This Dungeon Grew Mushrooms

Around the circular stone platform in the central plaza of Ashfurnace City, dwarven residents packed the area after hearing the news, with the occasional human mixed in.

These humans either stood at the very edges or half-crouched within the crowd. There was no helping it—standing upright would block the dwarves’ view behind them and easily spark arguments.

Below the platform, voices buzzed with discussion.

“Why would Young Master Bardley duel a… Puji?” a young dwarven craftsman craned his neck and muttered in confusion.

“That’s no ordinary Puji,” a dwarf dressed like an adventurer beside him said mysteriously. “That’s one of those ‘Mushroomfolk’ the humans came up with. Looks like a Puji, but it’s got a brain, and it’s good in a fight too!”

“What Mushroomfolk? Isn’t it still just a Puji?”

“Having a brain means it can block Bardley’s axe?”

Clearly, very few dwarves had any faith in a Puji.

Someone suddenly asked, “How did this duel even start? Why is the young master picking a fight with a mushroom?”

Several versions immediately popped up in the crowd.

“I heard the young master fancied that human lady in the delegation—the pink-haired one, really pretty! She ignored him, so he got angry and wouldn’t let them leave!”

“So Bardley’s that kind of guy?”

“No, no, my cousin was on gate duty. He said there were demon spies hidden in the delegation. The young master wanted to inspect them, but they refused!”

“Hah, spies my ass. Just an excuse! Humans are sly—they must’ve started it first!”

“But if they did, why send a Puji out to die?”

Speculation ran wild.

The honor duel had been arranged too hastily, and the truth hadn’t spread yet. Among the dwarves were plenty who loved embellishing stories over ale and forge fires, so one bizarre theory after another surfaced.

On the stone platform, Bardley wore a full suit of inlaid steel armor and held his heavy battle axe, his face growing darker by the second.

The snippets of conversation drifting into his ears made his eye twitch.

What did they mean, failing in love and lashing out in anger?

He couldn’t let this nonsense keep spreading!

He took a heavy step forward and slammed his axe into the ground, producing a dull boom that drowned out the noise below.

“Silence!” he roared, his voice like a war drum as he glared across the crowd, finally pointing at Inanna at the front of the delegation. “People of Ashfurnace City! This is not me stirring up trouble without cause! These humans passed through my city, and under wartime rules, I had every right to inspect them to prevent demon spies from infiltrating! This is my duty to protect the safety of the mountains!”

“But they stalled and refused to cooperate, even accusing Ashfurnace City of deliberate harassment—and actually proposed an honor duel!” He sneered, spinning the massive axe in one hand before pointing it toward Inanna and the Sword Saint Puji. “If you want to fight, then fight! But I never imagined that cowardly humans would dare send only a Puji to its death!”

His words rang out forcefully, instantly shifting the mood.

“So it was about preventing spies!”

“Isn’t inspection only natural? Why wouldn’t humans cooperate?”

“Master Bardley’s right—fighting personally, that’s a real man!”

In dwarven culture, personally stepping onto the field in an honor duel was a sign of courage. It naturally earned more respect than sending a substitute—let alone sending what looked like a sacrificial Puji.

Amid thunderous shouts and cheers, Bardley took a deep breath and shot a provocative look at Inanna.

As witness and referee, the elder Bardley silently nodded, quite satisfied with his son’s impromptu speech.

On the other side—

“How dare they look down on us! Let go of me! I’ll blow them up!”

Inanna held tightly to Four, whose tentacles were flailing wildly. Her fingers slipped skillfully beneath the edge of its mushroom cap and gave a light flick. Four instantly went limp like a deflated balloon, with only a few tendrils still twitching in protest.

There was no choice—if she really let it loose, things would spiral completely out of control.

After calming the little one in her arms, Inanna kept her hands busy while casting a worried look toward the Sword Saint Puji.

“Little Fourteen… will it really be okay?”

Traveling together, she knew Fourteen was strong, but she had never once seen the Sword Saint Puji fight at full strength.

Every time, Fourteen would head off alone to pursue cultist traces, and when he returned, he’d only casually mention dealing with a few enemies. She had no idea how strong those enemies were or what the fights had been like.

