Gugu Valley was once again illuminated by the Little King Zen Tree, as Li Pu walked through the valley, he noticed that the mushroom monsters were slipping away from him as if sensing his presence.
[Swoosh swoosh swoosh!]
Little King Zen Tree: Cripple Brother, you killed the big lizard yesterday, you'll be the King of Gugu Valley from now on!
[Grass!]
Caocao: Summoner, you killed the Mushroom-Eating Lizard yesterday, you'll be the King of Gugu Valley from now on!
"Uh, can you be a little less exaggerated."
"But come to think of it, is there really such a saying?"
Li Pu was a bit surprised.
In fact, since he had just slain the Mushroom-Eating Lizard yesterday, its scent was still lingering on him, making the mushrooms quite fearful of him now.
But this was good, as it facilitated today's actions.
During his previous chase by the Mushroom-Eating Lizard, he hadn't ventured too far into the valley and only discovered three types of mushroom monsters.
Besides the red-headed mushroom, there was one kind of short, stout blue mushroom and a slender white mushroom.
Compared to a large number of red-headed mushrooms, these two kinds were much fewer.
Based on previous experience, there might not be enough to complete a set of related items.
But getting a better understanding of the situation is always beneficial.
"Let's go."
He waved his hand, signaling Caocao to begin fighting.
[Grass!]
Finally, it was Ben Cao's turn to shine!
Receiving the order, Caocao raised his arms, full of fighting spirit.
Now at LV4, its strength had significantly improved.
In a one-on-one scenario, handling a mushroom monster was more than adequate.
As Little King Zen Tree described, the mushrooms in the valley do not actively attack people.
And with a 10 wood affinity, Caocao almost touched a blue mushroom's face, yet there was no reaction.
Such a great opportunity was not to be missed.
[Sss~ Oooh oooh~]
Thus, a super slow-moving [Snail Grass] punch was thrown.
[Mushroom Aroma~]
The blue mushroom, oblivious to the imminent danger, was still licking the fertile valley soil.
Boom!
As expected, Caocao's punch sent it flying.
Splosh!
In mid-air, the blue mushroom shattered into mushroom pieces.
[Swoosh swoosh!]
Little King Zen Tree: Mighty Brother Grass!
"..."
Li Pu was completely speechless.
"How am I supposed to collect like this?"
Watching the mushroom pieces scatter like fireworks, he had no idea where they would land.
[Grass Grass~]
Caocao scratched its head awkwardly, then pulled out a bottle of soda from within its grassy body and sat down to drink it.
In its leisurely posture, it seemed more like a picnic than cleaning up monsters.
"..., what are you doing?"
Li Pu began to think the guy was trying to slack off.
[Grass!]
Caocao: Ben Cao is tired, resting for a bit.
It turned out the [Snail Grass] consumed a lot of energy, and with Caocao's current capacity, it could only throw one punch at a time.
It was a wind-element summoned creature and the fastest way to recover energy was to stay put.
If it couldn't move, why not sit down and enjoy a soda?
"Looks like you're still not strong enough."
Li Pu shook his head, not faulting Caocao.
Though the situation did lead him to a realization.
Now attacking these mushrooms seemed to no longer provoke a swarming attack.
The fact that Caocao was still alive was the best proof.
It seemed that the title of "King of Gugu Valley" might have had some effect.
[Grass!]
Caocao: Ben Cao has recovered!
After resting for a moment, Caocao jumped back up.
"This time, let's target that one. Don't use the slow-motion punches again."
Li Pu planned to switch Caocao's opponent, pointing at the slender mushroom.
This slender mushroom was the only one among all the mushroom monsters he had seen so far that had legs.
Standing at about 170cm tall, it towered above the other mushrooms.
But despite being tall, its body was quite oddly shaped.
Thin body, thin arms, thin legs—with everything else besides the mushroom cap not exceeding 5cm in diameter—it looked extremely frail.
If Caocao couldn't even defeat this mushroom, it might as well find some grass to hit itself with.
[Grass!]
Undeterred by the prohibition of using [Snail Grass], Caocao still had other skills.
It pointed its grassy hand at the slender mushroom, and several vines shot out from the ground, wrapping towards it.
[Mushroom Silence?]
But the slender mushroom was too thin and easily wriggled out of the vine's grasp.
[Grass Grass Grass!]
Caocao: Summoner! This enemy is too strong!
"..., please be serious."
Li Pu was at a loss for words.
[Grass~]
Embarrassed by the reprimand, Caocao could only charge in for a melee battle with the opponent.
The result was resolved in just a few punches, the slender mushroom was knocked down and shattered into pieces.
"That's more like it."
Li Pu stepped forward to pick up the longest piece of mushroom stalk.
The related information immediately entered his mind.
[LV1-See You Tomorrow (F)] 1/100
Passive Effect: Under specified conditions, there's a chance to revive the following day after death
Attribute Requirement: None
Type Requirement: None
Race Requirement: None
"What is this skill..."
Normally, revival skills should be very powerful, but Li Pu felt there was something odd he couldn't quite pinpoint.
Now thinking about it, this slender mushroom kind of resembles... enoki mushroom?
"Too few in quantity, can't collect more."
But even if he wanted to, there weren't enough slender mushrooms here.
He wasn't sure whether the Gatekeeper's old dog would like to eat these things, but with its shape resembling lizard tails, he figured it was worth storing for now.
"Let's move on."
After storing it, he waved to both the grass and the tree.
Gugu Valley was quite large, with many places to explore.
Who knew if there might be suitable mushrooms deeper inside.
The next hour was mostly spent moving forward.
Occasionally, they encountered other varieties of mushrooms, but due to insufficient numbers, they had to abandon them.
The most they did was have Caocao fight one to gather information.
[Swoosh!]
When they reached the middle of the valley, the little tree man stopped.
It had been spreading light particles along the way, and now its supply was running low.
"Is that as far as we can go today?"
Li Pu felt a bit of regret.
He looked up at the moon, estimating it was around 9 or 10 PM.
[Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!]
[Grass Grass!]
However, the little tree person brought some more news.
If they kept moving forward a little longer, there would be natural lighting in the valley.
Moonlight Lake, a valley lake that glows naturally at night.
Usually, many mushroom monsters gather there.
It suggested they might explore there for the time being.
"Oh?"
With this, Li Pu became interested.
...
...