Oboro's Desired Hope

Menchi and the others were also in poor condition; the shockwaves and high temperatures from the explosion had weakened their vitality.

As death loomed, even with Fante and Rita blocking their way, the remaining three instinctively unleashed all their Nen power to defend themselves.

Their journey out of the desert was temporarily interrupted, so Oboro built a temporary shelter out of stones to help the three men recover from their injuries.

During this time, he also had to hunt nearby, not straying too far, and constantly monitor the vital signs of the three people.

A few days later, Menchi was the first to wake up.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Oboro sitting to the side, preparing food that smelled strongly of blood.

On the side of her face, directly in front of her, was a shocking scar – a burn scar.

"Don't talk... get some rest," Oboro said calmly.

Menchi was parched and exhausted. Upon hearing this sound, he did not speak.

She first assessed her own condition, then turned her eyes and glanced to the side.

I saw Gabe Vich and Anthony... but Fante and Rita... were nowhere to be seen.

Instantly, Menchi's eyes reddened and tears streamed down her face.

She understood something...

"Everyone was prepared for this before we came... So, all we can do is accept this outcome." Oboro sensed Menchi's emotions but offered no comfort. He simply said, "Their deaths also serve as a warning to those of us who survived to always be wary of the dangers lurking in the shadows."

"They are our partners, but more importantly, they are our saviors..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Menchi turned her head away, her neck twitching slightly.

Half a day later, Anthony also woke up.

His reaction was similar to Menchi's, but his emotions were much stronger. However, his Exhaust body prevented him from doing any exercise, or even speaking loudly... In the end, he could only burst into tears, his expression one of unbearable pain.

Even after mentally preparing myself, it was still hard to accept when it actually happened.

The main problem is that it happened too suddenly... without any buffer period.

"I'm sorry... it's... it's all... it's me..."

After opening his eyes, Gabe Vich was overcome with deep remorse.

If he hadn't made a sound, perhaps the insects wouldn't have gathered around.

"That extreme heat from the flames could even affect souls... so I didn't have time to collect their souls." Long fed his teammates water and food, then said in a low voice, "Don't let their lives be wasted. Live on..."

"..."

Nothing was said that night.

The next day, Menchi was still not fully recovered, insisted on getting up. In her words, if she couldn't even overcome this little difficulty in the Dark Continent, she might as well be dead. She didn't want to be a burden to the team or hold them back.

Her eyes... changed.

It's not just her... even Anthony and Gabe Vich seem to have different vibes.

The deaths of Fante and Rita had a profound impact on the three of them.

Then, as usual, Gabe Vich and Anthony each took on their respective tasks.

Busy with a tired body.

Oboro did not forcibly stop them, because this was their way of releasing pain.

Anthony cut off his cherished long hair, leaving short hair, much like Fante.

As for Gabe Vich ... he became taciturn and unwilling to speak.

Less than a month after entering the Dark Continent, the continent dealt the team a heavy blow.

Some crises are so perilous that even with the presence of a threat, it's difficult to guarantee everyone's safety.

And so, the team, which had shrunk from six to four, continued on its journey.

Time passed little by little.

Although their strength hadn't improved much, the change in their mindset, coupled with their adaptation to this continent, had allowed Menchi and his companions to maintain a relatively calm attitude when facing all sorts of bizarre and strange creatures, no longer feeling timid or panicked.

Their daily actions have also become more disciplined.

Overcoming her psychological barriers, Oboro consciously manipulates the battlefield after finding prey, involving the three others while ensuring their safety. This is primarily to hone their skills and increase their chances of survival.

Their team's survival strategy is very simple... at least temporarily: absolutely avoid contact with supernatural powers, the bizarre, and rules; if they sense anything amiss, they immediately flee.

Detailed information and intelligence about the creatures were collected through hunting or attacking.

Or they have a thorough understanding of the target's 'abilities'.

After wandering in the desert for half a year, they finally saw an oasis.

But instead of joy, everyone's expression was one of extreme caution.

The emergence of new areas may indicate new food chains, new ecological environments, and more unfamiliar species... The team has already gained some understanding of the Dark Continent.

The environment shapes people... Although humans are physically weak, their adaptability is exceptional.

Having gained some experience and tempering in battles with monsters, the three of them, while not as greatly improved as Menchi through absorbing souls, have made a qualitative leap compared to their initial abilities.

This increase is comprehensive.

Over a period of six months, Oboro killed hundreds of monsters and absorbed their souls.

This finally caused a slight change in his panel.

Its position in the food chain remains downstream.

However, the ecological score changed from 25 to 27.

It went up by 2 points... at least it went up.

His growth is likely related to his understanding of the continent's environment and his finding ways to integrate into it.

"Earth-Eating Worm".

As they approached the oasis, without any warning from Long, Menchi, who was walking beside him, suddenly spoke with a blank expression.

As soon as they finished speaking, the sand near them suddenly collapsed downwards, and all the yellow sand poured into the ground like a sea. Long stood still, while Menchi, holding a knife in both hands, immediately fell into the dark and deep underground cave with the sand flow. By the light, they could already see a gaping maw, eagerly waiting.

A milky-white worm crawled on the ground, without eyes or any other organs. This worm identifies its food by smell and is not very large, only a few dozen meters long. In the Dark Continent, this is already considered a small life form... And the worm usually hunts creatures with relatively weak life energy, otherwise it wouldn't have targeted Oboro and the other humans.

For large life forms, they are not even enough to fill a tooth gap, and most of them would be ignored, just like the rats and strange birds that Oboro initially encountered.

After Menchi jumped into the sandpit, Gabe Vich and Anthony also stepped into the yellow sand vortex.

Soon after, Oboro heard the roars of the Earth-Eating Worm... The sand tide stopped flowing, but the ground continued to tremble, clearly indicating that the underground insects were being attacked by humans and were putting up some kind of resistance.

In the desert, they would give a temporary name to every creature they hunted or encountered.

In sandy areas where Earth-Eating Worm typically hide, the gravel and pebbles are relatively loose and the geology is softer. This slight change would have been unnoticed by Menchi and his companions' previous alertness, but now, without Long's reminder, the three of them are able to handle it well.

This... is what growing up is all about.

After a while, a small bulge appeared on the sand, and the three people covered in slime crawled out from underground one after another.

The battle is over.

Of course, the three of them working together can barely hunt some small creatures, provided that... the danger is not that high.

For some large projects, we still need to rely on [the existing system/mechanism].

Putting everything else aside, in such a harsh living environment, the long-term maintenance and consumption of Nen power is, invisibly, refining the life energy of the three people.

Upon seeing the oasis, Oboro had already determined their location.

On the far left of the 'map', if you go further ahead and cross the oasis, there should be a cluster of 'thatched huts' of varying sizes.

Stepping onto the oasis, the heat in the air subsided considerably, and a gentle breeze began to blow.

But the lush vegetation in front of him, no matter what kind, would be dozens or even hundreds of times larger in the human world... Although it is not as exaggerated as the World Tree due to the different plant families, it is still quite amazing.

For this continent, the oasis before them should be a stretch of green meadow.

But the four of them, including Long, moved like insects through the shadows of the towering branches.

Not long after entering the oasis, Oboro heard a buzzing sound, and then saw several giant crustaceans fly down to the leaves above, looking down at the four black dots hidden under the branches. In total, more than a dozen... Oboro's team was surrounded.

But there was no panic.

Long glanced at the insects, and the next second, he flicked his hand.

All the surrounding plants were cut in half, some even shattered into pieces... As for the insects resting on the leaves, before they could even launch an attack, their bodies cracked and burst into pieces, drenching them with juice.

Menchi and his two companions quickly dodged, not daring to touch the liquid, for who knew if it was poisonous?

Having absorbed so many souls, all of which were from species with immense energy, Oboro's gains in the past six months have far exceeded what he achieved in the human world over the past few years... Even though the system panel has changed and no longer displays specific values, his rating has only increased by two points. His Nen has remained, which means that his improvement has never stopped.

Whether it's attack range, spell power, armor, or the transformation that attribute upgrades bring to the body.

Oboro's physical strength is now stronger than when she first set foot on the Dark Continent... and the range of her attacks from a distance is also much greater, reaching nearly a mile.

In addition, his Nen is still being developed.

Now we have even more cards to play.

For example, although he doesn't understand the physical structure of unfamiliar species, he can still pinpoint the weaknesses of certain life forms by directly observing their souls, allowing him to use acupressure or pulse manipulation to inflict terrifying damage. No matter how the physical structure changes, blood flow remains constant... Ordinary living beings haven't escaped this fundamental principle.

After killing them, Oboro did not release the Ghost Mist. Instead, the souls of the insects that fell from the ground flew towards him like magnets and poured into his body.

They hadn't gone far when more insects flew down.

This time, however, they didn't need to take action.

