Reborn as a Mushroom: I Will Consume the Dungeon!

"Unband me this instant! Do you have any idea who I am? Let me go!"Lady Eleanor woke up to the rude realization that she had been stuffed into a sack. She thrashed violently, her aristocratic dignity offended."Perry, did you water down your Sleep Spell? She's awake already.""You idiot, don't use my real name! Her Duke father pumped so many resources into her; her resistances are sky-high. Honestly, it's a miracle she stayed under this long."Eleanor froze. She knew those voices."Perry? And you... Oaks! You dare plot against me? Have you betrayed my father?""Great, now she recognizes us because you can't keep your mouth shut," Perry snapped, his voice dripping with irritation.Oaks, however, sounded unbothered. "What's there to be afraid of? It's not like she'll ever have the chance to tell anyone."What does he mean? This isn't just a kidnapping for ransom?"What are you going to do?"Realizing her life might actually be in danger, Eleanor's fear turned into a noble fury.The sack was ripped off her head. The first thing she saw was Oaks's hideous, grinning face."What are we going to do? My dear Lady, today you have the honor of becoming dinner for a magic beast!"Eleanor scanned her surroundings. The walls of the dim tunnel were studded with purple crystals of various sizes. Am I... in the Amethyst Dungeon?"You two rats in human skin! The old man never mistreated you! How could you betray him?""Because your daddy is finished. Do you really think he can hold off the Empire's offensive? Killing you is just the final straw that breaks him. Besides, once you're dead, I get to be a noble myself." Thinking of the title promised by their patron, Oaks let out a raucous laugh."Shut up. You'll attract the mobs," Perry interrupted impatiently. "This spot is good enough. Put her down."Eleanor was dumped onto the cold ground, looking ready to bite someone.Oaks looked down at Eleanor's beautiful face, shaking his head with mock pity. "Such a beauty, shame she has her father's temper. I was almost tempted to see what a Duke's daughter tastes like.""This is the Sixth Floor. If you don't mind a monster gnawing on your bare ass while you're at it, be my guest.""Just joking. Once I'm a noble, I can have any woman I want."Perry raised his staff, aiming it squarely at Eleanor, and began chanting an obscure incantation."Polymorph?" Eleanor recognized the spell instantly. She kicked out with her bound feet, trying to interrupt the casting, but Oaks caught her easily."If you have the guts, just kill me! Kill... m—"As the Polymorph spell took hold, Eleanor lost the ability to speak. She shrank, morphing into a creature with nothing but a cap and a pair of stubby legs—a Walking Mushroom, or as adventurers called them, a "Shroomie."After finishing the chant, Perry pulled out a bottle filled with a liquid that shimmered like starlight. He looked pained to use it but poured it over Eleanor anyway.Oaks watched from the side, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Potion of Permanence. You're really going all out. I still say, why the hassle? Just slit her throat and toss the body to the mobs."Perry looked at Oaks as if his stupidity was contagious. "You kill her then. See if you don't get hit by the Duke's [Vengeance Mark]. When he ignores his territory and comes hunting you down, don't drag me into it. [Tracking Magic], [Vengeance Mark]—she's bound to have them on her. Letting the beasts in the lower levels digest her completely is the only safe way."Saying this, he graciously cast a prolonged [Feather Fall] on the mushroom that used to be Eleanor, ensuring she wouldn't just splat on impact."Forget I said anything." Oaks didn't take offense at being scorned. He walked up to Eleanor. "Farewell, my Lady."With that, he kicked her into the abyss. He watched as Eleanor was swallowed by the chasm. This rift led straight to the dungeon's depths. No human had ever fallen down there and crawled back up, let alone a Shroomie with zero combat power.Bastards!How dare they use the old man's name to trick me!I will slaughter those two animals with my own hands!... It's... so dark...The rift seemed bottomless. Even with the extended [Feather Fall], she hadn't hit the ground yet. Feeling her descent speed up as the magic faded, the sixteen-year-old girl's rage cooled, replaced by the icy grip of terror. She had never faced death before.Am I going to die like this?Boing—Eleanor felt herself land on something soft and elastic. It launched her back into the air. After bouncing a few times, she finally flopped onto the ground on her butt.I'm alive! Fate favors the noble!But... where is this?A Shroomie has no eyes, nose, or ears. She couldn't see, but she could vaguely sense her surroundings through tremors and magic waves. The thing that caught her... felt like a three-meter-wide... giant mushroom?What's that noise? And these silhouettes moving in front of me... they feel familiar.Aren't these... Shroomies? Just like what I've become?Why are there so many bottom-feeders in the dangerous depths of the dungeon?And there are so many of them!Uh oh, why are they crowding around me...?Liam, the Lord of the Mushroom Garden, felt like he'd been multitasking too much lately. He was making rookie mistakes.Case in point: there was a rogue Shroomie running around his garden. He didn't know if it had just spawned and fell off the cap before connecting to the Mycelium Network or what. And it was pink. In a sea of green and gray caps, it stood out like a sore thumb. A mutation?Fortunately, the fix was easy. Just connect a hypha (fungal thread) to it and tune it to the network channel. But why is it resisting so hard?This rogue Shroomie was running circles around the worker drone Liam had sent to connect it. It knocked over a few other Shroomies, trampled through his mushroom beds, and turned his orderly garden into a chaotic mess.Annoyed, Liam commanded a swarm of Shroomies to surround it. They pressed in until it was immobilized, wedged in the center of a fungal mosh pit. Only then did he attach the hypha."AAAAHHH! Get away! Get away from me!"What the hell? The moment the connection went live, Liam was bombarded by a high-pitched mental scream. It was so loud his spores nearly frizzled."Quiet!"The command, absolute and undeniable, pulsed through the network to every single Shroomie. Instantly, the entire mushroom garden froze."Damn it, not all of you. All units, resume work."It took a moment to get the garden running again. Liam focused his attention on this peculiar Shroomie. He finally realized this wasn't one of his spawns. It was an intruder. Weird. How does an outsider end up in my corner of the deep dark?"Speak! Where did you come from?""Who are you? How are you talking to me? Wait, how am I talking?"Tsk. This thing was clearly confused. Since it couldn't talk straight, Liam simply pulled up its Status Window.[Name: Eleanor St. Clair][Race: Mushroom - Shroomie][Level: 28][HP: 3280][STR: 1][AGI: 1][CON: 1][INT: 33][WIS: 24][Racial Trait: Spore Diffusion (Actively spreads spores; guaranteed trigger on death)][Passive Effects:]Blessing of the Church: Grants Light Affinity LV4, Light Magic LV4.Vengeance Mark: Transfers to the killer upon death. The caster can track the killer and deal bonus damage.Tracking Mark: A location beacon.Fruit of Life: Grants +3000 Max HP and Health Regen LV4.Dragon Crystal Potion: Grants high resistance to all elements.Permanent Polymorph: The polymorph effect is permanent unless dispelled.Network Connection: Short-range telepathic network formed through hyphal mana resonance.[Skills:] Riding LV4, Elemental Affinity (Water, Light) LV4, Mana Storage LV3, Mana Manipulation LV4, Light Magic LV4, Water Magic LV3, Cloth Armor Mastery LV2, Dagger Mastery LV2, Magic Resistance LV6, Physical Resistance LV6, Mental Resistance LV6, Acid Resistance LV6, Paralysis Resistance LV6, Heat Resistance LV6, Cold Resistance LV6, Stun Resistance LV6, Aquatic Adaptation LV6, Astrology LV1, Ancient Elven Language LV2, Health Regen LV4.Holy hell. A super pink Shroomie with over 3000 HP and Level 6 resistances across the board?!