"Not this, it's the person! It's about turning into someone like him!"

Lin Jun used a tentacle from a Puki to point at Dylan, who looked completely bewildered.

And right in front of Dylan, there was a large Puki with thick, black scales, two long arms, and a mycelium tail trailing behind!

The wings on its back seemed crammed into its chubby body — this Puki looked fatter than Xiao Hai's original form by a large margin.

Damn!

Why mimic Puki?

What was the point of draining so much magic power?

No, come to think of it, the disguise might have a slight effect.

At least the adventurers wouldn't know that there's a Dragon Man on the fifth floor, just an extra conspicuously large pure black Puki! (compared to other Pukis)

Why black, though?

Shouldn't it be able to change colors!

Does this guy even know how to use it?

Will it really not be mistaken for an elite monster and attract adventurers to attack it?

That would only cause more conflict!

Lin Jun still wanted to give it another shot.

The fungal tentacle reached towards the template tool Dylan's face and pulled his cheeks longer.

"Xiao Hai, look carefully once more, mimic this one!"

The Level 4 mimicry wasn't just about changing colors or smoothing out wrinkles.

It could change the real body size to some extent without altering the attributes.

Just like Xiao Hai now, turning into a special Puki with a tail.

So turning back was also very tough.

"Hmm—"

Watching Xiao Hai mess around blindly, not only failing to turn into human form but instead turning into a lump of something unrecognizable, like coal!?

At this moment, Lin Jun suddenly thought: is mimicry linked to intelligence?

Oh crap!

Now that I think about it, it's quite possible!

Sigh, Lin Jun had to temporarily give up and let it revert to Puki form.

Alright then.

Better than maintaining the Dragon Man's appearance.

A tiny bit...

Sigh—

What a day this is.

Watching Xiao Hai, already starting to get impatient and eager to wander off.

Lin Jun could only fulfill the promise but still repeatedly cautioned against attacking humans first.

"Green, okay?"

"Green? Uh... okay..."

Seeing the black chubby one, leaving conspicuous footprints in every step, obviously heavier than other Pukis.

Lin Jun still felt a bit uneasy.

There used to be nobody in the Underground City, but now...

Two Pukis, under Lin Jun's control, quickly followed.

One big, two small, really like an elite monster leading little minions.

Dylan, still in the same place, looked around; everyone else had left.

He wanted to go back to sleep, but couldn't seem to fall asleep.

Even though he's supposed to be on vacation recently, he just felt uneasy.

Upon reflection, it's the lack of alcohol!

After applying to go out through the Fungal Network, Dylan packed his gear, including the Phantom Cloak recently given by the boss.

He decided to head to the Rotten Willow Tavern to ask Cole to sell him an entire barrel of alcohol to bring back.

Might as well tell him about being chased by the Demon Race last time.

No matter how you look at it, he shouldn't be blamed for it, more like it was Cole leaking information.

He barely made it out alive; really should ask for compensation.

"Oh, right Dylan, help me send this out."

Lin Jun's voice suddenly came through the Fungal Network, then a Puki appeared with a letter and an S Level Demon Crystal running over.

He recognized the letter that's earlier dictated by the boss, asking Miss Inanna to help investigate information about the Underground City.

Who knows how the boss knows the Duke's Daughter.

He heard that Miss Inanna was once trapped in the Underground City for a while; he guessed maybe it had something to do with that.

As for the Demon Crystal...

When Dylan took the Demon Crystal, his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

He had to use his other hand to steady it and prevent it from dropping and chipping.

He could have never imagined touching such a valuable item in his lifetime!

Never mind that it's just ring-sized, but as a Silver Level Adventurer for 100 years, he couldn't have saved up enough to buy one!

Such things are priceless treasures!

The boss... is really trusting him!

Warmth filled him for a moment.

Being an adventurer for most of his life, when had he ever been trusted like this?

Even though the boss isn't human...

"Don't worry, boss! I'll complete the mission no matter what!"

"Uh? Well, okay, but put your safety first."

"I will not betray this trust!"

...

Actually, Lin Jun wanted to say there's no need.

Though an S Level Demon Crystal is valuable, with my Crystal Symbiosis skill, it wouldn't be hard to get advanced Demon Crystals once I level up.

If something so small got lost, it'd just be a pity.

Compared to that, a human subordinate who I've spent quite some time with, who's somewhat reliable, and can act as a liaison to the surface is much more important.

But seeing how serious Dylan was, and an increase in loyalty gained for free, Lin Jun could only play along.

Before Dylan left, Lin Jun gave him two bottles of Magic Potion, reimbursing his expenses for the trip.

Watching Dylan disappear into the stairway, Lin Jun refocused attention back on Xiao Hai, or rather the large black Puki.

She was now playing with a poisonous Slime...

The sixth floor was akin to a large botanical garden, primarily home to plant-based demons or demons related to the ecosystem.

Slimes could almost count.

In fact, slimes appeared on most floors.

Though they vary from basic slimes to Strong Acid Slimes, then poisonous or metallic or all sorts of bizarre subtypes.

Looking at it this way, they did resemble her Pukis a bit.

But Lin Jun particularly disliked slimes because other demons only eat the mushrooms that grow.

Slimes digest the entire Fungal Mat.

For Lin Jun to extend perception to other floors without delay, slimes needed to be eradicated, at least mostly.

Xiao Hai was currently playing with a red slime that had neurotoxins.

Xiao Hai inserted two scaled Puki hands into the slime, trying to grasp its slippery core.

As for the neurotoxins?

With Level 7 Poison Resistance, unless consumed in large quantities directly, it won't have any effect.

She played with it for a good while, seemingly finding Puki hands less effective than the original claws to catch the core, which frustrated Xiao Hai.

She withdrew her hands and struck down hard!

The slime splattered like a burst water balloon.

One trailing Puki, standing too close with poor positioning, ended up drenched.

If it had been a Strong Acid Slime, it likely would've perished.

But neurotoxin Pukis were immune; it just got stained red.

Blasting the slime, Xiao Hai's bad mood vanished.

She surveyed the area as if recognizing the path.

She picked a pathless direction and burrowed in.

The two Pukis followed, journeying through territories of various plant-type demons.

Xiao Hai seemed determined on this path, undistracted by other demons, appearing to genuinely know the way instead of wandering aimlessly.

This genuinely surprised Lin Jun, as this isn't a marked path; could Xiao Hai memorize such a complex terrain?

Maybe it wasn't about remembering the terrain but sensing something instead.

Back then, she managed to find me underground; Xiao Hai's perception skill levels aren't low.

After a half-day's trek, Lin Jun saw Xiao Hai's destination.

And realized what "green humanoid creature" meant.

Were there actually Tree Men in this Underground City!?

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