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墨書 Inktalez
During the climbing process, they experienced no discomfort whatsoever.
They had been very careful along the way, deliberately avoiding areas frequented by Parasite Beasts and those pesky insects. Aside from the gradual onset of altitude sickness, they encountered no other issues. However, as they ascended higher, the effects of altitude sickness began to take a toll on the hunters.
For an ordinary person, the situation would likely have been much worse; even a few steps could leave them gasping for breath. This was precisely why their monstrous physiques allowed them to resist the effects of altitude sickness. Whenever they came across insects that seemed easy to handle, Ross would mark each one down. The six of them worked together to deal with one or two, bringing the corpses back to the association for medicinal use, earning some extra income in the process. After all, they couldn't afford to leave empty-handed.
In fact, they recalled the incident before their departure when they had lost a thousand Reward Points. They needed to find a way to gather enough to return, or else they would face even greater deductions if they exceeded the stipulated limit. It was essential to minimize losses and pay close attention to their surroundings.
As they approached their destination, the cold air intensified, and the temperature dropped. Initially indifferent, they soon realized it was likely due to differences in human constitution.
Although the hunters were physically stronger than ordinary people due to their unique traits, they were not invincible. They still felt fear; after all, they were still human beings, living creatures. They donned windbreakers, goggles, and oxygen masks as they continued onward.
The biting cold wind whipped around them, mixed with sand particles that stung their skin like countless sharp needles piercing through. No one could withstand such pain. However, wearing tight-fitting windbreakers helped mitigate the wind's impact, while goggles improved visibility. In the dark of night, these goggles also featured night vision capabilities. The oxygen masks were ingeniously designed to cover both nose and mouth, facilitating the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen within. Even with masks on, they could still receive the trace elements necessary for survival.
Humans could not survive without oxygen; restricted by its availability, their mobility would gradually slow down. In severe cases, this could lead to temporary shock or even loss of consciousness and death.
The masks were meant to help them navigate through low-oxygen environments; after all, any creature capable of surviving in such conditions must possess remarkable abilities.
After walking for another three or four hours, they reached a point where their Oxygen Masks could be reused indefinitely. Each mask contained a leaf and a piece of dry charcoal that facilitated the conversion between carbon dioxide and oxygen, ensuring a steady supply of trace elements needed for movement. Soon enough, they arrived at the mountain summit.
At this point, the temperature at the peak was already quite low; even through their windbreakers, they could feel the bone-chilling breeze cutting through them. Yet on that side of the mountain, plants thrived undeterred by the frigid temperatures; flowers bloomed and grass grew abundantly. It was remarkable that such forest density could be maintained at high altitudes—any slight miscalculation in conditions could prevent such a wondrous sight from existing.
Ross surveyed his surroundings against his mental image from earlier. When he turned back around, he smiled slightly at his companions and pointed toward a distant shadow glowing with a brownish arc. They first noticed an area filled with mushrooms enveloped in this brownish glow—a massive tree trunk that appeared mushroom-like on the outside but was undeniably a colossal tree. Its leaves and branches spread outwards infinitely, creating an extensive canopy beneath which an energy layer seemed to form.
If he wasn't mistaken, this so-called mushroom referred to this tree. It wasn't hard to imagine that many religious beliefs described how at the dawn of creation, when darkness enveloped the world, there stood a giant tree supporting the earth beneath its flourishing branches where life began.
One such Primate descended from this tree; unlike other beasts, this Primate gradually developed intelligence over time. They fashioned tools from wood and stone for defense and learned to create fire using simple implements made from earth and stone—this marked humanity's origins as intelligent beings evolved from tree-dwelling Primates.
Yet even so, such tales were hard to believe? A few people gathered around gazing at that newly sprouted tree amidst dense jungle foliage—a giant tree resembling a mushroom rooted firmly in place while surrounding trees towered impressively high as if it took millennia for them to reach such grandeur. Clearly, this mushroom-headed giant tree was far taller than its neighboring trees and had existed for much longer.
