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Chapter 18

As we self-manage and discuss of how to apply ourselves the best, we reach the second floor of the dungeon.

The ambiance feels different.

It feels like my surroundings changed from stone-built to a natural cave.

Moreover, the miasma is definitely denser down here.

This air is clean and fresh, straight from Mother Nature! is what I’d say. But for your average Joe, it’s more than likely to be suffocating.

It doesn’t seem like many people come here to this dungeon. Knowing they’d be forced to fight in an environment like this, adventurers wouldn’t come here either.

It also looks like there’s many places you could get ambushed from too.

As well, there are monsters standing guard at the entrance to the second floor.

Monsters named Claret Sunflower are wriggling its roots and moving about.

With their leaves, they hold spears that looks like they’re made from stems of a plant.

‘Aye... it is a well-known monster. It might have only recently made this dungeon home.’

Are we gonna be okay?

‘If you pay attention to the movement of the minions, you should have control over most of the situation. Its command and management seem to be lacking. They cooperate better when closer to their stronghold, but on the upper floors, the small fry do not pay much attention.’

Oh, that right?

Now I’m kinda curious to how Veno’s lair is.

Actually, if worse comes to worst, could I take refuge there?

‘You... you foolish humans too have a culture of locking doors when leaving home, do you not?’

Why are you asking me so nicely?

Wait, don’t tell me... you locked your place up?

‘Aye. In my current state, I cannot unlock my own lair. I employ no underlings either, so expecting assistance there would be unwise.’

What, so I can’t take refuge there?

Well, I don’t exactly wish to hole up and fight to my death in a dragon’s lair...

‘We shall advance whilst retreating! To battle!’

“Sure, sure. Muu, you ready?”

“Mu!”

Muu voices his determination, so let’s go.

We were investigating the second floor, but...

“Muu muu!”

Muu snapped at me over the present situation.

We enter a battle with three Claret Sunflowers. Muu deftly pulls aggro away from me, but we devolved into a messy situation. I’m unable to fire my crossbow in fear of accidentally hitting Muu.

Fortunately, by deploying poisonous mist with Poison Release, I was able to create some distance from the enemies. That also enabled me to take a few rapid-fire shots, taking them down. However, Muu angrily scowled at me.

‘I realized that you were trying to avoid hitting Muu and I am sure it also understood that. However, the difference is slight between that and Muu fighting alone.’

“Muu!”

“I know, but—”

‘Sometimes, your best offense can be your best defense. And as Muu has Self-Regeneration, even striking him with your bolt would mean little to it.’

“Mu!”

I gotta say that I am afraid of hitting my allies.

“Isn’t it kinda cruel to say that it doesn’t matter if I hit Muu just because it’s tough?”

‘Think of it as training for you. Being sure in your aim to assist your vanguard should be your attitude. Even if your battle were to fall into disarray, there will be opponents that distance themselves away from Muu, correct? If you target said opponents first and then ones who are to attack Muu, you shall naturally be assisting.’

I understand that Veno’s criticism is fair.

Still, I can’t capably make calls like that in the heat of the moment.

‘In your case, you are overly fixating on the enemy’s weak points. What is your profession? It is Poison-Wielder, is it not? Your job is to use poison to weaken your enemies.’

“That means I should use some kind of slow poison... but if I hit Muu with that, it wouldn’t be just nothing...”

‘I can understand your concern. Muu, we shall train afterwards so that you develop a resistance to his slow poison.’

“Mu!”

Comprehending and agreeing to Veno’s proposal, Muu nods.

I want to rely on it... but is that a good direction to head to? Towards Muu being fine even with me hitting it?

I’m not so sure about to what extent the power of my poison is.

Filing that feeling away, we continue our capture of the second floor.

‘Aye... it is a shame we have not found a treasure chest or the likes, but for harvestable plants, we have much we can pick.’

“You’re talking about poisonous herbs and poisonous mushrooms?”

There’s even poisonous pollen.

There are several pools of poison here and there for me to heal up in, so I can comfortably fight in this dungeon.

I dare say this dungeon might even be one that fits me the best.

If it was fire or water—no, even if this were a non-elemental dungeon, we wouldn’t have done so well so far.

“Mu!”

“Muu, you’re almost messed up in the head how happy you are charging in and killing your own kind.”

At first, Muu was excited to get into fisticuffs with a Chartreuse Green Poison Shroom.

In the end, Muu’s opponent received too many heavy blows and was literally torn to shreds.

The number of spores scattered in the air during that fight was just awful.

“Muu?”

On our way, Veno highlights and pings what he calls treasure, telling me to collect it. But all it is and what’s it all is just poisonous stuff.

Dietetrodake

A mushroom with toxin so strong, simply touching its spores will cause numbness.

Upon human consumption, it induces whole-body paralysis and death within minutes. It is a poor choice for assassination as its flavor and odor are terrible.

