They Wanted a Hero. They Made a Monster: Born at the Bottom
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 20: A Man in the Network
In a black forest, Dylan held a torch aloft and called frantically into the trees.
“Bella! Bella, where are you? Answer me!”
“Da ... Dad...”
The weak voice drew him into the undergrowth. Dylan pushed aside the brush and found his daughter slumped beneath a tree, covered in blood.
“Bella! How were you hurt this badly?
“Don’t be afraid. Dad is here. I’m here.”
Tears streamed down Dylan’s face as he swept his weakened daughter into his arms.
“Dad, I ... I...”
“I’m here. Take your time.”
“Dad.” Bella wrapped both arms around his neck and opened crimson eyes. “I’m so hungry.”
Fangs sank into his throat. Blood sprayed outward. Through dimming vision, Dylan watched Bella weep as she swallowed his flesh.
“Ah!”
Dylan jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath.
It had been a dream. Thank the gods, only a dream.
Where was he?
He raised his head and saw a Puffcap backing away from him in disgust.
A monster. A mutated Puffcap.
His final memories returned. What had happened to the Parasitic Trees?
Their remains lay scattered across the ground, covered in newly growing mushrooms. At a glance, there were far more than the five that had chased him.
Had these Puffcaps killed them all?
Dylan found that difficult to believe. Even mutated Puffcaps should not have been able to slaughter so many Parasitic Trees.
Yet his blurred memories and the evidence before him said otherwise.
This was the Hidden Chamber. The stone treasure chest stood open.
So it was a Treasure Chamber.
Perhaps the Puffcaps were the monsters assigned to guard it.
They showed no hostility toward him. Stranger still, their presence did not make him uneasy. He felt as though this were exactly how things should be.
Then he remembered his injury.
Dylan touched his abdomen. The wound was gone.
What he saw in its place sent a storm through his mind.
Hyphae filled the opening, and a tiny mushroom had sprouted from the repaired flesh.
He had seen similar growths on people captured by Parasitic Trees.
No wonder the mutated Puffcaps did not attack him. No wonder he felt so close to them.
He had been parasitized.
His mind remained clear, and nothing restrained his movements as a Parasitic Tree would. Perhaps he had a little time before losing control completely.
Dylan looked at the remains. Many Parasitic Tree seeds still hung from them, and a daring plan formed.
He did not care whether he lived or became an enslaved host. He cared only about earning enough money to save his daughter. If he lacked the time, he would entrust the task to Big Al.
What mattered now was carrying the seeds to the surface.
Dylan crawled to one of the fallen trees, plucked a seed with great care, and slipped it inside his coat.
He looked around. The Puffcaps did not seem concerned.
Reassured, he collected every seed in the chamber.
It was enough. This many had to be enough.
Holding them tightly, Dylan reached the stone door and looked back once more. The Puffcaps continued their work as if nothing had happened.
How strange.
Evan watched Dylan disappear through the door without speaking to him once, even though the man was now connected to the Mycelial Network.
Saving him had been a matter of principle. It did not mean Evan trusted him.
Dylan had indeed been parasitized and stood one step from complete fusion.
At Evan’s command, the hyphae inside him could destroy his mind and reduce him to a puppet.
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