34. Justice From Above

Miranda supervises Felix as he completes a statue of the Sisters of the Verdant Lagoon. She imbues it with her blessing, granting it a faint divine aura, and has it installed prominently in Haven’s vast wooden temple. She reflects on statue placement, aura interactions, and the reserved highest spot awaiting the Malefic Viper’s Chosen, noting Jake’s four-day absence in the dungeon.

The narrative shifts underground to a Deepdweller village absorbed in mushroom rites. Suddenly, Jake strikes from above with explosive arrows and descending orbs of arcane mana, shattering structures and sowing chaos. A Fungalmancer attempting to stabilize the defense is swiftly killed by Jake’s Arcane Powershot and splitting arrow, necrotic poison halting its recovery.

A towering Deepdweller Shroomguard emerges to protect the village, blocking attacks with a mushroom-cap shield and charging at Jake. Using black wings for superior maneuverability, Jake kites the Shroomguard, noting its straight-line movement and limited offense. He tries Gaze of the Apex Hunter but lacks line of sight past the shield; instead he inflicts targeted cuts and poison to reduce its mobility.

Committed to a faster finish, Jake closes in and clings to the Shroomguard while channeling Touch of the Malefic Viper. After minutes of sustained necrotic assault, the Shroomguard dies, demonstrating exceptional Toughness despite only common-rarity poison. With its protector gone, Jake methodically eliminates remaining Fungalmancers and grounded warriors from the air.

Amid burning ruins and arcane-scarred craters, Jake reaches level 120. He uncovers a reinforced underground chamber via a mushroom trapdoor, withers it using Touch, and claims the concealed Golden Mushroom.

As the village falls silent, Jake sits to meditate and receives a long-awaited prompt: class skills for the Avaricious Arcane Hunter are available, signaling a new stage in his progression.