This Dungeon Grew Mushrooms

The clash and backlash on the spiritual level seemed long, but in truth only a few seconds had passed.

Number Nine puji stared blankly at the soldier who had suddenly grabbed one of its mycelium tendrils—and then collapsed straight onto the ground, unmoving. Its tendril instinctively curled back.

It had picked up quite a few poison-related skills from the Mushroom Lord, but it hadn’t used any of them just now!

So why did this person die?

Number Nine puji, unaware of anything involving souls, simply felt that it was being falsely accused.

It looked around in panic, relieved to see that no one had noticed this spot yet.

Without hesitation, it took advantage of the moment, spun around, and dashed away on its two stubby legs, its nimble figure disappearing around the corner.

Not long after it fled, someone finally noticed the “soldier” lying on the ground.

As people gathered, the disguise magic covering the corpse began to fade, revealing the true form of a succubus beneath it.

The surrounding soldiers murmured among themselves, but the succubus spy itself was not the focus of their attention.

After all, what strange infiltrators hadn’t they seen lately?

Brain-burrowing parasitic demons, shapeshifters, shadow fiends… Compared to those, a succubus was practically ordinary.

What truly puzzled them was who had silently eliminated this spy—yet left without claiming any credit.

There were no traces of a struggle. No fallen comrades. Nothing.

……

Meanwhile, the culprit—or rather, the one who believed itself to be the culprit—Number Nine puji, was sprinting as fast as its tiny legs allowed, going “puchi puchi” all the way as it rushed back to Fifteen’s temporary residence.

Just as it reached the door, it bumped directly into Fifteen’s leg as he was returning from outside.

“What are you running around so panicked for?” Fifteen casually pulled out the message stone he always carried and pressed it against one of Number Nine’s mycelium tendrils with practiced ease.

Ever since the little creature solemnly declared that “touching the mushroom cap without permission is disrespecting the puji race,” Fifteen had switched to this method of contact.

“I—I’m not panicking! That day when the two of us were dominating our way through thousands of enemies, I didn’t panic at all!” Number Nine Puji’s mushroom cap wobbled violently as its short legs scraped anxiously against the floor. “I—I’m just running a tiny bit faster than usual, that’s all!”

Fifteen stared at Number Nine suspiciously for a long moment, but ultimately said nothing.

That day’s breakthrough was indeed thanks to the sudden burst of strengthening spores Number Nine had released. Though he had ended up vomiting and suffering from three different poisons afterward, that unexpected power had saved him from Xenophon’s deadly pursuit.

If he had been forced to use the emergency signal, even if he survived, the soldiers sent to rescue him would have suffered heavy losses.

He owed Number Nine for that.

And because of that battle, he had come to genuinely acknowledge this noisy little puji.

When he first brought Number Nine back, he only wanted his master and the Archbishop to study this strange intelligent monster.

Now… although the research still needed to be done, if anyone tried to dissect the little creature, Fifteen would be the first to stand in their way.

But any research on Number Nine would have to wait until the war was over.

Fifteen had just returned from the command post. His instincts told him that his master and the Archbishop had something to discuss—something they didn’t want him involved in—so he excused himself and left.

Walking back toward his residence, he couldn’t help feeling puzzled. What matter could be serious enough to keep even him out?

But that doubt was soon replaced by another emotion.

Whenever he recalled his master’s steadily recovering condition after obtaining Hazy Moon, Fifteen’s heart filled with renewed hope.

His master’s injury, ultimately, was nothing more than the result of the treacherous bloodborn prince sacrificing a deep-sea beast to land a successful ambush.

He had always believed his master to be the strongest man on the continent.

Once his master returned to peak form—no bloodborn prince, no demon commander—would be his match.

He would absolutely be able to break the siege of Tri-Mountain City!

……

Inside the command room, Sword Saint Elvien gazed at Hazy Moon resting across his lap. His fingertips traced the flowing moon patterns across the scabbard, his eyes filled with reminiscence.

With the pure moonlight of Hazy Moon and the Archbishop Ditas’s holy purification working together, even the sinister blood poison of the bloodborn prince had nearly faded.

Though still physically weakened, Elvien could feel it—his return to peak condition was not far away.

However, unlike Fifteen’s pure and unwavering confidence, the Sword Saint and the Archbishop both clearly understood that the battlefield’s disadvantage was far beyond what Elvien alone could overturn.

“If you faced Vissarious head-on, how much chance do you have of winning?”

Ditas’s voice carried clearly through the quiet room.

Elvien thought for a moment. “If it’s one on one—sixty-forty. I hold the sixty.”

The answer did not comfort the Archbishop.

A sixty-forty split meant their power gap was not large—too small to avoid being tipped by other variables. And on a battlefield, the greatest variable was the soldiers of both armies.

Right now, their military strength was obviously at a disadvantage. Without the sturdy defenses of Tri-Mountain City, they would have already lost.

Unless Vissarious suddenly lost his mind and marched alone into the city to duel Elvien, any battle would take place outside—surrounded by the demon army.

And they both knew well: that centuries-old vampire bat had no intention of honoring any knightly code. He would choose the safest siege strategy.

And there was another pressing concern.

The Duke of Brennus.

Although the duke was currently inside Tri-Mountain City, the fact that he had been excluded from this conversation said enough.

During the period when demon infiltrators were most active, several times more spies had been apprehended near Brennus’s residence compared to other districts. Combined with his past behavior, suspicion was inevitable.

They could not simply brand him a traitor—but they also could not trust him.

In truth, both men believed the duke was wavering. If he truly wished to betray them, Tri-Mountain City would have already fallen during the Sword Saint’s period of serious injury.

As if steeling himself, Ditas let out a heavy sigh and pulled a vial filled with roiling black mist from inside his robes.

“There is one more way… We could hold off the demon army for you.”

Elvien looked at the vial, its dark aura spreading subtly through the room, and a flicker of distaste crossed his eyes.

“Is this alright? That substance completely violates the doctrine.”

“For people to live freely, faith must continue. If sin must be committed—let me bear it alone.”

In the Archbishop’s eyes, Elvien caught a trace of despair he had never seen before.

Lowering his voice, Ditas revealed a secret he had buried deep inside for many years.

“The God of Light… has not delivered a divine revelation in one hundred years.

Ridiculous, isn’t it? I, the Archbishop, have never once heard the voice of God since the day I inherited this position. I cannot even be sure whether He has abandoned us.”

Elvien’s expression changed instantly.

“What? But didn’t we successfully summon the Hero?”

“Yes… The summoning of the Hero served not only to counter the demon threat, but to confirm whether the God was still there.” Bitterness flooded Ditas’s voice. “But even at such a critical moment, not one priest present heard a divine message. I cannot imagine what that means.”

Or rather, Ditas did not dare imagine it.

A long silence stretched between them.

At last, the Archbishop put the vial away and said firmly:

“Search for an opportunity for a final battle. For the sake of humanity’s survival… I will eliminate every obstacle and create a path for you to face Vissarious alone.”