City in the House

A few months later, the four set off again.

This time they traveled much faster than before, and the strength of Menchi and the other two had all improved.

Especially after all three were taught breathing techniques and some Chinese Martial Arts skills by Oboro—though this alone wouldn't be a decisive factor in the Dark Continent. More crucially, their Nen, mindset, adaptability, and personal will underwent a transformation.

Each area within the oasis seemed to have its own unique food chain and ecosystem, completely different from the desert. Therefore, the four had to be extremely careful whenever they reached a new corner. At times, Oboro would even use his soul to control some life forms as mounts, carrying them on their journeys.

Previously, his abilities had not reached this level. While individual souls could possess humans, they could not control the creatures here. This was because most creatures possessed enormous life energy and had massive bodies, making it extremely difficult for a soul to control such a large puppet.

The requirement for possessing a body is that the soul and body must be in harmony and reach a certain balance before one can control it.

To put it bluntly... it means you can't have a small horse pulling a big cart.

If a large number of souls are poured into a single body, it will cause rejection... which is even more uncontrollable.

However, although there are no obvious changes on the system panel, Oboro's strength has improved by leaps and bounds. He can now mix together a vast array of ghosts and form a single consciousness that occupies a living being.

Therefore, they would sometimes ride on beasts such as Horned Dragon, Hairless Elephant, or Conch-Horn Horse across the land, and sometimes sit on the backs of a flock of birds and soar through the sky.

Even here, it took them a full year to completely leave the oasis.

More than three years have passed since they arrived on the Dark Continent... and they are still in the edge of the continent.

This journey further illustrates that when Netero and his companions explored the Dark Continent, they were merely wandering along its periphery.

It feels like it would be very difficult to reach the heart of the Dark Continent without spending more than ten or even several decades.

Human life, however, cannot withstand such a drain.

As time went by, the group gained a deeper understanding of the horrors of the Dark Continent.

What's terrifying isn't just the living organisms, but also the environment and climate...

For example, they once experienced a torrential downpour that came suddenly and without warning, without any clouds or fog; it just appeared out of nowhere. The rainwater was extremely corrosive; each drop was as large as a fist, and upon hitting the ground, it would act like a strong acid solution, eroding a charred hole in it.

Anthony almost lost his life... Fortunately, Oboro used the condensed Ghost Mist to form a large umbrella, which covered the heads of the group in time.

After the raindrops hit the ground, they didn't disperse but remained clumps of transparent substance... Later, they discovered that this 'raindrop' was actually a miniature organism, a kind of life form. These organisms would appear in groups in a certain area, wandering in the high sky, and once they detected a large number of living things, they would descend, creating the illusion of 'rain'.

The spirit that Oboro possesses is his Nen power, and with the current strength of his Nen power, he can offset the damage and loss caused by this energy.

This is a unique 'climate phenomenon' in the Dark Continent.

They also encountered a crystal-clear flower, its branches and leaves spreading out like a cushion, its leaves reflecting light like a mirror. But one must never look directly at it, for the flower's 'mirror leaves' would reflect a certain desire within one's heart.

Gabe Vich saw Fante had come back to life in the 'mirror' and wanted to get closer... Fortunately, Menchi noticed something was wrong and pulled him back in time, otherwise he would have been paralyzed by the sharp thorns hidden under the ground by the Mirror Flower and become food.

They encountered countless similar experiences throughout the year.

The various strange and dangerous situations also gave them a stronger insight into unknown dangers.

"Finally, we've found a water source..."

The following day, several butterflies that looked like Bat fell from the sky.

After landing, Oboro and the others jumped off the backs of the host creatures.

Menchi looked at the calm yet wide river in front of him and smiled.

The river was calm, its surface shimmering with light, a vast expanse of blue.

There is a river on the Dark Continent, but the land on the other side is at the edge of the horizon.

"Looking down from the air just now, across this river on the other side is the 'thatched hut' you mentioned, Captain."

