Success X Is This a Swamp?

At the campsite at night.

Buhaci slowly turned the roasting meat over the fire, occasionally taking out some seasonings and sprinkling them on.

The fragrant aroma was carried on the wind.

They certainly wouldn't be so unscrupulous elsewhere.

But it doesn't matter here.

After all, there are no powerful creatures within a radius of 100 kilometers.

"So what do we do now? Should we think of a way to sneak in?"

Men Qi held up her finger, making a gesture as if she were sneaking in.

Qi, standing nearby, remained noncommittal. "Will it work?"

He expressed his doubts.

Kevin shook his head slightly and said, "Nitromi, we need a long-term supply, so if possible, it would be best to have a stable channel."

"Isn't there only one way?" Men Qi said with some helplessness.

Only cooperation and exchange remain as a viable option.

"You can give it a try."

"Melusina said."

After all, that previous fight was quite effective.

At least the Double-tailed Snake were able to calmly acknowledge their existence.

And so, the next day, Kevin went alone to the edge of the Dense Forest.

We had just stepped into the Dense Forest.

At the same time, a large number of Double-tailed Snake around Kevin.

Although we were facing different individuals, in that instant, they seemed to come together as a whole.

To be honest, Kevin was a little curious about how the Double-tailed Snake's life form existed.

If it were a spiritual life form, its ability to freely separate and reassemble would be somewhat understandable.

After the battle, Kevin was able to confirm that the Double-tailed Snake was essentially a living being of flesh and blood.

The difficulty of separating and reuniting as a living being of flesh and blood is clearly on a completely different level.

The Double-tailed Snake is already incredibly powerful; if it can still split and reunite so easily, isn't it a bit too overwhelming?

However, it's not entirely incomprehensible.

After all, such constant splitting and reunion doesn't actually improve strength.

It seems only suitable for closely monitoring the surrounding defenses, setting up a defensive perimeter.

"Leave here, or I'll eat you."

The message was simple and direct: threatening Kevin to leave immediately.

Clearly, the Double-tailed Snake had little desire to fight Kevin.

Kevin slightly raised his hands to indicate his friendliness.

"Don't make the atmosphere so tense. I've said before, I meant no harm. I don't know why you're so hostile towards us, but I still came here with a friendly and cooperative attitude."

"I just want to know one thing: just how important is that thing you're protecting, the one that exudes a life force, to you?"

"If it's so important that taking even a little bit would hurt you, then I will definitely give it up."

That one answer from the other party was enough for Kevin to know the information he most wanted to know.

Such a direct question, if posed in human society, would naturally not yield any useful information for Kevin.

Even if the other party answers, Kevin might not believe it.

But this is the Dark Continent.

When dealing with these powerful, solitary creatures, communication through words and information is the most efficient method.

Their numbers and populations are controlled; any Lord Level life form is destined to be solitary and has very few opportunities to interact.

They rarely use information exchange to deceive.

This is a niche behavior.

Of course, it's not impossible.

The main reason Kevin dared to ask that question was that the Double-tailed Snake was very direct in expressing its consciousness and emotions, which allowed Kevin to clearly know whether the other party was lying.

"No, I don't want to give it to you. Leave me alone and go away."

Having understood what the other person meant, Kevin couldn't help but smile.

Really.

The answer was very straightforward and direct.

But that's how it should be.

My mind raced, analyzing the information.

No, that means that this Longevity Rice and the Double-tailed Snake are not in a tightly bound state, at least not in the worst kind of symbiotic relationship.

The worst symbiotic relationship is one where the two are completely intertwined, and damage to one will harm the other.

In this situation, the only way to acquire, or even reliably acquire, the Double-tailed Snake is to completely capture it and suppress it.

Such hope is not in sight, at least not for the next few decades.

Thankfully, it wasn't one of those.

As long as it's not this worst kind of symbiotic relationship, then we can talk.

They didn't want to give it to me—it's clear there's personal feeling involved.

That's absolutely Donggan's doing.

Yesterday's guess has been proven correct.

They've done so many bad things, and now the boomerang has hit them on the head.

The last two sentences conveyed a certain message to Kevin.

The Double-tailed Snake may be a creature that prefers quiet and dislikes unnecessary disturbances.

"Don't get excited. I just want to get some of that thing you're protecting. It shouldn't be just a little bit, but I only need a small portion."

"Is there anything you need? We can trade. A trade is simply exchanging what you want for what I want."

Kevin spoke slowly, almost entirely radiating goodwill, with no hint of coercion.

The meaning is also expressed concisely enough.

