Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 287 - 279: Explanation

Smack!

With a fierce stomp, Gallon crushed the noisy vocal Puki into a burst of mycelium, feeling as though his lungs were about to explode in anger!

"Getting angry harms the liver and shortens life, why bother?" A new vocal Puki popped up in the snow not far away, continuing to spout Lin Jun’s favorite gibberish.

Gallon turned a deaf ear, using his still-mobile left hand to firmly press on the terrifying piercing wound in his right chest. With every step he took, he left a glaring red footprint on the pristine snow.

Staggering, his gaze locked onto the icy stone ruins where Xiao Hei crashed, determined to finish off that Dragon Man once and for all!

Boom—!

A Magic Cannon shot hit the ground at his feet, blasting him away. Crawling up, he saw a familiar long strip item appearing not far away.

Getting closer this time, Gallon could see clearly—a multitude of handles on the item, resembling the feet of a Blocking Mushroom...

Was this a weapon made of Blocking Mushrooms?

The absurd thought floated in his mind, yet the more he looked, the more plausible it seemed.

The power of this weapon was inferior to the one he initially encountered, but his current status was also far worse than before.

After all, where did these Blocking Mushrooms come from?

Gallon couldn’t figure it out at all.

Another Resonance Cannon shot came, and Gallon rolled to the side with all his might, narrowly avoiding the core blast, though the explosive aftershock still viciously struck his battered body, flinging him away once more.

The weapon’s attacks had obvious intervals... As long as he could kill that Dragon Man completely before the next shot came, he still had...

He lifted his bloodstained face, looking towards the ruins, only to see a disheartening scene.

In the pile of ice and stone, Xiao Hei shook her head, shedding the crushed ice and dust from her body.

A scale on her forehead had shattered, with fresh blood trickling down and reddening half her cheek, indeed looking rather disheveled.

But that was all!

This was a far cry from Gallon’s expectations.

This was supposed to be an all-out strike, gained at great injury!

"Even... even the defense... is strong to this degree?!"

Xiao Hei shook her head, her golden vertical pupils wandering around in confusion at first.

When her gaze locked onto Gallon, the memory of receiving that prior heavy punch instantly ignited her fury!

"Roar—!" A low dragon roar, laden with pain and rage, shook the snowy plains!

Her hind legs sprang off the ground, her body transforming into a black lightning bolt more swift and fierce than before, pouncing with a keen whistle that tore the air!

She pinned Gallon down, spewing black dragon breath overhead!

"Damn! Don’t use that move!"

The dragon breath engulfed not just Gallon, but the nearby Pukis as well.

By the time Pukis with Strong Acid Resistance emerged from the underground tunnels, Gallon was lying on the ground like a charred rag, life or death unknown.

Well, not completely unknown, as his status panel was still there.

Xiao Hei let out a low roar, clearly unsatisfied, and raised her Dragon Claw, ready to deliver the final blow!

"Xiao Hei! Stop!" Lin Jun’s voice timely echoed through the Fungal Network.

Xiao Hei paused her action, tilting her head.

The blood cascading from her forehead obstructed one of her eyes, causing her considerable discomfort.

This discomfort prompted her to think it was indeed better to finish him off!

At that moment, a Delicious Puki with a bright red mushroom cap bounced effortlessly into Xiao Hei’s embrace!

Seeing the familiar color, although she hadn’t tried it yet, drool dribbled down the corners of her mouth.

Chomp!

Xiao Hei instinctively took a bite. The extremely delicious taste exploded in her mouth! The deadly temptation of Delicious Level 6 made her forget the pain on her forehead and the enemy on the ground.

One bite, two bites, three bites...

No trouble in the world can’t be solved by a Delicious Puki!

Meanwhile, Lin Jun also assured her of giving her a few extra Bright Crystals later!

The dual comfort of food and gemstones finally calmed the infuriated Xiao Hei.

In reality, even without Lin Jun’s assistance, Gallon couldn’t possibly defeat Xiao Hei.

