Chapter 34: Mushrooms and Aunt

Returning to the familiar place, Lumina’s mood was somewhat complicated.

Seeing the lingering traces of the temporary camp, a sense of melancholy rose within her as she realized how much things had changed.

‘I wonder how many of my classmates managed to escape… Maybe two or three, or maybe none at all.’ In that case, the academy wouldn’t realize a certain unlucky team had failed to return until the practical course period ended.

For most people, a disappearance usually meant death. After all, an adventurer’s journey was never short of accidents.

Moreover, news of these accidents rarely made it back. Not even a body, let alone a final message, was guaranteed to reach its intended destination.

Search and rescue were luxuries. Although she believed the academy wouldn’t just ignore them, it was more likely that their names would simply be posted on the Adventurer’s Association’s quest board.

It was a specific public notice board used to collect information on those missing in the Labyrinth.

It was covered in dense rows of names, with pages stacked into volumes. Turning to the very bottom, one could even find yellowed papers recording times from years ago.

Adventurers affectionately called this board the Grave.

Names were buried here. Every name carried a funeral fee, starting at a minimum of one gold coin with no upper limit. If someone obtained news about the owner of a name, they could claim the reward.

They called this grave robbing.

The academy likely offered a significant amount. Once she returned to the surface, she could even rob her own grave to make a small profit.

Her thoughts wandered a bit as she followed the guidance that had restored itself at some point, slowly moving forward.

A large patch of Purple Mushrooms entered her field of vision.

Although she only realized it after the fact, this was indeed the place where they had first met.

At that time, she hadn’t realized there was a sentient consciousness within the mushrooms. She had only thought that delicious mushrooms would taste good, so she intended to pick some to cook into soup.

She had almost eaten Marlow.

Or perhaps it wasn’t almost. It was precisely because she had eaten the mushroom that Marlow remained in her body.

It was truly a strange twist of fate.

She carefully parted the mushroom cluster, fearing that any excess force might cause a mushroom to lose its head, leaving only a bare white stalk standing there.

Whether picking them to eat or otherwise, she always wanted the mushroom to be whole. Marlow, however, didn’t understand her obsessive behavior and simply said indifferently:

“There’s no need to be so cautious. I won’t feel bad even if you break them. Within a few days, new mushrooms will grow to replace them.”

“You don’t understand. This isn’t a matter of whether you feel bad or not,” she said righteously. “A mushroom is only right if it’s whole.”

‘Do you understand mushrooms, or does a mushroom understand mushrooms better?’ Marlow found it a bit amusing but didn’t bicker with the Elf.

This was because Lumina had already retrieved her lost bag from the mushroom cluster.

Thank goodness, the map inside had not been lost or damaged.

The Elf couldn’t wait to take it out and unfold it. On this area map, which was about the size of two palms, she first determined their location.

Marlow followed along, using the Elf’s eyes to deeply memorize the entire map.

The exit to the First Floor was unexpectedly close and very easy to find. It was right at the boundary where the Solution Cave, Woodland, and Marsh met.

Finally, the day she would escape the Labyrinth and see the sun again was within reach.

But just as she held the long-awaited map in her hands, before she could even celebrate, she saw the thing she wanted to see least.

A familiar health bar burst into the mushroom’s vision.

‘It’s my fault for setting a flag like that, but at least let me enjoy the moment. Does reality have to slap me in the face this quickly?’

**[Gloomforest Shadow Wolf King]**

**[Level: 66]**

‘Wait, oh my god, Lord Wolf King! How has your level increased at a rate comparable to mine since we last met?’

She was a minimum-level mushroom following a commoner-level disaster script. Not only was her starting point low, but the experience required for her to level up was minimal, allowing her to grow quickly.

Yet the Wolf King, whose base level was Level 55, had managed to jump eleven levels in a short period of time.

Why?

It was unfair.

‘Mushrooms have no human rights!’

Though it was said one should see a person in a new light after even a short absence, this was enough to make someone poke their own eyes out in shock. She felt somewhat helpless; a regional Boss was simply more noble than a common mushroom.

No matter how she looked through its System Panel, she couldn’t find the reason for such a rapid level increase. In the end, she could only conclude this was a Boss-tier cheat… Such a miracle couldn’t be achieved without one. After all, she had clearly used cheats herself and only reached this level.

‘Wait… What does it mean by “Mendelair Great Labyrinth Sixth Floor”?’ The Gloomy Forest Layer was supposed to be on the Second Floor.

The detailed description on the System Panel was staggering.

On this point, she was certain she wasn’t mistaken. If the System Panel was also correct, then there was a huge problem.

The thing that had changed was likely the Labyrinth itself.