Anthony chimed in.

Those are buildings that resemble human dwellings.

Menchi walked to the riverbank, and without saying a word, he flicked his wrist, and a sharp glint of light flashed, instantly splitting the river in two and sending up a large spray of water droplets.

The woman's eyes quickly swept across the depths of the river cleaved by the blade's edge, then looked at the water droplets scattered under the sunlight. She then observed a crimson hue rising from the river surface dozens of meters away and said calmly, "No problem."

As soon as he finished speaking, the carcass of an aquatic creature floated out of the water, looking very strange.

But for these people, it was already quite normal.

What kind of 'strange' things haven't they seen in the past few years?

The presence of living organisms in the water generally ensures its safety. However, if there are no living organisms in the water, then we really need to be careful! Upon hearing this, Long controlled several birds to go forward and drink the water. After waiting for a while and confirming that there were no unusual changes, he nodded.

Although there were some water sources in the oasis, the group dared not drink them due to the strange ecological environment. Under those circumstances, even drinking the blood of monsters would be much safer than those water sources.

Because some water may contain 'microorganisms' rather than true 'water'.

The one in front of us is undoubtedly the real water source... Such a quantity and area cannot be achieved by monsters or microorganisms.

Of course, the special location and environment must mean that there is a food chain and ecosystem in this river.

The four of them quickly washed up.

Full of energy.

They now feel a sense of unfamiliarity when they see water.

As for the clothes they wear now, they are also a kind of 'hope', or what can be called 'treasure'.

It is a monster found in oases, with a body as soft as a silkworm but the head of an infant. They call it the Cradle Bug, and it is woven from the silk it spits out.

This silk is exceptionally hard, making it difficult to break or damage. Most interestingly, the silk can become either strong or soft depending on the range and force of an individual's movements.

Wearing it feels as light as if it were nothing.

The weaving process is not done manually. Instead, the silk automatically conforms to the body shape after it comes into contact with the human body, and can even turn into any color you want. Of course, what controls all of this is the Cradle Bug itself.

They are cute, but also dangerous, hiding among various vegetation and not easy to spot... They also use these 'threads' to hunt.

The black clothes that Oboro is wearing now, as well as the combat suits that Menchi and the other two wear to cover their bodies, are all thanks to the presence of the Cradle Bug.

This silk texture can effectively avoid physical damage and enhance their defensive attributes.

Boom! As the four were cleaning, the river in the distance suddenly surged with towering white waves, as if a gigantic 'whale' had leaped high from the water and then crashed down, causing the calm river to suddenly ripple like a tsunami.

But Long and the others remained remarkably calm.

They only glanced at it before continuing with their own work.

They won't bother with any living being unless it shows them 'malice'.

Long finished washing up first and then opened the system.

In one year, his ecological score rose to 45.

The position in the food chain remains unchanged.

This made Long realize something: he had absorbed countless souls this year, yet his growth was still slow. This meant that... even with his increased magic power and armor, the soul energy dropped by these species on the edge of the Dark Continent wouldn't have much effect.

Moreover, the rate of increase in ratings has clearly slowed down, just like in the human world, where the role of ordinary souls diminishes as strength increases.

It will get harder as time goes on.

Unless he can enter a 'higher-level map', beyond the food chain level he is currently in contact with.

Long is now like a level 30 player grinding experience in a level 20 map... If it weren't for Menchi and the other two following him, Long would consider himself to be the boss-level life form in the desert and oasis maps alone, aside from some regular creatures and including the strange ones he has encountered so far.

Many food chains will be ruthlessly destroyed and altered with his arrival.

The river surged ashore, and the force of the tsunami, like a natural disaster, submerged everything.

Several mounts took to the sky.

After a while, the waves receded, Menchi and the other two broke out of the water and stepped onto land.

If this had happened three years ago when they first arrived in the Dark Continent, the three of them would probably have been swept away.

"Let's go."