"The Parasite Beasts here possess world-destroying abilities far more terrifying than you can imagine," Ross warned. "We need to be even more cautious and avoid provoking any plants here; they can communicate with spirits."
If it weren't for Ross's kind reminder, Xiong Tai would have indeed reached out to touch a rather peculiar-looking plant nearby. This plant was called the Ghost Trap Plant, resembling a Pitcher Plant in the Underground World. It was a carnivorous plant that lured insects with its sweet scent, but in terms of size, humans had nothing to fear from it, as it was simply too small.
However, the plant in front of Xiong Tai was about human-sized, and he almost provoked it. Just as Xiong Tai was about to reach out, the plant awakened, opening its large mouth like a Corpse Flower revealing its fangs, seemingly ready to bite down on Xiong Tai's neck.
Though it was a plant, it was carnivorous. For those occasional Parasite Beasts or insects that wandered to the mountaintop, there were likely many such plants lurking in the grass around them.
Not to mention that there were other Apocalyptic Level Parasite Beasts directly leading into the heart of the forest; approaching them was simply impossible.
"Watch out." Freyr raised his hand and drew his sword horizontally. His speed was astonishing as he took a step forward.
He arrived in front of Xiong Tai, wrapping his arm around Xiong Tai's waist. With a powerful swing of his sword, before anyone could fully comprehend what was happening, the stem of the plant was severed. The plant fell limply to the ground, trembling dryly.
The plant's sharp teeth quivered before it collapsed on the ground, as if it had lost all moisture.
At that moment, the grass suddenly trembled, and silent vines began to rise.
"Uh..."
A piercing whistling sound erupted as those vines seemed to have eyes of their own, rushing toward them. The sheer force of this caused everyone present to feel uneasy.
Moreover, some grass suddenly sprouted similar carnivorous plants that looked just like the one they had encountered earlier—plants resembling Corpse Flowers and another type that bore a striking resemblance to the Flower of the Overlord with massive buds. A foul stench swept through the air; this was the Ghost Domain Flower. The odor could accelerate the decay of intact muscle tissue, and some were man-eating flowers with sharp teeth that appeared quite sinister.
Seeing this, everyone instinctively took a step back. These plants had gone berserk; although their movement range was limited, their sheer numbers made it unlikely even for top hunters to clear them out quickly.
Seizing the opportunity before they were completely surrounded, Freyr swung his sword horizontally and sliced through a nearby Pitcher Plant. While this type of grass posed little threat, being closest meant they had to deal with it; with its stem severed, they finally freed themselves from their encirclement.
"If you hadn't been so impulsive about killing it..." Ross immediately reverted to his fearful demeanor and dashed ahead, chattering incessantly.
"Come on, seeing someone in trouble and not helping? That's not brotherly at all," Xiong Tai shouted from behind as he started to run.
The others, feeling helpless, fired off a couple of shots, taking down two plants before they too began to flee.
They ran for a full minute before the Plant Army finally began to fade behind them.
In the distance, they could still hear rustling sounds. In the mountains, even ordinary noises seemed amplified, and the sound emanating from the crevices of the rocks could be terrifying.
"Let's count heads. One, two, three, four, six... Hmm, including me, there are six of us. That's right; we are all fortunate amidst misfortune," Freyr said, his complexion returning to normal as he responded immediately.
The others stared wide-eyed at Ross, who gestured for them to remain silent. He then pulled out a handful of white Dust from his pocket and sprinkled it over the path they had taken, as well as on each person with that strange white powder.
"What are you doing? Is this some kind of game? I don't think this is the time for playing with Dust. Do you see what's happening? I need to understand what those things were. Can plants mutate? Can they eat people? Who is the intelligent being birthed by this planet?" Freyr questioned in confusion. However, Ross remained silent and continued to sprinkle Dust. Frustrated by the lack of response, Freyr pushed Ross forward, causing Dust to fall onto his collar.
Watching the two push and shove each other, it was clear that Ross appeared much steadier than before when he finally spoke up.
