"You're awake."
Frieren's voice ca from below him as Shane slowly opened his eyes in a daze.
Thunk.
Thunk, thunk.
The crisp knocking sounds instantly cleared the confusion from his eyes.
He was being held aloft by Frieren's floating magic, suspended in midair, his head occasionally bumping into the hanging stalactites above.
"Ouch…"
Hearing his groan, Frieren lowered her staff slightly and adjusted his height.
"Why did you suddenly pass out? What happened?"
Shane rubbed his still-swollen temples, lingering fear flashing in his eyes.
That final eye contact with that madman had been too terrifying. Those crimson eyes still lingered vividly in his mind.
But how could he explain it? He couldn't exactly say he had been dragged into this world by so twisted magical experint, that he was a transmigrator.
"I'm not really sure… I just got pulled into so kind of illusion and saw a bunch of strange things."
Frieren nodded after hearing that, not pressing for details.
Many powerful mages did leave behind all sorts of defensive magic formations in their residences or places of death to ward off ill-intentioned visitors. Illusion magic was one of the more common types.
Shane let out a quiet sigh of relief and asked, "Where are we going?"
"After you fainted, that room collapsed. This path was revealed afterward—I think it should be the exit."
"Oh."
"Can you walk on your own now?"
"Ah… my head's still spinning…"
And so the two moved forward—one floating, one walking.
It wasn't that Shane was being lazy. His head really was pounding, and he couldn't muster any strength.
They hadn't gone far when Frieren suddenly stopped.
Thunk—his head hit a stone again.
Before he could even complain, his eyes widened.
At the bend ahead, the passage was covered in pale blue, softly glowing mushrooms. Their dreamy, flowing azure light made it feel like a fairyland.
Frieren set him down and walked toward them.
The girl crouched, her white hair falling by her ears as her fingertips gently brushed the surface. She picked one, a flicker of delight passing through her eyes.
"It's a Glowcap Mushroom, a very rare magical material."
Shane rubbed his head, staggering as he moved closer.
"Before entering the dungeon, I heard the innkeeper say there were glowing mushrooms here that could be made into extrely delicious cocktails. Turns out it's true."
His mood instantly improved.
This trip wasn't a total loss after all.
He quickly pulled out his bag, ready to harvest a bunch—only to freeze when he looked down, his eyebrows twisting.
He wasn't sure if he was seeing things.
He cautiously stepped on it and asked, "Hey, Frieren… what are these black, soft, slightly fishy-slling clumps on the ground?"
"Giant snake droppings."
"…"
"Glowcap Mushrooms grow on the excrent of the Venom Dragon. Giant snakes are hybrid subspecies, but it seems their droppings have the sa effect," Frieren explained.
Shane silently withdrew his hand, then vigorously rubbed his shoe against a nearby rock.
Keep that filth away from .
"When I was traveling in the Central Lands, I saw shops selling this material. If I rember correctly… five silver coins per pound."
That expensive?!
Shane imdiately reached out and plucked a mushroom without hesitation.
What filth? Don't talk nonsense. This was clearly a noble ingredient rising pure from the muck.
After three years of struggling in this world, Shane knew the value of money well.
One gold coin equaled 100 silver coins, and one silver coin equaled 100 copper coins. A single piece of black bread cost 2 copper coins, and even the cheapest inn room cost 20 copper coins a night.
There had to be at least three or four pounds of mushrooms here.
He was rich!
Finally, he could pay off his lodging and food debts.
In an instant, his dizziness vanished, his legs felt fine, and he worked with great enthusiasm.
…
Creak—
The town gates slowly opened.
The morning mist had yet to fully disperse. The guards yawned as they lazily took their posts.
Shane's dirt-covered appearance startled the still half-asleep soldiers.
After a brief round of questioning, the two were allowed through.
After a full day and night in the dungeon, Frieren was already dozing off. Shane practically dragged her back to the inn.
As soon as they entered, the enthusiastic innkeeper bustled over, her chest swaying.
"Oh, goddess bless you, poor Shane—you must be exhausted."
But before she got close, she noticed Frieren leaning unsteadily behind him.
"Wait… who is this?"
The white-haired, twin-tailed elf girl was breathtakingly beautiful, drowsy as she leaned against Shane like a white butterfly resting on a branch.
The innkeeper stared in a daze.
"Mm… a companion I t on the road. Ma'am, please find another room—she needs to rest."
The mont she heard "companion," the innkeeper's expression visibly fell, even her carefully styled hair seeming to wilt.
Phew—
After settling Frieren down and finally returning to his own room, Shane collapsed onto the bed.
He was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but strangely, his mind was unusually clear, racing at full speed.
He couldn't fall asleep at all.
mories of the dungeon replayed in his mind. A few words from that hooded figure bothered him deeply. It seed the man had gone to great lengths to drag him here… just to win the war between humans and demons?
But hadn't the Demon King already been defeated?
Could it be that in the future, the demons would start another slaughter—wiping out nine-tenths of humanity and plunging the world back into war?
That wasn't good.
More importantly, those failed experints—the pools of blood and shattered limbs—left a deep psychological scar on him. Since he had been summoned by a magic circle, were there any side effects? Would he one day suddenly break apart into a pile of flesh?
Shane shuddered.
"I rember… that madman kept analyzing and referencing a grimoire called Diary of Sage Ewig. In the original story, during the Holy Capital arc, Heiter asked Frieren to help decipher it."
"I wonder if the one that got burned has the sa contents as the one in Heiter's possession."
This feeling of not knowing his future, of constantly fearing being discarded or erased, was unbearable.
Shane hated it.
Looks like he needed to et Heiter.
With that thought, Shane began forming his next plan.
"Wait… didn't I forget sothing? What about my three golden legendary attributes?"
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