At night, Oboro leaned back on the sofa alone in the darkened room. Through the window facing him, the lights of the palace square flickered in the distance. His eyes grew heavy as he contemplated his fight with Beyond.
The strength of our Nen is similar, but there's a clear gap in our physical fitness This reminded him of when Netero fought against the Ant King Meruem. Netero could only suppress Meruem with his Nen abilities but couldn't break through his defense. The vitality of flesh and blood was directly linked to one's temperament.
Of course, the physical difference between him and Beyond wasn't quite that extreme but he was still at a disadvantage.
During the battle, Oboro hadn't used Ekko's ultimate move, Time and Space Fracture, because the enemy's reinforcements had appeared. Having deployed his own forces earlier than Yangde, Oboro wasn't certain whether Hui Guorou would also join the fray So, playing it safe, he'd decided to withdraw.
After all, with Kakin's national resources, it wouldn't be difficult for them to deploy specialized scientific weapons against him.
Beyond also had a trump card that remained unused There had been no point in continuing the fight.
"Sir your injuries"
David knocked on the door with concern in his voice.
"It's okay, don't worry," Oboro waved his hand dismissively.
Hearing the response, David turned away without another word, closing the door behind him.
The medical staff hired by the family had provided basic treatment, but Oboro's injuries were severe. Even though the knife wounds on his body had begun to heal, they were far from fully recovered. The doctor had suggested that Oboro seek treatment at a professional hospital and recuperate for an extended period.
"My chances of winning are slightly better" Oboro murmured, lying back on the sofa and staring at the dim ceiling.
He said "slightly better," but in truth not by much.
If he could control the power of the soul and damage or tamper with Yangde's soul, then victory would be assured Unfortunately, Thresh's ability to read souls hadn't been developed to that level yet. The method he'd used on the eldest prince Benjamin required the target's spirit to be defenseless, and he needed to maintain contact with the soul for a certain period of time.
With Beyond's ability to fight back, it would be difficult to gain the upper hand through soul control.
It wasn't enough he still needed to continue developing his abilities.
Oboro's body was wrapped in bandages, and the scar extending from his shoulder still throbbed with pain. Inside the wound, Beyond's Nen remained, corroding his flesh and blood.
The other's telepathic ability the blade of light he had swung out wasn't simple
To recover completely, Oboro needed to remove the lingering Nen First, he would need a thought remover to cleanse the foreign aura from his body, and then allow his body to heal naturally.
But Oboro wasn't overly concerned, because he possessed the attribute of life stealing. In the coming days, as long as he inflicted enough damage in battle, he could absorb a certain proportion of life energy and accelerate his recovery As for the residual Nen, since there were no rules attached to it, it could be offset by Yangde's personal will.
Otherwise, he'd truly need to find a mind-cleansing master.
The royal power of the Kakin Empire couldn't be challenged yet
Fortunately, he still had Prince Benjamin, part of whose soul remained imprisoned in his lantern. This meant that Oboro could rely on the soul connection to perceive everything happening around Benjamin! Nasubi Hui Guo Rou might abandon his eighth prince and a princess, but the eldest prince Benjamin was different. He was exceptionally talented among the princes and, most importantly, held significant status in the military.
Oboro didn't believe that Hui Guo Rou would dare to ignore Benjamin's death as casually as he had abandoned Halkenburg and the others.
"Among humans in this world his body truly is the strongest" he mumbled to himself.
Compared to Netero and Maha, Beyond was still younger His physical strength hadn't declined much with age. To reach such a level was indeed beyond Oboro's expectations, but it made sense.
The truth was, Oboro had known nothing about Beyond's strength before their encounter.
His abilities hadn't been revealed in the original story.
Aside from the first two hunters, Oboro couldn't think of anyone else who could surpass Beyond.
Oboro had encountered the Zodiacs, including Botobai Gigante among the Twelve Zodiacs Their fighting power wasn't focused on physical strength, and the same was true for Zeno Zoldyck.
