Sulfuric Acid Pool X Capture

"Is it okay to kill these?"

In the Swamp, Kevin had knocked three enormous boars to the ground.

Each of these monstrous boars was as large as two or three adults combined. Their hides bore camouflage-like coloring that allowed them to conceal themselves cleverly within the swamp.

Two long tusks protruded from their mouths, making their charges extremely dangerous.

Professor Belut, who had been protected, rose to his feet with his assistant's help. The three giant boars had suddenly charged out of the grass just now, giving him quite a scare.

The professor dusted off his backside and waved a hand. "These are Ramming Boars. They may look savage and fierce, and they may be huge, 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, Professor Belut listed several creatures that specifically preyed on these boars.

"As long as they aren't deliberately slaughtered on a massive scale, their numbers basically won't be wiped out."

"They're lucky to live in this dangerous area. I hear their meat is firm and delicious, without any unpleasant odor. Outside, they're a rare ingredient with an exorbitant price tag.

"It's just that this place is too dangerous, so few people dare venture in to hunt them." Toby gave a brief explanation from the side.

Even if they were at the bottom of the food chain here, it was still better than facing the endless slaughter driven by humanity's greed in the outside world.

Hearing that, Kevin picked out a boar that looked to be of good quality, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and planned to take it back to eat.

He could use [Digestion Potion] again soon, after all.

The group followed Professor Belut deeper into the Swamp.

There was battle after battle along the way, with all manner of strange and dangerous creatures appearing one after another.

There were even one or two creatures they had never seen before, keeping Professor Belut busy taking photographs and collecting samples.

Kevin finally understood 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 damn world was simply a fantasy world dressed in the skin of a near-modern Worldview.

"We're here. It's not far ahead."

At those words, Kevin looked up and sensed a faint warmth radiating from the distance. The surrounding fog was also noticeably thinner than elsewhere.

After taking a few more steps forward, Kevin caught sight of movement within the plants' shadows.

The shadows of the plants began to move, gathering before the group and forming vaguely humanoid outlines that slowly advanced toward them.

"Shadow Larvae?"

"You know these things?" Professor Belut looked at Kevin in surprise.

Kevin nodded. "I saw them in the laboratory before, and I looked through their files as well."

"That's good. During the day, they aren't as dangerous. Only when dusk approaches night do the shadows they form become somewhat deceptive."

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 in.

The group continued onward and finally arrived at their destination—the Sulfuric Acid Pool where the Shadow Larvae lived.

Along the shore, there was constant movement within the dense plant shadows, with shadow-like protrusions occasionally extending from them. Lush, reed-like plants grew all around, reaching heights of up to two meters.

At the center of the reed bed lay the Sulfuric Acid Pool. It looked like an ordinary small pond, and a few tenacious 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 in the water.

"Serpentine Acid Fish. An endangered species currently found only in this Sulfuric Acid Pool, with fewer than one hundred pairs in existence." Professor Belut crouched by the shore as he introduced them.

Haka also explained beside Kevin, "They're our research subjects. We're studying their ecological environment to see whether we can help them produce more Descendants."

"These fish's Fish scales have extremely strong corrosion resistance. They're an exceptional biological material. If they could be bred artificially..." Toby did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.

Professor Belut took out the item he had been carrying on his back. Once unfolded, it turned out to be a large custom-made tank.

"I need to collect a tank of acid from here to replace the living environment for several research specimens in my laboratory."

After the three of them took proper safety precautions, they got to work.

Kevin activated his [En] and walked around the edge of the pond.

There were so many Shadow Larvae here, packed together like Chimera Ants. Within the range of [En], these creatures were clearly distinguishable.

Shadow Larvae were creatures capable of using Aura—or rather, Aura itself was part of their instinct.

Their flattened bodies were incredibly fragile. Aura formed a shadow-like structure around them, one that had almost become part of their bodies.

Despite having no offensive power, they were therefore almost never harmed. It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to capture them, especially beneath these densely packed plant shadows.

Kevin pulled out several empty Medicine Tubes, opened them, and hurled them out with force.

With several sharp whooshes as the Medicine Tubes cut through the air, several Shadow Larvae were captured. The transparent Medicine Tubes stabbed straight into the mud, while the captured Shadow Larvae writhed inside like worms.

"As expected, you can catch them too." Hearing the commotion, Professor Belut turned and spoke.

There were only three people in Begel's team who could use Nen. Aside from Begel himself, there were also two Amateur Hunters.

Though those two could use Aura, they did not have Hunter licenses. In Kevin's view, they were only moderately talented and had rather weak control over Aura.

They were usually responsible for capturing the many creatures whose samples were difficult to obtain.

Normally, like Kevin, they were tasked with protecting the research scholars while leading the group. Both of them were also experts in their respective fields.

Kevin's purpose in capturing these Shadow Larvae was simple: he wanted to use them as medicine ingredients.

He had already learned that Shadow Larvae had almost no natural predators and reproduced in stable numbers. As long as no one deliberately captured them in destructive quantities, there would basically be no impact on their ecology.

After all, Shadow Larvae were creatures that gave him a faint sense of craving.

Kevin also filled several Medicine Tubes with the acidic liquid.

Something that seemed as though it could be used as medicine was worth studying properly.

After all, the acid in this pool was not chemically synthesized but a genuine natural product, so it should meet the standard for [Materials].

He also scooped up a [Serpentine Acid Fish], but when he felt no craving at all, he put it back into the pool.

There were simply too few Serpentine Acid Fish, and they also had predators that fed on them. One careless mistake could lead to their extinction.

Afterward, Kevin carried the boar and returned the way they had come.

On the way back, they encountered another large creature that actively attacked them—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 gave him a certain degree of craving.

However, he could not tell whether it was a snake egg, a bird egg, or the egg of some other creature.