The Young Monk's Request looks straightforward on paper: talk to a kid, grab a mushroom, done. What the quest description doesn't tell you is that the mushroom sits inside a restricted village that will knock you unconscious every time you approach it. There's a prerequisite quest the game never explicitly flags, and the cave itself has its own hazards. Here's exactly how to get through it without the frustration.
How to start the Young Monk's Request
The quest becomes available once you've unlocked the Howling Hill Greymanes Camp in Chapter 3. From there, head east to Coalvale Workshop, a small settlement in the Unicorn Cliff area. If you're coming from the main Hernand city, ride south until you cross the river, then follow the road east.
At Coalvale Workshop, speak to the Young Monk near the well. He's traveled from Jijeong Temple searching for a Mystical Pine Mushroom that grows in the Pororin Forest. That conversation starts the quest and plants a marker on your map pointing toward the Pororin Village.
danger
This quest is categorized under the Demeniss Commissions faction quests, also referred to internally as Mushrooms Growing Among Poisons. You don't need to do anything special to trigger it beyond passing through Coalvale Workshop.Why can't you enter Pororin Village?
The Pororin Village is a restricted area protected by Shai children who shoot sleeping darts at any outsider who approaches. The moment Kliff gets close, he gets knocked out and dragged away. Attempting to brute-force entry doesn't work either. Testing confirmed that even if you manage to push through the village perimeter, the Shai will continue knocking you out inside the mushroom cave itself.
Access requires completing a separate quest that the Young Monk's Request never mentions.
How to unlock Pororin Forest access
To gain entry to Pororin Village, you must complete the Unreachable Village quest (also referred to as Trembling Woods in some quest log entries). Here's how it unlocks:
- Approach the Pororin Village perimeter and get knocked out by the Shai. You need to trigger this three times before the Unreachable Village quest appears.
- Once the quest activates, follow its objectives around the village to the designated quest area.
- The Unreachable Village quest involves retrieving a relic from a giant walking tree and forming a formal alliance with the Shai.
- After completing it, the Shai will recognize Kliff and allow passage into the village.
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Don't skip the three knock-out triggers. The Unreachable Village quest won't appear until the Shai have put you to sleep that many times. You can't shortcut this.
Where to find the Mystical Pine Mushroom
With Pororin Village access unlocked, follow the quest marker into the forest. The Mystical Pine Mushroom is not sitting out in the open. It's inside a cave at the base of a hill, and the cave entrance is easy to miss.
How to locate the cave entrance
Look for a wooden pole with plants hanging from it near the hill's base. That marker sits right next to the cave mouth. The entrance is in the northeast section of the village area. Once you spot the wooden pole, the cave opening becomes obvious.
Wooden pole marks cave entrance
How to get through the cave
The cave interior is full of red mushrooms that emit sleep spores. Getting too close without dealing with them will knock Kliff out repeatedly. Two methods work here:
- Bow method (recommended): Crouch and enter slowly. When you spot a glowing red mushroom, draw your bow and shoot it from a distance before it puts you to sleep. There are multiple red mushrooms throughout the cave, so stock up on arrows before entering.
- Rush method: Spam the wake-up input and roll forward continuously. This works but is significantly messier and less reliable than just shooting the mushrooms.
The red mushrooms cause sleep status but deal no actual damage, so there's no health risk. The only consequence of getting knocked out is losing time.
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Don't enter the cave without arrows if you want a clean run. The bow method is the only reliable way to clear the path without repeatedly waking up mid-cave.
Once you've cleared the red mushrooms, push to the deepest part of the cave. The Mystical Pine Mushrooms are scattered on the ground at the back. You only need one to complete the quest, but you can collect all of them.
Quest rewards and what to do with them
The quest completes automatically the moment you pick up a Mystical Pine Mushroom. There's no need to return to the Young Monk at Coalvale Workshop.
The 5x Pine Mushrooms are the main practical reward here. They function as a cooking ingredient and are worth holding onto rather than selling immediately, particularly if you're investing time into Crimson Desert's food and alchemy systems.
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