The largest creature in the world is said to be a mushroom.

　In the original world, of course. It's hard to imagine what it would be like to be told that mushrooms are huge, but in 1992, a fungus bed - like the roots of a mushroom - was found in the United States, taking up an entire mountain. Since then, the mushroom, which has an area the size of 138 Tokyo Domes, has reigned as the world's largest living organism titleholder.
　Not that they are particularly large enough to be visible to the eye. But there is scientific support for the fact that these underground fungus beds are all a single organism. The network that mushrooms build is vast indeed.

　The mushroom shimeji, which was reincarnated as a matango, was awakened by Phase 2 to its ability to manipulate fungi and chemicals.

　After moving its base of operations to an inn, Mushikasa immediately moved on to the task of building a fungus bed underground and growing it rapidly.
　The purpose of this is to build a vast network of fungi that will allow him to gather information from many directions. Even today, the fungal beds are growing rapidly at a tremendous rate. The mushroom hasa can read information from the ends of the developed mycelium as well, so as long as the mycelium continues to spread, it will be his eyes and ears.

　By the way, there was one problem with the mushroom hats.

''Hanazono, how's the plant network over there?''
.........

　Hanazono Hua, who is attached to the same task, is cold.

　The cause is known. Once, when they were crossing the ocean with a heavy duty branch school, a mushroom hawk nearly wiped out Hanazono's vegetable garden, and she got really upset about it. Since then, Hanazono has been strangely cold towards the mushroom hats.
　Hanazono has been expanding its network of plants in all directions, but it will only have minimal conversations with the mushroom hats.

　In the basement that had been turned into a plant and fungus plant, there was no conversation for a while.

''I can't stand it...''

　The full-bodied mushroom human smashed his head casa against the wall, carrying a gloomy line on his shoulder as hard as he could.

'Mushikasa, Hanazono, how are you doing?'

　From the top of the stairs, Goubayashi's voice came from the top of the stairs. Faster than Mushikasa could reply, Hanazono raised his voice.

''Well, well. I'm focused, so I guess it's spreading fast...''
Right. Hmm.

　Goubayashi's massive body was coming down the stairs at a brisk pace; his nearly three-meter body looked uncomfortable in the low-ceilinged basement. With his arms crossed, he looked around the narrow basement in a circle.

'Ummm..... Of course, I can't see it at all, even if I did.''
　It's going underground.

　Mushikasa gives a small shrug.

　This was no surprise, but there was still no progress in the situation. What's needed to advance there is information, and the activities to obtain the information are the building of a network of Mushikasa and the others. It was only by investigating the whereabouts of Akira Hino, the Empire, and the movements of his bloodline that they could form a guideline.
　And that's not all. There was also the means to return to the world he had come from. The eastern forest where this wise man dwells is not so far away if you come this far. Although it's a pity that there's still no way to turn to that direction, when things settle down, we can consider dispersing and working to resolve the situation.

　That's why the work of Mushikasa and the others is so important.

''It's a simple job, though........''

　Saying that, Mushikasa gently put his hand on the huge child body exposed in the basement. Through this child body, he sends power to the subterranean mycelium, further expanding the range of the mycelium.
　Through the spreading mycelium, all sorts of information flows into the consciousness of the mushroom hut. The mycelium eventually extends to the ground and forms fruit bodies. The substance acts as an information terminal and tells Mushikasa exactly what is happening around it. From there, the mushroom hasa can manipulate the fungus further to interfere to some extent with the outside world. If the connection is made properly, it should be possible to blend the same chemicals into the spores of the brood with those produced by the mushroom hats.

　The same thing continues to happen with Hanazono. The flower garden, if anything, extends its range from the ground with ivy and other plants. It is a style of planting where seeds are scattered to increase the number of plants under the influence, rather than just one fungus bed, so the expansion of its range is slower than that of a mushroom hut. However, for some reason, the plants that Hanazono had built tended to be more capable of fighting. This is a pattern where the expanded information terminals can be expected to be used as combatants.

