As a Charming Mushroom, I Fell into the Apocalypse (MUSHROOM)
Then a somewhat peculiar sensation came from his fingertip, as if something had gently bitten him.
Hui Gu looked provocatively at the man: "Gu!""
Bite you to death!
Gu Wang had never been "bitten" so gently before, to the extent that he didn't even realize it was the gray mushroom's angry attack.
These gurgling little noises took on a slightly different meaning in his eyes.
A stupid, round mushroom was acting spoiled with him.
The faint throbbing at his temples had unknowingly disappeared, and the man's lips seemed to curl upward for an instant, but upon closer inspection, they appeared no different from usual.
Gu Wang withdrew his hand and continued walking forward.
Lord Hui Gu, magnanimous enough to forgive lesser beings, snorted and turned his little butt around, quickly burying himself deep in the pocket again.
Rustling sounds came from the pocket.
The man merely paused but didn't stop it.
It seemed that half of the energy bar was about to "disappear" too.
...
The wasteland that should have been filled with danger at every turn grew increasingly quiet the further they went.
Surrounding them were some lifeless tree trunks and completely deserted buildings, covered with abundant vines and moss. Even the stone bricks on the ground were pushed up by weeds, their original appearance obscured.
Before the apocalypse, this had been a prosperous city.
Now it had long become uninhabited territory, with only polluted mutant creatures running rampant.
Strangely, now even Mutated Animals were nowhere to be seen. Along the way, they only encountered some trap-like Mutated Plants that wouldn't actively attack.
As long as you didn't approach, you wouldn't get hurt.
But Gu Wang didn't feel relaxed because of this.
As the base chief, he maintained his registration in the base's largest guild and often had to come to the wasteland with these mercenaries who traded their lives for information and supplies.
His understanding of the wasteland ecology far exceeded that of ordinary people in the base.
He knew that the quieter the environment, the more dangerous it was.
The S-Class Titan Arum that inhabited this area rarely left its territory. Though it was unclear why it didn't expand its domain like other mutant creatures, this was actually good news for humans.
As the chief, he needed to prioritize dealing with threats to the base. The number of mutant creatures kept increasing relentlessly, leaving no extra energy to handle this Titan Arum, so he could only issue a bounty for it among the base's mercenaries.
Unfortunately, its S-class rating made people hesitate, and almost no one was willing to take on the challenge of hunting it down. Thus, the Titan Arum had persisted until now.
Ordinary mercenaries wanting to head south of the base to gather supplies had to detour around this area.
As a result, they knew very little about this Titan Arum.
The sky gradually darkened.
Hui Gu looked up, somewhat puzzled. Though unable to communicate, he was highly sensitive to the emotions of living beings.
As the sky changed, he could sense the man's muscles tensing up further. His expression remained unchanged, but his vigilance was rising.
It had been raining frequently lately, and the weather in the wasteland was always unpredictable. Thinking of those corrosive, sour, and foul-smelling rains, Hui Gu couldn't help but nudge the man through his clothes with his Mushroom Cap.
"Chirp!"
He urged the man to find cover and spend the night there.
Yet he himself continued to nestle comfortably in the pocket, showing no intention of leaving—clearly treating this human as a gullible mount.
The bloody scent on the man, different from other mutant creatures, spread through the air, making the mushroom even more satisfied.
This damp, sweet, and cloying smell was simply the best culture medium.
Gu Wang stopped in front of an abandoned kindergarten.
The peeling paint and graffiti on the walls had long faded beyond recognition of what cartoons they once depicted. The remaining red paint looked eerily sinister, with dolls seeming to weep as they gazed at the humans who hadn't been here in so long.
Only after the man randomly chose a classroom near the entrance to rest did Hui Gu finally lazily poke his head out of the pocket. His round head swiveled around, taking in the surroundings.
Overturned desks, chairs, and toys scattered everywhere littered the floor.
One could easily imagine how panicked the people here must have been on the first day of the apocalypse.
Seeing the man begin to close his eyes and rest, Hui Gu wobbled out of the pocket, popping out curiously and playfully like a little spring bamboo shoot.
Though this was once a prosperous city, many human objects remained novel to this Mushroom Sapling.
Hui Gu curiously touched everything around him—sniffing a toy one moment, and then poking at something the next.
When a small ball rolled away after he bumped into it, Hui Gu couldn't resist chasing after it, his short, round little body hopping with remarkable effort.
In the dim, decaying emptiness of the classroom, a faint glow unique to new humans flickered in the man's eyes. His advanced evolutionary system granted him the ability to see clearly in the dark.
He didn't even need much sleep, which meant the agonizing silence of night stretched even longer.
But all of this was shattered by a chirping little gray mushroom.
Gu Wang stared at the mushroom rolling briskly across the floor and, as the ball reached his side, inexplicably extended a finger to stop it.
"Gu?" Hui Gu tilted his Mushroom Cap, looking up at the human in confusion.
After a moment's silence, Gu Wang flicked the ball with his finger, watching as it rolled away.
Right behind it bounced an enthusiastic mushroom.
No one had ever played with him like this before. Hui Gu knew this was a human toy, so he naturally interpreted the human's actions as an invitation to play.
