Chapter 32 – Beneath the Caverns

No, how had it accomplished this?

Evan had been in the dungeon for ages without seeing a single LV10 skill. Why did this creature have them in bulk?

Crystal Symbiosis increased the power of an ordinary bat’s skills by only twenty to thirty percent. How had this one reached five hundred percent?

Were all the crystals on its body S grade?

If Evan still had eyes, he would have rubbed them hard.

How else could he be seeing such an absurd Status Panel?

Most absurd of all was the Beyond Death title.

A title could be obtained only by fulfilling its corresponding conditions.

Yet such a powerful title had appeared on an ordinary Crystal Bat.

Evan sent over several more Puffcaps.

This time, he deliberately made them emerge from two different passages in sequence. The second group came out only after the first had died.

Using the interval between the enemy’s attacks, Evan finally saw its true form.

An enormous body more than ten feet long hung upside down in the center of the cavern. Dark red veins showed through the wrinkled membranes of its wings, and a pure, deep-purple Mana Crystal was embedded at the end of each wing bone.

They really were all S-grade Mana Crystals!

And they were enormous!

Compared with these three, the S-grade Mana Crystal in Evan’s possession deserved to be called a fragment.

Without the Status Panel, Evan would have believed anyone who called this Crystal Bat a dragon.

The moment he saw it, however, another question occurred to him. At that size, could it fit through the tunnels?

The caverns here were nothing like the passages in the Deep Strata, which were often dozens or even hundreds of feet across.

Many of these smaller tunnels had been gnawed out by Rock Lizards. They were rough, uneven, and generally no more than six feet wide.

The old bat was so large that it probably could not enter them.

Did that mean it was trapped in this cavern with nowhere to go?

Excellent. At least Evan did not have to worry about it escaping.

More than a hundred spore Puffcaps remained scattered through the cavern system. Evan ordered all of them to converge on this location.

They gathered in separate passages but did not enter the main cavern. Instead, they began spraying Hallucinogenic Spores from where they stood.

The old bat immediately noticed the poisonous haze drifting in from the smaller tunnels. It was intelligent enough not to wait passively for death.

It flew to one tunnel entrance and beat its wings with tremendous force.

Even without using a skill, the resulting wind dispersed the still-thin cloud of spores.

Then the old bat placed its mouth near the entrance and unleashed [Infrasonic Attack LV10] directly into the tunnel.

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The nine Puffcaps inside died instantly.

It repeated the method at every other passage emitting poisonous mist.

By the time Evan realized the danger and tried to retreat, it was already too late. Not one spore Puffcap survived.

Damn it. His entire force had been wiped out.

Puffcaps truly were vulnerable to wide-area attacks that left them nowhere to dodge.

The tunnels also extended the reach of a sonic attack. Evan’s last group of Puffcaps had fled a considerable distance, yet a single cry still killed them all.

Tch.

He could not use artillery, and poison had failed. How was he supposed to fight this thing?

More than a hundred Puffcaps had not even scratched its health.

Evan might command far greater resources now, but he could not sustain losses like these.

After considering the problem, he concluded that the only short-term solution was to lure a high-ranking adventurer here.

If an adventurer killed it, however, what spoils would remain for Evan?

At most, he would receive a corpse.

The old bat’s most valuable possessions were the three S-grade Mana Crystals on its body.

There might also be other secrets hidden within it.

Of course, Evan could kill and rob the adventurer afterward.

Even assuming he could guarantee success, that would violate his principles.

Rather than summon a human, he would leave the matter alone for now.

The old bat was too large to escape the cavern anyway.

His progress in the caverns had stalled, but the effort to establish rules with the adventurers was going well.

After the young party departed, several more groups who had bought the intelligence arrived in succession.

Most completed the trade without incident. Only one party tried to cause trouble.

After a rogue exploded and a healer was dragged away, the remaining two escaped.

That was fine. Once the news spread, no one else would be blind enough to make trouble.

The only concern was that the cave had expanded again. A few more explosions might collapse the entire rock face.

* * *

“Boss, I’m back!”

The instant Dylan connected to the Mycelial Network, he greeted Evan. A seasoned middle-aged man always understood the value of small courtesies.

Once Dylan reached the Fifth Stratum, he behaved as though he had come home. His hand never went near his weapon as he strode openly toward the forest camp.

Whenever he passed a Puffcap, he waved, not caring whether it responded. He appeared to be in an excellent mood.

As he walked, he reported on the assignment.

“Boss, I sold nine copies of the guide. Have any adventurers come yet?”

“Yes. The plan went... reasonably well.”

“That’s good. Also, Boss, here’s the money from the sales. I only spent a little on lodging...”

Dylan pulled a bag of coins from his coat and started to report his expenses, but Evan refused it outright.

“Keep the money. You did well this time, so I left some equipment and a bonus for you in the tent.”

Evan had already paid him in advance, but good work deserved an additional reward. That was how an employer kept his people motivated.

“Heh, thank you, Boss!”

Dylan suddenly realized that working for a monster who did not care about money was much better than he had imagined.

Room and board were included, and he received wages on top of that. The work was safer and far more profitable than adventuring.

He had little use for money while living in the dungeon, but he could save it and send it to his daughter!

Dylan happily put away the coin pouch, then remembered something else.

“Boss, I’d like to replenish my nutrients first.”

“You know where the coffin slabs are. They’re available at any hour. Go whenever you want. You don’t need my permission.”

The corner of Dylan’s eye twitched. So even Boss thought they looked like coffin slabs.

Evan had not understood what he meant, so Dylan continued.

“Boss, what I meant was... I’d like the same kind of nutrients as last time...”

What?

Nutrients were nutrients. What did he mean by the same kind as last time?

Oh.

Evan opened his Skills panel to check. Hallucinogenic Spores were not addictive.

What was wrong with this man?

...

In the end, Evan prepared another special nutritional infusion for Dylan.

How could he refuse such a small request from an employee returning from a business trip?

Even so, watching Dylan lie there with an expression of bliss left Evan speechless.

Was this fellow beginning a descent into depravity?

For a moment, Evan felt like some dark sorcerer binding his followers with a cursed draught.

No, that was wrong. This was a respectable Mycelial Garden. The infusion was no different from a small drink before bed.

Exactly!

* * *

At the Hushwind Branch of the Adventurers’ Guild, a report from the Guild’s Intelligence Office rested on Branch Guildmaster Oberon’s desk.

Its title was *Analysis of the Fifth-Stratum Anomaly and Its Potential Consequences*.

Oberon read the report from beginning to end over a cup of hot tea, then summoned the head of the Quest Management Department.

“Read this report.

“When you’re finished, issue a Guild commission for a comprehensive investigation of the Puffcaps on the Fifth Stratum, especially within the marsh.

“Set the quest at... A grade.”