By the way, it's Sugiura who's in contact with you two. He wants to get some mushrooms and tomatoes for dinner as soon as possible.
Yeah.
Okay.

　They let go of the brood and the bulb, respectively, and walked up the basement stairs. Hanazono's vegetable garden was in the courtyard, and Mushroom Garden was starting to operate out of a storage room on the first floor, as was Mushroom Kasa's mushroom farm.
　Mushroom Kasa pulls some suitable edible mushrooms out of the mushroom farm and brings them to the kitchen, but Sugiura is not there. She should have rarely left the kitchen so far, but according to the new policy that Kyousuke Soraki had put in place, she was also supposed to participate in battle training. Sugiura, who is good at mimicry using her body color change ability, isn't that good at direct combat, but I heard that she still mastered an octopus hold from a stunning surprise attack against a single pawn in the last battle. With proper training, he could become a good fighter in his own right.

　Mushroom Kasa shoves the mushrooms into the basket placed at the entrance of the kitchen and then returns to the basement.

　He held his hand over the child entity that had popped out of the ground again, and all sorts of information was sent in from the tip of the stretched mycelium. The mycelium, which had spread to more than a dozen kilometers square, was still expanding its range.

''........hmm?''

　Mushikasa let go of his hand as the information flowed in, something that bothered him for a moment.

''........What's wrong?''

　I can hear Hanazono's voice from behind me, cold but slightly quizzical. She's probably on her way back from leaving the tomatoes in front of the kitchen, too.

No, I think I saw something from the edge of the mycelium...
Which way do I go?

　Hanazono said and held out her hand to the bulb, which also popped up from the ground. Then the bulb glowed softly with a pop.

"South.........a bit westward, I guess. Not just southwest, but......... Maybe more like south-southwest?

　More than anything else, it was information that was only visible for a moment, so Mushikasa couldn't really see it.

　Translated into visual information, it seemed to be two or so human shadows. The human figures themselves were something that could be witnessed several times during the process of spreading the fungus thread, but the one that was only visible for a moment made Mushikasa feel strangely trapped.
　In order to re-examine the specific location, Mushikasa traced the location information back from the child entity.

'I had a feeling it resembled the underworld hero we saw in the Zelga Gladiatorial Principality.
"The Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights) is a person........ I heard they're working together with Hino-kun........

　It would be fortuitous if he could get some information early on after taking action. Mushikasa glanced at Hanazono's prickly body and then focused his attention on the hand he held up again.
　Although he was talking to her, Hanazono's mood was still not improving.




　The Verneus Peninsula jutted out into the southeastern part of the continent. From there, as they passed through the Beast King mountain range to the north, they found a flat area with high temperatures and humidity.
　The Dirad Jungle, reminiscent of a tropical jungle, and beyond that, they reached the Evil Spirit Marshes, which were famous for their undead monster habitat.

　The day after Kyousuke and the others decided on a policy, they left their base to inquire about this malevolent marshland.

　The participating members are Kyousuke, Rin, Sugiura, and Harao. The carriage was borrowed from Giant Mama, and it was pulled by a single large behemoth. There was no end to the number of things I wondered about why the behemoth was being kept quietly in that base, and why the behemoth had tomatoes growing on its head, but I was afraid to go into it, so I avoided pursuing it.
　After a full day, we crossed the Beast King mountain range and headed north along a narrow road with the Dirad jungle on our right.

　And so, well, another two days passed. The end of the jungle was in sight, and the marshland was getting closer.

'Come to think of it, there's another country around here, isn't there?

　Rin muttered as she unfolded the map.

''Oh, that reminds me. I heard it was a very small kingdom.''

