[Give me a chance, I’ll behave!]

[Please don’t lock me in the dark room!]

Amid the yellow book’s—or rather, the Sacred Tome’s—pleas, a specially made self-detonating Puji swallowed it whole.

The Puji then sprinted deep into the mushroom forest, all the way to the rock wall, where it used 【Rock-Eating】 to form armor.

It would eventually turn into an inconspicuous stone lump, feeding off the mycelium below, keeping the book sealed away for now.

The tome was indeed sinister, but its abilities were powerful.

After a combined interrogation by Lin Jun, Xiaohei, and Dylan, its functions became clearer.

It absorbed the souls of the dead to strengthen its wielder’s base attributes—just as Dylan had experienced.

Of course, there was a catch: overuse made the wielder’s soul chaotic, eventually driving them insane.

Beyond this core effect, it had extraordinary scouting powers—like when it guided Dylan to the bear’s cave.

It could also trigger emotions—sudden rage, for example. This worked well on instinct-driven monsters, less so on intelligent beings.

And of course, there was its ability to charm through words.

Frankly, this “charm” wasn’t anything like what Lin Jun had imagined…

As for why it was called the Sacred Tome, and why demons didn’t want it in their possession?

According to it, the demons themselves used the name, though respectfully. Yet once they obtained it, they would lock it away in darkness.

Lin Jun thought the demons’ approach made sense. Even they must find it troublesome.

So in the end, sealing it was his only option.

It was self-aware, yet still a magic item—Lin Jun couldn’t see its status panel.

Much of what it revealed couldn’t be verified, and when pressed on its origins or purpose, it always answered with “I don’t know” or “I was born liking souls.”

Even when Gray ripped off two more pages, it didn’t change its story.

All in all, it was dangerous. To use it properly, one would need to understand languages.

Because yes—this book was a linguistic master. Elvish, Dwarvish, Human tongue, Demon speech, even beastman dialects—it knew them all.

Unfortunately, Lin Jun knew none.

And entrusting it to Dylan was out of the question. If it charmed him again and he bolted, carrying the book far from Amethyst Dungeon, Lin Jun would be helpless.

So until he learned Common Language, the tome would remain in solitary confinement.

Meanwhile, Dylan had brought news of Inanna.

Since being rescued, the duke’s daughter had secluded herself within the estate, seldom leaving.

Good news for Lin Jun—at least she wasn’t wandering about, making her hard to find.

He planned to write or otherwise contact her, asking for help at the Relics Association to gather dungeon knowledge.

The payment? He had already decided—the smaller S-rank mana crystal.

But that could wait. Dylan needed rest after his ordeal.

Not only had he run out of gold and rationed his potions, starving constantly, but he had been hunted by demons and nearly broken by the cursed tome.

It was a miracle he’d returned alive.

Lin Jun gave him leave to rest, hoping the mushroom house would help him recover.

He even prepared some of Dylan’s favorite special nourishment.

But before his break, Lin Jun asked him for one small favor.

——

At the entrance to the fifth floor—

Wells and his four teammates stared oddly at a signboard, of unknown origin, planted before them.

[Rules of the Fifth Floor]

[Do not attack anything first.]

[Monster corpses can distract Pujis for up to ten minutes.]

[Do not leave the glowing mushroom path. The darkness hides more Pujis.]

[Along the edge of the forest, you may find Fat Puji. Use monster corpses to trade with it.]

[Gray mushrooms are edible.]

[Do not enter the mushroom forest or the swamp.]

[You may dig in cave areas, but do not pick up crystals knocked loose by Pujis.]

[The poison of the Venom Lake is extremely deadly.]

[If you see a black-winged humanoid, retreat immediately.]

“What the hell is this?” Wells pointed at the sign.

“Some adventurer’s guide notes?”

“Judging by the second rule, it looks like an updated strategy for post-monster-wave conditions? But what’s this about a mushroom forest?”

“Impossible. The dungeon just opened. How could someone explore this much so fast? And this isn’t just a little info—this is a full guide.”

“Exactly. And who would post such a thing for free, on a signboard no less? Most likely a trap or someone’s twisted prank.”

“But… what if it’s real?”

“If it’s real, I’ll eat the sign!”

The dwarf crossbowman and the human mage were at odds, their debate heating.

The captain rubbed his chin, clearly undecided.

Such was the flaw of a temporary party—no chemistry, arguments quick to flare.

“What do you think?” Wells nudged the party’s priest, Jeanne.

“Eek!”

The sudden squeal drew everyone’s gaze.

“Don’t poke me like that, Wells!” Jeanne pouted softly.

Wells scratched his cheek in embarrassment. He’d poked her shoulder, not her waist…

Fortunately, she only gave a token complaint before returning to the topic.

“I think… the dungeon just opened. For a sign like this to appear, the odds it’s real are slim.

So why not just ignore it?

We explore as planned. If we hit trouble, we’ll deal with it then.

And don’t worry—if you get hurt, I’ll heal you.”

She raised her holy bell and staff with a bright smile, easing some of their unease.

The captain nodded. “Agreed.”

Wells and the dwarf voiced no objection.

Only the human mage remained unconvinced, but with everyone else aligned, he had no choice but to comply.

Thus, the group decided to proceed with their original plan: explore the forest, and see what changes the monster wave had wrought.

——

Sigh…

Another group refusing to listen.

Naturally, the signboard had been placed by Lin Jun. He hadn’t expected adventurers to be so paranoid.

This was already the third party to ignore his warnings.

He wouldn’t kill them outright, but some lesson would be needed. They had to learn to respect the rules.

With that thought, Lin Jun glanced casually at their stats.

Hmm… all around Level 30…

【Name: Jeanne Allison】

【Race: Human】

【Level: 42】

【Title: Human Slayer (Damage against Humans +10%)】

???

Was this really what adventurers were like?

Apparently, their paranoia needed even stricter correction.