeth bitterly.

Sigismund’s thrown weapon had struck Arama’s sword, just barely deflecting the fatal blow and saving Elinor’s life.

That was also why Arama was now in such a weakened state—he had pushed himself this far deliberately, to deceive the two vampire dukes.

Even so, Elinor was on the verge of death, completely incapable of fighting further.

The Blood Prison collapsed at once. The shattered hall caved in with a thunderous crash, rubble raining down like a storm.

Dragging his weary body, Arama staggered toward the fallen Elinor. Sigismund, however, dared not strike rashly.

Under the Sunstone’s radiance, he could feel his strength leaking away, his whole body weakening.

The strange condition made him intensely wary.

He couldn’t tell whether Arama’s current battered state was a ruse to lure him in—and he wasn’t about to risk his life to save that idiot Elinor.

At that moment, Lorenzo burst through the wall, crashing to the ground not far from Arama.

His sword was broken in half, the jagged edge marked with clear tooth prints; only one of the three magic crystals on his staff still glowed faintly.

He struggled to his feet, coughing out a mouthful of dark blood.

Outside came Veralis’s near-inhuman roar.

Bruised and battered, Lorenzo scanned the hall and grabbed Arama—who was about to deliver a final blow to Elinor—by the arm.

“If we don’t leave now, we’re dead!”

His staff struck the ground. A powerful current of air lifted both men into the air, splitting into a dozen illusions that scattered in all directions.

Outside, the half-troll form of Veralis leapt and shattered two of the phantoms—only to find them both false.

With the commander’s retreat, the Highkeep Fortress finally fell to the demonic army by the following noon.

Humanity no longer possessed any fortress strong enough to halt the demons’ advance.

…

Lin Jun watched as Arama and Lorenzo escaped, his interface still tracking their true bodies—but of course, he had no intention of warning Sigismund.

The Sunstone, huh?

So that’s where it went.

No wonder he hadn’t been able to find the remaining fragments of his own Sunstone—it had been taken by humans all along.

Thinking about it, that made sense. Humans had been active in his dungeon area for a long time. It was natural that they’d found some of the fragments.

He’d even had Aiden look into it before, but without results—clearly Aiden’s clearance level hadn’t been high enough to access artifact-class information.

Now everything lined up. Both the Heartwood Core and the Sunstone fragments he needed were in this very war zone—and there was still no word from Aiden.

The underground tunnels were already close to the front lines; if he sped up, he could reach them within a week.

The question was—how was he going to get those items?

Relying on Sigismund was clearly a bad idea—it could easily become leverage for blackmail later.

His perspective shifted, finally settling on Inanna, who was currently in the manor helping the little Pujis recharge…