Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 464 - 454: Various Experiments

Deep within the Pujie Dungeon, in a spacious cave, the dim light shimmered.

Norris, who was left alone after the meeting, guarded himself with his claws, sweat running between his silver scales, as he fiercely clashed with a few newly bred Elite Puki.

These Elite Puki wielded sword-like weapons simulated through skills on their mycelium tentacles, each slash and thrust sharp and cunning. Their coordination was seamless, sharing an invisible combat will.

Amidst the flashing cold light, Norris was pushed into a slightly embarrassing position, accumulating several new scratches on his scales in a short time.

[Swordsmanship Level 10], [Blocking Level 9], [Evasion Level 9], [Charge Level 8], [Bow Skill Level 8]...

These skills were mostly gleaned from the battlefield. Even a collapsed valley couldn’t stop the mycelium from spreading inside, not to mention the corpses previously provided by Golden Valley City’s western battlefield.

The Puki loaded with these skills had slightly inferior attributes compared to Norris, but under Lin Jun’s willpower, they acted as one, perfectly coordinated, successfully suppressing Norris.

However, Lin Jun wasn’t particularly pleased, as this battle experiment was already in its third round. The human and Demon Race common skill-based techniques had significant flaws when adapted to the Puki.

When Lin Jun withdrew his will from the battlefield, the situation changed.

The Elite Puki, equipped with skills like [Swordsmanship], still demonstrated exquisite techniques and quick evasion, but they behaved like puppets set on a fixed program, lacking adaptability and spirit in combat.

Norris, well-versed in small-scale combat, quickly noticed the change. After some probing, he found the rhythm of the Puki’s attacks and launched a counterattack.

Within five or six minutes, all participating Puki were cut in two, and Norris secured victory.

With the battle over, Norris let out a long breath, walked to the corner, and took a large sip from his water pouch.

Some standby ordinary Puki immediately stepped forward, beginning to reassemble the "slain" Elite Puki, which could still be used once repaired.

The outcome didn’t surprise Lin Jun. This rigidity was the core issue with the Puki.

Setting aside the [Subordinate Control] skill, the Puki within the fungal mat were roughly divided into three levels of intelligence.

The first level is the "manual operation mode" personally controlled by Lin Jun.

The controlled Puki are extensions of Lin Jun’s will, with every sway of mycelium tentacles and every firing of mushroom cannon precisely following his mental blueprint.

The combat power in this mode directly correlates with Lin Jun’s tactical acumen and micro-control ability, with a very high upper limit.

The only problem is it requires a substantial amount of Lin Jun’s concentration.

The second level is the so-called "command mode."

Lin Jun envelops an area with his will, giving various detailed instructions, such as a few Puki on the left flank assaulting, while others flank from the right.

The Puki receiving instructions act independently, based on their own skill library, in ways as close to Lin Jun’s intent as possible.

Just like earlier when besieging Norris, Lin Jun only had to conceive "this Puki defends, that Puki flanks," without specifying how to block or how to attack, and the Puki would naturally utilize [Blocking Level 9] or [Swordsmanship Level 10] to their potential.

This mode balances efficiency and control, and it’s the mode Lin Jun uses most frequently in combat.

The downside is that concentration still needs to be focused on one area, and new instructions need to be consistently issued.

It’s possible to control multiple areas while multitasking, but that’s much more demanding and can cause mental fatigue over time, increasing the risk of errors.

The lowest level is the completely "delegated mode," where Puki act only under Lin Jun’s subconscious control.

Lin Jun sets one or more end goals, after which the Puki essentially become AI...

For example, in the final stage just now, Lin Jun only set one directive for these Elite Puki: defeat Norris.

The result was a significant drop in combat effectiveness, allowing Norris to turn the tables.

This issue is not prominent when the Puki Army focuses on simple and brutal skills like [Self-Destruction], [Mushroom Cannon], [Blade Storm]. Puki simply lock onto targets automatically and charge forth.

But the situation changes when skills like [Swordsmanship] are equipped.

The same magic power-produced Elite Level Puki, in Lin Jun’s "command mode," can employ various coordinated tactics, showcasing far superior combat power than when only basic skills are used.

However, when switched to "delegated mode," these Puki are less effective than those focusing purely on damage and defense without tricks.

Thus, many skill-based skills are only suitable for higher-level Puki.

Of course, Lin Jun’s strong multitasking ability is currently sufficient.

But as his territories expand, from one Underground City to two, three, or even more, the cities under his command cannot always revolve around a single Fungus Castle.

More magic power creates more Advanced Puki, spreading across various places, and this intelligence issue will become increasingly apparent.

So far, apart from working harder himself, he hasn’t found any better solution to this problem.

...

On the other side, Norris had recovered his physical strength and saw that the boss didn’t seem inclined to start a fourth round anytime soon.

So he bent down, starting to search the ground for his scales that had been blasted off, finding several fairly intact ones.

Woo-woo—

As he approached a passageway, a faint but continuous sound slithered into his ears.

Wind sound?

But no wind was blowing from this passageway.

He paused, listening carefully. No, there was no sensation of airflow from the depths of this passage; the sound was more like... moaning?

Norris frowned. The cave network in the Deep Area was intricate, like a massive maze. The boss had defined an activity area of just forty or fifty connected sections, serving as a safe zone.

Yet more caves were paved with fungal mats, but remained closed for various reasons.

Some caves were in regions where Earth Worms were active, some were unsuitable for activity, and others might hold the boss’s secrets...

The last was a quietly circulated rumor among the fungi folk, lacking any evidence.

Glancing back, the boss was still busy with his tasks. Driven by a touch of curiosity, Norris followed the sound.

Norris moved cautiously along the rock wall, finally reaching the end, where the corner allowed a glimpse of the dim light from the cave.

The low moaning became clearer, occasionally mixed with the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground.

Just as he was about to turn the corner, a huge claw abruptly stretched from behind the corner, slamming heavily onto the ground in front of him!

The claw was shockingly large, its surface covered in unnatural tearing wounds, with a few sparse scales embedded in the festering flesh, appearing particularly eerie under the dim light.

Norris’s heart raced as he swiftly retreated, readying himself for combat.

Lin Jun’s ethereal voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Little Norris, running around is very dangerous, you know." (Third update today, releasing them one by one)