After careful consideration, Yangde's body could indeed be regarded as the pinnacle of human physical ability in the current era.
Oboro's own physical talent was abnormal as well, as acknowledged by Netero himself but compared to Beyond, it still fell short. If not for the various attributes added to his abilities, he wouldn't have been able to fight Beyond head-on and would have had to rely on trickery.
"Wait a moment, I'll let you live a little longer" A cold light flashed in his dim eyes.
His body's growth might have stagnated, but his strength had no limits.
As long as his attributes continued to stack, he would soon surpass Beyond In terms of flesh defense and mental fortitude, there was still a great opportunity waiting for him.
Chimera Ants!
Not just Beyond, but all of Kakin!
This retreat was temporary it didn't mean it was over.
At the very least, Oboro had gauged Yangde's strength and gained a preliminary understanding of his abilities.
Next time, it would be a hunt.
Time passed slowly.
Two months later, in a deep forest, several dark figures swiftly navigated through the trees, all heading in the same direction.
After a while, a figure stood still on a high branch, gripping the trunk with one hand while peering into the distance.
Looking several miles ahead, they could see the lush trees shaking violently as if in an earthquake, raising clouds of dust. The roars and screams of monsters echoed through the forest.
"Found it he's there."
The person was Menchi.
She pointed in one direction and turned to speak to her teammates behind her.
"Hunting monsters again The captain's strength is already unimaginable. Looking at the entire Hunter world, there shouldn't be anyone who can threaten him, right? Why is he still doing these things Is he treating it as a warm-up exercise?" Anthony smoothed his flashy hair with both hands and smiled.
"I heard he suffered some injuries in the Kakin Empire not long ago" Fant said in a deep voice, cigarette dangling from his lips. "This shows there are still powerful people in this world beyond our imagination Although the captain is formidable, he's not yet at the level where he can look down on the entire human world."
"No! The captain is the strongest in my eyes!" Rita's eyes sparkled with admiration as she shouted excitedly.
"Huntersare notinvincible. The Kakin Empireis so powerfulThey may have usedsome internationallybannedlarge-scale weapons" Gabwich stuttered in his reply.
"That is indeed a possibility. Otherwise apart from the Chairman, I really can't think of anyone else who could hurt him." Anthony stroked his chin with one hand while using his other to fix his hair with a comb. He cared deeply about his crew cut.
Over the years, the team had transformed. Menchi had become a two-star Hunter, and the other four had all earned their single stars.
Moreover, their strength, experience, understanding of the Association, and knowledge of the human world had all evolved dramatically from when they first began.
The five had changed in appearance as well. Though their personalities remained largely the same, their capable and mature demeanor, along with their determined gazes, revealed they had become veterans among Hunters.
"Let's go," Menchi said before vanishing from the tree branch. The others followed immediately.
Shortly afterward, they arrived at the battlefield.
They found Oboro, dressed in a suit, sitting atop the corpse of a massive purple-skinned monster that resembled a rhinoceros, covered in spikes.
Menchi was the first to emerge from the shadows of the woods, waving to Oboro in greeting.
"Captain!" Rita, who followed closely behind, raised her voice in an enthusiastic salute.
Fant, always calm and composed, simply nodded.
Gabwich remained characteristically shy.
Anthony was the most energetic, running forward to examine the monster's corpse with wide-eyed amazement.
"What did you find?" After acknowledging his teammates, Oboro jumped down from the beast with a smile and looked at Menchi, who was temporarily leading the team.
"It's pretty much as you predicted." Menchi tossed a camera to him.
Oboro caught it and opened the display to view its contents. The camera contained video footage shot by several people.
This was exactly what was happening in the Mitene Union right now, though the outside world remained unaware of it.
"Really? Shouldn't we report this to the Association? This is extremely serious Those ants are life forms far superior to humans. They're definitely alien species! They reproduce rapidly There's probably a large ant nest in the territory where they're multiplying by preying on humans. Not only that, these ants have clear hierarchical levels. The higher the class, the more dangerous they are."