The effect of Gallon’s desperate strike was unclear to him, but Lin Jun, watching through the status panel, saw everything clearly. Although it managed to briefly stun her, the actual damage was minimal.

Xiao Hei’s Black Scales indeed had some intrigue, serving as a high-defense armor.

Xiao Hei gnawed the Delicious Puki in her embrace clean, licking her lips insatiably.

Then, she began diligently searching through the snow, retrieving every single piece of her precious Black Scales that had fallen off during the battle and carefully saving them.

Lin Jun wasn’t sure what she intended, as those Black Scales shouldn’t count as her Bright Crystals.

A few Pukis had already bundled up the mortally wounded and unconscious Gallon.

Took a Healing Potion from the arriving Little Pig to keep this guy alive.

Planning to interrogate him later about the situation in the Empire.

Lin Jun didn’t intend to disassemble him; although his skills were pretty enticing, it was rare to have someone with Full Level Physical Resistance, and Lin Jun wanted to test a previous hypothesis.

The only problem was, Lin Jun’s own Physical Resistance was only Level 8; though estimating the progress, it was close to leveling up, but from Level 9 to 10 would still take quite a while.

For now, he could only lock him up for a while.

Louisa watched as Gallon was carried away by the Pukis, her scarlet tongue slowly slipping over her sharp teeth.

Hunt and Norris finally arrived, albeit late.

No way around it; from spotting Gallon to mobilizing for departure, only Xiao Hei could match that speed.

But it was only because the Fungal Mat hadn’t spread far enough yet; soon they could spot intruders hours, or even a day or two in advance, avoiding the rush like this time.

Xiao Hei jogged over to Norris, tapping on the Yellow-covered Book before Jida’s chest.

The reconnaissance Puki atop Jida was pushed aside as Norris curiously emerged.

"Sister Xiao Hei, what’s up?" Norris didn’t know Xiao Hei’s age, but considering her strength, calling her sister seemed fitting!

Xiao Hei presented her front claws to Norris, revealing the dozen or so scales she had shed, even stained with blood.

"For me?" Norris pointed to himself.

Xiao Hei nodded vigorously.

Reluctant as he was, faced with Xiao Hei’s enthusiasm... Norris steeled himself and cautiously accepted the cold scales.

However, after presenting the scales, Xiao Hei didn’t leave but kept her golden vertical pupils fixed on Norris, filled with anticipation, as if waiting for something.

"She wants you to give something in return." Louisa whispered with a chuckle, reminding him.

Norris: "......."

That day, Xiao Hei, using her wits, successfully gained a few extra Bright Crystals.

After everyone left, the Cow and Horse Pukis performed a final sweep of the battlefield, discovering a shattered item crystal in the snow...

-----------------

"Gray, the clan leader summons you!"

In the training field, Gray, sweating profusely and honing his Martial Techniques, stopped upon hearing the call.

Grabbing a cloth towel beside him, he carefully wiped the sweat from his face and body, tidied up a bit, and then leisurely walked out.

On the way to the hall, Gray found it strange.

It was just a summons; why did two fully armed clansmen come together?

Moreover, after delivering the message, they didn’t leave but followed closely on either side as if escorting him.

Surely they weren’t guarding against him?

"Poof!"

The thought just emerged, and Gray felt it absurd, shaking his head in amusement.

Clang!

A barely audible yet unmistakably clear metallic scrape sounded from behind him; Gray wouldn’t mistake it—it was the sound of a blade quietly slipping from its sheath!

Gray’s smile instantly froze.

...

Inside the hall, the clan leader stood with his back to the entrance, fiddling with a refined, small device in his hand.

Gray recognized it as an expensive magical communication tool, capable of receiving brief messages from specific transmission crystals.

Usually only issued to members tasked with covert missions or those of great power.

With a flash of magic power from the device in the clan leader’s hand, it activated, emitting a voice that Gray despised:

"Gray! You schemed against me!"

It was Gallon!

The clan leader slowly turned around to face Gray. His tall figure cast a shadow over the rigidly standing Gray, enveloping him in an almost tangible oppressive force.

"Gray, regarding Gallon’s message... can you explain?"