They Wanted a Hero. They Made a Monster: Born at the Bottom
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 49: The Spreading Mycelium
On the Second Stratum of the dungeon, a light breeze passed through the forest, carrying the fresh scent of vegetation. Clear water flowed through a stream filled with pebbles, reflecting the orange-white glow of nearby Glowgrass.
At first glance, the place appeared to be a lush natural woodland threaded by running water.
In reality, nearly every small monster in the forest excelled at hiding and ambushing prey. Many were also venomous.
Novice adventurers who entered without Antidote could easily die here.
Gray thrust his longsword into grass half a person tall and flicked the blade upward, skewering a green scorpion as large as his palm.
“Wasn’t the number of monsters supposed to fall sharply for a while after a Monster Tide?
“We haven’t gone far, and I’ve already stabbed three spiders, six scorpions, and four little snakes...”
Calvin studied the dungeon guide beside him without raising his head.
“That decline applies to high-level or large monsters.
“After a Monster Tide, the mana concentration inside the dungeon rises dramatically. Low-level small monsters benefit the most, so it’s normal for them to appear in large numbers.”
He held the guide in front of Gray and pointed to one passage.
“Look. A common species called the Black-and-White Python is supposed to live on this stratum. We haven’t seen one the entire way.”
Gray swung his sword overhead and cut in half a green snake hanging above them.
“That makes five ... This is still unbearably annoying. How much farther to the next stratum?”
“Quite a way.” Calvin paused to study the map. “We can detour through a natural cavern. There won’t be as many irritating little creatures there.”
“What lives there?” Gray did not believe for a moment that it was a completely safe passage.
“Spiders. Giant spiders.”
Gray raised his torch, illuminating torn and tangled webs throughout the gray-white cavern. The place appeared not to have recovered from the Monster Tide.
“Where are the spiders?”
Calvin pointed overhead. Gray followed the gesture and saw tiny red lights hidden in the darkness.
“Don’t worry. They’re actually timid. As long as you don’t get caught in a web, they won’t dare come down and attack.”
“How do you know?”
“The guide says so.”
Gray nodded, then asked another question. “Why don’t they come down to eat that?”
He moved the torch forward, driving back the darkness and revealing a Puffcap struggling in a spiderweb.
“A Puffcap? Spiders are carnivores, so it makes sense that they won’t eat it.” Confusion crossed Calvin’s face. “But why is there a Puffcap here?”
“What’s strange about that? We saw one on the First Stratum too.” Gray did not understand his surprise.
“This is what happens when you never read.”
Calvin moved closer to study the unusual Puffcap while explaining.
“A Monster Tide can drive monsters into other strata, but they always travel upward from below.
“A monster from an upper stratum almost never moves downward.
“And this Puffcap is strange. It has tendrils...”
“Then walking mushrooms must live farther down too.”
“The guide says Puffcaps exist only on the First Stratum.”
“When was it written? Maybe it’s outdated.”
“Three years ago. That shouldn’t be too old...”
Calvin also began to doubt. If the guide was obsolete, they might encounter dangers they had never anticipated.
Gray stepped forward and removed the Puffcap from the web.
“Gray, what are you doing? It’s a mutated variety. It could be dangerous!”
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