Delighted, he chased the ball back and nudged it toward the man's hand again with his cap.
Gu Wang continued flicking the ball a little farther each time.
After several rounds, the man felt a strong sense of déjà vu—this was exactly how his childhood neighbor used to play with a puppy.
Distracted, he misjudged his strength and sent the ball flying farther than intended, all the way out of the classroom where it stopped by the doorway.
Hui Gu shot after it like a tiny cannonball.
Just as he reached the doorway, a massive shadow fell over him, enveloping him completely.
Hui Gu: ?
Puzzled, he looked up and met a pair of glowing green beast-like pupils.
Scent... so fragrant... I want it...
Want... must have it...
Mine, this is mine.
Unintelligible growls rumbled from the beast's throat, its fangs grinding together unpleasantly. Drool mixed with blood foam dripped down, nearly landing on the little gray mushroom.
Hui Gu was startled by the sudden appearance of the mutant creature, his Mushroom Cap fluffing up slightly like a startled kitten.
It was impossible to tell what species had hybridized into this monstrosity. Its fur was matted and filthy, stained with blood of uncertain origin—whether from prey or itself. Its hunched as its twisted spine was so emaciated the bones seemed ready to pierce through the skin at any moment, as if bony spikes might erupt.
It had been drawn here by Hui Gu.
During their earlier game, Hui Gu had been so excited he'd accidentally released a few of his spores.
These spores were his unique pheromones, capable of driving all mutant creatures wild with obsession.
Enchanting every mutant within a hundred-mile radius and driving them into a frenzy was, for him, as simple as scattering a few spores.
But Hui Gu disliked these deranged mutants—loathed them, in fact.
So the moment he realized he might have made a mistake, he immediately suppressed all his spores again. Unfortunately, that tiny leaked strand had already traveled through the air and done its work.
Never did he expect it to be such a coincidence that a highly perceptive mutant creature happened to be nearby.
This hyena-like mutant could no longer suppress its frantic, terrifying desire and opened its mouth wide toward the mushroom.
Devoid of any rationality, the mutant creature had no idea how to process such intense emotions. For something it adored to the bone, the instinctual response was to devour it and store it in its belly—this was practically second nature to them.
Finally snapping back to reality, Hui Gu shrank back. His first instinct wasn’t to flee but to endure silently, just as he had every time he was attacked before.
One bite—just one bite would be enough.
For him, this was already a routine occurrence. Back when he couldn’t fully control his spores, he was always being chased by mutant creatures.
Some higher-level mutants reacted to this morbid affection in relatively normal ways—they simply went mad trying to please him and win his favor.
But for the vast majority of mutants, their simplistic, brutish minds couldn’t process such intense emotions, leading them to desire devouring and monopolizing him.
Spores were merely one channel of Enchantment. In fact, every part of him was lethally enchanting to mutant creatures.
Like fanatical believers facing their deity, once they tasted even a hint of his essence, they would completely fall under his thrall, becoming puppets to be used at his will.
At that point, even if Hui Gu ordered it to die, it would unhesitatingly choose to end its own life.
Yet this process was far too cruel for a little mushroom.
He was about to experience that terrifying pain again.
Hui Gu closed his eyes, soothing himself not to be afraid.
But the anticipated agony never came. Instead, something warm splattered onto him.
Puzzled, Hui Gu looked up again. His gaze fell upon a black sword gleaming with silver light, now piercing through the beast’s body and cleaving it in two.
Entrails and organs spilled out as the upper and lower halves of the mutant were completely severed. The creature still clung to life, its eyes fixed unwaveringly on Hui Gu as its mouth gaping soundlessly except for a harsh, rasping noise.
Even as it drew its last breath, those bulging eyes remained locked on Hui Gu’s direction, its intense desire almost tangible.
Gu Wang frowned. From his angle, he couldn’t see any of this; he only noticed the little mushroom, no larger than a palm, staring blankly at the weapon that had materialized in his hand.
It seemed utterly terrified by the sudden appearance of the hyena.
But Hui Gu’s thoughts were the complete opposite. He felt an overwhelming sense of relief, though in the next moment, his mind wandered, curious about where the sword had come from.
Before this, he hadn’t seen any cold weapon of such terrifying lethality on this human.
The silly gray mushroom’s dazed stare only confirmed Gu Wang’s suspicions.
For a moment, he actually felt the urge to frown and sigh.
This really was a dim-witted mushroom.
When faced with danger, it didn’t run away but simply shrank back like a little ostrich.
Even upon seeing the weapon he used to slay mutant creatures, it showed no fear or inclination to keep its distance.
As a sword specifically designed to counter mutants, even approaching it could result in being pulverized by the cold light surrounding the blade.
Gu Wang lowered his gaze. Noticing the foolish mushroom curiously leaning toward the sword, he instantly retracted the weapon.
The black sword with its silver gleam vanished into nothingness.
Hui Gu was somewhat shocked as he looked at Gu Wang. "Squeak!" You stingy jerk!
Gu Wang: "..."
He felt like he'd been insulted again.
Whatever, why bother arguing with such a foolish mushroom.
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
The completed novel is now available in my Ko-fi page.
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•