Reincarnated as a Mushroom?

Chapter 34: The Trumpet of War 3

A woman with piercing eyes stood at a crystal ball, her fingers hovering just above its surface. The swirling mist inside reflected images of the battlefield, zooming in and out as it focused on one particular figure. She was concentrating, her brows furrowed as she struggled to maintain control over something unseen.

This was Lilith, a level sixty-two beast tamer. And her task was not an easy one.

👤 Lilith

🏆 [Eye of the Firebane Guild]

⚔️ A-Rank Combatant

🐾 Class: Beast Tamer

🔺 Level: 62

Her voice was strained as she replied, "The Mushroom King… I can see him. But avoiding his influence while maintaining control over my creature is… difficult."

The room fell into a brief silence, save for the distant echoes of battle outside.

Then, another voice spoke up.

"We don't have time for this," a figure muttered. His stance was restless, his fingers tapping against the hilt of his blade. "People are dying down there. Even if they're weak, they're still our companions."

This was Naya, a ninja at level sixty-four. Unlike the others, he wasn't content just standing here, watching from afar. The sight of his allies being slaughtered gnawed at him.

👤 Naya

🏆 [Eye of the Firebane Guild]

⚔️ A-Rank Combatant

🌀 Class: Ninja Shinobi

🔺 Level: 64

But across from him, another man scoffed.

A younger figure leaned against the wall, his expression indifferent. His fingers lazily spun a silver revolver, the metallic clicks echoing softly in the room.

Borka, a level sixty-seven gunslinger, barely spared Naya a glance before speaking.

👤 Borka Mahinov

🏆 [Eye of the Firebane Guild]

⚔️ A-Rank Combatant

🔫 Class: Master Gunslinger

🔺 Level: 67

"Let me remind you," he said, his voice dripping with amusement, "this guild doesn't care about companionship. We value results. That's how we operate. Sentimentality has no place here."

Naya's fists clenched at those words, but before he could argue, another presence made itself known.

A woman in a long, flowing robe watched the conversation in silence. Her eyes, filled with quiet wisdom, observed everything without a word.

This was Marian, a high priestess at level sixty-eight.

👤 MARIAN

🏆 [Eye of the Firebane Guild]

⚔️ S-Rank Combatant

🔮 Class: High Priest

🔺 Level: 68

She hadn't spoken, not even once, since the battle started.

And then, at last, the tension in the room shifted.

At the far end of the chamber, a figure sat upon a throne. He had been listening all along, yet he had not spoken a single word.

Now, however, his presence commanded attention.

His fingers tapped against the armrest, slow and deliberate. The glow of the battlefield reflected in his piercing gaze, and the flickering light of the crystal ball cast shadows across his face.

This was the leader of the guild.

A fire mage at level one hundred twenty-nine.

Gilheim.

👤 GILHEIM

🏆 [Eye of the Firebane Guild]

🔥 Guild Vice-Leader

🔥 Class: Fire Magus

🔺 Level: 129

And at last, he spoke.

His voice was deep, controlled, yet carried an overwhelming weight.

"Enough," he said.

The entire room became completely silent after he spoke that single word.

When Gilheim began speaking the entire airship became different. The room instantly became silent when the level one hundred twenty-nine fire mage spoke. His fingers stopped their rhythmic tapping motion on the throne armrest. The powerful guild members remained silent as they waited for his next statement to unfold.

Through the crystal ball Guild members observed the battlefield as mushrooms rose up while warriors died while destructive forces swept across the prairie below. The sneezing mushrooms launched their artillery barrage against the battlefield. The battlefield displayed a grim sight of dead bodies from both human and fungal origins while the fighting continued.

Gilheim kept his eyes fixed on the crystal ball throughout the entire observation. With absolute authority his voice maintained a state of calm that never faltered.

"We will not interfere."

A brief but powerful declaration sank the mounting stress within everyone present in the chamber.

Level sixty-four ninja Naya moved forward without meaning to as his mounting frustration became visible. "Not interfere? People are dying down there. The conflict could be resolved immediately.

"They knew the risks," Borka, the level sixty-seven gunslinger, interrupted, his voice carrying an amused tone. The revolver in his hand made clicking sounds as he idly spun it while the room remained silent. The soldiers serve as expendable weapons for the enemy. Our organization does not spend resources on maintaining useless personnel.

Naya's fist clenched. His body wanted him to take action on the spot. To move. Watching his guild members suffer or survive enemy attacks without death caused him unbearable pain.

Marian the level sixty-eight high priestess stayed quiet while sitting in the room's corner. Her complete silence created an imposing presence that stood like a fixed pillar over everyone. Her eyes pierced through the room but she stayed motionless.

Lilith the level sixty-two beast tamer resumed her speech.

"Leader," she said, her hands still hovering over the crystal ball, "I have located the Mushroom King."

Gilheim gave a slight nod. "And?"

Lilith's lips tightened. "Controlling my creature from this distance while avoiding his influence is proving... difficult."

The Mushroom King.

The true ruler of this fungal battlefield.

The Mushroom King appeared in the shifting crystal ball mist while standing at the summit of his domain to observe the entire battlefield below. His mere existence controlled the battlefield without taking any direct action.

The battlefield was his domain.

His children served as soldiers in his army while following his orders to their deaths.

The king observed his soldiers' destruction while standing at his elevated position. The Mushroom King observed artillery mushrooms firing their spores while his foot soldiers fought human warriors before his forces suffered heavy losses.

Yet he remained still.

His gaze, unshaken.

Until.

A movement.

A dark figure moved toward the Mushroom King.

A mushroom assassin who reached level twenty-seven.

This particular mushroom assassin emitted a disturbing energy unlike any other. The tiny spongy organism wore a black slimy covering around its body. The creature moved with supernatural precision as it glided across the ground without making any noise.

Then it struck.

A sudden burst of speed.

The assassin mushroom launched itself toward an object that stood close to the king.

The instant the attack hit the ground everything broke.

Something important.

Lilith stared in shock when the crystal ball inside the airship displayed a sudden change.

A trumpet.