Immediately, Long gave an order.

The team jumped back onto their mounts and soared into the sky.

Head straight to the other side.

Several hours later, at dusk.

The four of them finally arrived at their destination.

A new area, a region where human-built structures stand on the surface of the earth.

There are actually only a dozen or so buildings scattered across the land, each very far apart from the others.

Each individual room is dozens, even hundreds of times larger than a human palace. It feels like the space inside could accommodate a small town, and from the outside, it has the feel of a magnificent and grand maze.

The main structure of the house is made of mud and stones. The roof appears to be covered with grass and trees, but in reality, it is a piece of land covered with trees and flowers, like a suspended island.

They need to fly to a high enough distance for the entire building to come into view.

From the air, it does indeed look a bit like an earthen house or a thatched hut.

Upon landing, Oboro's expression turned serious.

The existence of this type of architecture indicates that... there must have been traces of human civilization in this place.

Even the three experienced Menchi beside him couldn't help but feel shocked.

From the sky, it didn't seem like much, but once they stood on the ground, they deeply felt the impact. When they looked up, they couldn't even see the top of the house... It was as if a giant wall connecting to the sky stood in front of them. What was even more astonishing was that the open door of this house alone was several kilometers long on both sides.

If they hadn't observed the overall shape of the building beforehand, they wouldn't even have realized that there was a 'door' in front of them.

Because the doorway was so large, it was almost completely open to these tiny humans, with no obstructions.

"Is this... a city?"

Anthony's voice trembled slightly.

As far as the eye could see, he saw many buildings of varying heights standing in the relatively dark interior of the house, all of which had the style of human architecture.

"Captain, when I flew down just now, I noticed that there seemed to be quite a few living things on the roof... They seem to have been living on the roof for a long time and have formed a unique ecosystem." Menchi said with a serious expression.

The roof of this building is like a section of an oasis, so large it's unimaginable.

"It's a bit cold."

Anthony said it again.

The house where they are standing is almost completely isolated from the sky, so there is no sunlight and the temperature drops sharply.

Moreover, the closer they get to the 'city within a house', the more they feel a sense of contradiction as they transition from day to night.

"A few tiny ants... broke into a human's home."

Long murmured.

"Stay close to me."

After saying that, he took the lead and walked ahead.

Along the way, Oboro summoned several spirits, including Meruem, and asked them to search the vicinity.

Menchi and his two companions remained vigilant, observing their surroundings.

As long as the scattered spirits are not too far away, Oboro will sense them as soon as they are discovered.

He and the spirit share everything.

It took an hour just to walk from outside to inside.

"No signs of life..."

Long frowned slightly.

Instead of entering the 'room' directly, the four of them sent out a large number of ghosts that soared into the dark space to search for the ghosts.

But when these ghosts spread to their farthest limit and automatically dissipated into black mist, he received no 'feedback' whatsoever.

"A dead city?"

Oboro can now see the city view from 'the room'.

It was truly a cityscape that gave him the illusion of returning to the human world.

Because the buildings inside the house are all very small, just like those in the human world... without any scaling.

The architectural style is rather old... You can still see streets and lampposts.

This is quite strange. There are all sorts of creatures on the roof, but the room is 'completely empty'.

Is it a historical site?

Menchi asked curiously.

This is similar to the information available to the human side.

Some have also discovered a 'mysterious ancient empty city ruin', a labyrinthine city, on the other side of the Dark Continent.

Different environments.

Moreover... the plant-based weapon, the Brion, among the five great calamities are the 'Guardians'.

Does that mean there's some kind of 'guardian' here?

"That ancient Labyrinth City completely defeated the United States' forces back then, with only two survivors... This shows that even if there are no living beings here, there must be other dangers." Oboro replied in a deep voice, "The lack of life can only mean that it has not yet developed a soul form... Some microorganisms or strange things may still exist."

"This place is a lot like Labyrinth City..."

"It is a... City in the House."