　While being rocked by the carriage, Kyousuke also looked at the map.
　There is a very small kingdom sandwiched between the Dirad Jungle and the Evil Spirit Marshes. Although it's outside of the imperial territory, it doesn't have any distinctive features that make it stand out like the Verneus Kingdom or Zelga Gladiatorial Principality. It really is a small, quiet kingdom.
　The location between the jungle and marshland where there are many demons is not a very good one either. It was a country that would be destroyed immediately if there was a slight demon attack.

''Looks like we don't even dare to stop by.

　Sitting on Harao's coffin, Kenzaki crossed his arms and muttered to himself. His muttered head was looking at the map in the form of Kyousuke's embrace.

''Well, it's not like I'm stopping by the human country now...''
Hmm. We're here to scout for undead monsters.

　If it's a monster of the same kind, it's easy to call out to them and get them to join you. It's like Kyousuke joining skeletons in a dungeon, or Goshenbara with his goblin army. Skeletons and Dullahan inhabit the Evil Spirit Marshes, and Mummy is found further north in the Tomb of the Warriors. This is an expedition to call out to all of those areas.
　Incidentally, large slime can be found in the swampy areas from the jungle to the marshes. It would be nice if we could call out to these areas as well.

　I'm also concerned about accompanying Ei and the others, but I'm leaving that one to Hanazono and Mushikasa to search for. You can't afford to do nothing in the meantime, so for now, Kyousuke and the others are trying to expand their war potential as what they can do.

''It's about to get dark. Let's stop the carriage around here for today.''
I love you.

　Kyousuke says, and Rin crawls over to Gosha-dai and calls out to a behemoth with a tomato on its head.

''That's it for today! ''Stop!''

　Behemoth obeyed his words obediently.

　The foodstuffs prepared for this trip are dried fish and shellfish and pickled vegetables that were stockpiled at the base beforehand. Although we did occasionally pick meat from the monsters we encountered in the jungle along the way, we didn't have the luxury of a good diet. It's a bit sad to think that, during this time, the base has been serving homemade food made by Sugiura every day.

　While Rin is preparing the meal, Kyousuke is instructed by Kenzaki in the sword. In the meantime, Harao, as a matter of course, was asleep at the gun.

''Well then, Kenzaki, take care of yourself today.
"Mm. I'll go in peacefully.

　Kenzaki said that with a bit of happiness and started training.

　Even while he is away from his base for scouting in this way, he can't neglect his special training. Kyousuke, in particular, is still one half of the strongest fighting force in the class even now. In the current situation, where even Extreme Cross is on the verge of coming to a head, it is necessary to strengthen the combat power by raising the ground power of Kyousuke and Rin alone as much as possible.
　Of course, teaching Kyousuke the sword like this would also lead to Kenzaki's own ability training. After all, Kenzaki's Phase 2 ability is 《心眼》. It's also ideal for this kind of training instruction.

　Kenzaki places his head a little farther away and draws his own sword. It's a long sword that I've been using ever since I transferred to this world. It's not a karma thing, but the blood on the sword barrel doesn't stick or rust. The sword she was wearing at the time of the transfer was like a part of the body of a Durahan, Kenzaki.

''Let's go!
Whoa.

　Faster than Kyousuke could hold the Burning Flame Sword (Heat Weaver), Kenzaki drew his sword and pounced on him. Kyousuke hurriedly readied his sword, barely catching the blow.

''Huh!''

　The headless Fujinami regrasps the hilt of his sword with both hands, and with a swift arcing sword streak, he aims at Kyousuke's side this time. He could barely follow it with his gaze, but Kyousuke's ability to deal with it wasn't enough to make it.
　Kyousuke slammed one of his own arms as hard as he could against the sword wielded by the side nagi. The magic power runs through the magic formula carved into the bone and Kyousuke's right arm explodes.

''Mu.''

　Bone shattered and Kyousuke's right arm was blown off. At the same time, spare parts flew out of the dimension case carried on his shoulder and rebuilt Kyousuke's right arm.
　Kyousuke ran his magic power into the sword as well. He thrust the feverishly heated sword-body toward Kenzaki with great force, but Kenzaki only slightly warped his body to engage it. The cutting edge snatches the chest of the armor with a graze.