While it was possible the System Panel was displaying an error, the mutations in the Wolf King made her believe the problem lay with the former.

‘Can the original exit even be used now?’

No, regardless of the map issues or the Wolf King’s strange level, those things had to be put aside for now. She had to guide the Elf to avoid it first.

She spoke very seriously to Lumina, telling her to go to the cave entrance behind her immediately.

Benefiting from the deep bond they had built, the Elf had almost no doubts about the mushroom’s instructions. She decisively packed the map and turned to leave.

Miss Marlow was reliable when she was serious. However, given previous experiences, Lumina still cautiously asked what was wrong, lest the mushroom tease her later with the excuse of “you didn’t ask.”

“The Wolf King is here,” Marlow whispered. Seeing that the Elf didn’t understand, she added, “The monster that almost killed you.”

The Elf’s pace quickened. If not for the fear of making sudden noise, she would have almost been at a full run to reach safety.

As they moved, the Wolf King also suddenly made a move.

‘This is bad, really bad.’

Despite not having any ridiculous detection skills, the Wolf King acted as if it had discovered its prey. Not even a shred of luck was allowed — there were no other creatures nearby. Unless they were deceiving themselves, the target was definitely them.

‘What should I do? Have the Elf hide?’ If Lumina were the same size as the mushroom, Marlow wouldn’t mind sharing her rock crevice as a neighbor.

Or maybe, when attacked, Lumina could deliberately expose a non-vital spot and then fall to the ground and play dead?

It sounded dangerous, but it was a viable plan in a desperate situation.

As for relying on a title to escape? Don’t be silly. A moped couldn’t outrun a car. In an unobstructed Solution Cave like this, trying to race the Wolf King would only result in being easily overtaken.

‘Wait, something is wrong. How did it get behind us in the blink of an eye?’

At such a close distance, the Elf didn’t notice a thing. She didn’t even know the shadow of death was currently following behind her.

After all, the Wolf King was capable of assassinating a Human Archmage through a sneak attack. Its ability to hide its presence was exceptional, reflected on its System Panel as Level 8 Shadow Stealth.

**[Shadow Stealth]**: A high-ranking version of the Stealth skill. Allows the user to merge into the shadows, further reducing their presence.

In the mushroom’s perspective, there was actually no sign of the Wolf King either. Only a floating System Panel allowed her to lock onto its position.

In truth, if one looked closely, one might see a dark shadow rapidly leaping between dark corners under the faint light of the Glow Grass.

A second later, the shadow overlapped with the Elf’s footsteps, moving in sync with those small boots.

The mushroom couldn’t bear to look, as if seeing the Elf’s tragic end.

Pain Mitigation was a useful skill, yes, but the process of consciously feeling oneself being eaten bit by bit would likely be unspeakable torture for anyone.

Facing an enemy with such a vast power gap, she could only pray the Wolf King wasn’t hungry and would just kill the Elf casually like last time.

Then there was still a chance to live.

But things always seemed to spiral out of control in ways she never expected, as if someone had welded the accelerator pedal down just to crash through the mushroom’s common sense.

The Wolf King had no desire to attack the Elf at all. After following under her feet for a moment, it vanished ahead, leaving her far behind.

Marlow spoke to the Elf with a strange tone, “Um… I think you can stop now.”

“Great. We lost it, didn’t we?”

Lumina panted heavily, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with her sleeve in an ungraceful manner.

She hadn’t even been this nervous when being chased by the bees.

‘It was you who was ditched by the Wolf King.’

Thinking of the image of the Elf chasing the Wolf King at the end, Marlow gave a soft hum and agreed.

“In a way.”

The entire process, from discovering the Wolf King to it catching up and then leaving, was shrouded in a strange mystery. Fortunately, the outcome was safe, so there was no need to think too much about it.

Since they didn’t even need to worry about the Wolf King anymore, Marlow didn’t know what else there was to fear.

There couldn’t possibly be something even more powerful than a Boss around, right?

‘Probably not…’

She thought of the Wolf King’s abnormal behavior. If she had to describe it, it felt like the creature had encountered an irresistible threat and was fleeing in a panic.

And lingering under the Elf’s feet for a moment was likely to divert attention — a way to lead the trouble to someone else.

That would make sense.

But what kind of terrifying monster could make even the Wolf King flee in fear?

Maybe she should let the Elf keep running. As for the direction, follow behind the Wolf King? No, what if the threat was coming specifically for the Wolf King? They would be caught in a pincer attack.

If only she knew what the Wolf King was so afraid of.

Suddenly, she felt a shiver.

Through the far end of the Fungal Network, she seemed to see a figure.