"This is an insect repellent powder made from cells collected from that mushroom. Its ability can isolate Zerg scents. This main capability can also suppress the sensitive sense of smell of Parasite Beasts. However, collecting enough cells from the mushroom is quite challenging—not because it's impossible but due to the high difficulty level involved. The tree is a living organism; as you go deeper inside, the danger increases significantly. I can't guarantee that this powder will fool those plants we just encountered," Ross continued. "In any case, some Plant Legions can ignore the deterrent effect of this powder since they are fundamentally part of the mushroom structure. The composition of this powder only penetrates a small part of the mushroom's cellular structure; it's not much to worry about. Do you understand what I'm saying? It's dangerous here; instead of having pointless arguments, we should focus on surviving and obtaining mushroom cell samples."
"Alright then, how do we get there?" Freyr nodded and asked.
"That's more like it. First off, this area is divided into three layers. The outer layer is what you see—the so-called Plant Legion. Those plants can block most creatures from entering, isolating about eighty percent. The middle section we will encounter soon is territory shared by plants and Parasite Beasts. An Apocalyptic Level Parasite Beast could easily crush a fully armed city. If one such Parasite Beast were to escape here, it would pose an Apocalyptic Level threat; they are native to this area and rely on the mushroom's symbiotic system for survival. They protect the mushrooms from invading creatures while eliminating nineteen percent of biological threats in this middle stage. The last segment is called Underworld Road; there's no turning back once you enter there. It's shrouded in fog, and if you're not careful, you'll fall into an abyss. To be honest, I don't even know what's beneath that fog, but it's certainly not a good place—once you go there, you're dead and won't come back."
With Ross's knowledge being so rare and obscure, no one could fully comprehend it or understand how he came by such information without having experienced it firsthand themselves—it was truly astonishing.
Yet those details didn't seem fabricated; he couldn't possibly be deceiving himself into believing his own version of reality—that would be disastrous.
"Alright then, let's do it your way. You lead the way; if we safely complete this mission, I'll owe you a favor—anything you want," Freyr said.
"I don't want you running around naked or anything like that; let's skip the favors. We're still friends in this team—just give me a powerful weapon instead. This bow isn't allowing me to unleash my full potential; it's too outdated. I want that Divine-Grade Sunbreaker."
"Alright, is it a bit too cunning of you to use all the team's rewards on yourself alone, you bastard? What do you take us for?" Xiong Tai shouted angrily.
"My dear companions, this way I can continue to protect you. Perhaps I have more information to exchange as well. In the future, if there are suitable weapons, you can use them too. I must exchange for an exception; I'm doing this because I'm afraid you'll complete the mission and then kick me aside, so I need a double insurance," Ross replied calmly.
"No one would do that to you. Rest assured, with me around, I've agreed to your request. But I hope we won't let you down, and you shouldn't let us down either. I hope you won't pretend to be cowardly and fearful anymore; I've already noticed that it's all an act," Freyr responded coldly.
"Ah, truly worthy of the Commander. Alright, I understand. I won't abandon you as long as you need me. There will be times when I depend on you too. We each have our needs; that's how this team can possibly be established. Otherwise, this Novice Team might very well perish halfway through. Without my guidance, there's no way to reach the Underworld Road. That path opens at fixed times, and there's only one exit. Take a wrong step, and you'll slowly waste away in that void," Ross continued.
"You really know a lot, huh? Fine, it's settled then," Freyr nodded in agreement.
"Ugh... I don't understand at all; I don't want to understand what kind of nonsense this is—it's unbearable," Xiong Tai muttered beside them, clearly lowering his voice while grumbling. His actions made one want to kick him, but he was the biggest man in the team and quite straightforward; hitting him would definitely require some form of compensation.
So they ignored him instead. By not engaging with him, they naturally became more composed and eventually fell silent, trailing behind everyone else slowly.
The sound of footsteps became noticeably clearer; the hissing from everyone's Oxygen Masks grew louder. After all, spreading out could raise some suspicions about what was lurking behind them. It was evident that something was following closely behind.
In reality, they had long since realized this fact. Even though they were separated by Oxygen Masks, a true hunter should possess keen awareness—this was something one should have from the very beginning. Even novice hunters should have this level of alertness; those footsteps were getting closer and had been tracking them for some time. They were quite cunning too; in order to avoid being overheard, they synchronized their movements with those of the group.