At that moment, the other party did not answer immediately.

Kevin was somewhat pleased, thinking there was hope.

The fact that there was no direct rejection means there's still room for negotiation, which is a good sign.

Soon, the message arrived.

How much do you want? Can you please not stay around here?

So, the so-called transaction was just exchanging rice for me to stay away from you?

It makes me feel like some kind of disgusting thing.

Kevin rolled his eyes and couldn't help but complain.

That's too blunt.

But he still said very decisively, "I don't know how much you have, and I don't know how much you can give, so you decide what to do?"

In human society, this statement carries many hidden meanings.

However, this is the Dark Continent.

So that's the literal meaning.

"Then let's make it the same size as you."

Oh? So many.

Yes, after all, this is the Dark Continent. Whether it's animals or plants, they are all enormous. Humans are considered small life forms here.

In most cases, people have already adapted to this, but there are certain situations where they still feel out of place.

Because humans tend to underestimate the value of things.

"Can I go with you and take a look?"

The words had barely left his mouth when they were met with undisguised malice and murderous intent.

"Okay, it seems that won't work."

After thinking for a moment, Kevin touched the ring and waved his hand.

A Nen Beast with no facial features, resembling a mannequin, dressed in a suit, appeared before them.

"Can I use this to go inside and get it with you?"

Countless eyes turned to the Nen Beast.

Then, a signal of approval was conveyed.

It really is a matter of security.

The Nen Beast before them was undoubtedly the type that the Double-tailed Snake was most effective against.

It is absolute, all-encompassing restraint.

A sense of security will naturally follow.

Kevin didn't originally intend to do anything; all he wanted to do was observe and gather intelligence.

What the Double-tailed Snake is essentially afraid of is Kevin's acts of sabotage or robbery.

The deal was struck, and Kevin abruptly retreated, disappearing directly into the Dense Forest.

But he could still feel countless eyes looking at him through the forest.

Kevin wasn't in a hurry; he simply stood there with his arms crossed, waiting.

A Double-tailed Snake landed directly on the doll from the leaves and slowly coiled around its neck.

The two sharp needles at the tail touch the sides of the back of the neck, and can be inserted with just a little force.

Following the guidance of the Double-tailed Snake, we walked inside.

Kevin observed quietly through the vision and perception of the Nen Beast.

They can only gather information about their surroundings by observing them.

After all, it's just Nen Beast, not a special Nen Beast, and can't bear Kevin's abilities.

Follow along obediently.

The deeper you go, the more and more Double-tailed Snake appear in every corner.

The number is far too large.

How exactly did they manage to go through this cycle of separation and reunion?

Kevin was still somewhat curious.

Moreover, after he came in, all he saw along the way were the most common kind of Double-tailed Snake; he hadn't even seen the more powerful Double-tailed Snake among the Knight Rank snakes that Men Qi and the others had encountered before.

Kevin's consciousness controlled the Nen Beast.

Under his personal control, the Nen Beast had facial features, the kind of white mold-like facial features that looked like a sculpture.

His nose twitched slightly.

The attraction of the Life Energy in the air is becoming increasingly strong.

The further you go in, the stronger the attraction becomes.

However, it's still not enough to make life lose its rationality and lead to a frantic pursuit.

This thing is essentially just an attraction, making hungry people see the food they want to eat.

Whether or not someone goes mad depends entirely on how hungry they are, and has nothing to do with the food itself.

The surrounding Dense Forest did not thin out as we went further in; instead, it became increasingly dense.

We walked like that for most of the day.

Kevin sensed that they were moving quite fast; in just half a day, they had traveled at least thirty kilometers inland.

The surrounding trees have become so large that each one requires seven or eight people to encircle it.

Moreover, these trees are all incredibly tall, at least tens of meters high by sight.

It almost completely blocked out the entire Dense Forest.

Only slivers of light pierced through the gaps, adding a touch of warmth to the increasingly gloomy environment.

And so it went until nightfall.

Kevin finally encountered something different; a new scent began to fill the air.

This new flavor pierced through the rich aroma of life.

It had a very strong, pungent smell of blood.

It is extremely dense.

Not long after I left, the stench of blood suddenly wafted up, extremely pungent.

It's too strong.

Kevin couldn't help but turn his head to look at the Double-tailed Snake wrapped around his neck.

Why does it smell so strongly of blood?

"Can't understand."

The Double-tailed Snake directly indicated that it didn't understand what Kevin was saying.

Okay, okay.

Further in, the air was filled with a blood mist that could be seen with the naked eye.

Tsk----

Something's not right.

This seems a little different from what I expected.

To be honest, Kevin now had a slightly ominous feeling; the surrounding environment seemed to be foreshadowing something.

Regardless of his current thoughts, he keeps moving forward.

The blood mist grew increasingly thick.

Finally, it spread around like real fog, obscuring the view. Fortunately, even though it was Kevin's Nen Beast, it wasn't completely obscured by the fog and became unaware of its surroundings.

As Kevin walked, he sensed something was wrong, stopped, and looked at his feet.

I don't know when, but the muddy ground under my feet became sticky and wet.

Lifting his foot, he could even pull sticky threads from the ground.

Kevin fell silent for a moment.

The Double-tailed Snake wrapped around his neck tightened its grip, as if asking him what he was doing.

"Call."

Kevin let out a breath and continued forward.

The surrounding trees grew increasingly exaggerated in size.

Finally, after crossing the base of a large tree, Kevin arrived at the heart of this Dense Forest.

"Vomit!"

It is not Nen Beast.

Instead, Kevin, far away in the Dense Forest, let out a nauseous retching sound.

"Vomit!"

Another one.

After covering his mouth and catching his breath for a while, Kevin felt a little better.

"This is not what I expected!"

He couldn't help but shout.

What the Nen Beast saw at that moment was a Swamp.

"Swamp"

If this is what's in front of you.

How to describe it?

Flesh and blood turned into swamps, and bones piled up into Dense Forest.

The ground beneath my feet was soft, wet mud, but this mud was a gelatinous substance formed from congealed blood and flesh.

The mud-like substance they form, accumulated here, completely altered the surrounding environment.

There was no rot, no foul odor, only the smell of blood and a nauseatingly sweet smell.

But this is even more disgusting than stench and rot.

In this swamp made of flesh and blood, countless bones piled up, forming the "trees" of this Swamp, or more accurately, Bone Tower.

The original text from that book.

Long-lived rice grows in a Swamp.

"Damn it, have you ever even seen a swamp? Is this a swamp? Huh?! You're just a swampy mess!"

Kevin couldn't help but yell and curse.

Don't use metaphors at this time.

Shouldn't Nitromi, a plant brimming with Life Force, grow in fertile, even golden, farmland?

In that vibrant, fertile land, sunlight streamed down, and golden, life-giving rice ears grew densely and abundantly.

Waves of wheat rippled in the gentle breeze.

That's the breath of life, that's the scenery of the countryside.

Shouldn't it be like this?

A swamp made of flesh and blood, isn't it still a swamp?

The pile of bones is what grows in the swamp, right?

You don't think you're being funny, do you?

Kevin now wishes he could strangle Dong.

Having been on the Dark Continent for so long, he had never seen such an outrageous environment, stimulating human aesthetics and senses in every way.

This was still using the Nen Beast to observe the surroundings.

Kevin couldn't even imagine how painful it would be if he were there in person.

It's likely that it transformed into Phoenix away on the spot.

What are you waiting for?

"The Double-tailed Snake asked."

What do you mean by "What am I waiting for?"

"You're letting me in?"

"Right."

Kevin fell silent for a moment.

He held his breath—no, he simply gave up breathing altogether.

It's Nen Beast anyway.

He stepped on it forcefully, and his whole body sank in until it reached his hips.

A swamp of flesh and blood piled up around him, slowing his movements.

The Nen Beast lay forward expressionlessly, its hands raised high, as if afraid of touching anything.

Even though half of his body was already inside.

With a gurgling sound, the eyeballs of some unknown creature emerged from the swamp.

He just stared intently at Kevin.

Dog poop.

Strange limbs emerged from the swamp of flesh and blood as Kevin moved forward, accompanied by bubbling sounds.

Finally, he waded through the "swamp" and came to the first "tree" made of bones.

I leaned against a big tree and couldn't resist taking a break.

The substance composed of blood and flesh adhered to his body in a gel-like form, stretching into threads with his movements, like the mucous membrane formed by nerves and blood vessels.

Stop looking, stop thinking about it.

Kevin was mentally elbowing his own brain repeatedly.

"Um?"

Seemingly sensing something, Kevin looked at the "big tree" he was leaning against.

This is the body he's controlling.

While it cannot completely simulate its perception of materials, it can still subtly detect whether something is a material and how strong it is.

The thing he's touching now is very strong.

"Bone?"

"Wait, no way?"

He couldn't help but turn his head to look at the Double-tailed Snake wrapped around his neck.

"Don't you want it anymore?"

The Double-tailed Snake asked this question.