Puff were fully prepared.
Filling the magic of every single Puff (including Inanna) completely drained not only the magic obtained from decomposing the Fire Mosquitoes but also the entire existing stock.
Naturally, the subsequent magic gathering wouldn't keep up with the consumption, meaning this batch of Puff wouldn't have a second chance to replenish their magic.
The worm hunt was today.
400 Puff squeezed together was quite a sight, with the vast majority being Turret Puff.
Earthworms were not only huge but also covered in a thick rocky shell, rendering both Hallucinogenic Spores and Digestive Mucus ineffective against them.
As for Shell Puff, they were unnecessary. If an Earthworm, a heavyweight existence, so much as grazed them, they would be instantly killed regardless of whether they had a shell or not.
To defeat such a worm, Linden could only choose to pour on the damage.
Of course, there was still a plan.
These worms that spent their days burrowing underground primarily ate various minerals, and their favorite snack was naturally the Amethyst Dungeon's specialty – Magic Crystals.
And Linden happened to know how to detonate Magic Crystals.
Within the team, Linden had specially prepared 10 unique Puff.
Their hollow abdomens were filled with Magic Crystals, and they were equipped with the Magic Storage skill to provide the energy for detonating the Magic Crystals.
For this hunt, Linden had truly gone all out.
The Magic Crystals originally buried in the Mushroom Garden soil to accelerate Mana Gathering were all dug up, directly halving the Mushroom Garden's natural Mana Gathering efficiency.
These Magic Crystals were both the bait to lure the Earthworm out and the first blow to strike it head-on.
As for what happened after the first blow, that would depend on how effective Miss Inanna's Mud Swamp Technique was.
"Are we really going...?"
Her pink mushroom cap trembled. Fighting an Earthworm at least 15 levels higher, she felt absolutely no sense of security.
"New recruit, I believe the mercenary fee has already been paid to you, hasn't it?"
Inanna felt the large A-Grade Magic Crystal on her head and couldn't bring herself to say she wanted to give up.
It was just too tempting!
Not only did it allow her to cast spells in her Puff form, but the spell power was also almost doubled.
The amplification effect was far beyond what her previous small B-Grade Magic Crystal could provide.
"If the situation truly turns bad, I'll allow you to escape and won't take back the Magic Crystal," Linden relaxed the conditions at the opportune moment.
Although Inanna still wanted to say that with her short legs, she might not be able to run away anyway, after thinking about it, having permission to escape was better than not having it.
The pink mushroom cap nodded, signifying they had reached a consensus.
Allowing Inanna to escape wasn't because Linden had a sudden burst of kindness; it was simply because if the situation was hopeless, there was no need for her to die in vain.
After the battle in the Fire Mosquito nest, Linden also realized that magic was indeed very useful.
Puffs could be produced again if lost, Magic Crystals could be mined again if lost, but if Inanna was gone, where would he find another magic-user who was also easy to command?
This journey was much longer than the trip to the Fire Mosquito nest; Inanna even felt like they had deliberately taken many detours.
However, they encountered almost no obstacles along the way. They only ran into a large black and white spider midway, which had its head severed by Inanna's tracking Ice Blade.
The destination was a broken cave.
It could no longer even be called a cave.
The entire space was densely packed with passages left by Earthworms, and calling it drafty would be an understatement.
After observing, Linden found that several new passages had been added since his last exploration.
He placed the self-detonating Puffs and Magic Crystals on a relatively intact patch of ground, while the other Turret Puffs were scattered around the fragmented cave.
Linden didn't arrange Inanna elsewhere but had her stay at the edge of the passage they had come through.
Slowly channeling magic into the Magic Crystals, the massive magic fluctuations emanating from the crystals made even Linden feel envious.
Inanna also knew the specific plan. Looking at the pile of Magic Crystals, she felt a deep sense of pity.
Her boss, Linden, was a spendthrift. To increase the success rate, he was actually using even some A-Grade Magic Crystals as explosives.
Although they weren't as large as hers, they were still A-Grade Magic Crystals!
This pile of Magic Crystals would be enough to hire a Diamond team to kill ten Earthworms if sold outside, but now they were just being used to blast one Earthworm.
It was truly a blatant waste of resources.
After the magic fluctuations spread out, they didn't see the Earthworm for a while, but instead, some other monsters arrived.
There were Black and White Spiders they had encountered on the way before, as well as deformed monsters with sharp fangs and claws.
However, they were all blasted to death by a few shots from the surrounding Puffs, causing no trouble.
To Linden's surprise, he even saw a LV35 Minotaur, commonly known as a bull-headed man.
It was Linden's first time encountering a classic monster like the Minotaur.
The other party clearly had a decent level of intelligence and retreated as soon as it saw the lineup on this side from a distance.
If they had met at a different time, Linden would definitely have tried to communicate. As intelligent monsters, perhaps they could coexist harmoniously?
But not today.
Finally,
A continuous vibration came from underground. The gravel at Inanna's feet trembled violently in the soil layer, and some newly opened tunnel entrances were rustling with falling stones.
An unlucky Puff was crushed into a puddle of mycelium by falling rocks from above before it even started, becoming the first sacrificial mushroom of this operation.
"It's coming, it's coming, when do I cast magic? Should I cast Mud Swamp Technique now?"
As the moment approached, Inanna became nervous again.
"Calm down, Inanna. I'll tell you when to cast. Don't panic."
Linden softly advised Inanna to stay calm, but he didn't notice that his tone was uncontrollably tightening. Beneath the calm tone was suppressed excitement.
It didn't keep the two of them in suspense for too long.
The ground on one side of the cave collapsed with a roar, and a large worm shot up from the ground. Twenty Puff instantly disappeared into its giant mouth.
[Level: LV49]
It was Linden's target—the Earthworm!
"Here it comes!"
The Earthworm's body bent in the air, clearly aiming for the Magic Crystal as it swooped down.
None of the Puff opened fire. Linden even stopped the startled Inanna from casting magic.
Just a little more, it's not time yet.
Magic power surged wildly into the Magic Crystal, and the magic fluctuations became increasingly turbulent.
Just as it was about to reach its peak, the giant mouth came down, engulfing the ten Puff along with all the Magic Crystals.
1... 2...
Boom—
An earth-shattering explosion tore apart the Earthworm's giant mouth, and several meters of thick rock armor burst from within.
Splattering rock fragments flew in all directions at a terrifying speed, causing considerable casualties among the Puff.
The Earthworm's entire mouth was completely blown apart.
As for its head, Linden wasn't very sure where the Earthworm's head was, or rather, he wasn't sure if it even had a head.
He only knew that even with such an injury, it still hadn't lost its vitality and was struggling in pain.
Its remaining body twisted wildly, half of its worm body hitting the surrounding rock layers and causing a collapse, while its remaining digging legs frantically clawed at the ground, trying to burrow back underground.
Inanna's body suddenly trembled. Linden's command exploded directly in her consciousness in a distorted, broken voice:
"Mud Swamp Technique! Quickly!"