I am extremely concerned about that last part, but I ignore it.

Red Deathfire

A red flame-like grass. Its toxicity is powerful but compounding it other plants will increase efficacy.

Take caution when handling as direct contact with the plant leads to inflammation.

I guess this one’s slightly better in a sense.

Is this a pile of treasure or a pile of trash...?

Well, the number of poisons I can use goes up, so that can only mean our fighting strength goes up too.

It seems like these poisonous herbs are considerably valuable as well.

More than anything, though, is that these plants are difficult for normal people to bring back home.

Yet... if I weren’t a Poison-Wielder, I couldn’t have gone this deep into the dungeon.

I totally understand why Arleaf only stays on the first floor.

Well, I wouldn’t really want to see her having to fight all these monsters either.

But... with a knife in one hand and a smile on her face, I’m sure she’d be gorgeous sneaking around and assassinating monsters too.

It’d be like a horror flick though.

‘So, do you wish to see her doing so or not? Have you decided yet?’

I ignore Veno’s quip.

Those are tropes that usually come up in stories. The ol’ damsel in distress versus action heroine.

It’s not so much which is right and which is wrong though.

“Muu. Muu muu.”

Hmm? Muu is telling us about something.

It’s going up and down, kinda like it’s riding on something. Please stop that. That’s indecent.

‘Are you not the one in the wrong here? You are the one imagining this as anything lewd.’

Quit picking on me!

Anyway, what’s it trying to say?

It’s flexing its biceps now.

‘Aye... it is able to advance classes now.’

“Mu!”

“Oh, really?”

I check his status.

Muu

Mutated Myconid

Fungus

Level 10

Acquired skills: Spore Scatter, Self-Regeneration, Stamina Recovery Rate Increase (Weak), Subordinate of Poison-Wielder, Class change available

Subordinate of Poison-Wielder? What’s that?

I don’t really get what kind of effect it has.

Is there some sort of buff by being my subordinate?

Ideally, it’d give Muu some sort of resistance to poison.

‘If it were so, it would indeed be ideal. I have heard that when people gain Subordinate of Dragon, the effects they may gain are fire resistance and toughness.’

Poison resistance isn’t that far-fetched then.

But having that said... in Muu’s case, it’s originally a myconid. It would be likely for it to have racial bonus to poison resistance.

On the other hand, I can imagine it being weak to fire and stuff.

‘Due to its race... aye. You can alleviate some of your worries if you were to raise its fire resistance with accessories.’

That’s our best guess on what Subordinate of Poison-Wielder does. In any case, Muu is ready for a job change.

We’re at a good place to wrap things up, so we should just head home.

Not like we want to stay here overnight anyway. Plus, it’s not like we’re here to grind levels for either of us. It was just good timing for us both.

‘Indeed, it is so.’

“Alright, shall we get Muu its job change and go home?”

“Mu!”

We go back the way we came from and end up on the relatively safer first floor.

We fought some monsters along the way, but none of them would be what we’d call difficult opponents.

And so, we end up back at the run-down altar to perform the job change.

It’s the same as how I did it a while ago.

‘Good... now then, Muu. Pray in front of the altar. Wish to be stronger, pray for it, and have a clear picture and determination of how you shall use that power.’

“Mu-Muu.”

Muu is visibly nervous. Still, it goes in front of the altar, clasps its hands together, closes its eyes, and then touches the symbol.

Just as how it was for me, a soft light envelops our surroundings.

‘Muu, you have chosen to be his subordinate by your own will. It means that you must gain his permission before you proceed with your class advancement.’

“Muu? Muu muu.”

Is it under my care then?

I tilt my head over at Muu.

Muu has fulfilled all prerequisites for a class change.

Please select from the following options:

Fungus→

Warrior

Ranger

Mage

Priest

Hey, whoa. There’s so many for it to choose from.

I envy how they’re all standard RPG jobs.

And it looks like he can sidegrade too, but he hasn’t fulfilled the right conditions to do so yet.

‘I have heard that it takes time and experience in other classes to cross profession branches. Take for example apothecaries. It requires set amount of time in gathering. The simplest methods include belonging to a guild and having someone with an advanced class to witness your profession change.’

Huh... so you’re saying it may be possible for Muu to spec into Poison-Wielder due to me being its senior?

‘That is correct. However, I wonder if it is possible for someone with such an odd job as you have. In your case, you may very well have a specialist class.’

Well, I don’t know how stuff like that in this world works.

But I’ve gotta say, Poison-Wielder does sound like quite the specialist class.

It’s what they call a debuffer, I think.

“Mu? Mu mu.”

“Ahh, alright, alright.”

Muu calls to us deep in talk, hurrying us.

Maybe it doesn’t like so much chatter before its big moment.

If it were me, I’d like to get on with it and change my job.