'Whoa, poorly avoided.'
Don't be a fool!

　While shouting back at Rin's words as she watched, Kenzaki's hands did not relax. He brushed off Kyousuke's leg, which created a large gap in his thrust, and popped his head off with a pop. Kyousuke's head, which was blown off, hit Kenzaki's neck, which was directly on the back of the carriage, and blew it off like a billiard.

''Whoa.''
Ugh.

　The two heads rolled down the back of the carriage with a rumble as it was.

　In addition, to correct Kenzaki's honor, she was not a poor girl with breasts. She's slightly taller and has a good style. But, well, it's true that her figure, covered in armor, looks somewhat undulating.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. Utsurogi.

　In the back of the cart, Kenzaki's head smiled wryly and said.

'I guess so. I got blown up again so easily, though.'

　Kyousuke's head is also talking, moving his jaw with a clatter. The way the raw neck and the shamekobe praise each other's good fortune is nothing short of eerie.

'Just being able to consistently block my first attack is a great improvement. In just a few days. Surprisingly, you seem to be a man of great application.
Can you two stop talking with your heads in front of each other?

　And furthermore, Rin muttered to herself as she stuck to the back of the truck. It might be a sight that would cause a traveler to swoon if he or she were to pass by.

''Let's have dinner once for a while!
"Mm.

　Kenzaki (body) grabbed his own neck and Kyousuke's neck from the top of the cart and walked out. As it was, he kicked Harao's coffin with a gun, and a muffled voice came from inside.

''The one who disturbed Harao's sleep...''
Harao, it's time to eat. Come on, get up.
Hmm..... Very well.

　The lid of the coffin opens with a clatter and a pharaoh in a golden mask slips out.
　Even this far north, the sun is still setting and the surrounding area is quickly dimming, as the mountains of the Beast King Range still lie to the west. Night is soon coming to the jungle.

　The four of us sit around the fire and enjoy a modest evening of roasting some dried fish. This has been the way of life for the past two days.

'I wonder if we'll make it through the jungle to the evil spirit marshes tomorrow.
Almost on schedule. You were supposed to be there for about a week, including the scouts.

　So far, they've been able to continue their special training without skipping a day, and it's a good start.

　While Kyousuke and Kenzaki's main training is sword fighting, Rin and Harao also have their own unique menu. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but it's not a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. I knew it, but Harao is the type who doesn't like to show his efforts. Both Kyousuke and Rin had noticed it, but they avoided mentioning it. There was a chance that Kenzaki was stubborn and hadn't noticed.
　The movement on the base's side was also a bit worrisome; after two days, the network network of Hanazono and Mushikasa that was being built around the base should have become quite large. It's about time that some kind of clue came in.

''Come to think of it, it's about time we got a tentative call.

　Kenzaki said that as he brought the sauerkraut-like pickles to his mouth.

　We keep in regular contact with the base. This is so that we can always share information about developments in the situation and unexpected incidents. Considering the fact that until now, there was virtually no way of communicating with each other, and once separated from each other, it was impossible to confirm each other's safety properly, it's an amazing improvement.
　It can be said, and again, the means to do so was quite bizarre.

''Oh, yeah. It's about time...''

　At the very moment Rin said, the tomatoes that grew from the resting behemoth's head began to emit a mysterious light.

''You're here,''

　Kyousuke looked up and blurted out.

　The luminescence of this tomato is the signal for the regular communication. These tomatoes, which were probably separated from the plant from the flower garden's vegetable garden, were able to communicate with the base via the tomatoes in the vegetable garden.
　You may not know what they are talking about, but in fact, Kyousuke and the others don't really understand what they are talking about either.

'Tomatoes, they've become so convenient...'

　Rin touched the luminescent tomatoes to respond to the contact, representing everyone's feelings.




