Inside a tent made of various demon hides, Dylan sat on a wild boar skin.
This was a camp of gnolls in the forest, and he was brought here by a few Pukis.
The tent had few items, just some crooked frames made of bones and wood. Dylan even saw a human skull among them...
Dylan felt uneasy sitting there.
Returning to the Underground City had a bit of a self-destructive connotation for him, but he hadn't expected the current situation.
The Pukis were actually controlled by a mysterious will!
No wonder they would undertake activities beyond basic survival needs, like exterminating Parasitic Trees and Green-eyed Frogs.
And now, this mysterious will had found him.
What worried him even more was...
The tent flap suddenly lifted, and a gnoll covered in gray-white mushrooms walked in stiffly.
It placed a roasted pig's foot beside him and then wobbled away.
As it left, a mushroom fell off when it brushed against the tent...
Dylan felt his throat tighten. Was this the fate of those being parasitized?
Would he turn into that as well in the future?
Dylan didn't know, but he began to regret choosing to return to the Underground City so lightly before.
"Eat up, don't be shy."
The voice appeared again, and Dylan had no choice but to pick up the slightly charred pig's foot, biting into it hesitantly.
It tasted burnt... and rank...
On the other hand, Lin Jun didn't actually intend to scare him.
But as a human, it wasn't suitable for him to stay either by Poison Mist Lake or in the swamp.
And since there were vacant tents in the Jackal Wolfman Forest, they might as well be used; after all, the gnolls wouldn't need them soon.
As for the taste of the pig's foot, seeing Dylan devour it in just a few bites, Lin Jun thought his cooking must be excellent.
After all, isn't gourmet food just roasting and adding some salt?
After finishing the pig's foot, Dylan hesitated for a moment and took a bottle of magic potion from his pocket.
For the past half month, he noticed that regular food was no longer fully satisfying, needing a sip of magic potion daily to quell hunger. He suspected the mycelium inside him craved magic power.
"Actually, you don't need to waste your potion."
Dylan paused his hand from pulling out the cork, subconsciously asking, "What should I do then?"
The tent was opened again, revealing the same mushroom gnoll.
The gnoll gestured for him to follow, leaving Dylan no choice but to put away the potion and follow outside.
He walked to one side of the forest, where dozens of mushroom gnolls were chopping down trees.
Dylan was led to the edge of the logging site, where many hollowed-out giant trees lay, reminiscent of coffins.
The interiors were densely packed with mycelium, making Dylan's scalp tingle.
"Lie inside and try it."
"Ah... This is... Oh well, I'll lie down."
Such bizarre events made Dylan somewhat hesitant, but realizing his life wasn't in his own hands, there was no need to be overly cautious.
With a resigned mindset, Dylan lay down resolutely.
As soon as he lay down, he felt the mycelium reaching for him, wriggling and connecting with the mycelium on him... Linked up!?
"This is... Oh..."
Though it was just a hollowed-out piece of wood, Dylan now felt like he was lying on a velvet bed.
Even more rare was the sense of satisfaction and security!
Soon, the tight strings of anxiety that had plagued him for months loosened immediately.
"Lie there at ease, and let's chat while we have some time."
The voice drifted in as if from the horizon, leaving Dylan without any defenses.
"Alright... Let's chat..."
"Dylan, tell me your story. I'm quite curious why you came back? Did you want more Parasitic Tree seeds?"
"It wasn't for... tree seeds. I came for..."
Dylan, feeling dazed, poured out his experiences, thoughts, and feelings as if confiding in an old friend.
Seeing him like this, Lin Jun couldn't help but sigh:
Adding some Hallucinogenic Spores during nutrient replenishment is truly effective...
In fact, with the absolute advantage of the Fusion Parasite, combined with the Fungal Network, Lin Jun could sense the general emotions when the parasitized spoke.
This had been confirmed during previous experiments with the gnolls.
Using this, it was possible to tell if a parasitized person was lying.
But that questioning, squeezing-information-like way proved inefficient and unfriendly.
Better to take a softer approach.
————
"How long did I sleep?"
Dylan didn't know when he fell asleep, but all the gnolls previously cutting wood were now lying motionless in the hollow logs around him.
He had only a vague impression of pre-sleep events but could broadly guess what happened.
Logically, he should be on guard now.
Yet, strangely, he felt relaxed, as if waking at home—except this wooden bed was somewhat crude, making his hand feel a bit rough against it.
"Dylan, I understand your situation now."
Lin Jun's voice timely appeared in Dylan's mind again.
"I wouldn't mind leaving you a place to stay around here.
But, just like in the human world where you have to work for money, I have some small tasks for you too.
Rest assured, it's much easier than being an adventurer.
We're a conscientious enterprise, with meals and lodging covered, and extra rewards for good work."
While not knowing what an 'enterprise' was, Dylan understood the meaning, so he asked the most pressing question:
"Will I end up like these gnolls?"
To Dylan, these beings were as good as dead—indeed, they truly were.
"Gnolls?" Lin Jun's voice raised a notch, "Of course not; your will remains your own."
Provided you don't do something self-destructive.
Dylan nodded, dropping to one knee:
"Dylan is willing to serve you, though I do not yet know your name."
"Don't be so formal; it's awkward. You can call me boss."
"Yes, boss." Dylan was originally planning to say master.
Dylan didn't ask who Lin Jun was or what it was.
Lin Jun not showing himself meant he didn't want Dylan to know, so asking would only be a waste of time.
"By the way, while you slept, I tidied up your errantly growing mycelium and added a skill, consider it an advance on your salary."
"Added a skill?"
Dylan looked puzzled.
————
In the Rotten Willow Tavern, amidst the usual noise, Dylan gulped down watered-down, poor-quality wine—he hadn't been able to come to the tavern for a while.
He didn't conceal his face, devoid of any mycelium, appearing just like an ordinary person.
[Mimicry Level 2]
Just as skills were added for the Pukis, Lin Jun could add skills to parasitized humans.
However, adding skills to humans, who already possessed numerous skills, required exponentially more magic power.
Just this one skill consumed magic power equivalent to creating 40 battle-ready Pukis.
But it was worth it.
This skill, initially obtained by Lin Jun from the Deep Area, only allowed for very rudimentary camouflage, like changing skin color or texture.
It hadn't found application before but finally came to use.
Dylan now felt returning to the Purple Crystal Dungeon was the best decision he had ever made.
Of course, he hadn't developed any ideas of leaving the dungeon for a normal life.
Disguise remains just that; fundamentally, he was still half a Mushroom Person, liable to be exposed any day.
Additionally, he now needed mycelial nutrition, for just relying on magic potions would cost more gold coins than he could afford.
His current presence here was naturally due to Lin Jun's first task.
After another drink, a few adventurers sat across from Dylan.
"Dylan, is it? I heard you have the latest strategy for the fifth level?"
Putting down his cup and wiping the foam from his face, Dylan grinned:
"I do! But it's information I risked my life to obtain, so it won't come cheap..."