Chapter 258: Chapter 250: Self-Produced S Level Demon Crystal

Fifth floor, Dylan’s Mushroom House.

A wisp of elegant bluish smoke curled upward, it was aromatic herbs originating from the distant archipelago, mixed with powdered green mushrooms, slowly burning on hot coals, releasing a unique fragrance that calmed the soul.

This method not only achieved a relaxing effect but also didn’t render one unconscious like Hallucinogenic Spores.

Dylan lay leisurely in a hammock woven from mycelium, legs crossed, savoring this long-lost tranquility.

No longer did he have to constantly worry about exposing his “Mushroom Man” identity, living like a frightened bird, daring only to burrow in tunnels, ride black-market boats, and struggle with uneasy sleep. Returning to this Underground City was like coming home, allowing him to relax.

Although Lin Jun had upgraded his [Mimicry] to Level 7, perfect enough to disguise himself, in this territory of mushrooms and Puki, there was no need to disguise, letting his iconic green skin show in its entirety, that was true relaxation!

The worry for his daughter Bella had not dissipated, he still sought out information through informants, but before getting more concrete clues, needless anxiety only added to his troubles.

At least… no bad news was good news in itself.

Although Lin Jun asked if he wanted to live with others over at Mushroom Garden No. 3, Dylan preferred his familiar fifth floor, even though it had changed a lot.

Though the fifth floor had a few new demons from the Dense Forest Rift, the Mushroom Garden was still an absolute Puki domain, perfectly safe.

In contrast, the Stone Castle was far away and required relying on the bat Puki’s “air transport service” for travel, which Dylan was not eager to repeatedly experience due to his fear of heights.

On the fifth floor, he only needed the boss’s elevator…

Dylan marveled at how the boss was becoming increasingly powerful, even able to control hidden rooms. While he didn’t know why the boss called the hidden room an “elevator,” it was indeed extremely useful.

Originally, it took more than half a day to get from the fifth floor to the surface, but now it only took ten minutes, and this time was also to be cautious, letting the “elevator” appear in a secluded corner to avoid exposure.

In summary, for various reasons, Dylan chose to continue living on the fifth floor.

He wasn’t alone; a group of Puki was absorbing a pile of Demon Crystals next to him.

The qualities of these Demon Crystals varied, from waste products from the sixth floor to B Level Demon Crystals mined from the Deep Area. The Puki rolled up these Demon Crystals, absorbed them completely, and then tossed the residue aside, where Cow and Horse Puki would take care of them.

These second-generation scouts were born for exploration, equipped with stealth, reconnaissance, and self-destruction abilities, swift and adept at escape.

Since individual combat power was limited, and if they went to the other side of the Rift and died within two or three hits, they wouldn’t discover any useful information, so they were enhanced with [Crystal Symbiosis], not only to improve abilities, but Lin Jun could even use the symbiotic Demon Crystals to cast spells!

It didn’t need much, a B Level Demon Crystal symbiosis inside a Puki was enough.

In this harmony.

[Skill Upgrade: Crystal Symbiosis LV7→LV8]

!!!

All Scout Puki stopped their movements, the Fungal Mat pulsed slightly, quickly raising a small mound.

Soon, a Puki carrying the new [Crystal Symbiosis LV8] skill was born.

As soon as it emerged, it dived into the Demon Crystal pile, but that wasn’t enough!

Soon, Cow and Horse Puki brought more Demon Crystals, including some mined A Level Demon Crystals.

Lin Jun wanted to see, what was the limit of this skill at Level Eight!

Finally, after consuming energy enough to consolidate five standard large A Level Demon Crystals, the first S Level Demon Crystal created by Lin Jun was born!

It was only the size of a fingertip, and the whole manufacturing process was enormously costly, strictly calculating the cost was certainly a huge loss, but its significance was extraordinary!

Lin Jun finally had the ability to produce S Level Demon Crystals independently!

Upon successful verification, Lin Jun immediately had Puki stop absorbing, it was indeed too wasteful.

Given Lin Jun’s situation, it was probably best to enhance Knight Puki this way, as protecting the body, however expensive, was worth it.

As for expanding the range of use, even achieving S Level Demon Crystal freedom?

Better to wait until the skill continues to upgrade and the losses drop, meanwhile, A Level Demon Crystals were sufficient for most situations.

Comparatively, those two combat puppets made entirely of S Level Demon Crystals were truly extravagant, the guy who originally built this Underground City must have been a tycoon!

Dismantling the experimental Puki, collecting that small S Level Demon Crystal.

The process of this [Crystal Symbiosis] skill, absorbing crystals, was also a process of self-reformation and adaptation, only by absorbing the condensed Demon Crystals yourself can you maximize the amplification effect.

Non-original Demon Crystals could be used, but the effect would be compromised.

Therefore, handing this experimental skill S Level Demon Crystal to the knight would be kind of a waste.

Lin Jun planned to return it to Pink Puki for handling, with her Duke family’s connections and channels, she should be able to find a skilled craftsman to turn this S Level Demon Crystal into a practical magic accessory, like a ring or amulet.

As for equipment manufacturing, Edin actually knew a little, but, unfortunately, it was limited to crafting his consumable small gadgets that cast illusions, usually using C Level or even poorer Demon Crystals. Even Edin himself would consider it a waste to use an S Level Demon Crystal to craft something.

After dealing with these, Lin Jun turned back to fix the Scout Puki, but didn’t immediately rush to explore the Rift, instead sending two to fly into the Deep Area, where the newly equipped Norris was awaiting eagerly.

He finally got his blade whip replaced with a drill, and was urgently in need of a battle to test its power, while Lin Jun just happened to need to test the combat situation of Scout Puki.

The reason to do it in the Deep Area was because these scouts weren’t equipped with [Cold Resistance].

Due to the delay from the skill upgrade, when the Scout Puki arrived, Norris was holding the Scout Puki that served as Jigda’s “head” and was dozing on the Fungal Mat.

His Jigda quietly squatted nearby, with several mycelial tendrils extending from the neck interface, connecting to the Fungal Mat for energy charging.

The Fungal Mat next to Norris’s head wriggled swiftly, generating a language Puki quickly.

It wriggled to Norris’s ear and called his name repeatedly in a layered, nightmare-like whisper that only he could hear:

“Norris~ Norris~ Norris~~”

The eerie voice pierced Norris’s sleep, and he was furrowing his brows, forehead sweating, and his body trembled slightly in his deep sleep.

Eventually, he jolted awake, sitting up in alarm!

“Ha… ha…” Norris panted heavily, only calming down upon feeling the familiar touch of the Scout Puki in his arms.

He looked around in confusion, but the languages Puki that had whispered had long since quietly disintegrated, leaving no trace.

“Norris, are you okay? Nightmare? If you’re uncomfortable, we can reschedule the test.” Lin Jun’s concerned voice resonated directly in his mind.

Hearing the boss’s voice, Norris immediately remembered his purpose for being there, and he slapped his own cheeks forcefully to dispel the lingering fatigue and that inexplicable chill.

“No, no! Boss, I’m fine, absolutely no problem!”

Norris quickly entered the Jigda, with Scout Puki immediately following. Feeling the Scout Puki’s bottom pressing against the top of his head, Norris exhaled: “Boss, I’m ready!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep