Chapter 4: The Efficacy of the Enlarging Mushroom

This is simply six times his height

Wang Ling was shocked as he looked at all of this. He had originally been over a head taller than Mario, but now he only reached Mario's lower abdomen. Just a single mushroom could double his height and size; even though he knew its effects from the game, seeing it with his own eyes was still unbelievable

As Wang Ling approached the chestnut boy, he gripped the kitchen knife tightly with both hands and swung it forcefully forward. The knife was nearly half a meter long, with a dark blade featuring a gleaming silver edge. Although its attack power was only 1-1, it appeared quite extraordinary. More importantly, it was not the weapon's inherent attack power that mattered, but rather the sharpness of the blade

He possesses the skill of "speed running" (Note: in the game, hold down the B key without releasing it). Even when Wang Ling is running, he finds it somewhat strenuous to keep up with him, only able to see his figure from a distance. However, when Mario reaches the first floating brick, he notices a question mark on it, indicating a hidden item. Without hesitation, he stops and jumps straight up, using his head to hit the floating brick.

From the treasures within the floating bricks, he once again confirmed one point: this scene, aside from the size and number of monsters, is remarkably faithful to the original game. Therefore, having played the game, he has an understanding of the eight castles even without the aid of a map

Seeing Wang Ling, who remained calm and composed despite the setbacks, Mario's eyes revealed a look of admiration, and he continued to use "accelerated running" as he sprinted forward

If I could obtain such mushrooms..." Wang Ling gritted his teeth, formulating a plan in his mind

A small amount of venom splashed into Wang Ling's eyes, causing a stinging sensation, making it difficult for him to see clearly. He felt something bite into his arm and quickly shook it off, retreating hastily. The sound of tearing fabric echoed in his ears.

Mario stepped on five Chestnut Kids and arrived at the second floating brick. In fact, using the term "block" is not entirely accurate, as this is a section of bricks divided into six large pieces. Below, there are five pieces, with three ordinary floating bricks interspersed between two hidden treasure question mark floating bricks. The remaining question mark floating brick is surprisingly located at a higher position.

The brick is more than 5 meters above the ground, and an ordinary human like Wang Ling absolutely cannot jump that high. However, Mario, with his super jumping ability, strikes the floating brick with precision. His effort is clearly substantial, as the floating brick emits a muffled sound upon impact and suddenly bounces upward.

Mario kicked up and stomped on the turtle shell, which immediately slid forward in a straight line. The few little chestnut boys behind were hit by the shell, toppling over one by one, losing their ability to resist

Mario nodded and said happily: "The treasures that Bowser has stolen from the Mushroom Kingdom, including coins and special items, are all hidden in the bricks. To avoid forgetting the location of the treasures, he has marked them on the bricks. On the way to rescue the princess, we can just retrieve these treasures."

You must be cautious, as the chestnut boy will spray venom after his body is cut open

After crushing the chestnut boy with his foot, Mario said to Wang Ling: "Hurry up and follow closely behind, let us advance together"

This is one of the most peculiar treasures of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Super Mushroom. I feel a surge of power within me

After consuming an entire large mushroom from the Great and Powerful Book, a miracle occurred. Mario, who originally stood at less than 1.5 meters tall, rapidly grew and expanded, becoming a super giant taller than Yao Ming and more robust than Shaquille O'Neal

Upon hearing the request, Mario indeed only crushed two, then bounced back, leaving the last one for him. Wang Ling, seeing the gigantic mushroom-shaped monster, gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on the large kitchen knife, and charged directly at the chestnut boy.

This is the weakest enemy in Super Mario 1, the Chestnut Kid. Its weakness lies in its very slow speed, which is only slightly faster than a human walking. If it were not surrounded by multiple Chestnut Kids, it could easily be avoided.

After this delay, Wang Ling arrived, panting. He saw the short, stout, and simple-minded plumber, whose face was adorned with a smile, and asked, "Was the coin just now a mushroom copper coin"

It is worth mentioning that Wang Ling also killed a chestnut boy. Particularly attentive to the venom, he did not suffer any harm. After killing the monster, he found that he did not receive any rewards, indicating that the act of killing monsters for points is not feasible

The mushroom surprisingly exhibited self-awareness, immediately sliding forward as if attempting to escape. Mario quickly rushed up, grabbed the mushroom, and stuffed it into his mouth, producing sounds of "ah-woo ah-woo" as he chewed and swallowed.

Even with Mario's jumping height, it is impossible to directly hit this floating block. However, he can use the bricks below as a stepping platform

Mario, having ascended to the highest point, directed his descent towards the top of the chestnut boy's head. Under the pressure of his feet, the creature, roughly the same size as him, let out a wretched scream, its body twisting and collapsing into a thin patty of flesh

The enlarged Mario knocked off the three hidden treasure blocks, collecting three mushroom coins, and along the way, he stomped on over ten chestnut creatures, arriving at the first green pipe.

After experiencing a setback, he found his mood settling down. The defenses of the chestnut boy were quite weak; the large kitchen knife struck against the flesh with little resistance. Moreover, its agility was low and its speed slow. As long as one was cautious of the venom that suddenly sprayed from the wound, killing it was actually quite simple

Although Mario is charging ahead, this journey is certainly not without its dangers. It is far better to gain combat experience in advance than to be caught off guard and fight in a panic when surrounded by monsters

As he was speaking, Mario saw three little chestnut creatures approaching and was about to rush forward when Wang Ling quickly said to him: "Leave one for me. After all, the road ahead is very dangerous. I want to test my own strength; perhaps I can be of help to you when we encounter a large number of monsters."

With a single stroke, the resistance from the flesh was not strong. A long gash was cut into the body of the chestnut creature, and a light brown liquid, indistinguishable as either blood or mucus, violently sprayed from the wound. Wang Ling did not expect this turn of events; the liquid splattered on his face, causing an immediate burning sting. The Dream Mark provided a notification: "You have been counterattacked by the chestnut creature's venom, losing 5 points of health, and you are now poisoned. Based on the toxin content of the venom and your resistance to it, the poisoned state will last for 3 seconds, during which you will lose 1 point of health each second." The Dream Mark reiterated: "You have been counterattacked by the chestnut creature's venom, losing 5 points of health, and you are now poisoned. Based on the toxin content of the venom and your resistance to it, the poisoned state will last for 3 seconds, during which you will lose 1 point of health each second."

With Wang Ling's jumping ability, he cannot leap over the more than 5-meter high green pipe, but this is not a game; there is only one path. He just needs to go around it alongside the library.

However, Mario chose to fight. He began to run forward, and as he approached the Chestnut Kid, he suddenly jumped up. In Wang Ling's incredulous gaze, his figure soared to nearly ten meters in the air

In the muffled sound of "bang!", mixed with the pleasant sound of "ding!", a copper coin sprang out from the brick. Quick-witted and agile, Mario swiftly grabbed the coin and pocketed it, then gracefully descended.

Wang Ling was astonished; being able to completely crush a chestnut boy who was nearly 1.5 meters tall speaks volumes about the ferocity of such a stomp! In a classic game, it is surprising to see a protagonist with a simple appearance and a naive personality possess such formidable strength

Wang Ling hurriedly followed behind, as he had a matter of great importance related to his plan that he wanted to confirm: whether the second question mark block was indeed a giant mushroom

This is the first time facing a monster directly, and the psychological pressure is naturally immense. He does not possess the jumping ability or head-stomping technique like Mario; the only thing he can rely on is the large kitchen knife in his hand.

Unlike Wang Ling, Mario does not display any serious expression; a relaxed and cheerful demeanor is the prevailing theme of this world. As the protagonist of the world, the plumber faces any situation without experiencing any negative psychological pressure

Wang Ling nodded at Mario, noticing that his life had decreased by a total of 8 points, changing from 45 to 37. The health bar above his head showed a slight reduction. The left sleeve of his school uniform was torn, likely due to the teeth of the chestnut boy.

Three seconds is not long; it will pass quickly. Wang Ling, while retreating based on his instincts, gritted his teeth and struck his own nose with force. The stimulation triggered his tear glands, and tears immediately surged forth, washing away the poison that had entered his eyes. At that moment, he heard a scream, realizing that Mario must have crushed the chestnut kid. He no longer felt panicked, closed his eyes, and waited for the effects of the poison to dissipate

Continuing onward, the two encountered a Speedy Turtle. Mario jumped on it and stomped once, but the turtle had an extremely hard green shell that could withstand such attacks. However, upon being attacked, the Speedy Turtle immediately retracted its head, limbs, and tail, leaving a large turtle shell lying on the ground

The chestnut boy is entirely brown, with a trunk shaped like a mushroom. He has large eyes that gleam with a fierce light and two extremely thick eyebrows. Below him are two large feet that support his body, and he does not have arms or legs.

This action gives Wang Ling a feeling very similar to that of Popeye eating spinach

Wang Ling's heart raced violently as he watched Mario smash his head against the floating brick. "Bang!" A large mushroom with red spots sprang out from the jumping block.

The two individuals proceeded along the pathway towards the direction of Koopa Castle. On the way, a patrolling monster, having noticed the unexpected guests, immediately sent a small chestnut creature walking towards them.

It is noteworthy that its enormous mouth, which occupies about one-fifth of its body, is large enough to engulf a human head like that of Wang Ling when opened. One can see rows of teeth within; although there are no sharp fangs, each tooth is as large as a palm, and its biting force is certainly formidable

Mario laughed heartily, pushing against the ordinary floating brick ahead. Suddenly, debris flew everywhere; instead of merely bouncing the brick upward, he actually shattered it! This demonstrates that it is not only height and physique that matter; after consuming the Super Mushroom, his strength has significantly increased.