Adapting to the Wilderness - One Month Later

Facing the victorious Gorilla.

Kevin and the others watched from the edge.

The gorilla carried the Giant Bird, which had been torn in two, on its shoulder and glanced back at where Kevin and the others were.

However, he only glanced at it and had no intention of coming over. He carried the corpse and disappeared in a few leaps.

We've been discovered?

Morel asked from the side.

Since they'd all been given that look, the chances of them being discovered were almost 100%.

"That's right. The reason they didn't attack us is simply because we're too small to be worth it, like Chimera Ant at a human's feet."

"Unless I'm in the mood, I wouldn't care if Chimera Ant walked past my feet, wouldn't I?"

Kevin looked at everyone and teased them with a smile.

After all, humans are not very large, and even if they possess Nen ability, they can only maintain a simple "Ten" technique.

Judging the relative strength of humans, even among humans, often relies on intuition.

Not to mention different kinds of creatures.

These behemoths need to intimidate their enemies, so they make no attempt to conceal their power.

"Let's go, let's continue. That gorilla isn't a suitable target for practice."

Of course, the main reason is that the materials from that gorilla were meaningless.

It's not that just because a creature is powerful, the materials on its body are useful enough.

More importantly, we need to look at whether the creature has any special abilities or habits.

And so we continued onward.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before suitable prey set their sights on them.

On that giant tree in the distance.

A creature that looked like a lizard but also like a dog jumped down from above.

Its body is covered in scales, and its slender tail swings behind it. It looks like a lizard, but it doesn't have the disproportionate feeling of a lizard's limbs.

With slender limbs like a dog, the creature appeared very agile.

And there was more than one.

At this commotion, more than a dozen birds jumped down from the treetops, then immediately split up, spreading out into a semi-circle that surrounded the group.

"Let's consider this our first battle; these Snake Dog are perfect for it."

Kevin had explored this area before, so he knew roughly what kind of creatures were in it.

So generally he has either encountered them, avoided them, or fought with them.

"For creatures that hunt in groups, they are more disciplined, their cooperation must be seamless, and there must be someone giving commands."

Morel, carrying his Pipe, spoke while remaining vigilant.

He was clearly reminding everyone.

"So, are the materials from this creature useful?"

If it's hunting, then the methods are different; if it's just about driving them away, then it's another matter entirely.

"The most useful and best way is to kill them all. These Snake Dog are cunning, and they'll only face an enemy like us who don't know what's going on once."

"If we suffer casualties, even if they escape, they will track us down next time."

"And we won. They suffered casualties. Depending on the situation, they'll avoid us from now on, and it'll be troublesome if we want to continue hunting them."

To be honest, if Kevin were alone, those Snake Dog would have run away long ago.

A single human would stand out, and they would observe him closely, eventually discovering that Kevin was someone they once dared not mess with.

Now, with Morel and Gon providing cover, they have a backup plan.

Kevin had long since mastered the art of concealing his presence, so he wouldn't be so conspicuous if he blended into a crowd.

"Understood."

Morel nodded.

The others also prepared their own methods, clearly aiming for a complete annihilation this time.

No one acted rashly.

Because they need to wait for the Snake Dog to make the first move.

After the Snake Dog -Snake Dog slowly formed an encirclement, it began to wander around.

A sharp bark followed.

All the Snake Dog started moving at the same time, leaving only a few outside to provide backup.

"If that's the hunting method, then it's simple."

Morel said with some surprise.

If they attack one at a time, they can't just take down the one that charges at them.

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

The strange figure immediately darted among the charging Snake Dog.

The lightning-crackled claws slashed down with a chop, but only sparks were generated; they failed to break through the defenses.

Unable to strike once, Qi immediately changed his attack method, unleashing a large amount of electricity to paralyze these creatures.

In an instant, a large amount of lightning flashed among the enemies.

Purple smoke, forming ropes, spread outwards for control.

"Boom!"

