Chapter 456, page 455 (Complete)

They sent Norris away, who was still in shock and whose back was soaked with cold sweat.

Lin Jun had thoughtfully booked him a nightmare theme for tonight: being endlessly chased by an indescribable behemoth in a dark cave.

Turning back to the perspective, Lin Jun looked at the failed experiment in the cave.

[Giant Item LV5]

The skill that Qisi gave him now seems quite useful; the battle of Dragonroar Valley, where the colossal beast Puji stood tall and imposing, fully demonstrated its value.

Not only does it increase in size, but it also allows its physical attributes to break through the original limits of Puji, making it both large and fleshy.

When combined with skills like [Life Essence], in certain terrains, it becomes an impregnable mobile fortress.

Not to mention that the power of [self-destruction] is directly linked to physical attributes.

The only drawback is that the strength and speed attributes cannot grow in sync, causing the giant units to move slowly and appear somewhat clumsy.

However, its merits outweigh its flaws, and it remains a skill worth exploring in depth.

Therefore, Lin Jun naturally did not hesitate to invest resources in subsequent research.

The being groaning in pain in the cave is a D-class lizardman prisoner who was fortunate enough to participate in the test.

Unfortunately, the result disappointed Mushroom.

Just as many skills have varying degrees of compatibility with Puji, the [Giant] seems to be out of place with lizardmen, or even more humanoid creatures.

With the aid of his skills, this lizardman did indeed grow rapidly in a short period of time through frenzied eating, but the process was far too brutal and savage.

His skin and scales were torn apart by rapidly expanding muscle fibers, revealing the bright red, pulsating tissue beneath.

The original skeletal structure was simply unable to support such a massive body. If Lin Jun hadn't promptly added the [Steel Bone] skill to it to barely reinforce it, this body would have already collapsed during the process of becoming gigantic.

Furthermore, the problem of insufficient strength and speed attributes also appeared in this lizardman.

However, humanoid creatures have long legs and fragile knee joints. With insufficient attributes, even maintaining balance becomes a problem after becoming gigantic, let alone fighting.

Its actual combat power is probably not even as good as the giant Puji.

Moreover, maintaining this gigantic body requires a considerable amount of food, which is far less convenient than Puji simply replenishing magic power.

This failed product wasn't dealt with immediately, and now it's scaring little Norris.

Puff, puff, puff...

Mushrooms sprouted rapidly from beneath the giant lizardman's torn skin, growing quickly. The unimaginable pain caused the massive experimental subject to let out a deafening, piercing roar, the sound waves pounding against the cave walls and causing rubble to fall from the ceiling.

This painful roar did not last long.

As the fungi frantically drained the last of his life force from his body, the roar gradually weakened, eventually turning into a long, drawn-out breath with a hint of relief, ending the sinful life of this D-class lizardman.

Lin Jun didn't take the failed experiment too seriously.

The sunstone has arrived!

...

At the entrance to the Puji Dungeon, two fully armed guards leaned against their spears, looking rather bored.

As the figure in the dark cloak approached, one of the guards immediately straightened his back, a warm, even obsequious smile plastered on his face.

"Lord Aidin! You've entered the dungeon again so soon?"

In the public service system of Mushroom City, everyone knows this powerful figure under Lord Fal.

There have also been recent rumors that he personally went to the front lines a while ago and managed to rescue the city lord of Redstone City from the demon army and the berserk elemental spirits.

The legendary squad that won a city in return for a mission is said to be recuperating in neighboring Norvid.

With his hands tucked inside his cloak, Aidin merely nodded slightly to the guards before stepping into the deep entrance to the dungeon without stopping.

Nowadays, the dungeons have been completely transformed into mushroom-like environments, with Puji supply points everywhere. Paying "protection money" even provides Puji rescue services, greatly increasing safety.

But precisely because of this, the resources in the upper area have long been plundered by adventurers, and it has now been reduced to a training ground for novice adventurers and a "stocking area" for Puji masters to purchase Puji.

If you want to acquire huge wealth through adventure, you can only venture into those dangerous areas below the eighth level.

The guards believed that Lord Aidin's repeated visits were mostly to study matters related to the production of Puji.

After all, judging from the recent policy trends, the higher-ups attach great importance to the emerging profession of Puji Master.

Only Aidin himself knew the true purpose of this trip.

He clutched tightly to the fragment of the sunstone, which was contained in a magical artifact capable of isolating one's aura.

Behind him, a knight in stealth mode followed closely.

Turning into an inconspicuous corner on the first floor, the familiar hidden room quietly appeared before him.

After being teleported directly to the tenth floor via the mushroom room, there were already more fully armed Puji lined up outside waiting.

Eidin, escorted by this silent guard, returned to the Deep Zone without hindrance.

Upon arriving at the core area, he carefully took out the item box and handed the fragment of the sunstone, which was still radiating light and heat, to the knight Puji behind him.

The knight was quick to act; he took the object, stuffed it into his body, and disappeared into the mycelium network beside him.

Having completed his mission, Aidin finally breathed a sigh of relief and could now return to study the S-grade magic crystal with peace of mind.

The knight slipped into a huge, isolated room that could never be reached without passing through a network of mycelium.

As soon as it appeared, it was enveloped by a blazing and warm light, emanating from the large half-slab of sunstone in the center of the room.

And today, this divine artifact that belongs entirely to Lin Jun is finally about to reach its complete moment!

Lin Jun personally controlled the knight Puji, rolling up the two sunstones, her tentacles trembling with excitement.

As the two remaining stone fragments were slowly brought closer together, the ancient crack finally aligned perfectly, leaving no trace of loss!

In an instant, an intensely hot radiance, far exceeding anything before, burst forth from the intact sunstone. The light was so intense that it almost devoured everything. The knight's tough mycelial tentacles sizzled and burned, and he almost lost his grip.

Fortunately, this violent burst of energy lasted only a moment.

The light quickly subsided and faded. In the end, the light and heat emitted by the complete sunstone became even weaker than when it was incomplete.

At the same time, the information on the panel also changed:

[Artifact: Sunstone (The soul is the cornerstone of the Ark)]

The artifact is complete, but instead of instructions or function descriptions, the panel displays a nonsensical sentence that even mentions the "Ark".

The soul is the foundation... does this mean that the sunstone is related to the soul?

Lin Jun immediately began to study what changes had occurred to the complete sunstone.

The most obvious feeling is that the emitted light and heat have weakened, which can be confirmed by the significantly reduced magic efficiency produced by the surrounding fungal carpet through photosynthesis.

As for other aspects... apart from the shape becoming more complete and rounded, making it easier to hold, I don't seem to feel any difference.

A complete sunstone isn't as useful as a broken one?

Surely not?!

Looking at the content on the panel, does it seem like showing off your soul will make you stronger?

If that's the case, it seems... it wouldn't be of much use... I'm still lacking in soul strength?

Just as Lin Jun was lost in thought, in a corner of the cave, a giant cocoon made of dense mycelium that had been lying still for more than half a year suddenly moved slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the little creature that had been dormant in its cocoon suddenly broke free of the outer layer of mycelium and stood up unsteadily!

What truly surprised Lin Jun was that none of this was under his control!

The knight Puji stood facing Puji who had emerged from the cocoon, and the cave fell into an eerie silence.

Just then, a strange yet strangely familiar voice rang out from within the mushroom network:

"Mother……"

Snap!

Lin Jun subconsciously controlled the knight and lashed the thing out with a whip!

(End of this chapter)