Chapter 408: Evolution of the World Mushroom (Patreon)

Chapter 408: Evolution of the World Mushroom

Although the World Tree had been subdued by Grand Wizard Galon, he did not clear away the remaining World Tree Sub-bodies, instead allowing them to take root in the Green Forest World.

This wasn’t due to any benevolence on Grand Wizard Galon’s part—he simply couldn’t be bothered to deal with such minor nuisances.

Moreover, with the barrier between the inner and outer worlds broken, the spatial structure of both realms had been altered. Spatial rifts and Elemental Storms now frequently spilled into the surface world through Spatial Rifts.

Though these World Tree Sub-bodies were weaker than the main body, they could still absorb some of these disasters as nourishment.

Their presence mitigated much of the damage caused by the storms, aiding the world’s recovery.

However, Grand Wizard Galon did not forbid Wizards from hunting the World Tree Sub-bodies—he merely imposed a quota.

A single Wizard or group could hunt no more than three World Tree Sub-bodies.

The rule was crude, full of exploitable loopholes. Yet none of the Wizards participating in the Plane War dared to exploit them.

Challenging an ancient six-ring Great Wizard was far from a wise decision.

...

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed through the forest as countless fine bolts of lightning erupted from a towering black tree, spreading outward like a Tesla sphere.

But the moment the lightning appeared, it was swiftly absorbed by countless Mycelium tendrils.

Soon after, an endless tide of white Mycelium tendrils surged from the ground, swarming toward the black tree. No matter how fiercely the tree attacked, the tendrils’ advance never faltered.

Like parasites, the tendrils crawled over the black tree’s energy barrier, draining its power until the barrier dimmed and flickered.

Then, with a crisp cracking sound, the entire black tree was uprooted by a single Mycelium tendril.

In the distance, Richard and Ulysses watched silently, the Fire Lizard mercenaries standing like iron statues beside them.

"That old mushroom is getting stronger," Ulysses remarked casually. "Seems the resources we’ve fed it over the years weren’t wasted."

"Naturally," Richard replied. "The World Mushroom told me it’s about to evolve. If I recall, at its peak, it was a fourth-tier being. Now that it’s evolving, does that mean it’ll advance to the fifth tier?"

"More or less," Ulysses said. "But beings that follow the World Tree’s evolutionary path can’t be measured by conventional standards of power. The territory they control is what truly matters.

"If your Secret Realm could expand to the size of a small world, that old mushroom could rival a sixth-tier World Master even if its life level remained at the fourth tier."

"Huh? But the World Mushroom said its Secret Realm had already reached its expansion limit," Richard said, puzzled. "How could it grow to world size without evolving?"

Ulysses: "...That was just a hypothetical."

As they spoke, the World Mushroom hauled the black tree back into its Secret Realm.

This black tree wasn’t a World Tree Sub-body—it was a remnant from the battle between the World Tree and Grand Wizard Galon.

Thanks to the World Tree’s terrifying vitality, its fragments quickly took root upon touching the ground.

Left unchecked, these fragments would soon grow into inferior versions of World Tree Sub-bodies.

These degraded versions of the World Tree Sub-bodies, though lacking the abilities to protect the forest and summon Insect tides that all World Tree Sub-bodies possess,

Their individual combat strength is no weaker than ordinary World Tree Sub-bodies.

If left unchecked, within a few years, the jungles of the Green Forest World would become even more dangerous than before.

Fortunately, these things are highly attractive food sources for many Biological weapons. Before they could gain a foothold, the creatures of the Green Forest World had already cleaned up the smaller fragments.

As for the slightly larger ones, they formed symbiotic relationships with Biological weapons.

Only the exceptionally powerful ones, like the one before them, still survived in the forests.

For the World Mushroom, these degraded Sub-bodies evolved from World Tree fragments also held significant value.

By devouring large quantities of these remnants, its power had advanced by leaps and bounds, now standing on the verge of evolution.

Seeing that the World Mushroom had finished its task, Richard ordered the Fire Lizard Warriors beside him:

"Alright, let's move on."

"Yes!" the Fire Lizard Warriors responded in unison.

……

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed since the final battle.

Rustle!

Three Fire Lizard Warriors clad in camouflaged Personal Armor dashed swiftly through the forest, pursued closely by a spider-like Level 2 Biological weapon.

The creature was pitch-black, its skin resembling the bark of an old tree, with all eight limbs covered in moss-like growths.

Squelch.

The Biological weapon suddenly spat out a thick, purple venom, instantly filling the air with a sickly-sweet scent potent enough to dizzy even a Level 1 creature.

But the fleeing Fire Lizard Warriors didn’t slow down in the slightest.

After years of upgrades, the air filtration systems in their Personal Armor could now neutralize most toxins.

The last of the three casually drew a wide-mouthed, hefty hand cannon and fired blindly behind him without even looking.

A torrent of flames erupted, instantly incinerating the Biological weapon’s venom.

They had hunted creatures like this too many times over the years.

Thanks to anatomical studies, they understood its body better than the creature itself.

Suddenly, a net of vines sprang up beneath the Biological weapon. At the same time, eight thick steel cables, writhing like living things, shot out from the trees on either side, firmly binding its eight legs.

The cables were inscribed with runes, which together formed a Spellcraft known as Animated Ropes.

