The ship drifted through the black waters, pushed by the currents.
After traveling for a day and a night, covering at least several hundred kilometers, they still hadn't broken free from the restraint of the 'energy liquid' on the ship's propulsion.
Since entering this black sea, the ship's speed had plummeted, and it was now helplessly anchored.
"What should we do?"
As night fell, in the ship's cabin, everyone appeared preoccupied.
The ship had lost power. Even with the ship's strong maneuverability, the combined effects of the currents and the energy matter made escape difficult.
Should they leave?
The V5 had made extremely thorough preparations. One member of their team had a Nen ability called 'Packing Box,' which could shrink living things for transport, while another member had the ability to fly. This meant that if they wanted to leave, they could still do so.
However, it also meant... their first attempt to reach the Dark Continent had ended in failure.
Disagreements had already arisen within the team. Continuing to stay meant facing unknown dangers. They didn't even know what the danger was, and they might starve to death here, as supplies would eventually run out.
Moreover, leaving now wouldn't be considered a failure; at least they could bring back this energy substance, which would count as a discovery.
Faced with the threat of death, some people had begun to waver.
The ones arguing were almost all outside Oboro's squad.
Menchi and the others, however, remained calm, as they primarily followed Oboro's orders.
"It's okay. Those who want to leave... can leave. My suggestion is to leave as soon as possible, because the longer we delay, the greater the danger with each passing minute. Although it's dark now, it should be relatively safe at high altitudes."
At this moment, Oboro, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in deep thought, opened them. Seeing the arguments and the wavering resolve of some, he smiled slightly, "If you leave now and bring back new hope, it can be considered a contribution to humanity."
"Huh?"
Hearing his words, the arguing individuals fell silent.
Oboro was the leader. This mission and plan were all subject to his arrangements.
They had thought Oboro would get angry or try to calm their emotions and continue towards the Dark Continent... unwilling to give up so easily.
They had some understanding of Oboro, knowing he was an ambitious individual.
However, Menchi and Anthony, upon hearing this, exchanged knowing smiles.
They understood their captain too well.
"The Captain's decision is very wise... Our trip was meant to be exploratory. If we encountered insurmountable obstacles, it would naturally be best to bring back the 'information' to the human world first," Anthony chimed in, "We are also shouldering a mission on this trip..."
"Is it really okay?"
One of them swallowed and said softly.
Seeing Oboro nod, their faces lit up with joy.
And some who hadn't expressed their desire to leave before, seeing how accommodating the leader was, also began to waver.
In just half an hour, except for Oboro's six-person squad, the remaining seventeen people turned back, which was quite laughable.
To escape the predicament, they had to rely on the two Nen users capable of flight and transport. Once they left, who knew when they would return, and it also meant the remaining people would lose their means of escape. Therefore, anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't give up this opportunity.
Oboro, Menchi, and the others came to the deck. Outside the window, the turbulent sea continuously battered the ship, with some splashes reaching them, creating a loud noise.
Under the lights, the Conjurer Nen user created a box between their hands. After opening it, everyone jumped in one by one, their bodies began to shrink, and they finally fell into the box.
Then, another person found some materials and equipment on the ship and used their Transmutation Nen ability to assemble them. In just a moment, a small manned aircraft was created, and the two Nen users took the rest of the people aboard.
Before leaving, they seemed to want to say something to Oboro, but seeing the leader wave them goodbye, they gave up the idea.
Then, in the darkness, a light shot up into the sky.
Flying into the distance.
Oboro walked to the edge of the ship, his expression indifferent.
He watched carefully.
The aircraft had only flown less than a kilometer when suddenly, a black shadow shot out from the sea, hitting the aircraft directly. A fireball erupted in the air, the machine destroyed, and the occupants perished.
The auras of the seventeen people quickly disappeared.
They were dead.
Oboro was not surprised; neither were Menchi and the others.
It was night now. Even if the sky was clear of clouds, stars and the moon were rarely seen. Coupled with the low reflectivity of the black sea, the entire space appeared like a vast, black cage. Most visible light was absorbed by the black sea, creating a very strange environment.
Even the slightest bit of light seemed glaring.
"As the Captain said, hope and disaster go hand in hand."