However, things did not go as planned. Among them were those who had awakened their perception abilities and had become extremely sharp regarding their surroundings after gaining such awareness—those petty tricks were no longer effective.
"We feel like we're being followed," Xiong Tai gasped heavily and suddenly realized something.
"It's not a feeling; we are already being tracked," Ross nodded in acknowledgment.
"There are six of them. Were your claims about this Dust false? How could they still track us? Are they following footprints or the scent of living beings emanating from us?" Freyr looked at Ross with suspicion, clearly doubting his words. He had no idea what their intentions were either. Regardless, everything would eventually come to light; if he wanted answers, he would have to investigate further and ask for clarity once everything was over.
"Those are a type of poacher—second only to Ultimate Quality Parasite Beasts—not Apocalyptic Level Parasite Beasts—so there's no need to worry about their presence. We can ignore them; they must have been attracted by something else. This area is like a symbiotic system of mushrooms; beyond that lies the distinction between human red blood cells and white blood cells. We outsiders are Bacteria; when white blood cells activate, they will periodically eliminate us," Ross replied coolly before continuing: "And those Plant Armies act as white blood cells; we are treated as Bacteria invading their territory and will naturally be attacked by them. However, we are now disguised as so-called white blood cells and possess a certain level of deception; only the Plant Army can identify our true identities. Those Parasite Beasts will flee upon encountering us. Let's keep moving; let's just hope we don't run into any Plant Armies again because this scent truly cannot mask our living presence."
Indeed, just as he said, not far behind them in the jungle, a mass of vines suddenly rose up, followed by several screams echoing through the air. The voices belonged to those who were in immense pain as the Parasite Beasts were immediately ensnared by the vines and crushed against trees until dead.
Ross shook his head and said, "Even if it’s like this here, let’s move on."
At first, no one expected such a result. As they continued forward, it became clear that they were entering the center.
They entered the second area, where the leaves of the grass were stained with horrifying blood, and empty skeletons lay scattered on the ground.
Just as Ross had said, there was no chance of survival in this second area.
The medicinal powder was still taking effect. As others walked past, they noticed a creature resembling a mole, a Parasite Beast, poking its head out from the grass. Its sharp fangs protruded, and its eyes were blood-red. Even a seemingly adorable panda-like Parasite Beast should not be approached based on its appearance.
It was clear that getting close was not an option; they could only move away. Fortunately, the effect of the medicinal powder made these Parasite Beasts recoil from them and begin to retreat. Ross smiled as he led the way, while the beasts followed closely behind but soon scattered on their own.
That was the situation. Here, everyone took a deep breath; the sight was truly terrifying. However, looking around, one could only fear that even more horrifying scenes awaited them.
Before long, they arrived at a tall tree canopy, where countless vines intertwined. In the midst of it all was a struggling Parasite Beast, slowly being constricted by the tightening vines. As it lost its strength to fight back, it was gradually drained of its vitality by numerous glowing green vines. First, its skin began to wrinkle; then patches started to peel away, revealing bones underneath. The white skeletons fell to the ground in an instant, sending chills down their spines. This transformation from living creature to lifeless remains took less than two minutes.
"This is Blood Choke," Ross explained. "Only bleeding creatures are attacked here. If it weren't for the medicinal powder's effects, even our individual abilities wouldn't allow us to reach this place; it's unbelievable. So even if we break through those Parasite Beasts' attacks, we would encounter more threats here—just look at those piles of skeletons. But don’t worry; we can keep moving; they won’t attack us."
Although it was a Plant Legion, the impression that Blood Choke gave off was indeed strange. Just as expected, without any blood scent, they wouldn’t be attacked. One by one, they continued forward around the green vines.
The vines moved slightly around them before retracting, likely testing their scent. Since there was no appeal to their bloodlust, they transformed back into ordinary vine shapes and settled down, waiting for the next injured prey to arrive. After all, food was never in short supply in this place.
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