In the cavern of the sixth floor, the cage was once again lifted, revealing the spatial rift below.
The curse of corrosive damage swept across the entire hollow, eating away at the pure white bodies of the Pujis.
This time the cage was held up for an unusually long while—long enough that the bicolored slime inside grew restless, shifting and letting out “doo-doo” sounds. Not until the Pujis’ health nearly dropped to zero was the cage finally lowered back into place.
That Yellow Book had said [the rift will gradually expand]. Lin Jun frowned under his cap, staring at it for a long while.
It did look… a tiny bit bigger.
So small a change that, had the Yellow Book not mentioned it, Lin Jun would not have noticed at all.
But that was only for now. If the rift kept widening, it wouldn’t take long before anyone could see the difference.
So this meant the dungeon was steadily opening into another cursed, unknown dungeon?
Troublesome. The unknown was always troublesome. But not enough to shake Lin Jun’s composure.
At the rate this rift was growing—even if it accelerated—he was confident he could grind up his 【Corrosion Resistance】 to a high enough level before it became too large. By then it would be nothing more than another exit from the sixth floor.Thinking as he went, Lin Jun confirmed aloud to the Yellow Book: “The rift has changed slightly.”
[Could you reveal the location, Master?]
Lin Jun didn’t hide it. “Sixth floor. Why?”
[Master, rifts are the precursor to a dungeon’s collapse.]
[If collapse begins on the sixth floor, then that rift you see is all there is.]
[But if collapse begins elsewhere, then the rift on the sixth floor may only be a small part.]
[Have you not seen anything similar in other places?]
At least from floors one through five, he hadn’t. Lin Jun thought this, but did not answer. Instead, he shot back: “What do you mean by collapse? How does a dungeon collapse? Why does it collapse?”
[More and more rifts appear, each growing larger, until the dungeon itself is torn apart. That is collapse.]
[As for why—naturally, erosion by time. Like houses decaying with age. This dungeon has stood for over three hundred years. Isn’t it normal for problems to appear?]
Three hundred years?
That did match with Dilan’s story: the hero’s battle with the Demon King, when they opened a passage to the Abyss, giving birth to the dungeon.
“You know the dungeon’s origins?”
[Master, I do not know everything.]
Tch.
If only the Yellow Book were a person—then Lin Jun could simply parasitize it to know if it were lying.
“Back to the rift. You’re not the sort of useless trash who only points out problems without solutions, are you?”
[Master, could you perhaps not keep me locked away all the time? I truly wish to serve the Mushroom Garden, as I am now.]
Instead of answering, the Yellow Book first made a request. Lin Jun wasn’t surprised.
“If what you say proves useful…”
Given that assurance, the Yellow Book immediately gave its reply, not seeming worried that Lin Jun might go back on his word.
[The core. The dungeon’s core.]
[Master, forgive my bluntness, but right now you are like an outsider living under another’s roof. Even if the house breaks, you lack the authority to repair it.]
[But if you seize the dungeon’s core, become its master, then the method of repair will come naturally.]
“The dungeon core… And where is this core, then?”
[At the deepest part of the Deep Layers. That is where the core lies.]
“So your method is to have me slaughter my way through the dungeon… Fine. One last question.”
Lin Jun’s tone showed no change at the revelation, but Norris—translating faithfully at his side—was trembling all over.
“Scripture, how do you know so much?”
[Master, I don’t know. I am merely a creation. Some knowledge I was simply born with. If you demand to know why, you would have to ask my mysterious creator.]
“Hmph…”
[Master, you must believe me! I am hiding nothing!]
After a brief silence—just when Norris thought Lin Jun would order another page torn—the mushroom calmly spoke:
“If Norris agrees, you may let him carry you. But only within the fifth and sixth floors.
“You may not charm Norris, nor drive him mad. If you do, I’ll tear you apart.
“When Norris does not carry you, you will stay obediently in the cavern.”
[Thank you, Master!]
[No—]
[Thank you, Boss!]
The Yellow Book’s pages filled with joyous praise, while Norris stood there dumbstruck.
Me? Carry this cursed book?
Listen to Boss’s words—“don’t let it charm you or make you insane.”
How was he supposed to feel safe with that?
He glanced sidelong at the ecstatic scripture. Come to think of it, Boss hadn’t said he must carry it…
Norris quietly resolved: avoid touching the Yellow Book as much as possible!
Meanwhile, Gray, bored of the questioning, had already fallen asleep leaning against a mushroom tree, drool sliding down her scaly cheek.
Three Pujis came forward, wrapping mycelium tentacles around her, and gently carried her back to her glittering mushroom house.
A tendril swept an area clean, making room to set her down.
Just as the Pujis turned to leave, Gray suddenly clutched one of them in her sleep.
The caught Puji was still following Lin Jun’s prior order to withdraw. Feeling its struggles, the drowsy Gray only hugged tighter.
Smack—
The Mushroom House returned to silence.
…
Lin Jun did not fully believe the Yellow Book’s words.
That half-truth tone reeked of scheming. Worse, he had no way to verify any of it.
A dungeon falling apart after only three centuries? Even a stone castle would last longer. Its credibility was doubtful.
But some parts were useful.
For instance, the concept of a dungeon core. The chance that the Yellow Book fabricated such a thing out of thin air was low. One look when he reached the depths would prove it.
And Lin Jun had no fear of traps at the bottom. The ones in the vanguard would always be his Pujis. Any trap would only kill a few of them, and that was meaningless.
The rift’s growth had already been confirmed. Whether more would appear—he’d find out as he expanded downward.
Overall, the Yellow Book’s suggestion didn’t conflict with his own plans.
Lin Jun already intended to push deeper. Now he simply had a new target: the dungeon core.
As for the Yellow Book, until now he had only known it as a scripture, an evil book. But he knew far too little of its other aspects.
It surely had more secrets. He just hadn’t yet decided how to pry them out. Mere threats of page-tearing could not guarantee the truth.
Allowing it to stay under his eye with Norris was another way to observe it.
As for the risks to Norris… Lin Jun resolved to pay extra attention, always watching.