Misconception X Price

The group eventually brought water with them.

There's no other way... these are the resources that sustain their lives.

Now that we've come to the Dark Continent, such trivial matters don't warrant any special awareness.

The six people quickly left the area and disappeared from the surface.

Time passed slowly... The Oboro Squad moved at a pace of stopping and starting. Generally, as long as Oboro didn't sense any danger, they would move quickly. Although, judging solely from their life energy, none of the others were particularly impressive, they were still Nen user after all... When running at full speed, they could easily cover an area of at least a hundred kilometers a day.

However, they still couldn't get out of this desert.

Judging from the illustrations recreated by the system, this desert area doesn't seem very large. If you keep going, you'll encounter a forest and a river... but in reality, it's still not visible.

They look very close on the map, but in reality, the distance is probably extremely far.

At midday, the desert heat reached its peak, and the six men could only hide in the shade of the rocks. Even so, they were drenched in sweat.

If they stepped out of the shadows, they felt as if their skin and flesh would be scorched... Moreover, they also encountered various strangely shaped species.

Based on Long's assessment, this area is on the very edge of the Dark Continent, so the life forms here are likely to be relatively homogeneous, mostly large monsters with certain talents. There are no supernatural elements, strange phenomena, or rules involved; the deeper one goes, the greater the probability of encountering other life forms.

From the perspective of the Dark Continent's food chain, the fact that these monsters were driven to the edge of the ecosystem means that they were basically at the very bottom of the food chain.

Weakest? When they heard Long's explanation, Menchi and the others couldn't believe it.

Because in their eyes, any one of these monsters, if placed in the human world... would be beyond the Nen.

Ordinary Nen are a joke in the face of absolutely powerful flesh and blood.

"Be prepared... we may be in the desert for a long time," Oboro cautioned.

And so, the group traveled during the day and rested at night.

As the journey lengthened, they encountered more and more monsters.

Without exception, they all eventually died at Oboro's hands.

Firstly, this desert isn't a good hiding place; there are practically no safe houses to be found. Secondly, it seems that monsters are more active at night, making it inconvenient for the group to travel. During the day, however, the high temperatures cause many creatures to hide, making it relatively safer.

Although the temperature was a bit unbearable.

Two weeks later.

The group of people were dressed in rags, with unkempt hair and dirty faces, looking like a group of beggars, and were in a very sorry state.

It was dusk when a sound came from the desert.

Then they saw a large swirling black mist in the sky, which eventually settled into one person's body.

Oboro's body slowly descended from the void, shedding its soul-like state.

On the ground, a large Spiders covered in sharp spikes curled up its legs, lifeless.

The surrounding sand had been completely corroded by a milky white liquid, and the rising smoke was extremely pungent. This was the Spiders's venom... Long held his breath and concentrated, contracting all the pores on his body.

Even after the venom evaporated, a burning sensation still lingered in the air; fortunately, his physical defenses were quite strong.

If it were Men Menchi or the others, they probably wouldn't have been able to prevent the toxins from entering their bodies.

After waiting for a long time, the poison gas dissipated, and the teammates carrying backpacks approached one after another.

With knives in both hands, Menchi immediately went to the body and began to examine it to see if there were any parts that could be dissected and used as food... Anthony and Fante looked around and remained vigilant.

Gabe Vich took out his diary and began taking notes...

Gabe Vich will write down all the monsters they encounter on this trip so that they can analyze them at night and ensure they can better deal with them if they encounter them again.

Rita was assisting Menchi.

Everyone had different roles, but the work was very well organized.

The initial fear and unease had long since disappeared.

But... Long glanced at the five people and sighed inwardly.

The five people's demeanor was completely different from when they first set foot on the Dark Continent.

Exhaustion, high tension, frequent palpitations... every emotion is a test and tempering of their will. Moreover, in this desert region alone, monsters appear very frequently.

The power disparity exhibited by each creature was a source of utter despair for Menchi and his companions.

If it weren't for Oboro, they would have died long ago...

Even at night, when they were on night watch, they couldn't sleep soundly, as they would be awakened by the slightest sound.

This living environment is too torturous! All five of them had bloodshot eyes, but they forced themselves to keep going...

And they were very worried that one day, Oboro might leave the team for some reason, or might not be able to protect them...

Although the others didn't say it, Long could sense it.

To be honest, they've done a remarkable job to make it this far, especially considering they're both human and Nen user.

"Captain, you can drink it."

After a moment, Menchi held up a bag made of woven animal hide and said softly.

It was filled with Spiders blood, which was pale green and had a fishy smell.

Rita, on one side, manipulated her abilities to make the plants soaked in blood curl up.

The squad now lives a primitive life, eating monster flesh and blood when they're hungry, sometimes roasting it, sometimes eating it raw... They've gotten used to it.

In the desert, the resources available for use and searching are very limited. If it weren't for the monsters that Oboro hunted, they wouldn't have been able to travel this far.

Menchi only cut off a piece of flesh, enough for one meal, and used the rest as food storage before leaving.

When night fell, the group built a simple fortress out of stones and sat around it.

Long opened the system panel and took a look.

In the past two weeks, he has killed at least dozens of monsters, but neither his position in the food chain nor his ecological score has increased.

This made him realize that upgrading within the new power system seemed... too difficult.

It's far more difficult than it is in the human world.

"That medicine... is it gone?"

Long put away the system and looked at Fante.

"It's gone."

Fante nodded heavily.

The so-called potion was actually the lizard's urine, not just water... Rita was originally injured by an octopus at sea, but she recovered quickly after drinking that liquid.

This liquid clearly has healing properties, but they didn't take much with them because they were in a hurry to leave the battlefield.

In subsequent hunts, although they kept their distance, they were still affected to some extent, and it was thanks to this potion that they were able to maintain their condition.

However, not every organism's body tissue has such unique effects; that lizard was merely an exception.

A moment later, Menchi handed over pieces of the prepared pork belly.

The group took the meat one by one and started gnawing on it with their mouths... The meat was very tough, as tough as weathered leather, but they ate it without changing their expressions.

"Captain, how much longer until we get out of here?"

"Anthony asked."

The man's once carefully maintained pompadour hairstyle was long gone; his long hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in dust.

They're used to monsters and such.

They just wanted to get rid of this terrible environment.

"It's hard to say, it might take a few months, it might take a few years..." Long said calmly.

"..."

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a faint light appeared above their heads.

It is very conspicuous in the night sky.

Gabe Vich glanced at it and uttered, "Fireflies?"

In mid-air, tiny, bean-sized sparkles flickered, gradually gathering together and emitting a pale yellow light.

It's no wonder that Gabe Vich was momentarily stunned. Since they stepped into the Dark Continent, this was the first time they had seen such tiny creatures... almost the size of flies in the human world.

It seems... there's no harm in it.

On the contrary, it's very beautiful...

These insects seemed to be extremely sensitive to sound. As soon as Gabe Vich spoke, the swarm instantly spun into a yellow vortex, spiraling down and heading straight for the pile of stones where they were hiding.

"Disperse!"

Long's pupils contracted, and he suddenly shouted!

Fante grabbed the still-dazed Gabe Vich and sprinted away.

In just two seconds, only Oboro remained in the pile of stones.

However, the swarm of insects instantly split into several streams, each chasing after the team members at an extremely fast speed.

It formed a vibrant band of light in the air!

Without time to think, Long immediately threw a punch from a distance, aiming it at the swarm of insects.

When the first tiny insect was shattered by the force of the punch, it didn't turn into fragments and fall away or drift away with the wind; instead, it exploded! The insect may seem small, but in the instant it exploded, the burning and expanding fireball and its power were like a compressed super missile, terrifying in their force.

Even more deadly, the death of a single insect seemed to trigger a chain reaction... causing the entire swarm to explode.

Under the cover of night, on the dark earth, points of light flickered, which, with a deafening explosion, transformed into a boundless sea of light that swallowed everything.

Long only had time to release all his Nen power and transform into a soul form before he was submerged in a blinding ocean of light.

Flames and high temperatures melted everything.

The hazy Ghost Mist swept in all directions in an instant, and the rolling black tide tried to envelop the exploding and spreading flames.

However... the black barrier formed by the Ghost Mist, that is, Nen, was like a tattered cloth, and was quickly burned through and melted away.

This extreme heat of the flames was so intense that even Oboro's Nen power couldn't stop it!

The Ghost Mist, which is Nen power, suddenly evaporated.

Five or six minutes passed before the sea of light finally disappeared.

However, the entire desert is filled with flowing lava and billowing black smoke, making one feel as if they are in a volcano.

The air was boiling... it was impossible to breathe.

In mid-air, the condensed Ghost Mist formed a giant black cocoon, enveloping Oboro in her soul form.

Once the Ghost Mist dissipated, Oboro, who had been hiding within, was revealed.

Half of his face, and a large part of his body, were burned!

Excruciating pain that tears your heart apart!

But Oboro couldn't care less about any of that at the moment, and like an arrow released from a bow, he flew out of the lava and scorched earth.

After a long while, he was stunned when he fell from the sky.

Below, on the ground, stood two people, two charred corpses...

Although Oboro intervened in time, causing the swarm to explode around him, everything happened too fast!

Even far from the epicenter of the explosion, the intense heat from the impact is enough to destroy ordinary life forms.

It is unrealistic to use thoughts to resist this power.

If it weren't for his Ghost Mist, which briefly suppressed the spread of its power and gave his teammates a little opening, then... Menchi and the others might have been vaporized instead of running this far and merely being scorched by the high temperature.

The corpse standing in front is Fante.

Judging from his physical appearance, it seems that he wanted to protect his teammates before he died... He was Enhancement Nen user, and considering his physical attributes and Nen strength, it was the best choice for him to take the damage and withstand and buffer the aftershocks of the first wave of explosions.

Fante's role within the team has always been more like a 'bodyguard'... after all, he's older and more mature.

The corpse behind is undoubtedly Rita ...

She touched the ground with both hands, presumably using her abilities before she died to activate the vegetation and form a 'protective shield'. Although she didn't have many seeds left, she had always carried them with her...

Behind the two corpses were the three unconscious Menchi.

Their bodies were burning red, yet they were still breathing.

If they stayed any longer, the still-hot temperature would kill them.

Long closed his eyes, stepped forward and patted the shoulders of the two charred corpses, then quickly fled with Menchi and the other two.

He died.

Sudden death and danger.

There were no warning signs whatsoever.

The Ghost Mist he released in advance didn't even detect the appearance of those insects...

The soul is related to the spirit. These insects clearly do not possess 'thinking' and are merely following some kind of instinct... Therefore, the fluctuations of their souls are negligible.

Human life energy is weak to large creatures, but for these insects, it's perfect food.

The food chain in the Dark Continent is not a single chain, but rather a complex network of countless interconnected chains.

Large life forms can hunt down beings of equal size, and small life forms naturally have their own spheres of influence.

Long made a mistake. While the strength of life energy can indeed measure the power of a species, it does not apply to all life forms on the Dark Continent.

At least, it's useless when it comes to things like supernatural powers, the bizarre, and rules.

Insects have very little life energy, but their danger is terrifying.

Life energy should not be equated with danger.

Long learned a lesson.

The price... was the sacrifice of two teammates; his thinking still couldn't escape common human sense.

Extraordinary power...

This insect belongs to this sequence.

The extreme fire element, the power of the explosion, could even burn him in his soul form.

Let the Ghost Mist formed from Nen power melt away like snow.

Essentially, it's because the life energy he released was destroyed by an external attack.

What is extraordinary power...? It refers to a certain power reaching its peak, which can ignore the effects of 'Nen'.

The effects of Nen are added by personal will.

'Soul matter' should be nothingness and untouchable by external forces.

But... that's the purity of power! Half an hour later, Oboro, himself quite injured, laid the unconscious Menchi and the other two on the ground, looking up at the night sky. "Yes... we went too far..."

Even if it's only been a little over half a month, he felt that... Netero and Beyond and the others probably hadn't made that much progress; more likely, they were just wandering around the coastline.

"Sound."

Long murmured another sentence.

The insects were attracted by the sound; they seemed to be able to sense even the faintest sound source.

It is extremely sensitive to audio frequencies.

Gabe Vich's soft murmurs triggered a riot among the insect swarm.

"It can be resolved..."

Long looked down at his half-body, which was burned and peeling, and frowned.

If, at that time... he could have sensed it beforehand and made everyone shut up, or even briefly stop their heartbeats, perhaps... he would have escaped this calamity.

But now... it's too late to say anything.

His eyes flickered, then he fell silent.