"Hmph, insisting on coming along... Since we're exploring the Dark Continent, the fewer people, the better. Too many people increase the risk exponentially compared to the help they provide... because group actions increase the danger of being targeted. After all, from now on, we are the prey, so we need to be careful."
"Extremely low survival rate, huh..."
Several people let out sarcastic laughter.
They had long seen that the Captain was leading these people to their deaths.
"Did you see clearly?"
Menchi walked up and asked.
"Mhm."
Oboro's expression was serious.
His perception was very powerful. He had clearly 'seen' the object hidden beneath the water surface just now.
A tentacle.
There was a monster at the bottom of the sea.
But what shot out the escaping individuals was a stream of gushing water.
"The so-called energy matter is likely a liquid secreted or produced by it," Oboro said calmly.
It? Menchi's expression changed slightly.
What kind of secretion could spread and contaminate an entire sea?
How large must that creature be?
"Turn on all the lights," Oboro commanded.
"Yes."
Gebuwich quickly complied.
Thirty seconds later, all the ship's lighting equipment was activated, shining brightly in the darkness.
Oboro unleashed his Nen, standing at the bow of the ship, surrounded by swirling ghost fog.
With his hands in his pockets, he stared at the suddenly churning black sea in front of him, his heart sinking, "Come out."
He didn't speak, but sent out a strong mental wave directly in front of him.
Then... a terrifying scene unfolded!
Vast amounts of seawater surged into the sky, the entire sea surface seemed to merge with the horizon. A real tsunami played out before the six of them...
An object, as large as a land island, emerged from the deep sea. It had pink skin, and giant tentacles swayed one after another.
The 'natural disaster' that was occurring was caused by its movements.
And Oboro's ship was in danger of capsizing at any moment... like a tiny boat in a stormy sea, appearing small and desperate.
"An... octopus...?"
Anthony's mouth hung open, his mind blank.
Looking up at the monster that filled the entire sky.
The octopus's body had only emerged halfway from the sea, and it was at least several kilometers away from them, but due to its terrifying size... it created the illusion of being close.
What was most horrifying was that their ship was about the size of a single suction cup on the octopus's tentacle...
This meant that the creature before them didn't even need to exert force; a single tentacle gently falling could kill them.
The ship rocked violently, losing balance several times, but thankfully remained stable.
However, the overflowing black seawater had already dyed the deck and cabin pitch black. The descending tsunami did not hit the ship.
This octopus was controlling the water.
Anthony remembered something. He recalled Oboro saying that the World Tree in the human world was just a sapling in the Dark Continent... Compared to this scale, the monster before them being this size was normal.
But... it was still too astonishing.
"Aooo!"
The octopus let out a long roar like a ferocious beast.
A gust of wind swept towards them, and Menchi and the others immediately used Nen to stabilize themselves and covered their ears.
Only Oboro, at the very front, appeared remarkably calm.
Oboro's heart pounded, not from shock... but from excitement.
Because he had seen this octopus in an illustration from the original work. This meant that even though the information revealed in those few illustrations was limited, it was correct!
This also included some other species from the Dark Continent.
"It can understand... it's not unintelligent."
Oboro murmured, looking at the two moon-like pupils above his head, and said calmly, "Move aside!"
The octopus's roar was a form of communication with him.
Because... it sensed that this tiny creature before it belonged to the same category as itself.
It was also a member of the food chain.
This was... a conversation between powers at the level of the Dark Continent.
The reason the octopus hadn't attacked the ship directly was that it had constantly sensed a threatening aura.
"Although it has some intelligence, its ecosystem is different. It's a purer form of survival of the fittest, preying on the weak, isn't it?"
Faced with Oboro's warning, the octopus raised its tentacles without hesitation.
It could understand, but it seemed unwilling to communicate.
To it, the most effective method was not communication, but power.
The big fish eat the small fish.
"This makes things easier..." Oboro understood.
His body instantly became spiritualized, and he himself was engulfed in spectral flames, with rolling black mist emanating outwards.
Oboro flew out along with the myriad ghosts in the mist.
The distance of several thousand meters was covered in an instant.
He flashed to a part of the octopus's body.
Then, he bent his elbow and clenched his fist.
