Chapter 455, Section 454: Various Experiments
In the deepest part of the Puji Dungeon, a vast cavern glows with an eerie light.
After the meeting, Norris, left alone, held his claws protectively in front of him, sweat dripping from his silver scales. He was engaged in a fierce battle with several elite Poji of the new breed.
These elite Puji fungus tendrils possess swords simulated by their skills. Every slash and thrust is sharp and cunning, and their coordination is seamless, sharing an invisible fighting spirit.
With a flash of cold light, Norris was forced into a slightly disheveled state, and several new scratches appeared on his scales in a short time.
Swordsmanship LV10, Parry LV9, Evasion LV9, Charge LV8, Archery LV8...
Almost all of these skills were taken from the battlefield. The collapsed valley couldn't stop the mycelium from spreading inside, not to mention the corpses provided by the western battlefield, Golden Valley City.
Although the Puji equipped with these skills were slightly inferior to Norris in terms of attributes, the several elites, under the blessing of Lin Jun's will, worked together seamlessly as a whole and successfully suppressed Norris.
However, Lin Jun was not very happy. This was the third round of such combat experiments. These skills, which were common to both humans and demons, had huge flaws in their compatibility with Puji.
The moment Lin Jun shifted her focus and withdrew her will from the battlefield, the situation changed.
The elite Puji, equipped with skills such as [Swordsmanship], still possess superb skills and dodge swiftly, but they are like puppets with a fixed program, lacking adaptability and agility when facing enemies.
Norris, who was already very skilled in small-scale battles, quickly noticed the change. After a little trial and error, he found the rhythm of the Puji's attack and launched a counterattack.
In just five or six minutes, all the Puji who participated in the sparring were cut in two, and Norris emerged victorious.
After the battle ended, Norris breathed a sigh of relief, walked to a corner, picked up a water bag, and gulped down water.
Some ordinary Puji who were on standby immediately stepped forward and began to piece together the elite Puji that had been "killed" and repair them so that they could still be used.
The ending was not unexpected for Lin Jun; this rigidity was precisely the problem with the Puji.
Leaving aside the skill [Family Control], the Puji in the creep can be roughly divided into three levels in terms of intelligence.
The first level is the "hands-on mode" where Lin Jun personally takes charge.
The controlled Puji is an extension of Lin Jun's will. Every sway of the mycelium tentacles and every activation of the mushroom cannon accurately follows the pattern in his mind.
The combat effectiveness in this mode is directly linked to Lin Jun's own tactical skills and micro-management abilities, and its upper limit is extremely high.
The only problem is that it requires a lot of Lin Jun's attention.
The second level can be called "command mode".
Lin Jun enveloped an area with her will, issuing various detailed instructions, such as a few Puji attacking on the left flank and others flanking on the right.
Upon receiving the instructions, the Puji will act autonomously based on their own skill sets, in a way that aligns as closely as possible with Lin Jun's intentions.
Just like when they were besieging Norris, Lin Jun only needed to plan "this Puji will defend, this Puji will attack from the side", without having to specify how to block or how to strike. The Puji would then perform at the level of [Block LV9] or [Swordsmanship LV10].
This balances efficiency and control, which is also Lin Jun's most frequently used mode in battle.
The downside is that attention still needs to be focused on one area and new instructions need to be issued continuously.
It's possible to control multiple areas while distracted, but that's much more strenuous and can lead to mental fatigue and make mistakes over time.
The lowest level is the "managed mode," where the Puji only act under Lin Jun's subconscious control.
Lin Jun only sets one or more final goals, after which the Puji will transform into human-machines...
For example, in the final stage of the previous battle, Lin Jun only set one command for these elite Puji: defeat Norris.
The result was a significant drop in combat strength, allowing Norris to turn the tide and win.
This problem wasn't as prominent when the Puji Legion primarily used simple and brutal skills like [Self-Destruct], [Mushroom Cannon], and [Blade Storm]. The Puji could simply lock onto their targets and charge in relentlessly.
However, the situation changes once you equip skills like [Swordsmanship].
Elite-level Puji produced by the same magic power, under Lin Jun's "command mode," can use various coordinated tactics to unleash combat power far exceeding that of those with only simple skills.
However, when entering "auto mode", these Puji are not as useful as those Puji that don't rely on skills and simply stack damage and defense.
As a result, many technical skills are only suitable for equipping on higher-level Puji.
Of course, Lin Jun has a strong ability to be distracted, which seems to be sufficient for now.
But as the territory expands, from one underground city to two, three, or even more, it's impossible for the city under its command to remain with only one mushroom castle forever.
More magic creates more advanced Pugi, which are then scattered to various places, making this intelligence problem increasingly apparent.
So far, it seems that apart from suffering the hardship, there is no other good way to solve this problem.
...
On the other side, Norris had recovered his strength, and it seemed that the boss had no intention of starting a fourth game immediately.
So he bent down and started looking for his scales that had been knocked off on the ground, and found several that were still relatively intact.
Waaah—
Just as he approached the entrance to a passage, a faint but continuous sound faintly entered his ears.
The sound of the wind?
However, no wind blew out of this passage.
He stopped what he was doing and listened intently. No, there was no sense of air gushing from the depths of the passage; the sound was more like… a groan?
Norris frowned. The deep cave network was intricate and complex, like a giant maze. The area the boss had designated as a safe zone consisted of only forty or fifty interconnected zones.
Many other caves, though also covered with fungal carpets, have not been opened to the public for various reasons.
For example, some caves are located in areas where earthworms are active, some caves have environments unsuitable for activity, and some caves may hold the secrets of the boss...
The last one is a rumor circulating quietly among mushroom enthusiasts, without any factual basis.
Looking back again, Norris saw that his boss was still busy with his own things. With a hint of curiosity, he followed the sound.
Norris walked slowly along the rock wall until he reached the end, where he could already see the faint light shining through the cave from around the corner.
The low groans grew clearer, occasionally punctuated by the dull thud of heavy objects hitting the ground.
Just as he was about to turn the corner, a huge claw suddenly stretched out from behind the corner and slammed heavily onto the ground in front of him!
The claws were enormous, their skin covered with unnatural tears, and a few sparse scales were embedded in the festering flesh, making them look particularly eerie in the dim light.
Norris's heart raced, and he abruptly retreated, preparing for battle.
Lin Jun's soft voice suddenly appeared in his mind: "Little Norris, running around is very dangerous." (Three chapters today, released one by one)
(End of this chapter)
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