Chapter 40: Scammer (1)

I looked at the mushroom that was shining with a golden glow.

Even without the torch, the mushroom emitted its own golden light.

It seems that was what the muscle mushroom had been protecting.

‘At first glance, it looks like it has poison.’

It is more convenient to assume that most mushrooms have poison.

And living beings with flashy colors, nine out of ten times, contain poison.

Therefore, the probability that this golden mushroom has poison is very high.

‘Even so, it’s interesting.’

I slowly approached the golden mushroom.

As I got closer, I realized it was much larger than I expected.

A little smaller than the fish I caught before.

For a mushroom, it is quite large.

‘This looks like something a mustached character would eat.’

Suddenly, a suspender-wearing plumber character came to mind.

If that character ate this mushroom, would he become bigger or stronger?

He would punch monsters and they would go flying on their own.

Even while thinking such nonsense, I did not lower my guard.

It might move like the muscle mushroom from before.

Fortunately, the golden mushroom did not stand up.

It only shone.

‘What could this be?’

While examining it, I did not forget to watch my rear.

For safety, it is best to pull it out and return.

‘Just in case, I’ll put on gloves.’

I put on the gloves I had in my pocket.

It is so big that it has to be carried with both hands, but it does not matter.

I can hang the sword at my waist and carry the shovel and shield on my back.

‘Now that I think about it, I need a sheath.’

Normally swords have a sheath, but HeavenlyDemon’s sword does not.

Either it never had one, or she forgot when she gave it to me.

I will soon trade fasting pills, so I will ask her in a 1 to 1 chat.

Pop!

“Hmm?”

I opened my eyes.

It seemed to be firmly fixed, it did not come out.

No, mushrooms do not have roots.

It just did not come out.

“Graaah!”

Pop!

Only after using all my strength did I manage to pull it out.

I almost fell due to the momentum, but I kept my balance.

I looked at the place it came from.

There was a round hole.

‘Has it been growing there for a long time?’

It even pierced the rock.

I held the golden mushroom with both hands and carefully went outside.

Outside, a roasted aroma reached my nose.

It was the burned muscle mushroom.

‘Let’s go quickly.’

I sped up before encountering any beast.

I wanted to poke around with HeavenlyDemon’s sword, but curiosity could cost me my life.

Throb!

Suddenly, I felt a headache.

I frowned, but did not stop.

The pain disappeared soon, but an uncomfortable sensation remained.

‘What was that?’

Maybe this mushroom is the problem.

I need to return to the shelter quickly.

‘It does not seem like I was attacked.’

When I arrived, I checked the mushroom again.

It is really big.

And I still do not know what it is.

I took a photo and uploaded it to the gallery.

Title) Does anyone know this mushroom?

WildGrills (photo of the golden mushroom compared with a hand)

I found it in a cave blocked by a muscle mushroom.

It shines golden, it surely has poison, right? It is huge.

ㄴStarlightLady) It’s pretty. But it’s better not to eat mushrooms

ㄴWildGrills) I only brought it out of curiosity. I don’t plan to eat it

ㄴIf you eat it I’ll give you 100 billion yura lol

ㄴI’ll give 100 thousand gold lol

ㄴStarlightLady) They’re awful

ㄴSunForEver) Look at that shine. Did you take it out of a cave?

ㄴWildGrills) Yes. It was hard to pull out

ㄴSunForEver) It looks like it’s screaming I have poison

ㄴWildGrills) I’m thinking of leaving it as decoration

ㄴSunForEver) As decoration it’s not bad

Everyone said it was interesting.

But no one knew what it was.

Only AllFather remained.

ㄴAllFather) Wow, you found something curious again

ㄴWildGrills) Do you know what this is?

ㄴAllFather) Of course. Throw it away immediately

ㄴWildGrills) Huh?

That comment confused me.

Then he wrote.

ㄴAllFather) Did you feel a headache or dizziness when you brought it?

ㄴWildGrills) Yes, a bit, but it went away quickly

ㄴAllFather) It seems the medicine I gave you worked. Just getting close already causes symptoms

ㄴWildGrills) What mushroom is it?

ㄴAllFather) The name is simple. Golden mushroom. One of the rarest, also called the king of mushrooms

As expected of the Forest of the Four Seasons.

‘The king?’

ㄴWildGrills) Then is it something good?

ㄴAllFather) It has positive and negative meanings

ㄴWildGrills) Tell me the negative first

ㄴAllFather) With a single bite, all your organs will melt. Also bones and muscles

ㄴWildGrills) ….