It was a human, or a humanoid creature, wearing a black cloak made of an unrecognizable material. It was covered in many faintly glowing stars.

The face was hidden under a hood, showing only half of a handsome profile — thin lips, a high bridge of the nose, and a few strands of brilliant golden hair hanging down on either side.

A somewhat exaggerated wooden vine longbow was held in their hand. No bowstring or arrows could be seen; it looked more like a scimitar.

The area around the person was very dark, like a vignette effect added to the edge of a photo. But reality wasn’t a photo that could be edited with software, and she had no idea how this effect was created.

She felt a chill in her heart.

From the time she was reincarnated into this world until now, everything she saw had a System Panel, without exception.

This person had one too, but the System Panel hanging over them was different from usual. Not only did it have messy, mottled patches of color like a glitch, but it also flickered occasionally, like a special effect in a horror movie.

The information on it was also very blurred, obscured by patches of color, and she could only vaguely see a few meaningless words.

**[Detection of blurred boundaries, repairing…]**

**[Repair complete, privilege authentication: Administrator, access allowed.]**

Several pop-up windows flashed past her eyes. Immediately after, the terrifying-looking System Panel restored itself into its original, clean, and clear form.

Before she could think further, the information on the System Panel grabbed her attention.

**[Wilt Filine]**

**[Race: Elf]**

**[Class: Ranger]**

‘Filine? Isn’t that the same surname as the little Elf?’

She remembered Lumina mentioned she had an aunt… She glanced at the Elf who was still resting, thinking, ‘Your aunt is here to pick you up.’

Leaving the Labyrinth probably wouldn’t be an issue now. After all, this aunt looked terrifyingly strong.

She continued to scroll through the other party’s System Panel. The anomaly that had just occurred really bothered the mushroom.

**[Level: 98]**

‘How much?’

She looked again, unable to believe it. It was indeed Level 98.

If she had hands, they would surely be shaking uncontrollably right now.

**[Skills: Eagle Eye LV 10, Intuition LV 10, God Archer LV 10, Insight LV 10, Nature Overlord LV 10, Nature Magic LV 10…]**

**[Titles: Legendary Ranger, God Archer, Zenith of Archery…]**

**[Intuition]**: Your feelings always tend to be correct.

**[Insight]**: Makes it easier to see the essence of things through appearances.

*Snap.* She closed the Elf’s aunt’s System Panel immediately.

Just looking at the overwhelming number of skills made her heart race, let alone the combined effect of Intuition and Insight. She wouldn’t be surprised at all if the other party could sense they were being watched.

Sure enough, the Elf Ranger named Wilt seemed to have noticed something. She was observing the Fungal Blanket on the ground with great interest.

After looking down for a moment, the Ranger suddenly raised her head and looked directly toward where Marlow was, across several caves.

‘I’m going to cry.’

The mushroom proactively cut the connection to the Fungal Network and hid in fear.

She looked at the naive, clueless little Elf, and a wave of regret surged in her heart.

‘Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you had a nearly max-level powerhouse aunt as your backer?’

If she had known, she wouldn’t have dared to act out even if she were beaten or scolded. After all, if she accidentally made the little ancestor angry and she complained to the big boss, the mushroom would probably be pulled up by its roots to vent her anger.

Now, she had done what she should and shouldn’t have done. Once the Elf complained to her aunt, the mushroom’s days would be over.

She had to find a way to make Lumina keep her mouth shut about the mushroom. Otherwise, with that Elf Ranger’s monster-like keen intuition, if Lumina said anything, both of the mushroom’s bodies might not survive.

“Lumina.”

Seeing the mushroom suddenly call her name with such gravity, Lumina tilted her head and asked in confusion, “What is it, Marlow?”

“You must promise me. You cannot mention anything about the mushroom to anyone. Not to your family, your friends—no one.”

She had instinctively wanted to continue threatening the Elf to make her obey, but remembering that Lumina’s backer was nearby, her hardened tone instantly softened.

“Please. This is really important to me. It’s a matter of life and death for the mushroom. So, can you promise me? If you do, I’ll accept any request you have.”

“Really, anything?”

The Elf swallowed slightly. Although she didn’t understand why Marlow was so desperate for a guarantee, the condition offered was truly tempting.

“Really.”

Seeing the Elf’s reaction, which seemed like she had awakened to something, Marlow’s confirmation sounded a bit lacking in confidence.

‘The little Elf couldn’t possibly make a request that’s harsh and unacceptable to me, could she?’ After all, Marlow had treated her that way before; it was only natural for Lumina to take the opportunity to make things difficult.

The tables had turned, and she accepted that. She only hoped the white Elf Priest wasn’t too “black” on the inside now that she was being cut open.