"However, we followed your instructions and only conducted reconnaissance around the edges of their territory. We didn't dare venture deeper" Menchi crossed her arms, leaned against the monster's corpse, and looked at Oboro.
She hadn't even informed Biscuit about this After growing over the past few years, she had cemented her relationship with Oboro, and they had become comrades who stood together through thick and thin.
Moreover, Menchi also understood that when she first appeared and joined the team, Oboro had guessed the reason for her presence. Biscuit's influence had likely been involved, but he'd never exposed her.
The growth that Oboro brought to the team was genuine.
Although Oboro hadn't led the team in the past year or two due to personal matters, they wouldn't be where they were today without his guidance and foundational training.
Menchi knew that with her previous abilities, becoming a one-star Hunter would have been her limit.
According to the Association's rules, a one-star Hunter must have made certain achievements in their professional field, though the strength requirements weren't particularly stringent.
But to become a two-star Hunter, one must personally train younger generations who could become star Hunters themselves meaning Anthony and the others.
Oboro had given her the credit, which was an immense favor.
Moreover, through Netero's connections, Oboro had secured her a position in the Association's management. Though she couldn't reach the level of the Zodiacs, she still wielded some influence.
This was the normal Hunter promotion process, though it didn't apply to privileged individuals like Oboro.
As for whether to accompany him to the Dark Continent in the future, Oboro had asked them to consider carefully. After a period of deliberation the five had remained steadfast in their decision to follow him.
For this reason, except for Menchi, everyone else had chosen their specialties based on the knowledge they would need for their future expedition to the Dark Continent.
Feelings were feelings, bonds were bonds but the growth they gained by following Oboro was visible to the naked eye.
The camera displayed bloody scenes of ants devouring human remains, along with images of humans fleeing in terror Oboro watched for a moment before turning it off.
"It doesn't seem like that many" Oboro smiled grimly.
"If we follow the timeline you mentioned, this number is already terrifying. According to my investigation, as their colony becomes more established, their reproduction rate will increase exponentially. It may take less than half a year for their numbers to multiply several times over Don't forget, they started with just one queen," Menchi explained.
"Why?" she added, staring at Oboro seriously.
Though she had chosen to stand by Oboro and conceal the matter, she still maintained a Hunter's sense of responsibility The sooner the authorities realized the danger, the easier it would be to handle. Otherwise, more people would be sacrificed.
The others looked on expectantly as well. She needed Oboro to provide a reasonable explanation.
"The Chimera Ant incident is a conspiracy between Pariston and another party Their goal is to force the Chairman out of office, which aligns with my plan since I want to become the President of the Hunter Association," Oboro explained candidly. "Additionally, while I now have the ability to bypass V5 and the Gatekeeper's office to take you to the Dark Continent privately, that's not a formal approach because we'll eventually need to return. It's simply a foolish dream to imagine exploring the Dark Continent once and establishing a permanent foothold there."
Oboro didn't hide anything as he addressed his teammates. "You know, throughout human history, generation after generation of powerful individuals, including various kingdoms' military forces, have only managed to explore the outermost regions of that continent. If we go there, we'll need time to adapt first and understand the food chain and rules Just adaptation alone could take years, even decades And that's being optimistic."
As Oboro spoke, he led the group away from the site.
"Just look at Netero He went to the Dark Continent when he was young, and now he's over a hundred years old."
"Huh?" Gabwich looked confused. "According towhat you're saying, Captaineven ifwe cancome back alive, we don't havethat much life to waste Can welive untilthat time?"
"Human life energy dissipates gradually over time. The period one can maintain peak condition isn't long If it takes too many years, our strength is bound to decline," Menchi added.
"No there is one person who succeeded. He should still be alive and should have passed through the 'gate' to enter the core area of the Dark Continent," Oboro countered.
"That's the guy you mentioned before, Captain Don Freecss, right?" Anthony raised his eyebrows.
"Yes."
"How many hundreds of years old is he? Do humans have that kind of lifespan?" Fant couldn't help but ask.