'Hime water?'

　Goubayashi spoke to the luminescent tomato with a big serious face. The fact that Rin is on the other side of this tomato is something that I can understand in my head, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I wonder if this is how it felt to be the first person to touch a phone.

　Normally, we would exchange a few words on a regular basis and conclude our call with the words "there is nothing wrong", but this time was a little different.
　Hanazono and Mushroom Hasa are lined up behind Goubayashi. The report I received from them earlier had to be reiterated to Rin, Kyousuke and the others to share the information with them.

　Goubayashi gave a small cough and continued to speak to Rin over the tomatoes, once again.

'I'll tell you about our progress first. We've found the fire field.'

　I can see Rin gasp softly. But she quickly asks, ''Replacing Kyousuke-kun?'' He asked.

'Yeah, that's probably faster to talk about. 'Please.'
"Okay, okay...

　After a while, this time Kyousuke's voice comes from the tomatoes.

'Goubayashi, it's me.'
Hmm. As I told Himemizu earlier, we found a shadow that looked like Hino.
Yeah. Tell me more.

　Goubayashi nodded, then glanced at the flower garden and mushroom haze behind him.

　According to their reports, they had discovered two shadows a dozen kilometers in the direction of south-southwest from this base.
　One was the second seat of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights), the "Dark Beast Hero" Melodious Killer. This one was an opponent that Mushikasa had seen in person, so there was almost no doubt about it.
　The other one was the black armored figure that seemed to be working with the girl. This one matches the figure of Ei Hino that was reported.

''....................It was faster than I thought.
Hmm. Well, it's a fortuitous thing in itself. But there is another problem, of sorts.

　Goubayashi furrowed his brow a bit and continued.

''There's an abnormality in the mycelial network of mushroom hats that had been running around the fire field. It's also in the plant network in the flower garden. We don't know exactly what's causing it.''
What's crazy?
'Simply put, the mycelial range expansion has gone awry. Maybe I should say that there's an abnormality in cell division.

　As for whether or not this is the ability of the Underworld Hero, Goubayashi has no idea. Although the Underworld Beast Hero can make living creatures go berserk with the underworld miasma (the underworld miasma) spewing out of their bodies, this abnormality doesn't match that.
　And if there is, it's more natural to assume that this is Ei's new ability. That was part of the reason for his consultation with Kyousuke.

　But.

...I'm not sure what the cause of the anomaly is.

　Kyousuke replied in a divine voice.

'Isn't this a new ability of Hino's?'
''I don't actually know much about what Ei's Phase 2 is all about. He showed great strength with that armor, but I don't even know if it was Ei's power or the power of the armor...''
Hmm....

　Goubayashi gave a small nod.

　If this is due to Ei's ability, it feels extremely dangerous to approach him carelessly. Wisp, a mass of fire, it's as if he has no idea what secondary abilities he has awakened to. Perhaps the mycelial growth abnormality is not simply due to 'heat searing'.
　It's as if they are spraying a poisonous substance that is hindering the development of their cells. What it was, Goubayash still did not know.

"We've found Hino for now. What are we going to do now?　It's a bit early to start.
'Yes. Well, it's a tough situation indeed. Keep an eye on him. We'll be back in a minute.
Roger that. I'll get back to you as soon as I have more information.

　The tentative call ended there. The tomatoes slowly went out of light.

　That Ei's location was found early. Although that in itself could be called fortunate, it was still somewhat difficult to move in the current situation, where we lacked a great deal of decision-making resources and strength.
　Sending Kyousuke to the outside is now backfiring on him. Kyousuke himself must be feeling that. If he was here now, he could have struck some other response.

　At the very least, it would be a different story if there was another person with whom I could safely share the role.

　Goubayashi crosses his arms and turns his face to the ceiling. As if begging for something that isn't there, he thought of the face of a friend he hasn't seen in a long time.


[Eleven days left until the core meltdown]