CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54: RETURN TO THE TREASURE CHEST ROOM

Level 3 of the Underground City.

Unlike other levels that focus on combat, this level is almost entirely about puzzles, traps, and hidden doors.

Some wooden treasure chests may appear, far inferior to the stone chests behind hidden doors, but they still hold some value for ordinary adventurers.

The few demons in this level primarily consist of triggered stone statue guards, treasure chest monsters, or harmless demons that feed on corpses.

The Underground City hasn’t been open these days, so it naturally appears lifeless and lacking in vitality.

But today was a bit different—a group of Puki had arrived here.

Under the swaying large curved broadsword, a group of Puki with scale armor was crossing obstacles one by one.

One not-so-smart Puki, while stepping forward, accidentally got its short leg stuck in a seam on the ground where the blade passed, and couldn’t pull it out no matter how hard it tried.

The swaying broadsword unsurprisingly struck the Puki.

Remarkably, the Puki wasn’t directly cut in half but instead was knocked into the air like a baseball, hitting the wall before falling down.

Although part of the reason was that the broadsword wasn’t sharp enough, the Level 5 scale armor’s defense was enough to satisfy Lin Jun.

Of course, that Puki was still done for, since scale armor doesn’t protect against blunt force.

After passing the swaying broadsword, the Puki continued forward.

They used [Assault Ejection Level 5] to clear the death platform and relied on their light weight to bypass triggered traps.

Finally, they gathered in front of a large stone door, with one Puki, the first to discover it, standing nearby.

This stone door looks familiar!

Lin Jun was stuck in here for three months, so there’s no mistaking the design.

This must be a Treasure Chest Room!

The reason for this elaborate effort was that this Treasure Chest Room perfectly integrated with the third level’s rules.

In front of the door was a giant pressure plate, with a large stone pillar hanging from the ceiling, and a small stone tablet with a keyhole next to the door.

Anyone could tell you need to find the key or use a lock picking skill to lower the stone and activate the pressure plate, then the door can open.

But, is lock picking really something Puki can do?

Actually, it can; Lin Jun has Lock Picking Level 2...

But that requires producing a corresponding Puki, and Level 2 is obviously too low.

No choice, have to use a dumb method, as long as the pressure plate gets activated.

The Puki lay neatly on the pressure plate, and once one layer filled up, they’d climb on top of each other to form a second layer, stacking upwards like a pyramid.

Thanks to the extra weight of their scales, by the fourth layer, the mechanical device finally sunk into place.

As expected, the stone door slid open smoothly to the sides.

The scene inside was very similar to the Treasure Chest Room Lin Jun had spent time in, but it lacked the central pool, obviously not the same room.

That’s not surprising; it’d be odd if the whole Underground City had just one Treasure Chest Room.

So now it’s—Treasure Chest time!

A Puki quickly jumped forward and skillfully kicked open the lid of the stone treasure chest.

Let’s see what’s inside~

A... scroll!

Lin Jun had seen it before; it’s that escape... Escape Scroll!

Quickly, Lin Jun instructed the Puki to transport this treasure back, blasting any Slime along the way to ensure nothing went wrong.

It’s not that Lin Jun plans to use the Escape Scroll to get herself out.

This scroll’s teleportation is random, only ensuring you leave the Underground City, and it might even get stuck inside a wall.

Too risky, definitely can’t use it on herself.

In Lin Jun’s view, it’s like a Sunshine Experience Voucher.

If she can’t use it, she could send a Puki instead.

Though she can’t feel the warmth of the sun herself, seeing the outside world through a Puki wouldn’t be bad.

Of course, to ensure the Puki doesn’t die immediately after teleporting.

It’s necessary to equip it with survival skills.

[Rock Eating Level 3] for digging, [Underwater Adaptation Level 4] to ensure it doesn’t drown...

As for landing from the air?

There are flying demon skills, but they’re not compatible with Puki.

Use [Assimilation Absorption Level 3].

This was acquired during the Demon Tide from a fleshy monster called Sagas’ Blood.

Those monsters used this ability to continually absorb surrounding flesh and resist Puki artillery.

However, in Lin Jun’s hands, the skill altered a bit.

It can only absorb substances similar to itself to assemble a body shell.

Simply put, Puki can only absorb mycelium, and can’t absorb flesh like Sagas’ Blood.

It’s a bit of a waste, but it might be somewhat useful during defensive battles, taking advantage of the field of mycelium.

But here it’s useful, assembling a fluffy mycelium shell around Puki.

If it ends up in the air, it can use it to cushion the impact upon landing.

As for other combat or defense skills, adding a few here and there would be wise; otherwise, it might get snatched by a stray dog before it even gets a few minutes of sun.

All in all, it can be considered a weakened, one-time-use Knight Puki.

Let’s call it Explorer One.

Of course, Explorer One is still in the nurturing phase, with many skills to add, so there’s no rush.

This precious Escape Scroll will have to stay hidden in Lin Jun’s little treasure vault for a while.

"Boss!"

Hmm?

Only Xiao Hai could chat in the Fungal Network right now, and she calls me "Boss".

Lin Jun doubts if she even understands what "Boss" means.

She looks like she’s back from her stroll.

Completely drenched, with water dripping from her scales now and then.

She’s holding a headless demon that looks like a big sea turtle.

It’s probably something she caught from the Seventh Floor’s waterways.

Whenever Xiao Hai calls out to me after her return, there’s only one reason.

"Not bad, these are rare today. What flavor of Puki do you want?"

"I want stuffed ones!" Xiao Hai answered instantly.

"Alright, alright, got it."

Hearing that there are stuffed Puki, Xiao Hai immediately dropped the turtle in her hand and ran towards the Mushroom Forest—her lair is over there now.

Meanwhile, several other nearby Puki approached to drag the fresh corpse to the Swamp Area.

So-called stuffed Puki actually refers to ones filled with Slime digestive juices, which we used in the Deep Area before to trap mosquitoes.

Among Lin Jun’s numerous random combinations, this is one Xiao Hai enjoys the most.

By the time Xiao Hai reached the Mushroom Forest, two Puki with stuffed filling were already waiting near her hollowed-out big mushroom bedroom.

This Dragon Man didn’t mind dirtying her sleeping area; she held the two Puki and directly walked into the mushroom, lying down to eat!

The mycelium can decompose residue and slime, otherwise this little nest would be a mess by now.

Having dealt with Xiao Hai, Lin Jun wanted to focus on her recent research—skill combinations for melee Puki.

After digesting the skills from the Demon Tide, they could finally create decent melee Puki, but they still needed to find the most cost-effective and suitable combination for mass production.

But it looks like there’s no time now, as an image arrived from the upper levels; adventurers had started entering the Underground City!

The first batch is fairly large; it seems they all want to be the first to try.

In the crowd, Lin Jun saw a familiar figure.

Dylan is finally back!