Chapter 343 342. Fighting for Life

If one had to rank the degree of threat posed to Lin Jun by various professions, then in his mind, spies and assassins would undoubtedly be at the bottom, and could be described as "harmless"!

These professions often sacrifice comprehensive combat capabilities and endurance in exchange for ultimate camouflage skills and instantaneous burst output.

This makes their fight against Puji no different from delivering food.

In particular, Lin Jun can directly peek into their attribute panels and know exactly what cards they have hidden, which further reduces their threat level.

In comparison, professions that specialize in spells are much more difficult to deal with.

At least Lin Jun couldn't judge what specific spells the other party mastered based solely on the magic level marked on the panel.

Therefore, when the assassin Milo suddenly realized that he had been silently surrounded by countless invisible Pujis, it was too late for him to struggle.

The moment the explosion sounded, Eric, the butler who was considering logistics management in the study in the Duke's Mansion, immediately stopped what he was doing and confirmed Inanna's safety as soon as possible.

Then he brought people to the scene quickly.

"It seems that the 'explosive magic circle' arranged at the edge of the woods was triggered, and the intruder died on the spot." The captain of the manor guard who arrived first reported in a deep voice.

The remaining items on Milo's body were quickly collected: several poisoned daggers, broken potion bottles, a protective pendant that provided attribute bonuses, a magical gem that could instantly summon thick fog, and... several gorgeous dream flowers.

His identity as a wanted criminal and assassin was quickly verified.

Even more disturbing, investigators found footprints of another person fleeing in a hurry nearby.

Unfortunately, the footprints mysteriously stopped at a certain point, and all clues were lost.

Eric's face was gloomy. While quickly dispatching additional personnel to comprehensively strengthen the defense level of the Duke's Mansion, he personally went to the warehouse to take inventory.

Nearly half of the Dream Flowers in stock disappeared without a trace!

There are many doubts about this matter.

It was unclear how the other party did it, but the word "mole" came to Eric's mind.

Also, why is it the Dream Flower?

Eric planned to first select people he could fully trust to ensure the young lady's safety, and then use the instruments in the mansion to check Inanna's condition.

Avoid the situation where the lady herself does not realize that she has been tricked!

Thinking of the worst possibility, Eric prayed softly, a rare occurrence: "Lord of Light Ixion, please bless me. I beg you, please don't let the lady's tragedy happen to her again!"

…

It's just a simple scapegoating, it doesn't make any sense at all!

But it doesn't matter, it's enough as a means of confusing the audience.

As for the vampire viscount who fled in panic, he was easily captured by Aidin, who had been ambushed in advance, and the Pujis.

Giving an illusion master like Aidin enough time to prepare, it is not difficult to subdue a distracted vampire quietly.

It’s a rare opportunity to catch a vampire again. Lin Jun has been thinking about “what would happen if a photosynthetic vampire basked in the sun” for a long time. Finally, he can put it to the test!

…

In the Duke's palace.

Inanna leaned against the window, looking down at the guards who had suddenly become busy and on noticeably more alert. A trace of worry crossed her face. "Boss, if this happens, will it be inconvenient for us to go to the warehouse to get the Dream Flowers?"

"It's okay, it's no longer necessary!"

Yes, it is no longer necessary!

[Spiritual Guidance LV7]

The proficiency was finally filled up, completing the key promotion.

Lin Jun couldn't wait to smash the hard "turtle shell" of the opponent during tonight's "date"!

If LV7 cannot break through the eggshell, it is obviously impossible to reach LV8 in the short term. Even if the remaining dream flowers in the warehouse are eaten, it cannot reach it.

Therefore, the remaining dream flowers are no longer important.

Listening to the boss imagining the beautiful scenes of tonight in his mind, Inanna felt an indescribable sense of security enveloping her whole body.

In fact, ever since the secret fungal network was successfully laid out in the area surrounding the Duke's Mansion, this ubiquitous sense of security has never left her.

Even when she learned that a professional assassin was targeting her, she didn't feel the slightest fear.

The Pujis were right beside her, and the boss was always watching her.