Instead, a black centipede crawling among the plants reared up, its sharp, enormous mandibles seizing a flying insect. The insect landed, causing a tremor in the ground, and the centipede began to devour it. Menchi and the other two paled slightly. They hadn't noticed the centipede beforehand because this monster could change color, like a chameleon, waiting for its prey. Once it moved, its original pigmentation returned... and, seemingly due to its relatively weak life energy, the centipede didn't target them.

The four of them had been using 'Zetsu' to keep their life energy in a low-frequency state... Now, their various Nen techniques had been refined to an 'incredibly profound' level, at least from the perspective of human Nen, that's about right.

There's something here.

Long said something.

He could sense the 'energy' of this oasis; such abundant energy on the barren desert was bound to give birth to something extraordinary.

Flying insects or centipedes are both disasters... which further indicates that there is 'hope' nearby.

And it was different from the kind of 'hope' they had encountered before.

The hope they had previously gained, including the Alchemy Plant that Beyond had once found, actually represented 'hope' from the perspective of human energy. Some sparse vegetation in the desert also had this effect; for example, the four of them had once encountered a peculiar 'cactus' that was as big as a house.

Its secreted juice is a natural preservative... anything that is applied to it can retain its original appearance.

It seems to be unaffected by time, weathering, environment, etc.

If applied in the human world, its impact would be unimaginable.

This kind of anti-corrosion method can be applied to various materials, and this alone is enough to benefit mankind endlessly.

However, hope comes in many forms and types.

This kind of hope is not something Long desires.

For example, in the human world, there are five great hopes, such as the Unmanned Stone, which alone can support the terrifying amount of electrical energy consumed by humanity; and the Three-Origin Water, which can become the original liquid of all liquids. These are all examples of such hopes.

What Lonely was looking for was something like Longevity Rice or herbs that could cure all diseases...

It can be applied to individuals, or to their strength, survival, and 'hope' that is more relevant to their current situation.

Even if we find hope in the energy sector, it won't be of much use.

Furthermore, that cactus couldn't be brought back to the human world either; after all, it's just a plant, and it will wither without roots.

The lizard's potion and the octopus's ink could be brought back... but their effects wouldn't reach the level of 'hope'.

It can only be considered a treasure.

Long's words made the three of them, Menchi and his companions, freeze in surprise.

Then, Long bent his elbow and stood up, aiming at the centipede not far away.

The centipede was still feeding...

When Oboro released its absolute state and unleashed its aura, the centipede finally realized the danger and hissed.

In an instant, it leaped sideways and flew over.

The reaction was remarkably quick.

Bang! But Oboro's fist was faster... without even hitting it.

Ta Bu, bend over... and throw One-Punch Man.

The terrifying power caused the air between the centipede and Oboro to explode repeatedly, pulverizing the surrounding plants... This was merely the residual force that had spilled out. Oboro's attack range was not a process of progressive power, but rather it directly ignored space and landed on the target.

However, this One-Punch Man only knocked the centipede to the ground and sent it flying a great distance, but it failed to penetrate it... The centipede's metallic-looking carapace was exceptionally hard.

That's enough for Oboro.

He then changed his fist into a palm, instantly seeing through the centipede's soul state. The monster's body was burning with soul fire, but various parts of its body were connected to the fire by thin lines. The denser and thicker the lines, the more concentrated the target's spirit was, and the more important those parts were.

At the same time, it is also a weakness.

Oboro raised his hand and brought his sword down, slashing down from a distance!

An invisible blade formed by immense force instantly aimed at the gap below the centipede's head, where its carapace met, and slashed down!

Boom! The centipede's head was severed.

The ground beneath the corpses was left with a deep pit, like a ditch.

"Those insects had an extremely wide field of vision, as if there were no blind spots. Otherwise, in our ultimate state, and while we were moving under cover, they wouldn't have been able to detect us. Of course, it could also be due to their hunting habits; they specifically prey on life forms with tiny energy, so even if our ultimate was perfectly concealed, they could still sense it." Menchi looked at the scene before him with great composure.

The three of them had seen their captain hunt far too many times.

She spoke up to remind him.

Arriving in an unfamiliar area means leaving a familiar environment, and having to start all over again to adapt and understand everything.

Gabe Vich, who was behind him, immediately picked up a small notebook and wrote it down.

Anthony then walked over to the splattered fluid from the insects and began to observe it.

"Unlike before, the deeper we go, the greater the probability of encountering extraordinary, bizarre, and rule-based life forms. They are not as rare as in the desert. Be careful."

Long withdrew his imposing aura and said calmly, "Let's look for hope first."

"Yes."