Chapter 27: "My Cousin"
The little mushroom's mind raced. The mushrooms reacted this way because of the piglet he knew. Any unfamiliar presence in this environment automatically became a threat to the stone mushrooms because she did not belong to their kind.
The piglet displayed no signs of fear throughout the encounter. The piglet planted her hooves firmly on the ground before letting out a loud snort while flicking her tiny tail as if she wanted the stone mushrooms to approach.
The tiny mushroom delivered a swift blow to her head before she could take any dangerous action.
"Don't provoke them!" he hissed.
She stared at him with a puzzled expression before deciding to stay silent.
Good. The situation demanded practicality instead of foolish bravery. Running presented the most effective solution at this moment.
The small mushroom immediately ran away from the piglet while pulling him toward the opposite direction.
The stone mushrooms responded when the two characters started moving.
A series of deep, guttural sounds rumbled through the air, and then.
Boom!
The earth trembled when the stone mushrooms launched themselves into the air. The stone mushrooms moved slowly yet their powerful bodies delivered enough impact to create extensive earth cracks.
The ground revealed additional stone mushrooms which emerged as if ancient statues were waking up from their slumber. The intruders faced the stone mushrooms' fixed gaze as they ran.
They were everywhere.
The small mushroom clenched his teeth tightly. The path ahead remained unclear because stone mushrooms blocked his path from every direction.
Left.
Right.
The stone mushrooms blocked his path whenever he attempted to change direction by landing in front of him.
There was no escape.
No… that wasn't entirely true. He had a single option left to him.
His spores.
The small mushroom took a deep breath before activating his Spore Explosion skill.
A thick cloud of glowing spores burst into the air, expanding outward in all directions.
The stone mushrooms froze. The misty spores swirled around them, clinging to their rough surfaces. Some of them twitched in confusion, their movements growing sluggish. Others simply stopped, their glowing eyes flickering as if trying to process what was happening.
The little mushroom didn't waste a second.
He reached into his small bag and pulled out a vial filled with slime jelly. Quickly, he poured the thick, sticky substance onto the piglet's back, coating her fur in a translucent sheen.
Next, he grabbed a handful of fallen mushrooms from the ground and pressed them against her body.
The piglet grunted in protest but didn't move.
Within moments, she was covered in an awkward, lumpy disguise, a makeshift mushroom cloak.
It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do.
The thick spore mist still swirled around them, hiding their movements for now. The little mushroom took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He just had to sell this disguise.
As the mist began to thin, the stone mushrooms started to recover. Their glowing eyes flickered back to life, searching for the intruders.
Before they could grow hostile again, the little mushroom stepped forward and raised one of his tiny hands.
"Calm down, brothers!" he called out, keeping his voice steady. "There's been a misunderstanding!"
The stone mushrooms hesitated. They weren't intelligent creatures, but they weren't completely mindless either.
The largest among them narrowed its glowing eyes. "Misunderstanding?" its deep voice rumbled.
"Yes!" The little mushroom gestured toward the piglet. "I am one of you, and this here" he patted the piglet's back, "is my cousin!"
The piglet let out a nervous grunt, shifting uncomfortably under her disguise.
The stone mushrooms exchanged glances. They clearly weren't sure what to make of this information.
"She… sheds a lot," the little mushroom added quickly. "That's why she looks a little strange. It's completely normal for her species."
One of the mushrooms tilted its massive stone head. "Shedding…?"
"Exactly!" The little mushroom nodded eagerly. "Just a natural process."
For a moment, the stone mushrooms remained silent, staring at the disguised piglet.
Then.
Plop.
A piece of the fake mushroom disguise slid off her back and hit the ground.
The stone mushrooms immediately grew tense.
The little mushroom's heart pounded in his chest. Think, think!
"Ah! See?" He laughed nervously. "That's just part of the shedding process! She drops pieces sometimes, but it's totally normal!"
The stone mushrooms continued to stare.
The largest one leaned down, its glowing eyes narrowing. "...Strange cousin."
"Yes! Very strange," the little mushroom agreed quickly. "But family is family, right?"
Silence.
Finally, the large stone mushroom slowly nodded. "...Family is family."
The group members maintained their doubt but they accepted his explanation. Their massive bodies relaxed slightly.
The small mushroom used the moment to move one step backward. Then another. The piglet followed his lead.
One step at a time.
Slowly.
Calmly.
The stone mushrooms remained motionless while they tried to understand the information they had received.
Then.
Run.
The little mushroom and the piglet sprinted away as soon as they achieved enough separation.
The stone mushrooms had no time to respond because the distance between them grew too great.
Their escape had worked.
The little mushroom began to feel relieved when suddenly
"Interesting."
A deep voice emerged from the darkness.
The little mushroom froze.
His muscles tightened completely when he faced the direction of the sound.
A figure emerged from the shadows of the towering stone mushrooms to observe them.
This figure had witnessed everything.
A faint rustling in the air. A shift in the atmosphere.
Yuno's small frame tensed. His inner voice warned him that something was present.
To whom do you address your inquiry?" he inquired using voice tones that revealed both controlled slowness and hidden awareness.
The wind brought a chilling silence that enveloped the area. He carefully examined his surroundings while keeping his small hands in a defensive position.
A solitary figure stood on the thick branch of an ancient tree at a great height. Whatever presence he held made the air feel oppressive as though grim circumstances awaited the ones near him.
A samurai mushroom.
The dark shadow from his hat concealed his face yet Yuno could sense his intense stare. The silent warrior observed them from his elevated position without moving.
Yuno's heart pounded. His gut feeling warned him that this enemy was no regular adversary.
Yuno activated his appraiser skill at that moment.
The samurai mushroom used its heightened perception to examine Yuno. His mind should have received a flood of information yet he detected something wrong.
[🍄 (SHIITAKENOBI) LV.?? 🍄
⚠️ Appraisal Failed!
⚠️ Level is too low!
⚠️ Appraisal Failed!
⚠️ Level is too low!
⚠️ Appraisal Failed!
⚠️ Level is too low!]