Gon quickly gathered his strength and then unleashed a punch.

The force of the blast sent the charging Snake Dog flying, piercing through its Scale Armor and leaving the Snake Dog lying on the ground, its neck twisted and struggling, clearly on the verge of death.

Kansai's hands are clenched into claws, and he is half-crouched, like a crouching tiger.

Faced with the lunging Snake Dog, it dodged to the side with its whole body, then slapped the Snake Dog down with one paw, hooked its other paw around the Snake Dog's body, and pulled hard.

It forcefully tore a gap in the opponent's scales, piercing into flesh and tearing it apart.

The battle was chaotic.

But it proceeded very quickly.

After adjusting his attack strategy several times, Qi found the weak points of these Snake Dog.

Using the advantage of speed and paralysis, he thrust upwards from the opponent's lower abdomen.

Their efficiency in slaughtering enemies quickly became the highest in the team.

They realized that their target in this hunt was not right.

One of the snake-dogs roaming the perimeter let out a sharp cry, and the remaining attacking Snake Dog immediately tried to retreat.

But there's no such thing as a free lunch.

The ropes formed from purple smoke had long since become entangled around their bodies without their knowledge.

Including those few in the distance.

If you look closely, you'll notice that what was originally a plain of weeds barely reaching the height of your shoes has somehow grown taller, reaching your ankles.

And the purple smoke was hidden within.

Koto used her simple Nen ability to slightly accelerate the growth of the surrounding plants.

"What level are these creatures roughly?"

Qi shook the blood off his hands and threw the Snake Dog carcass he was carrying in his other hand onto the ground.

"What level is it? I need to think about it for a while—it's probably a bit higher than those weak creatures that you have to be very, very careful to spot."

"At least in the Giant Beast Kingdom, these Snake Dog are primarily prey, their advantage being their extremely keen senses and tracking ability."

"It allows us to track and hunt prey that is well hidden."

After listening to Kevin's brief explanation, Qi sighed helplessly.

Is it really that weak?

Kiy looked at his shoulder, where his clothes had been torn open and a bloody gash was visible.

In other words, Kiy was injured.

It's not just the Killua.

Everyone involved in the battle sustained injuries, some minor, some more.

But that already explains the problem.

The Snake Dog they faced were merely the lowest tier of predators on the Dark Continent.

Although it is still considered part of the predator group.

Moreover, they lack any strange abilities and even need to hunt in groups.

"Don't be discouraged. You haven't adapted to the rhythm here yet, so you can't fully demonstrate your strength."

"It's not too late to consider these things a month from now."

However, the fact that the prey is piled up here is a bit of a problem.

It seems we need to put the Backpack Beast's Pocket Flower on the agenda.

Only the parts with better meat quality were selected, and the ingredients were separated.

The rest will just pile up here, and it won't be long before they leave and it'll be devoured.

After dealing with these matters, the group headed back.

However, they encountered another giant beast, five or six meters long, on the road, but this time it was actually easier.

Because they were coordinating a coordinated, encircling attack.

Giant beasts generally don't have many special abilities; their strength lies in their size.

If a creature is enormous and possesses certain special abilities, it is among the most formidable of the giant beasts.

However, this time everyone was slightly injured. For example, Gon was hit in the arm while blocking an attack, and it turned purple and swollen.

When they returned to camp, Melusina's team had not yet returned, as they were Exploration Training Team.

Combat is not emphasized.

They didn't return until dusk.

They still looked travel-worn, and their appearance clearly indicated they had been in battle.

"It seems you're in a worse situation than us."

Biscuit looked at Gon, whose body was wrapped in bandages, and couldn't help but laugh.

However, the others didn't seem to be smiling.

They've really seen it for themselves today.

These giant beasts, which possessed no strange abilities whatsoever, already gave the artists a chill down their spines.

A month passed quickly.

The Biscuit have adapted very well. In fact, after only half a month, they had already gotten used to life here and were able to adjust their state very well.