As he moved, the surrounding black mist exploded, creating a vacuum.
Then, Oboro threw his fist, like a needle, piercing the octopus.
Circles of strange ripples spread outwards from the point of Oboro's attack, covering the entire octopus. There was no physical damage, and the monster did not bleed.
Because Oboro's attack was aimed at the soul!
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed through the sky, but Menchi and the others couldn't hear it.
This was the fluctuation and collision of souls.
The octopus's massive body suddenly trembled. An immense amount of soul energy was blasted out of its body by the force of Oboro's punch.
Just as it was about to dissipate into the wind, it was instantly swept up, absorbed, and enveloped by the black mist.
A one-hit kill!
The octopus died instantly, but its tentacle, which had been smashing towards the ship, continued its trajectory and fell freely.
Before the tentacle could touch the ship, the downward pressure of the air caused the seawater to sink and form a depression, accompanied by an unstoppable current.
Boom!
The tentacle smashed into the sea, instantly pulverizing the small boat. The wreckage was swept away by the current, disappearing without a trace.
Oboro hovered in the air, looking back at the churning sea surface, his brow furrowed.
He expanded his perception... After a while, several figures appeared on the sea surface.
It was Anthony and the others.
But in that short time, Rita, one of the team members, had been swept several kilometers away by the underwater current.
Fortunately, Oboro's perception range was large enough, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to locate them.
These individuals were indeed worthy of being trained by Oboro.
In the dark sea, guided by the ghosts floating above their heads, they swam towards the octopus's corpse.
Almost everyone was stained black as if dipped in ink, their faces unrecognizable.
Fortunately, this energy matter did not harm their bodies.
However... Rita was still injured.
The others had pale faces.
They had jumped off the ship in time, but the tentacle smashing into the sea and the turbulent underwater currents hitting them were incredibly powerful and destructive.
This was only possible because Oboro had killed the monster in time, reducing the tentacle's power to zero, leaving only its downward force.
Otherwise, this single impact could have killed them all.
Oboro's body returned to normal. He emerged from the ghost fog and stood on the octopus's corpse, which had not yet sunk into the sea, pulling the few people onto the 'physical land' one by one.
"Let's rest a bit."
Oboro offered no comfort, nor did he say much. This was the Dark Continent.
Before coming, Menchi and the others had already prepared themselves for death.
This was also a way to let them understand what Dark Continent-level power was like.
This octopus, Oboro was certain, was at the very bottom of the Dark Continent's food chain... because it didn't involve rules, strangeness, or supernatural powers.
"Dead?"
Fant and the others were left in a state of shock.
In front of such a monster, they were not ants, but dust.
Even attacking with Nen might feel like being bitten by a mosquito...
Yet, such a creature was defeated by the Captain in one move!
"Is the item still usable?"
Oboro looked at Rita, covered in grime.
"Yes! Reporting, Captain, I've protected it very well!"
Despite her injuries, Rita still seemed energetic and shouted loudly.
At the same time, she picked up the specially made backpack placed nearby.
The others' backpacks were also there. Because the materials were special, they had not been soaked by seawater.
"Mhm."
Oboro nodded.
Then, he looked towards the darkness ahead.
"We're a bit unlucky... We encountered such a terrifying creature before even reaching the Dark Continent. We're the only ones. According to the travel reports and information from Netero and Beyond, they reached the other side smoothly." Anthony lay on the ground, panting heavily, complaining.
"The routes are different, after all..."
Fant opened his backpack and took out a pack of his treasured cigarettes.
He lit one and put it in his mouth.
His fingers holding the cigarette trembled slightly. Although his tone was calm, it was evident what his state of mind was.
Gebuwich took out a small vial, walked to a distance, extracted energy matter from the seawater, and then took out writing and recording equipment from his bag to document it.
Oboro lowered his head, clenched his fist, and glanced at his status panel.
"The stats are no longer displayed... Instead, it's directly reflected in the Dark Continent's food chain hierarchy."
With that, Oboro chuckled, his eyes cold yet filled with excitement.
"But there's a noticeable sense of improvement... Fantastic!"
"This is an unexploited treasure trove..."
"Let's try... to conquer this place."
Evolve.
Keep evolving.
____________________
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