"Is it okay to kill these?"
In the Swamp, Kevin had knocked three enormous monster boars to the ground.
Each of these monster boars was as large as two or three adults combined. Their hides bore camouflage-like coloring that allowed them to conceal themselves cleverly in the swamp.
Their mouths held two long tusks, making their charges extremely threatening.
Professor Belut, whom they had been protecting, got to his feet with the help of an assistant. Those three giant boars had suddenly charged out of the grass just now, giving him quite a fright.
The professor dusted off his backside and waved a hand. "Those are Ramming Boars. They may look violent, fierce, and enormous, but they're actually at the bottom of the food chain in this area."
"Really?" Kevin was somewhat surprised.
"That's right. They're one of the few non-endangered species here. They reproduce quickly and are omnivores. They're often lured into traps by all kinds of plants and animals, becoming food for other creatures." As he spoke, Belut listed several creatures that specifically preyed on these boars.
"As long as they aren't deliberately slaughtered on a large scale, their numbers basically won't die out."
"That's thanks to them living in such a dangerous area. I hear their meat is firm, delicious, and free of any gamey smell, making them a rare and expensive ingredient outside.
"But because this area is so dangerous, few people are willing to risk coming in to hunt them." Toby gave a brief explanation from the side.
Even being at the bottom of the food chain here was better than suffering the endless slaughter brought about by humanity's greed in the outside world.
Hearing that, Kevin selected a boar that looked to be of decent quality, hoisted it over his shoulder, and planned to take it back to eat.
It just so happened that he could use the [Digestion Potion] again soon.
The group followed Belut deeper into the swamp.
Fighting never stopped along the way, as all sorts of strange and dangerous creatures appeared one after another.
There were even one or two creatures they had never seen before, leaving Belut busy taking pictures and collecting samples.
Kevin finally witnessed just how terrifying Cheater's Nest, known as a forbidden zone, was to ordinary people.
Every creature here was worthy of being recorded in the Fantasy Bestiary.
To Kevin, this damned world was fundamentally a fantasy world wearing the skin of a near-modern worldview.
"We're here. It's not far ahead."
Hearing that, Kevin looked up and could sense faint heat rising in the distance. The mist around it was also noticeably thinner than elsewhere.
After taking a few more steps forward, Kevin caught sight of movement within the shadows of the plants.
The plants' shadows began to drift, gathering in front of the group and forming vaguely humanoid outlines that slowly moved forward.
"Shadow Larvae?"
"You know these things?" Belut looked at Kevin in surprise.
Kevin nodded. "I saw them in the laboratory before and looked through their records."
"That's good. They're relatively less dangerous during the day. Only as dusk approaches night do the shadows they form gain a certain ability to mislead people."
And unless someone had been lost in the forest for too long and had already begun to lose consciousness, they were actually difficult to lure away.
The group continued onward and finally arrived at their destination—the Sulfuric Acid Pool where the Shadow Larvae lived.
Along the shore, movement could constantly be seen among the plant shadows, with shadow-like protrusions occasionally extending out. Lush, reed-like plants grew all around them, reaching heights of up to two meters.
At the center of the reeds lay the Sulfuric Acid Pool. It looked like an ordinary small pond, and a few remarkably hardy plants could even be seen growing inside it.
The liquid in the pond was pale green and semi-transparent. Through it, they could clearly see fish-like creatures swimming below.
"Serpentine Acid Fish, an endangered species. So far, they've only been found in this sulfuric acid pond, and their numbers do not exceed one hundred pairs." Belut crouched by the shore as he introduced them.
Haka also explained beside Kevin, "They're our research subjects. We need to study their ecological environment and see whether we can help them produce more offspring."
"These fish's scales have extremely powerful corrosion resistance. They're top-tier biological materials. If artificial breeding succeeds..." Toby did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.
Belut took out the item he had been carrying on his back. Once unfolded, it turned out to be a large specialized tank.
"I need to take a tank of acidic liquid from here to replace the living environment for several research specimens in my laboratory."
After the three of them put on proper protective gear, they began working.
Kevin activated his [En] and walked around the edge of the pond.
There were so many Shadow Larvae here, packed densely together like ants. Within the range of his [En], these creatures were clearly distinguishable.
Shadow Larvae were creatures capable of using Aura—or rather, Aura itself was part of their instinct.
Their flat bodies were extremely fragile. Aura formed a shadow-like structure around them, almost becoming part of their bodies.
As a result, they were almost never harmed despite having no offensive ability. It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to capture them, especially beneath these densely layered plant shadows.
Kevin pulled out several empty Medicine Tubes, opened them, and hurled them out with force.
With several whooshes as the Medicine Tubes cut through the air, several Shadow Larvae were captured. The transparent tubes plunged straight into the mud, while the captured Shadow Larvae struggled inside like worms.
"Sure enough, you can catch them too." Hearing the commotion, Belut turned and spoke.
There were only three Nen users on Begel's team. Aside from Begel himself, the other two were Amateur Hunters.
Although those two could use Aura, they did not have Hunter Licenses. In Kevin's opinion, their talent was average, and their control over Aura was weak.
They were usually responsible for capturing many creatures whose samples were difficult to obtain.
Normally, like Kevin, they were also tasked with protecting the researchers leading the group. Both men were experts in their respective fields as well.
Kevin's reason for capturing these Shadow Larvae was simple: he wanted to use them as medicine.
He had already learned that Shadow Larvae had almost no natural predators and reproduced steadily. As long as they were not deliberately captured in destructive numbers, it would basically have no impact on their ecology.
After all, Shadow Larvae were creatures that stirred a faint desire in him.
Kevin also filled several tubes with acidic liquid.
Something that looked as though it could be used as medicine was worth studying carefully.
After all, the acid in this pool was not chemically synthesized, but a genuine natural product. It should also meet the standard for [Materials].
He also scooped up a Serpentine Acid Fish, but since he felt no desire at all, he released it back into the pool.
The Serpentine Acid Fish were simply too few in number, and they also had predators that preyed on them. One careless mistake could drive them to extinction.
Afterward, Kevin carried the boar and returned the way they had come.
On the way back, they encountered another large creature that attacked them on its own initiative—a Tree Python.
It was called that because the thing was genuinely as thick as a large tree. Kevin punched it once, and it fled in disgrace.
Kevin also happened to pick up an egg that stirred a certain amount of desire in him.
However, he could not tell whether it was a snake egg, a bird egg, or the egg of some other creature.
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