Deep within the tunnel, the pounding of Puji shells against stone never ceased in the darkness.
Several ox-horse Pujis gathered the rubble and hauled it away.
The tunnel already stretched several hundred meters. The round trips took so much time that by now, more ox-horse Pujis were hauling debris than digging Pujis were actually breaking rock.
This was far beyond the amethyst mining zone, producing nothing but worthless stone. Still, the Pujis kept working under orders.
Because of the distance, Lin Jun had even spread his fungal carpet this far.
One could say this project had no profit and was sheer overexertion—and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
But if in the end it broke into a dungeon, it would all be worth it!
Clang—!
Unlike the usual digging sounds, this was sharper, as if striking something unnaturally hard. One Puji collapsed, trembling—dead.
The massive recoil had shattered its internal mycelium structure. But it wasn’t a big problem—death wasn’t the end.Since the digging Pujis often injured themselves, Lin Jun had given them all [Mycelium Reconstruction LV4]. Even if “killed” like this, as long as their bodies were intact, they’d revive after resting a while.
What caught Lin Jun’s attention was that it was only ordinary bedrock—so why such violent backlash?
Clang—!
Before he could investigate further, another Puji struck, and another toppled.
Lin Jun immediately halted all digging Pujis, calling them to the spot where the two had fallen, carefully excavating around the area.
Before long, they cleared a “wall.”
It looked like any other rock wall in the tunnel, nothing special—but it was perfectly flat.
Not just to the eye, but to the touch.
Not a single bump. When a Puji pressed its shell against it, it didn’t even feel friction!
Completely absurd.
The best way to describe it: a very thin yet incredibly strong transparent wall, separating inside from out.
This wasn’t like the air walls Lin Jun had encountered on the stairways. Air walls felt like springs—just a force pushing you back.
This transparent wall was different. It was impossibly hard.
To test it, Lin Jun unleashed mushroom cannons and even self-detonations, causing partial cave-ins that took ages to clear.
Even so, the transparent wall didn’t so much as scratch.
Lin Jun even dragged Little Black over to try smashing it.
One punch!
The wall remained unchanged.
Instead, Little Black—usually unstoppable—clutched her aching claw, groaning on the ground so loudly it nearly caused another collapse.
She sulked inside the mushroom house afterward, refusing to come out. Lin Jun had to rummage through his treasury, failing to find any normal gems, eventually gifting her a ring with +1 Strength just to restore her favorability.
Since he couldn’t break through sideways, Lin Jun had the Pujis shift tactics—spiral upward digging.
After half a day’s work, another sharp vibration rang out—they’d hit the top!
This height corresponded roughly to the junction between the fourth and fifth floors.
So… was he living inside a giant glass box?
Though he had already suspected they couldn’t dig out, realizing he lived inside a massive glass case still felt surreal. It reminded him of a petri dish from his previous life…
——
Oath City, capital of the United Kingdom.
In this city where every inch of land was priceless, the eastern district housed a grand yet sparsely visited building—the headquarters of the Relic Association.
This three-hundred-year-old structure, built of white granite with wooden decorative elements, bore the marks of time.
In the noon sun, the whole building glowed honey-golden.
A luxurious carriage drawn by four black horses halted at the gates. Its emblazoned crest announced its family.
Behind followed four mounted guards.
Eric handed the reins to a waiting servant, then personally opened the carriage door, assisting the young lady down.
“Miss Inanna, Mr. Eric, welcome.”
A staff member of the Relic Association, already waiting at the entrance, greeted them warmly. Inanna noted the scholar’s insignia pinned to his chest and gave a noble’s curtsey.
The “Hero Summoning” was long over, but the demon race’s retaliations had never ceased. Inanna had been confined at home for months.
Still, she hadn’t forgotten her promise to help Lin Jun search for dungeon-related records.
After much pleading, she had finally secured her father’s permission to visit the Relic Association, accompanied by Eric.
Naturally, Eric guessed her goal had to do with that letter. He had already investigated the man called Dylan.
True, Dylan had suspiciously come into money and bought anti-reversal medicine.
But he shouldn’t have had any real connection to the young lady.
Eric concluded Dylan was just a middleman. But whoever stood behind him—Eric couldn’t trace at all.
And lately Dylan himself had vanished, so the matter was shelved.
Guided by the scholar, Inanna passed through the main hall and along a long corridor, walking nearly ten minutes before reaching a library-like chamber.
“Level-2 access.”
The scholar produced a document stamped with Duke Alamar’s seal, handing it to the elderly gatekeeper.
The old man checked it, signed, and let her through. Eric, however, had to stay behind. In principle, he lacked clearance—Level-2 access had been granted to Inanna alone by the duke.
In fact, if not for escorting Inanna, Eric wouldn’t have been allowed inside the Association at all.
“Miss Inanna, you requested records concerning dungeons, yes?” the scholar asked politely.
Though he played the role of a mere attendant, Inanna dared not be careless. After all, her magic tutor was only a scholar too.
“Yes.”
The scholar led her through three partitions to a row of shelves.
“This room contains all dungeon-related records. The scope is broad—you may select freely.
Because these are ‘Secret’ grade, you cannot remove them. Please finish your reading here.”
Inanna nodded, but then her eyes widened at the sheer number of volumes. She hadn’t expected so many!
She cast a helpless look at the scholar.
Seeing her expression, he chuckled softly at last. After a moment’s thought, he stepped forward and drew out a book.
“I personally suggest you begin with this one,” he said.
The title read: Dungeon Structures Beyond the Naked Eye.