Just hearing it was terrifying.

Not only bones and muscles, but even the organs melt.

Not even drinking a bucket of hydrochloric acid would be that much.

That means it possesses terrifying toxicity.

Naturally, the only option was to stay away.

ㄴWildGrills) And the positive part?

ㄴAllFather) If you are lucky, you will be able to recover those organs, bones, and muscles that melted. Beyond recovery, your body itself will rise several levels.

ㄴIsn’t that Body Reconstruction?

ㄴIf you hear it like that, it seems so

ㄴAllFather) It is not simple Body Reconstruction. According to legend, you could even obtain a divine body.

ㄴWildGrills) Oh.

So that is why they call it the king of mushrooms.

High risk, high reward.

That is exactly why you should not eat it.

There is no reason to eat this.

Just imagining the whole body melting gave chills.

ㄴAllFather) Even someone with total poison resistance would be in danger. That is why I recommend throwing it away.

ㄴWildGrills) So having poison resistance is useless?

ㄴAllFather) According to legend, it is 50/50. It does not discriminate against anyone.

ㄴWildGrills) Then I will have to throw it away. Or do you want to keep it for research?

ㄴAnd why don’t you give it to us?

ㄴI’ll eat it and tell you what happens, okay

ㄴDon’t you value your life?

ㄴMy life is already ruined anyway, at least I’ll try that lol

ㄴWhy ruined?

ㄴI put everything into Kaspel mine stocks and went bankrupt

ㄴAnd what happened?

ㄴThe mine collapsed

ㄴAh… stay strong

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) It is interesting, but it seems like a dangerous mushroom. This one is also not particularly attracted to it.

ㄴSwordmaster) Did you get scared?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Hm. Suddenly I feel like smashing you with a hammer.

You are right, that is also wrong. Those characters must be translated.

ㄴSwordmaster) sorry;;

ㄴHahahahaha she’s already getting a taste for power

ㄴIsn’t it going to her head?

ㄴThe main moderator will take care of it

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Can’t you make liquor with that?

ㄴWildGrills) With mushrooms I don’t think so. There were people who died from drinking boiled mushroom water

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Who was it? What an idiot

ㄴWildGrills) My father, idiot

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Ah… I’m really sorry;;

ㄴWildGrills) It’s a lie haha My father died in an accident

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) Idiot

ㄴDwarfPassingBy) No, no;; sorry, seriously;;

ㄴLol

ㄴHahaha

ㄴhe insulted and instantly regretted it haha

ㄴhe got scared lol

ㄴSunForEver) Can’t it be used as decoration?

ㄴWildGrills) They say just being near it causes headaches and dizziness

ㄴSunForEver) Then you seal it in glass. I like that golden color

ㄴAllFather) Sorry, but I think it would be more valuable to study it. If you give it to me, I will reward you well

ㄴSunForEver) I can also pay well. How much do you want?

ㄴWildGrills) I don’t really need money…

Right now, what I have in excess is money.

Just from the owlbear corpse, I am already more than covered.

The problem is that even if I have money, I cannot buy what I need.

It seems that SunForEver also understood this and replied immediately.

ㄴSunForEver) Now that I think about it, you’re right. Is there anything you want?

ㄴWildGrills) I want to get out.

ㄴSunForEver) Eh… sorry. That’s not possible. Better give it to that mage

ㄴAllFather) I also don’t have anything suitable to offer you. Do you need something?

The golden mushroom cannot be listed in the auction house.

I do not want to hear that someone died from eating it the next day.

But selling it for money is not a good idea either.

The risk is too high.

It is literally like a chicken bone with no meat.

After thinking about it, I wrote a comment.

ㄴWildGrills) Maybe armor. That’s enough.

ㄴSwordmaster) Good idea. Since it’s a forest, leather armor is better than metal

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Instead, how about learning protective energy?

ㄴWildGrills) And how is that used?

ㄴSwordmaster) Grills still can’t even use Aura Blade. Aura Shield is still far away

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) It’s not Aura Blade, but sword qi. And it’s not Aura Shield, but protective qi

ㄴSwordmaster) It’s the same. Do you always have to correct?

Arguing again.

Why do they always want to fight?

But now HeavenlyDemon is a moderator.

And she can ban.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) What did you say? This one feels like crushing you

ㄴSwordmaster) Ah, damn;; you’re really too much. Main moderator, are you watching?

