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Chapter 162: Infiltration? Assault!
Eventually, the raptor-type monsters were replaced by magical beast-like creatures possessing sharp claws and tough armor.
They could still rely on the gatling gun for instant kills against the raptor monsters, but the Nen-infused bullets couldn't immediately pierce the armor of the tougher variants to deliver a lethal blow.
This meant that to venture deeper underground, Golem would have to abandon modern firearms and switch to attacking with a war hammer or a heavy broadsword. This would drastically increase the stamina consumption of the entire team.
"What about a solo raid?" Ronin offered his own idea.
Golem's support-type Nen constructs were better suited for positional warfare and flat, sweeping advancements. Exploration should be left to someone with higher mobility.
Muhuell immediately understood Ronin's implication, and his gaze fell upon Vanessa.
"I can do it," Vanessa said, choosing not to hide this time but actively stepping forward.
To reap rewards, the underground was a zone they absolutely had to explore.
"I'll go too," Ronin volunteered.
Muhuell hesitated. He knew Vanessa's abilities well, but if Ronin went along, he might actually become a burden. He didn't deny Ronin's strength, but after their interactions, he had a rough grasp of what Ronin was capable of.
In his eyes, Ronin excelled in direct confrontation. If it were a frontal assault, Ronin would be perfectly fine, but this was a stealth infiltration...
This hesitation didn't last long; it crumbled under Ronin's insistence.
Muhuell believed Ronin wasn't a reckless person. If he dared to volunteer for exploration, he surely had something to rely on. Moreover, sending Vanessa down alone wasn't exactly safe either.
And so, with the squad guarding the outside of the building ready to provide backup at a moment's notice, Ronin and Vanessa began their descent into the building's interior.
Vanessa's ability was exactly as Ronin had guessed: traveling through the shadow world.
She could manipulate her own shadow, and when it touched other shadows, the connected darkness became a special space capable of hiding her. In Ronin's estimation, Vanessa's ability likely leaned towards Emission with Manipulation characteristics.
Unlike Vanessa's silent movements through the shadows, Ronin's strategy was to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu to lure away every monster they encountered, thereby creating a clear path for his main body to easily pass through.
When necessary, he would strike out and slaughter a few monsters.
Rather than calling it an infiltration, it was more accurate to say he was conducting a one-man assault.
Muhuell had guessed correctly. Ronin wasn't naturally suited for stealthy infiltration, nor did he possess any specific ninjutsu tailored for it. But the effectiveness of the Shadow Clone Jutsu was exceptional.
The monsters would only attack the first living target they spotted. They completely lacked the ability to distinguish between Ronin's clone and his main body.
Vanessa, traveling through the shadows, noticed Ronin's strategy. Though surprised by his cloning ability, she didn't halt her descent toward the lower levels.
He continuously deployed Shadow Clones, allowing his main body to advance after the monsters were drawn away. After traveling a certain distance, the clones would disperse, returning their divided chakra, yet no monsters chased them from behind.
This confirmed two things for Ronin.
First, the monsters surviving in the building had a specific territory. They didn't track intruders throughout the entire structure.
Second, there were no organized, specialized monsters—like scouts—which was something Ronin had been worried about.
Passing through a long corridor, he found the entrance to the lower level.
Vanessa was nowhere to be seen. Ronin figured she must have already slipped into the depths ahead of him. He had to admit, an ability that allowed movement through shadows was truly perfect for exploration missions.
However, Ronin was curious about one thing: he hadn't seen Vanessa in Beyond Netero's team in the manga.
Was Vanessa simply uninterested in exploring the Dark Continent, did she leave the mercenary group early to pursue her own Hunter dreams, or... did she simply not live long enough to make the journey?
If it were the last possibility, Ronin felt the most likely place for her to perish was right here in the Mahavi Ruins. After all, judging by his interactions with Muhuell, even if he hadn't shown up, Muhuell's next primary focus would likely have been these ruins.
As for the other possibilities, Ronin's intuition told him from their brief interactions that Vanessa wasn't the type to abandon the mercenary group and act solo.
Following this line of thought, it meant there was something in the Mahavi Ruins dangerous enough that even the mercenary group couldn't easily overcome it.
The Shadow Clone stepped onto the stairs leading to the lower level.
There was a glowstone resting at the bottom of the steps. Vanessa must have tossed it down, aiming to create shadows even in this gloomy place.
The Shadow Clone could also use En. Paired with the Sharingan, even the dim light of the glowstone was enough to take in everything within the passageway below.
It looked devoid of danger, but beneath the Sharingan's gaze, faint energy fluctuations rippled in the areas untouched by the light. Through En, he could also sense the monsters hidden in the dark, peering intently at the source of the light.
It seemed that any entity throwing itself at the light like a moth to a flame would trigger a collective assault from the monsters lurking below.
The Shadow Clone let out a loud shout from the stairs.
The sound carried down, echoing slightly in the vast space. What was certain, however, was that after the shout faded, the entire underground area seemed to plunge into an eerie, suffocating silence.
"Come and get me!"
An even louder yell echoed into the basement.
Even Vanessa, hiding in the shadows observing everything and waiting for an opening to throw another glowstone, flashed a look of bewilderment.
This is Ronin's tactic?
This is way too reckless!
By now, the first basement level near the stairs was already erupting into chaos. Rumbling footsteps and unidentifiable monstrous roars followed closely after the clone's taunt.
Then, monster after monster surged from the shadows, charging straight for the stairs with suicidal abandon.
Ronin's Shadow Clone didn't turn and run immediately. The moment he shouted, his hands were already weaving hand signs. As the massive horde of monsters swarmed up from below, he unleashed the prepared ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Three fire dragons materialized on the staircase simultaneously, crashing silently into the charging monsters below.
The searing flames completely illuminated the entrance to the lower level, revealing the massive horde of creatures surging forward in the dark.
Vanessa, having already reached the lower level, quickly adjusted her position within the shadows, her eyes wide with shock at the sheer number of monsters hidden in the subterranean space.
But the lingering question remained: what were these monsters surviving on?
The fire dragons slammed into the creatures without a moment's pause, engulfing them entirely in flames.
The monsters continued their charge, burning fiercely as they ran, only to collapse on the stairs less than ten meters away from Ronin.
Ronin's gaze lingered on the fallen corpses, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
He stopped paying attention to the fire dragons he had just released. His hands moved rapidly, preparing a second ninjutsu—this time, the full 44-hand-seal version.
Before unleashing it, he yelled down into the darkness, "Come here, or run away!"
The monsters on the lower level, as if ignorant of fear, continued to throw themselves into the flames.
After using dozens of their own corpses to smother the fire, the staircase was almost devoid of any place to step, and the entrance baked in searing heat. Yet, the monsters still roared and collided with each other as they surged toward the stairs.
It was as if Ronin, standing atop the stairs, was some unforgivable sinner, or an irresistible delicacy drawing them in.
But what greeted them this time was another wave of blistering heat.
"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"
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