Puji had finished all preparations.
Filling every single Puji (including Inanna) with mana had not only consumed all the mana obtained from dismantling the fire mosquitoes, but also completely depleted the previous reserves.
Naturally regenerated mana would no longer keep up with consumption, which meant this batch of Puji would have no chance for a second refill.
The insect hunt would take place today.
Four hundred Puji crowded together formed quite a spectacular sight, the vast majority of them being cannon-type Puji.
The earthworm was not only enormous in size, but its outer layer was also covered in a thick rocky shell. Neither hallucinogenic spores nor digestive mucus had any effect on it.
As for shelled Puji, there was no point in using them either — any graze from an attack by such a heavyweight creature would instantly kill them regardless of whether they had shells or not.
To defeat such a monster, Lin Jun had no choice but to overwhelm it with raw damage.
Of course, he still had a plan.
These creatures that spent all day burrowing through the underground fed mostly on various minerals, and their favorite snack was naturally the specialty of the Purple Crystal Dungeon — magic crystals.
And Lin Jun just so happened to know how to detonate magic crystals.
In the team, Lin Jun had specially prepared ten special Puji.
Their hollow abdomens were stuffed full of magic crystals, and they were also equipped with mana storage skills to serve as the energy source for detonating the crystals.
For this hunt, Lin Jun had basically brought out everything he had.
All the magic crystals that had originally been inserted into the soil of the mushroom garden to accelerate mana collection had been dug out, directly halving the mushroom garden's natural mana gathering efficiency.
These magic crystals would serve both as bait to lure the earthworm out and as the first heavy blow to strike it.
As for what came after that first blow, it would depend on how effective Miss Inanna's Swamp Spell was.
"Are we really going…?"
The pink mushroom cap trembled. Facing a creature at least 15 levels higher, she had zero sense of security.
"Rookie, I remember the commission fee has already been paid to you, hasn't it?"
Inanna felt the large A-rank magic crystal on her head and ultimately couldn't bring herself to say she wanted to quit.
It was just too tempting!
Not only did it allow her to cast spells in her Puji form, but it also nearly doubled the power of her magic.
The amplification effect was far beyond what her previous small B-rank magic crystal could provide.
"If things really go south, I'll allow you to run away. I won't take the magic crystal back," Lin Jun timely loosened the conditions.
Although Inanna still wanted to say that with her short legs she might not even be able to escape, she figured that having permission to run was still better than nothing.
The pink mushroom cap nodded slightly, and the agreement was reached.
Allowing Inanna to escape wasn't because Lin Jun had suddenly become kind-hearted. It was simply that if the situation became hopeless, there was no need to let her die for nothing.
After the battle in the fire mosquito nest, Lin Jun had also realized that magic was indeed very useful.
Puji could be reproduced if lost, magic crystals could be dug up again, but if he lost Inanna, where else was he going to find another mage who was both capable and easy to command?
——
This time, the journey was much longer than the trip to the fire mosquito nest. Inanna even felt that they had deliberately taken many detours.
However, they encountered almost no obstacles along the way. The only interruption was a large black-and-white spider, which Inanna took down with a single Tracking Ice Blade to the head.
The destination was a shattered cavern.
It could barely even be called a cavern anymore.
The entire space was densely packed with tunnels left behind by the earthworm's movements. Even describing it as "full of holes" would be an understatement.
After observing, Lin Jun noticed that several new tunnels had appeared since his last reconnaissance.
He placed the suicide-bomber Puji along with the magic crystals on a relatively intact patch of ground, while the other cannon Puji were scattered around the fragmented cavern.
Lin Jun didn't station Inanna elsewhere but kept her at the edge of the passage they had come from.
Slowly channeling mana into the magic crystals, the mana fluctuations emitted by the large pile made even Lin Jun feel greedy.
Inanna, who knew the exact plan, looked at the pile of crystals with nothing but regret.
Boss Lin Jun was such a spendthrift. To increase the success rate, he was even using A-rank magic crystals as explosives.
Although they weren't as large as the one on her head, they were still A-rank crystals!
A pile like this would be enough to hire a Diamond-tier team from outside to kill ten earthworms, yet now they were just being used to give one earthworm a single explosion.
It was a real waste of heavenly resources.
After the mana fluctuations spread out, the earthworm didn't appear immediately. Instead, other monsters were drawn over.
There were the black-and-white spiders they had encountered on the way, as well as deformed monsters with sharp fangs and teeth.
However, they were all blasted to death by a few shots from the surrounding Puji without causing any trouble.
What surprised Lin Jun was that he actually spotted a LV35 Minotaur — commonly known as a bull-headed man.
It was also Lin Jun's first time encountering this classic monster.
The creature clearly possessed considerable intelligence. Upon seeing the formation from afar, it immediately retreated.
If they had met at another time, Lin Jun would definitely have tried to communicate with it. As fellow intelligent monsters, perhaps they could coexist peacefully?
But not today.
Finally,
A continuous vibration came from underground. The gravel near Inanna's feet shook violently within the soil layer, and loose stones began cascading from the openings of newly formed tunnels.
One unlucky Puji was smashed into a pile of mycelium by falling rocks from above before the battle even began, becoming the first casualty of the operation.
"It's coming, it's coming! When do I cast the spell? Should I use Swamp Spell now?"
As the moment approached, Inanna grew nervous again.
"Stay calm, Inanna. I'll tell you when it's time. Don't panic."
Lin Jun gently advised Inanna to keep calm, but he failed to notice that his own tone had unconsciously become tense. Beneath his steady voice was an excitement he could barely suppress.
He didn't keep the two of them in suspense for long.
The ground on one side of the cavern suddenly collapsed with a thunderous boom. A massive worm burst out from below, and twenty Puji vanished into its giant maw in an instant.
[Level: LV49]
It was exactly Lin Jun's target — the Earthworm!
"It's here!"
The earthworm's body twisted in mid-air and dove straight toward the pile of magic crystals with clear intent.
None of the Puji opened fire. Lin Jun even stopped Inanna, who had nearly panicked and cast her spell.
Just a little longer. Not yet.
Mana surged wildly into the magic crystals, and the fluctuations grew increasingly violent.
At the moment the energy reached its peak, the giant maw descended, engulfing the ten special Puji along with all the magic crystals.
1...2...
BOOM——
An earth-shattering explosion tore apart the earthworm's giant mouth. Several meters thick of rocky armor burst open from the inside.
The flying rock shards shot out at terrifying speeds, causing considerable casualties among the Puji.
The entire mouthpart of the earthworm had been completely blown apart.
As for its head, Lin Jun wasn't entirely sure where the earthworm's head even was — or if it had one at all.
All he knew was that even after suffering such a wound, it had not lost its vitality and was now writhing in agony.
The remaining body thrashed wildly. Half of its massive form slammed into the surrounding rock layers, causing cave-ins, while its remaining digging limbs frantically clawed at the ground, trying to burrow back underground.
Inanna's body suddenly trembled as Lin Jun's command exploded directly in her mind in a distorted, breaking voice:
"Swamp Spell! Now!"