As for Bardley’s background, Ronan had investigated as thoroughly as he could: a diamond-tier warrior, and a top one even among diamond-tier.

Add to that the finely crafted enchanted armor and battle axe…

It was hard for Inanna not to worry.

Before the Sword Saint could respond, the flattened Four spoke up gloomily from her arms.

“Relax… Fourteen’s even a bit stronger than me. That metal can won’t be a problem. Besides, even if he dies, it’s not a big deal.”

Hearing this, Inanna nodded with a slightly awkward expression. She knew the Mushroomfolk could revive, but she still hadn’t fully adjusted to their almost casual attitude toward life and death.

At this moment, the Sword Saint Puji, under everyone’s gaze, slowly walked to the edge of the stone platform.

He looked at the step that would require him to do a full split to climb up, hesitated briefly, then lightly hopped onto the platform.

The elder Bardley was about to speak when the Puji suddenly turned around and jumped back down.

The Sword Saint Puji drew in his tentacles and set down the four swords strapped to his back.

“Those swords were just decoration?” Bardley sneered, knowing the Mushroomfolk could understand speech. “Or did you only now remember to be afraid and want to surrender?”

At this moment, Elvian Slein felt utterly suffocated!

Back in the day, he had never lost a verbal sparring match. Now he had to listen to the other side run their mouth without being able to talk back—an unbearable injustice!

The Puji body truly had its flaws!

Elvien was extremely displeased, so he set aside the four skill weapons and instead picked up… a dagger.

A plain dagger forged from refined iron, with no special effects whatsoever.

He held it, leapt back onto the platform, and gave his fungal wrist a slight twist, the blade tracing a clean arc through the air.

Seeing the Sword Saint Puji casually playing with a dagger as he returned, how could Bardley not realize he was being mocked?

“A dagger? If you’re looking to die, I’ll grant your wish!”

The elder Bardley, however, frowned slightly and quietly warned him, “Calm down. Fight steadily. Don’t let anger give him an opening.”

Having fought on battlefields in his early years, the elder Bardley had seen too many cases where rage, fear, or panic led warriors to be killed by opponents far weaker than themselves.

Heeding the warning, Bardley took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his boiling anger. He slowly raised his axe and assumed a proper opening stance.

Both duelists now stood on the platform. Seeing this, the elder Bardley stepped between them.

“By the stone of the mountains and the fire of the ancestral forge!” his deep voice echoed across the plaza. “This is an honor duel, sacred and inviolate. The victor claims glory and their demand; the defeated pays the price in dignity and consequence.”

He paused slightly, ensuring every word reached the crowd below.

“Challenger: leader of the human delegation, Inanna Saint-Claire. Demand: Ashfurnace City must apologize and allow passage according to custom, with no further obstruction.”

“Respondent: defender of Ashfurnace City, Bardley Deepfurnace. Demand: uphold the right of inspection and expel Inanna, forbidding her from ever setting foot in the mountains again.”

His gaze swept over both duelists one final time.

“The duel ends when one side concedes, is incapacitated, or leaves the platform. Any injury or death resulting from this honor duel shall not be grounds for future retribution. Any objections?”

Bardley slammed his axe down heavily to signal none.

The Sword Saint Puji merely tilted his mushroom cap slightly.

“Very well.”

The elder Bardley retreated several steps to the edge of the platform, drew in a deep breath, and brought his arm down.

“The duel begins!”

Bardley stepped forward, his axe just beginning to swing—

But the enemy was gone from his field of vision?!

At the same time, a soft “puji” sounded behind him.

Then, suddenly, his hands felt light.

He looked down in shock to see his axe severed cleanly at the haft, the heavy front half crashing onto the stone platform with a dull clang.

That wasn’t all.

A cascade of metallic snaps, shattered fastenings, and falling armor plates erupted across his body like a toppled rack in a smithy!

The heavy metal armor clattered off him piece by piece, crashing at his feet.

A mountain breeze brushed across Bardley’s now-exposed skin, bringing with it a chill.

In a single instant, Bardley was left wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and half an axe handle.

“Ah?”