The person's overall demeanor is completely different from that of people in human society.

His wild side began to emerge.

--

This is exactly what the Dark Continent needs.

During this period, Jin Yi's team returned to rest twice, which indicates that the team has not yet explored areas far from the base.

According to Kim and the others, the artists have been exploring the area around Shi Yunyu during this time.

The goldsmiths are exploring to the northwest. The Giant Beast Kingdom is located in the northeast, slightly north of the center, and is a very large region.

The gap in between is the area of Shi Yunyu. However, because Shi Yunyu are in motion, the art sometimes drifts to farther places, but generally it floats around in a large area.

Jin and his group had intentionally searched for it, and it just so happened to be not far from their usual route, so they found it.

Faced with such an area, the artists naturally have to explore it.

Moreover, with Kevin's experience as a mentor, it would be a real shame not to explore this further.

Since he happened to run into Jin, Kevin didn't bother to get any more materials and simply asked Jin and his team to bring them over.

After all, once you grasp the mechanism of Shi Yunyu, some of the materials inside become easier to obtain, especially within the Jin Yi team, where some members utilize the Nen ability of Nen Beast.

Kevin then rallied everyone together once again.

In the central Meeting Room, looking at everyone's expressions.

After a month, everyone had changed.

First of all, almost everyone's skin became darker and looked healthier, even someone as vain Biscuit couldn't help it.

For this reason, Yi (note: referring to Biscuit) was also forced by the women in the team to develop a medicine to restore the skin's fair and tender appearance.

In addition, the people's clothing and appearance have more or less deviated from human society.

Unfortunately, supplies were scarce, so the artists didn't have many suitable clothes.

The vast majority of clothing worn by Zhunru is actually underwear, and this type of industrial product is much more practical than what is produced in human society.

The outer clothing had been damaged during the training and battles of the past month, and had been transformed into clothing made from the fur of various Beasts.

Fortunately, Lorraine's sewing skills, if not top-notch, are definitely those of a master.

The game they hunted provided the artists with a great many garments.

Wearing clothing made of Beasts fur, the group looked even more like savages.

Then, the overall aura emanating from them.

Unleashing a wild spirit, without a doubt.

"Now that everyone has adapted, our team is ready to officially begin operations."

"First, there are Xulolite, Ce, Qiduo, Illumi. You will become the core members who stay at the base, and you will reduce the time you spend outside unless necessary."

"Is everything alright?"

All four shook their heads.

Needless to say, the tasks of the artists had already been assigned back in the Manor, including those of Xulolite and Ce.

Qiduo's combat abilities are not strong; her strengths lie in medical care, physical examinations, and the integration and research of information.

She hoped that through this operation, and by Accompany with Kevin, she could gather more intelligence and information about the Dark Continent.

Illumi is a poison Hunter x Hunter with exceptional skills in processing and creating toxins. She is not suitable for either Exploration Team or Hunting team; her true potential lies in staying at the core to research and create Serum.

Although her combat ability is stronger than Qiduo's, it is still limited. It's good that the group can cooperate to improve the base's defense capabilities.

"Then comes the Hunting team: Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Koala, Kansai, Shalnark, and me."

There's even less to explain about this team.

They are all key combatants, and are even more advantageous when hunting prey.

Bringing the Shalnark is to make it easier to bring the prey back.

"Finally, the Exploration Team: Melusina, Biscuit, Rukira, Pairo, Men Qi, Buhaci, Morel, and Bianluoke."

The Exploration Team has more members, which is to be expected, since they are responsible for exploring and observing the outside world.

Of course, there are also the team responsibilities that were assigned beforehand within the Manor; these are used interchangeably.

"That's the general plan. The actions will be adjusted according to the different objectives."

"However, the main responsibilities are unlikely to change. Let's start setting up the team tomorrow."

Kansai, Bianluoke, Biscuit.

The three will remain at the core base tomorrow.