"It's impossible under normal circumstances, but the Dark Continent is very special. That land is filled with unimaginable sources of power that breed all kinds of life Among them is a plant called Nitro Rice. After eating it, you become full of vitality and your lifespan increases dramatically In other words, if you have enough ability to digest this rice, you can essentially live forever. Isn't that amazing?" Oboro described it like a storyteller. "The five major calamities that humans have encountered from the Dark Continent are actually tied to the five major treasures. Nitro Rice is one of them V5 knows all these secrets but hasn't revealed them to the public, fearing that countries would mobilize and break the treaties they've established. Human greed cannot be underestimated."
"Wow so incredible," Anthony exclaimed.
Since they had decided to journey to the Dark Continent together, Oboro had shared what he knew about it with everyone.
"Able to digest?" Menchi caught the premise in Oboro's words that could easily be overlooked.
"That's right." Oboro put his hands in his pockets and walked under the shade of the trees. "Why do the conditions for going to the Dark Continent include ability? In short, it's an energy mismatch The Dark Continent exists on a higher order compared to the human world. Humans are born and raised in this world with poor energy sources. Individual energy is already limited by nature and is minuscule like fireflies. The life forms in the Dark Continent are super-elemental matter. Don't underestimate something as small as a grain of rice. The nutrients the energy may not be digestible by ordinary human bodies."
"So if you want to go to the Dark Continent, you need experience In this barren land, you must strive to become the strongest, earning a ticket to join the bottom of the food chain in the Dark Continent and enter their game. Because of the inconsistency of energy, life forms are fundamentally different Don't use your common sense to judge. The energy level and danger of unknown entities on that continent can't be judged by appearance"
"Anyway, when you go there, you'll understand" he concluded.
"How do you know all this?" Menchi asked curiously.
"Captain, I feel like you've already been to the Dark Continent," Anthony added, swallowing nervously.
"No There's no way I've been there. I just know more information than you do," Oboro smiled softly.
"What's the situation with the Kakin Empire?" Menchi changed the subject.
"Beyond Netero I fought him. He's incredibly powerful. He's worthy of having returned alive from the Dark Continent."
"Beyond Netero?" The group was surprised by the familiar last name.
"The Chairman's son. No one in the Association knows about his existence, except for Pariston and Linne, the most senior members," Oboro explained.
"Your injuries?" Menchi pressed.
"He's fine now But it took me nearly two months to eliminate the Nen left in the wound," Oboro sighed.
During this time, he had hunted monsters mainly to heal his injuries. Now, the extent to which a monster's soul could strengthen him was very small.
He had also further developed his mind-reading abilities, enhancing the effect of Thresh's power.
"That person must truly be exceptional" Fant blew out a smoke ring and remarked, "In all these years this is the first time I've heard you speak of someone with such respect."
"Why don't we go there again? Kill him?" Anthony looked eager to try. "I don't know what the point of killing him would be but since he's a hindrance, there's no need to keep him around."
"You'd only cause more trouble if you went, and you might end up getting the Captain hurt. Do you really think you're qualified to deal with someone of that caliber?" Menchi sneered bluntly.
"Don't say that We're different now. We haven't truly tested our abilities. No one knows what we're capable of," Anthony replied, obviously accustomed to Menchi's ridicule. "But seriously, wouldn't killing the Chairman's son provoke the old man to attack us? Captain, you're really brave! Your relationship with Netero is already delicate If his son is killed by you, aren't you worried Netero would come after you?"
"Oh," Oboro laughed aloud.
Compared to Beyond, these people didn't know much about him. They'd only heard part of the conversation and thought the matter mysterious, leading them to such conclusions.
"When I eventually kill him, you can observe Netero's reaction yourselves," Oboro said calmly.
His words made the color drain slightly from their faces.
They all knew each other too well by now.
The fact that Oboro dared to say this meant he was absolutely certain.
"I can't miss this kind of show again!" Anthony whistled excitedly.