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Moderator! Please control yourself a bit!

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Hm. Fine. Out of my great generosity, I’ll let it pass

ㄴSwordmaster) ….

ㄴDemonPrincess) Eh? Why do you want armor? I already gave you a uniform

ㄴWildGrills) Does this protect?

ㄴDemonPrincess) What are you saying! The Mephisto uniform performs better than leather armor!

ㄴWildGrills) Really?

ㄴIt’s true. Some even go to dungeons in uniform haha

ㄴIt’s expensive, but better than leather armor in comfort and performance

ㄴWildGrills) Why?

ㄴBecause there are too many people stabbing

ㄴTo protect players. Sports are basically battlefields

ㄴIt even withstands magic arrows hahaha

ㄴWildGrills) …

Even if culture has advanced, brutality still remains.

Just in case, I tested the uniform.

Not with HeavenlyDemon’s sword, but with a normal dagger.

Slice! Slice!

“Oh?”

It was not damaged at all.

I tried stabbing it.

Nothing happened either.

Perfect for me.

‘In the forest, more than beasts, small wounds are dangerous.’

Even a minor wound can cause problems if poison or bacteria gets in.

But even so, it is too thin.

If I add leather armor on top, it will be better.

ㄴWildGrills) The uniform is fine, but I still need leather armor. It’s too thin

ㄴDemonPrincess) What if you use multiple layers?

ㄴWildGrills) Are you a genius?

ㄴDemonPrincess) hehe I’m smart

ㄴYeah, but you’re still a Chayu fan haha

ㄴBetter just use the uniform haha you’ll die in one hit anyway

ㄴOne hit straight to Aragorn’s side~

In the end, the extra armor was replaced with uniforms.

I tried to give the mushroom to DemonPrincess, but she refused.

She preferred to give me more uniforms.

‘I owe her too much…’

She said that supporting the team was enough, but I feel bad.

If I get something good, I will give it to her.

For now, the golden mushroom remains pending.

It is too risky.

‘Wonmo might eat it…’

I have to store it out of sight.

I put it in the box the dwarf gave me.

And I left it outside the cave so Wonmo would not smell anything.

I stored the elixir in another box.

If I need more, I will buy it.

‘Good. Done.’

I raised my head.

The sun was already starting to set.

‘I might have spores on my clothes… better bathe.’

And so another day ended.

***

Deep into the night, when everyone was asleep.

A forest where only the sound of insects could be heard.

Inside the cave, faintly, the crackling of a campfire could be heard.

After the fire, the quiet breathing of a person, the breathing of a beast, and more.

Each one slept in their own way.

A very peaceful situation.

Clack! Clack!

In the middle of that silent and peaceful situation, a rough noise was heard.

The place where the noise came from was not inside the cave, but outside.

The box placed outside.

The box repeatedly made a shaking sound and shortly after fell to its side.

Rumble.

As it tipped over, its contents spilled out.

It was the golden mushroom that shone even in the darkness of the night.

Swoosh.

Surprisingly, the golden mushroom that had fallen on its side lifted its body.

On the mushroom’s body, small arms and legs that it did not have before had grown.

Compared to the muscle mushroom, they were ridiculously small and adorable limbs.

But having limbs means it can move.

Patter patter patter.

The golden mushroom moved its short legs and headed toward the dark forest.

So that no one could find it, very stealthily.

Until the golden mushroom completely disappeared, only calm breathing could be heard in the cave.

Time passed like that, and morning arrived.

“What? Where is the mushroom?”

Grills realized late that the mushroom had disappeared.

From the moment he saw the fallen box outside, he felt something was wrong.

When he checked immediately, what was this?

The golden mushroom he had stored inside had disappeared.

“N-no way…?”

Grills opened his eyes wide.

Because he believed he knew the reason for the mushroom’s disappearance.

He stopped rummaging through the box and ran toward the cave.

“Wonmo! Open your mouth!”

“Kyu……?”

“What did you eat yesterday? You didn’t eat a mushroom, right?!”

Grills just opened the poor Wonmo’s beak.

Fortunately, Wonmo had not eaten the mushroom.

He had slept peacefully.

After checking everything, Grills sighed in relief.

He did not check the sloth.

That guy has incredible instincts, so he did not even approach the mushroom.

At the same time he felt relieved, Grills felt doubt.

“It doesn’t have legs… then where did it go?”

In reality, it did have legs.

Grills just did not know it.

It was the mysterious Forest of the Four Seasons.