Chapter 13: Each With Their Own Thoughts

Right, right, this was it.

Although it felt a little strange for a pseudo-humanoid race to appear on a mushroom’s evolution path, it wasn’t that bad when she thought about how certain sprites in other games eventually became humanoid.

The key was that she lacked this herself.

Just look at those two long legs — white and slender.

Anyone could tell at a glance that the Agility stat would be absurdly high.

After the Elf woke up, Marlow had worried about whether they would remain stuck in this symbiotic relationship forever, but now she didn’t need to worry anymore.

Once her level rose high enough, she could say goodbye to her cramped roommate, leave this borrowed body, and become independent.

A shared rental was no longer enough — she wanted her own house.

So, to obtain a body of her own, she would have to work hard killing monsters and leveling up, grinding from nine in the morning to nine at night without rest…

‘Ah… just thinking about it is exhausting. I’ll let nature take its course.’

She had evolved naturally anyway, and this pace suited her just fine.

If she had been reborn in Another World only to live like a literal beast of burden, then what would have been the point of reincarnation?

Maybe she would have felt more motivated if there had been a “Mushroom Man” option, but unfortunately there wasn’t.

And as for the obvious female bias of “Mushroom Miss”… well, having a choice at all was already lucky.

She wasn’t exactly in a position to complain.

Speaking of which, if Spore Spray led to Small Puff-shroom, then Mana Crystallization’s evolution path must be Sunshroom.

‘Producing sunlight sounds useless. I can’t exactly spend it to buy plant units like in those games.’

Good thing she hadn’t chosen it.

Even if Small Puff-shroom was still cannon fodder, at least it had some attack power.

Then again, since Mana Crystallization was the advanced form of Mana Storage, leveling that skill might unlock other mushroom units too.

It seemed she needed to keep farming slimes to raise her skills.

She had no idea how monsters reproduced.

They felt like weeds that popped into existence endlessly, no matter how many she hunted.

[Title effect successful. Acquired skill: Flight Level 1.]

Oh right — the bees.

The hornets Lumina had killed with light magic must have been absorbed by the Mycelium.

Since the Man-Eating Mushroom only needed corpses, it didn’t matter who dealt the finishing blow.

Someday, when her Fungal Network covered the entire world, maybe she could just lie at home while skills fell into her lap from the sky.

That sounded like the ultimate dream.

But until then, she needed to stay grounded.

“Wake up, Lumina. Have you rested enough? If you have, let’s go hunt some bees.”

Lumina jerked awake as if struck by an alarm clock she had never set.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, then quickly regained alertness.

After all, she was a student of the Elite Adventurer Academy.

Despite her soft appearance, she wasn’t fragile, and she didn’t show any irritation at being woken up.

Though honestly, sleeping so deeply alone inside a Labyrinth was reckless.

“How did I fall asleep?”

She pressed her hands to her forehead, regretful.

“It’s fine,” Marlow said lightly. “I was on lookout. If danger came, I would have woken you immediately.”

‘Right… there’s also Miss Marlow. I wasn’t alone after all.’

“True. Did you need something, Marlow?”

“Let’s go hunt some bees.”

“I refuse.”

The rejection came instantly.

Without hunting monsters, they couldn’t level up or evolve.

Still, Lumina’s refusal was firm.

“Why?”

“Those are Large Hornets! Even if I defeat one, the whole swarm attacks anything it recognizes as an enemy. Even Bronze-rank parties avoid them. I’m only Iron rank, and just a Priest. Fighting them is suicide.”

She shook her head emphatically.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help. We only need to kill one and take the body. We just have to avoid being surrounded.”

Marlow felt it was perfectly reasonable.

Hornets only gathered when defending the hive — individually, they often foraged alone.

A hit-and-run strategy near the safe boundary wasn’t impossible.

“I thought you sympathized with me earlier,” Lumina said quietly, “but now you’re finally showing your true colors, Miss Marlow.”

Marlow froze.

‘Has this kid been reading too many psychology books?’

Apparently, Lumina hadn’t been as naïve as she seemed.

While that complicated things, it also made Marlow respect her a little more.

If their roles were reversed, she wouldn’t blindly trust a mushroom either.

Trust took time — something they didn’t have.

She sighed. “So you think your story was just a way to gain my sympathy?”

“It was sincere at first. If you had no intention of harming me, we could have been good friends.”

Lumina sounded genuinely regretful.

“How does hunting bees equal harming you?”

“I’m not a complete fool,” Lumina replied softly. “If I couldn’t tell danger from kindness, I really would be hopeless.”

“I don’t believe you healed me for free. People are selfish. Mushrooms probably are too.”

“You must want my body. When I was ‘dead,’ you controlled it and even dressed it in those perverted clothes… Now that I’ve woken up, you can’t control it anymore. So you want me to die again. Fighting Large Hornets is the perfect chance, right?”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke, growing more confident in her own theory.

“…You know, if I really wanted the body, that wouldn’t be the worst plan,” Marlow admitted honestly.

She wasn’t a saint.

Once you tasted freedom of movement, returning to immobility wasn’t easy.

But she had never intended to act on those thoughts.

Seeing Lumina’s triumphant expression stung a little.

“You’re right about many things,” Marlow continued, “but wrong about one. If I wanted control, I could take it anytime. I don’t need you to die.”

Lumina blinked, clearly unconvinced.

“Do you know what repaired your body? My Mycelium. Those threads run through your skin, your blood vessels — everything. They give you vitality.”

“And those threads answer to me. I am the Lord of Fungi.”

A faint, sharp pain suddenly stabbed Lumina’s lower abdomen.

She gasped.

Marlow only needed to press lightly against the nervous system to produce the sensation.

Lumina’s face changed, but she still tried to stand her ground.

“I have plenty of experiments I haven’t tried,” Marlow added casually.

“For example, letting the Mycelium crawl into your brain to see if I can physically control someone’s thoughts.”

“T-That… that’s impossible!”

Lumina’s voice trembled.

She hugged herself, shrinking backward.

“We won’t know until we try. Or maybe I could build an incubation chamber in your stomach. Who knows — maybe we’ll even give birth to little mushrooms.”

“I’m sorry! I was wrong! I misunderstood you, Lady Marlow!”

Lumina’s composure shattered instantly.

“Someone capable of that doesn’t need schemes to kill me! I’m truly sorry! Please — anything but that!”