On the other end, four Fire Lizard Warriors tightened the cables, rendering the Biological weapon completely immobile.

Then, a towering Fire Lizard Warrior dropped from the canopy, wielding a razor-sharp Chainsaw Sword in one hand and a thick, gold-engraved steel spike in the other.

With a roar from the Chainsaw Sword, he cleaved open the creature’s chitinous back plating.

Strangely, the plating splintered like wood under the blade, sending wood chips flying.

Through the gap, the meter-long gold-engraved spike pierced the Biological weapon’s body as easily as tofu, instantly destroying its neural core.

For good measure, the tall Fire Lizard twisted the spike a few times. Only after confirming the creature’s death did he speak:

"Job's done."

With that, two Fire Lizard Warriors used two poles to bind the biological weapon before lifting it between them.

Though the biological weapon was already dead, its body still contained lethal toxins, making direct contact an unwise decision.

One Fire Lizard Warrior tore open a scroll, and immediately a Mystic Realm Rift appeared before them.

The two warriors prioritized sending their spoils through the rift, followed by ordinary Fire Lizard Warriors, while the tallest warrior entered last.

Within the Secret Realm, powerful energy fluctuations pulsed from the massive World Mushroom like a heartbeat, brimming with vitality.

Suddenly, a Mystic Realm Rift opened, and the Fire Lizard Warriors carried their freshly hunted biological weapon inside.

They brought it to the World Mushroom's base, then began removing their Personal Armor with the Holy Tree Sprites' assistance.

Meanwhile, the biological weapon was grasped by the mushroom's mycelial tendrils and tossed into its fungal stipe as casually as one might snack.

On the other side of the World Mushroom, Richard stood at his workbench, peering through a microscope at the green algae below.

This gestalt organism, which he'd acquired by chance, fascinated him with its remarkable traits.

Under the stimulation of Richard's Magic Power, the algae continuously morphed its form to adapt to sudden environmental changes.

"Such efficient cellular coordination! Such optimized energy utilization!" Richard marveled. "This creature represents biological perfection!"

But just as Richard became engrossed in his experiment, the World Mushroom's voice suddenly echoed in his ear.

"Master, I may need to hibernate soon."

"Eh? What?" Richard snapped to attention, surprised. "Why the sudden hibernation?"

"I'm about to evolve, Master," the World Mushroom replied, its voice thick with barely contained excitement. "That World Tree showed me the path to breakthrough.

I'm transcending my limits to reach a new plane of existence."

Richard blinked, then beamed with delight.

"Excellent! Do you need anything?"

"Nothing more," the mushroom answered. "But this hibernation may last awhile. During this time, my body can maintain basic functions under the Holy Tree Sprites' control.

They can assist you with accessing the Fuel Ring.

But they won't be able to provide cross-realm support like before."

Richard nodded. "Understood. Focus on your evolution."

With no further business, violent energy waves erupted from the World Mushroom's core. Rippling lights began pulsing across its massive form.

Ulysses flew from the Sacred Nest to perch on Richard's shoulder. "Old Mushroom's evolving?"

"Mmhm."

"Caw! It's living the good life with you."

Envy flashed in Ulysses' eyes. His own evolution had demanded Herculean effort and cunning stratagems.

Yet here the World Mushroom lounged in its Secret Realm, with evolutionary opportunities falling into its lap.

How cruelly unfair fate could be.

"Just luck," Richard chuckled. "Who'd have thought we'd stumble upon a World Tree realm?"

Ulysses let out a slight sigh, then immediately rallied his spirits and said, "No problem. Once you become the Great Wizard, I can get promoted just by lying around!"

"Hahaha, alright. When I become the Great Wizard, I'll let you get promoted while lying around."

……

As the World Mushroom began its evolution, the Fire Lizard Warriors' mission came to a halt.

Prior to this, the Fire Lizard Warriors had been operating in the jungles of the Green Forest World, capturing biological weapons that had fragments of the World Tree parasitizing within them.

As for why they didn't go after the degraded offspring of the World Tree, Richard could only say that an individual's strength simply couldn't compare to that of a group.

Nine years ago, the Netherfire Legion, along with some independent Wizards—totaling nearly 700,000—had entered the jungle to sweep out the degraded offspring of the World Tree.

So in the early years, Richard had managed to reap some rewards by leveraging the first-mover advantage.

But as time went on, the degraded offspring of the World Tree in the jungle became increasingly scarce.

Richard had no choice but to rely on hunting creatures that coexisted with fragments of the World Tree to obtain those fragments.

Though the mission had stopped, the Fire Lizard Warriors showed no signs of letting up.

They remained vigilant of their surroundings, startling at the slightest rustle. Their daily training consisted of real, no-holds-barred combat.

They were taciturn, calm yet violent.

The environment of the Green Forest World's jungle, where enemies could lurk anywhere, seemed to have permanently altered these Fire Lizard Warriors.

This made Richard reconsider their future.

In his original plan, most of these Fire Lizards were to retire to the rear after fighting in one Plane War, becoming instructors.

Only a small number of veterans would remain in the warrior group.

But the current state of this Fire Lizard Warrior group forced Richard to rethink this idea.

Sending a bunch of PTSD sufferers back would only dampen the morale of future recruits.

"Fire Lizard Warriors, assemble! I have an announcement to make."

(End of Chapter)