Chapter 528: Qinren Tribe

The Mushroomfolk Village was located in the outer central region, quite distant from the swamp jungle. Due to the fungal race’s preference for moisture, they could be considered indigenous to the swamp, with the entire Tar Swamp serving as their optimal living environment.

Mushroomfolk were an intelligent species—though this classification stemmed from the Multiverse’s rather lenient definition of “intelligent beings,” which allowed them to qualify as such.

In reality, these creatures resembling walking giant mushrooms weren’t particularly bright. Ordinary Mushroomfolk who hadn’t become professionals possessed cognitive abilities comparable to those of human seven- or eight-year-old children, even in adulthood.

Precisely because of this, despite living in swamps perfectly suited to their needs, Mushroomfolk still struggled to develop large-scale settlements.

Generally speaking, Mushroomfolk were a relatively harmless and peaceful race. They occasionally traded with humans, but most of the time these moisture-loving creatures remained secluded deep within swamps. The Mushroomfolk tribe encountered by Punk and Kane was unusually close to the swamp’s edge.

“Whether it’s the gentle Mushroomfolk or the brutal lizardfolk, none have established villages deeper in the swamp where resources and vegetation are more abundant. The reason likely relates to the Master-Level magical creature faintly detected by the Divination Spell.”

Approaching the outskirts of the Mushroomfolk Village and carefully observing the settlement, Punk frowned while muttering to himself.

He could see that this Mushroomfolk village was actually quite overcrowded. Many sturdy thatched huts stood almost wall-to-wall, and the streets were filled with Mushroomfolk everywhere.

While such scenes might be normal in human cities, for the solitary-natured Mushroomfolk… this was clearly abnormal.

Therefore, Punk had reason to believe these Mushroomfolk must have compelling reasons to live so densely against their instincts!

In contrast, Kane—who knew little about Mushroomfolk—showed no confusion. The knight was currently looking around with great interest at the uniquely styled “city” before them.

“You know, I’ve heard fungal creatures like Mushroomfolk possess a special ‘core’ and some practical spell-like abilities?”

After observing the Mushroomfolk Village from a distance for some time, Kane revealed a somewhat sinister smile as he asked Punk:

“Their bodies are entirely composed of fungi, right? Doesn’t that mean they’d taste similar to mushrooms? If I were to poke a few holes in them… what interesting reactions might these slow-moving Mushroomfolk display?”

Resting a hand on the Lance strapped to his back, Kane’s pupils gleamed with a faint bloodthirsty light.

It was evident that the evil-aligned Bisadas knight always harbored a cruel curiosity about stabbing holes in anything he encountered. Having refrained from slaughtering creatures along their journey, Kane was beginning to feel the urge for massacre.It must be admitted that the knight whose eyes radiated killing intent was completely different from the usual sunny “boy next door.” When meeting Kane’s gaze in this state, even the Magic Raven Vector on Punk’s shoulder instinctively retracted its neck, while “Smile” standing beside Kane accidentally stumbled and fell to the ground.

As a “performer” who could treat “masks” as instinct, Kane could effortlessly embody the “most righteous paladin” or transform into the “most evil mad demon king” at will. Even Punk, who had known Kane for a long time, still found it difficult to decipher the knight’s true intentions.

“Is Kane genuinely seeking to indulge his bloodlust? Or is he using this opportunity to test whether I remain firm about maintaining ‘dominance’?”

Pondering silently, Punk could glean no useful information from Kane’s abrupt change in demeanor.

However… regardless of Kane’s true thoughts at this moment, the wise mage only took a moment to deliberate before calmly turning his head. Then, Punk spoke to the knight in an icy tone:

“I can only tell you three things:

First: The Mushroomfolk’s core is equivalent to a human brain, and their fungal bodies can still feel pain.

Second: Aside from the ‘core,’ the rest of a Mushroomfolk’s body is indeed similar in composition to mushrooms, but they are generally toxic.

Third: As hunters, the worst mistake we can make is to alert the prey. From now on, we must carefully conceal our presence. If your reckless actions scare away the ‘prey’… then the exceptionally talented Mr. Bisadas will have to find another target on his own!”

“Alright, alright, you’re the boss, you’re the boss. I’ll do as you say~”

Seeing that Punk was not joking in the slightest, Kane instantly reverted to his warm, genial smile. The bloodthirsty, ferocious knight from a moment ago seemed like nothing more than an illusion before everyone’s eyes…

As an unabashedly evil-aligned combat professional, although Kane had a twisted penchant for indiscriminate slaughter and torture, when it came to serious matters, the rational side of the knight understood priorities clearly. At most, he would vent his sadistic tendencies on weaker opponents—just as he had mercilessly tortured and killed several unrelated young women in the towns of the Raging Wave Desert without any remorse.

Seeing that Kane accepted his reminder and showed no intention of challenging the team’s leadership, Punk said nothing more.

Next, he calmly cast a “Master-Level mental spell—Mass Suggestion” on himself, then pulled up the still somewhat stiff “Smile” and walked toward the entrance of the Mushroomfolk Village.

Although the Mushroomfolk were a somewhat xenophobic race, “xenophobia” was hardly an issue for a Master-Level Caster. With just a somewhat unpolished “Mass Suggestion,” neither Kane nor “Smile” within twenty meters of Punk would be noticed by any Mushroomfolk.

After all, in a tribe where the strongest member was merely a Formal-Level shaman, a Master-Level powerhouse could truly act with impunity.For instance, right now, Punk and his group swaggered directly past the guards of the Mushroomfolk Village and entered their settlement. Kane even mischievously stuck out his leg to trip two Mushroomfolk children who were jogging and playing around. Yet, all the Mushroomfolk on the streets, including the diligent guards on duty, showed no reaction whatsoever to the three uninvited guests.

With a Master-Level expert concealing their aura, even the Formal-Level shaman of this village remained completely unaware—a terrifying disaster was about to descend upon them!

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(End of Chapter)