She was no longer alone facing the world.

Already, there is nothing to be afraid of!

However, compared to the fact that someone wanted to assassinate her, another thing made Inanna feel more uneasy.

They are the Puji masters, those people whose faces are covered with shiny white mycelium and who live in deep symbiosis with Puji and the fungal mat.

She envied their situation, even jealous!

That feeling of being closely connected to the mycelium and becoming an extended part of it!

Deep down in her heart, she longed to merge with the warm mycelium and gain a complete sense of belonging and connection.

Unfortunately, when she tentatively proposed this idea, the boss rejected it without hesitation.

She understood that this was largely because her identity as the Duke's daughter was too sensitive and might lead to unpredictable troubles.

But even though she understood it, the feeling of being excluded, the unwillingness of watching others possess what she desperately desired... still quietly spread in her heart.

…

Meanwhile, Scarlet Spire.

The evil wizard Malgas coughed violently, and his pale fingers trembled as he pointed at two huge magic circles on the ground. The structures were so complex that they were dizzying, and they continued to emit a strong dark aura.

"Sir, this... cough cough cough... this is... cough... the solution I found." His voice was weak and hoarse, as if every word he spoke was consuming his remaining vitality.

Sigimund's cold gaze swept across the two magic circles, and his voice was emotionless: "Go on."

"The one on the left," Malgus suppressed a cough and pointed to the magic circle with even more hideous patterns and a vortex in the center that seemed to devour the light. "It can forcibly open a trap on the outer barrier of your dream that leads directly to the bottom of the abyss. Once that being touches it, the power of the abyss will completely destroy it!"

"What's the price?" Sigimund knew that none of the abyss magic was useful.

As expected, Malgas spoke with a hint of fear: "The abyss... is unknown and full of terror. This trap harms you and your enemy simultaneously. Although the ritual will prepare a large number of slaves as substitute carriers to try to bear the backlash for you, it is ultimately performed within your realm of consciousness... The escaping abyssal aura is also extremely dangerous..."

"Just state the conclusion." Sigimund interrupted impatiently.

"There's a 30% chance... you'll perish together with the other party..."

"What about the remaining 70%?"

"The rest... naturally, your consciousness will be damaged, but you can slowly recover. As for the other person, his spirit will be completely shattered and annihilated by the abyss, never to be seen again!"

Sigimund nodded expressionlessly, his gaze turning to another relatively "calm" but equally bizarre and complex magic circle: "What about this one?"

"This is a relatively...safe method. It can forcibly tear apart your soul, sacrificing a part of it in exchange for severing the connection with the 'Strange Dream'."

Sigimund snorted in disdain.

Although he is not a wizard specializing in the field of soul, as a high-level vampire, he naturally knows a lot about the soul.

Soul-tearing? That's easy to say!

If this were to happen, the consequences would be more than just a permanent decline in strength.

His mind is likely to be damaged as a result. Becoming neurotic, paranoid and manic is considered a better case scenario. In more serious cases, he will simply become a shell that has lost all self-identity. This is not unprecedented.

One of the dukes went mad because of this...

Moreover, this is a purely cowardly means of escape.

The hateful guy who forced him into such an embarrassing situation will not suffer any substantial harm.

Sigismund could never accept such a weak plan that was almost self-destructive in order to prolong his life!

In comparison, although the former plan is extremely risky and almost a gamble with his life, it can effectively destroy the enemy and is more in line with his character.

"Go and prepare the prisoners!" Sigismund made the decision.

After Malgas left, Sigimund called his adjutant and whispered, "If anything happens to me tonight... kill Malgas!"

Afterwards, he adjusted the military deployment around the Scarlet Spire to guard against the Duke of Alama who had been making moves recently.

After arranging everything, he walked back alone, silently gazing at the huge abyss formation under his feet that was about to carry his fate.

A scarlet light danced in his pupils.

"You've actually forced me to risk my life..." His low muttering echoed in the empty hall. "What a pity! I still don't know who you are. Later... I'm afraid I'll never find out..."

(End of this chapter)