Chapter 587 – Mushroom Lizard.

“No wonder people avoid this area with monsters like these.”

Roland muttered, hiding behind a tree as he watched the strange creature. It was a Lindwurm variant, which was a type of lesser dragon. Lindwurms resembled large, snake-like creatures with scaly reptilian bodies. They had two powerful forelimbs, often clawed, but no hind legs, which made them appear to slither or crawl. Their heads were dragon-like, lined with sharp teeth and sometimes marked by glowing eyes.

But this one was different. Its body was slick with patches of bioluminescent fungus that pulsed in slow, eerie rhythms. Mushrooms the size of dinner plates sprawled across the monster’s back. Along the side of its long neck were strange, spore-filled growths. With each breath, these growths released a peculiar mist into the surrounding environment. It was clear this creature posed a serious health hazard, and without proper gear to prevent inhalation, hunting it would be extremely difficult.

‘I wonder what those spores do, could it just be a paralysis effect or something more?’

For a moment, he considered whether it might be possible to weaponize the monster’s natural defenses. This creature was relatively high-level, and even tier three class holders were hesitant to wander into the area. The spores clearly affected them as well and might be transformed into a usable weapon. Still, he hesitated. Developing a biological weapon in this world might not be a good idea.

The people here lacked deep knowledge of monster biology, and most alchemical research focused on creating new potions and elixirs. At best, someone could collect these spores and store them in a container similar to a bomb to spread them in battle. However, such a tactic would also affect allied troops and could be blown away with magical winds, which made it hard to use.

Roland didn’t move right away. The Fungalfang Lindwurm lingered at the edge of his vision, slowly slithering through the glade. With help from his visor and internal runic sensors, he could tell the air was saturated with dangerous spores. If they entered his airways, they would likely infect him with some kind of ailment. In some cases, these tiny particles could zombify humans like him, turning them into Fungal Zombies.

To the unprepared or those without proper equipment, this was a deadly environment. However, Roland knew the monster’s major weakness: fire. The spores floating in the air were highly flammable, and he had already confirmed this through testing. This Lindwurm variant was composed of fungal and plant matter. Although its scales resembled those of green dragons, they were not made of true flesh. Its breath attack did not produce heat but instead released poison or other forms of disease.

The time to hunt had come, and Roland had donned his Rune Salamander armor for exactly this purpose. Of all the monsters in the dungeon, this mushroom-covered creature was probably the easiest for him to face. In many ways, it was the ideal opponent. Other adventurers avoided this part of the dungeon, which made it the perfect place for him to gain a few more levels without interference. The only concern was containing the flames to avoid drawing attention to his presence.

A squadron of floating golems had already taken to the air, spreading out to cover the entire area. Some positioned themselves on the ground, others perched in the trees, each stationed precisely to enclose the section of the glade where the hunt would take place. Gradually, a containment dome began to form around him, sealing off the area and ensuring he remained hidden from any prying eyes.

‘Good, with this, I can run wild a bit… even if someone appears afterwards, they shouldn’t be able to find my hideout.’

With a final check of the containment dome, Roland advanced. He stepped out from behind the tree, and the runes across his armor flared to life, cloaking him in a thick layer of flame. The spores in the air around him ignited instantly. The reaction was immediate, revealing just how dense the flammable particles had become. The air shimmered with heat as fire surged outward, triggering a volatile chain reaction that raced toward the lesser dragon.

The Fungalfang Lindwurm reared back and unleashed a thunderous roar that shook the surrounding trees. The flames clearly agitated it, but its body remained mostly unharmed. Instead of retreating, it grew enraged. Its eyes narrowed as it scanned the glade, searching for the source of the fire, and soon locked onto Roland.

What the monster saw was a man in blazing armor, standing still as the center of his chestplate opened to reveal a rune-powered beam emitter. A radiant crimson orb pulsed at its core, flames swirling around it as it charged. The Lindwurm roared again and lunged, aiming to crush him with its massive form. Before it could reach him, the beam fired, releasing a focused torrent of flame that met the charge head-on.

The monster froze as it saw the strange energy surge toward it. In a desperate attempt to defend itself, it opened its massive jaws and released a brownish cloud of noxious gas, a breath ability known for inflicting a wide range of status effects. This attack was commonly referred to as disease breath. However, the beam struck with the force of a miniature sun. It tore through the toxic cloud, igniting it in an instant. With no more opposition, the beam then crashed directly into the Lindwurm’s open mouth.

Roland had expected the monster to be thrown back, but his attack proved far more powerful than he had anticipated. A strange chain reaction unfolded as not only the disease breath ignited, but the monster’s insides did as well. The beam pierced its body completely, and in a sudden burst of energy, the Lindwurm erupted into flames.

The explosion rocked the glade. Roland flinched, not from fear but from sheer surprise. Bits of charred mushroom flesh and burning scale rained from the sky, some pieces striking the containment dome before fizzling out. The thick, spore-filled air had ignited like paper soaked in oil. Where the Lindwurm once slithered, only a blackened crater remained.

“…I didn’t expect that to happen.”

He couldn’t tell whether it was a stroke of luck or if his equipment was simply far more powerful than he had realized. In the Albrook dungeon, he had used divine energy to deal with skeletons and assumed the monsters were just unusually weak. This lesser dragon, however, had been several levels above him and quite large. Yet now, it was reduced to ash before his eyes. All that remained was its mana stone and a few scorched internal organs. Which he wasn’t sure he even wanted to take with him.

“I suppose this is the drawback of burning plant monsters. Not much is left to collect.”

At least when he had defeated the Wurms, he was able to retrieve their claws, eyes, and even hearts. This fungal creature had been incinerated so thoroughly that anything valuable was either destroyed or still burning.

Though he hadn’t gained much beyond the mana stone, Roland felt no frustration. His main goal was still to train and increase his level. If he could take down monstrosities like this with a single well-placed beam, then this was a rare opportunity. Even better, more monsters were already approaching his position, and he had enough time to set himself up for another strike.

‘Hah… maybe this will be a lot easier than I expected!”

Roland didn’t have long to enjoy his unexpected success. The burning remains of the Lindwurm acted like a signal flare in the night. While the smoke and flames couldn’t escape the barrier his golems maintained, the creatures inside it could still see them. Soon, movement appeared on his display, accompanied by a chorus of similar roars from the distance.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“I guess I won’t have to go find them myself after all.”

With a quiet chuckle, he got ready. Most people would have been terrified by the unknown nature of the dungeon, but Roland wasn’t like most people. Surrounded by sensors and supported by flying golems feeding him live footage, he felt in control. He immediately turned to the east, preparing for the next encounter. Moments later, the trees began to shift as another lesser dragon appeared.

The pattern repeated itself. The monster charged at him just like the last one. Roland waited for the right moment, and when the creature unleashed its breath attack, he countered with a focused beam of flame energy. The result was immediate and explosive. A second blast tore through the glade, leaving another scorched Lindwurm corpse behind.

Despite having defeated two monsters at higher levels than his own, he still didn’t gain a full level. This was the harsh reality of high-level advancement and the reason so few ever reached tier four. Real progress only came from regularly defeating foes far stronger than oneself, something most people who valued their lives refused to do. For Roland, however, who always acted with a plan and sought power to protect himself and those he cared about, this was more than acceptable.

The next few hours passed in a blur of roaring fire, toxic spores, and shattered fungi-scaled bodies. They kept coming, and he continued to blast them to pieces. The slaughter went on through the entire night, and only when his rune beam emitter began to falter did Roland finally bring his nightly conquest to an end.