Characteristics of the Dark Continent X A True Hell

As dawn broke and the temperature began to rise, the group made some simple preparations and embarked on their journey into this unfamiliar continent.

During the day, you can look up at the sky and see sunlight and clouds, but only in a limited area above your head. At the edge of the sky, shadows still hang low, and it seems that the further you walk, the dimmer the light and shadow become.

It felt like stepping from day into night.

Long understood that it was because a towering tree in the center of the land blocked everything out.

Of course, these are all just his speculations at the moment and have not been confirmed.

"The temperature is starting to rise..." The group walked cautiously, not daring to go fast, partly to conserve energy and partly to avoid arousing the senses of any danger. They only set off after Long had confirmed that there was no danger nearby.

However, their landing location and current environment differ from those described in v5's data.

They seem to have chosen a very bad route.

In just a few hours, the temperature in the originally frigid desert rose sharply, turning it into a giant furnace.

Right now, it's not even the hottest time of day, midday.

"We must find a water source immediately." Long frowned.

Suddenly, he reached out and stopped his teammates.

Without being told, Menchi four companions instantly transformed into streaks of light and vanished from the spot, hiding behind several pebbles to conceal themselves.

Only Oboro remained standing in the same spot.

Long stared coldly ahead, sensing a soul fluctuation several kilometers away.

The opponent's ability to conceal their presence is unparalleled.

It is difficult to detect using only the 'circle' as a sensory tool.

Within Oboro's mind appeared a 'soul form' hidden beneath the sand, resembling a strangely shaped giant lizard, much like a chameleon. This creature's ability to hide and disguise itself was innate, one of the abilities that allowed it to be a member of the Dark Continent's food chain. What surprised Oboro was that, perhaps related to the Dark Continent's unique ecology, this monster, possessing such powerful vitality, had flawless control over its aura... almost more terrifying than a human Nen user had honed their 'Zetsu' to its extreme.

Humans spend their entire lives cultivating themselves, but this monster possesses that ability from birth...

If it weren't for his soul abilities, even he would probably have fallen into this trap.

Long stood still.

Soon, huge waves of sand surged up from the ground ahead, and a column of water, like a sweet spring, gushed up from the ground, spreading into the high sky and forming a beautiful rainbow.

The high temperatures in the desert were astonishing and persisted for some time. Under such circumstances, the sudden appearance of a water source undoubtedly brought hope to many 'lives,' including the Oboro Squad.

What they lack most right now is water.

Water is more important than food.

The water cascaded down, soaking the sand and soil.

Not long after, Oboro witnessed a black scorpion rushing towards them from a distance, its body still enormous.

What's unusual is that the scorpion has more than one long tail with a venomous hook.

The scorpion sprinted to the suddenly appearing water source, stood still, and drank the moisture from the sand. But just as it stopped, suddenly, the vast desert collapsed, creating a whirlpool. A gaping maw rose from below, biting the scorpion and swallowing it whole, leaving only half its head exposed.

It was the lizard that Oboro sensed... hiding on the ground.

This scene is incredibly striking, firstly because of the creatures' towering size, and secondly because of its visual impact, starkly revealing the hierarchy of the food chain in the Dark Continent, and the relationship between hunter and hunted.

The spouting water is a lizard's ability to lure prey into traps.

The scorpion had clearly been stung! Its terrifying tails continued to stab at the lizard as it struggled, emitting a piercing hiss.

But due to the latter's hard scales, it failed... and was eventually eaten.

This scene unfolded and ended very quickly.

Just a few minutes later, the desert ahead returned to calm.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

The water trapped in the sand evaporates quickly due to the high temperature, disappearing without a trace.

Menchi and the others remained hidden, not daring to come out. Their faces were pale... They had all sensed the violent and surging aura, which fully indicated the terrifying nature of the life vessel it carried.

After waiting for a while, sure enough, another familiar jet of water shot out, just like before.

Some mist drifted over, carrying a faint, enticingly sweet milky aroma.

The pupils gradually constricted.

My scalp is tingling...

In his perception, the scorpion was eaten by the lizard... but that's normal.

What alarmed him was that after the lizard devoured its prey, it seemed that not only its aura... but also its soul had become stronger.

This made him think of something in an instant.

Meruem's talent.

The Chimera Ant King has an instinct to 'eat', and after consuming the brain tissue of Nen user, its ki becomes even stronger... In short, it can evolve indefinitely! It is similar to Oboro's ability, and he previously thought it was just a special case.

But now it seems that's not the case at all! Humans eat food to sustain life and obtain nutrition... but in essence, what we eat cannot be transformed into 'power'. There is a very necessary process in between: cultivation! But the creatures of the Dark Continent don't seem to be like that.

They can absorb the essential life energy through digestion! Note that it is absorbing energy... not simply eating living organisms.

That's terrifying...

This means that it is highly likely that most life on the Dark Continent... has a certain characteristic in their food chain.

The ability to become stronger simply by 'eating' would make the battles between species within the food chain even more brutal and bloody... and humans do not possess this ability. At least in the current human world, no human has this trait, unless they possess some special ability like Oboro.

Everything has the potential to evolve! Evolution is always ongoing...

No one knows how many years the Dark Continent has existed. Does this mean that some of the ancient creatures on this continent are 'super-dimensional species' that stand at the top of the food chain and have evolved to an unknown level? Just like raising Gu poison.

The realization of this means that there must be several kinds of creatures, as well as a group of the most terrifying 'things', on this land.

Long's heart pounded wildly.

Netero's report to V5 didn't mention this, but... perhaps the old man realized it, which is why he forbade humans from setting foot on this continent.

"Fortunately, I developed the ability to stack passives... otherwise, I wouldn't even have the basic qualifications to participate in this game. Evolution... is just a ticket." Long suddenly realized, "The reason I can evolve is because of my powerful digestion and absorption abilities... essentially, it's still a difference in the structure of life."

Long couldn't imagine whether humans before they migrated to the Lake Island possessed this characteristic; at least now... they no longer do.

He then thought of Alluka.

That kind of life form involves the energy of the rule system.

The power that any living thing possesses is for survival; this is a fundamental law.

Oboro once believed that Alluka relied on the desires in people's hearts as bait to obtain the 'food' it needed, but what was its food?

Although it is invisible to the naked eye.

It wasn't related to food; it seemed like they were just 'playing around'.

But anyone who contracted the virus or was close to it died... The price paid was life.

If Alluka can truly transform 'external life' into lifespan through her own power... then she has undoubtedly touched upon the essence of life energy.

It has no physical form, so it doesn't need to eat anything. But what it needs... to sustain its survival, or rather, what always exists, is life energy.

It's not just about flesh and blood, spirit and soul; that's also a kind of thing.

From this perspective, both the Chimera Ant King and Alluka are close to the essence of 'evolving through hunting and absorbing life energy'.

Is this a unique characteristic of the Dark Continent? Alluka's evolutionary characteristics are not very prominent, but that doesn't mean they are absent... it's just that it's still relatively young, and its 'eating method' is also unconventional.

Understanding this gave Long a slight chill.

He wasn't sure if all species on the Dark Continent possessed the characteristic of 'evolution,' or... only a portion of them.

Even so, I dare not investigate further... because it's too terrifying.

He now vaguely understood Netero's 'good intentions'.

Looking at this world again, Oboro felt like a lost soul who had strayed into an abyss.

"Even the worst human world is a relatively safe paradise... but here, it's a real hell."

He muttered to himself.

"It's just a pity... but I still want to come."

"Because I already possess the qualifications and ticket to participate in the game... how could I possibly miss this most realistic hunting feast, which is derived from evolution..."

"Prey and Predator..."

"I think I prefer this side a little more. After all, there's no backstabbing or infighting involved. It's more pure: whoever is stronger survives."

The next second, Oboro suddenly smiled.

A bloodthirsty desire ignited in his eyes.

He came here... also for evolution! With that, he walked alone toward the area where the water was rising.