Chapter 352: Episode 9

The monsters hiding in the forest were completely silent. Among the Four Major Principles, this is a state of "Absolute." It is said that in the process of surviving in the wild, beasts learn how to extinguish their presence in this way—a state of "Absolute"—without anyone teaching them. For them, this may be a natural technique, one that requires no human definition.

It had not yet been attacked, but it remained under siege. If I hadn't discovered it through "together," I wouldn't even have noticed it lurking. On the contrary, hunting in this silence seems to be their specialty.

At this speed, there is nothing to be done in the current state. I made up my mind and opened my bag. Finding what was inside.

His hands trembled painfully. They shook so violently that I couldn't even open the bag. No matter how calm I pretended to be, I couldn't hide it. If they wanted to, I would die.

The manifestation of Nen Ability is a true reflection of a person's psychological state. If you are bullish, you will get the Aura you deserve. For those at a disadvantage, this disparity seems even greater. It is important to maintain mental stability, remain unaffected by the battle situation, and not be overwhelmed by joy or sorrow.

I did not have the courage to overcome this adversity. In a state of mental atrophy, you cannot even display your own abilities. So the first thing I did was to restore my mind and body.

I let the main body lick the "Soul Stone" taken from the bag. The torrent that surged from the surface of his body expanded to several times its normal size. I gained powerful Life Energy surging from within, and my spirit was also encouraged. I managed to pick it up.

I immediately used the rapidly growing Aura to repair Quinn. We need to repair Quinn's injuries as soon as possible. This is the top priority. Considering the next steps to take when thinking about treatment.

At the moment, the enemy is not moving. It seems he is watching the situation here. They pose a threat to me, but I am certain they are worth my attention. Comrades murdered. For an opponent using unknown abilities, I carelessly left my hand exposed.

However, once they launch an offensive, this confrontation will easily collapse. I cannot resist that sound attack. Therefore, there is no choice but to engage them.

I have no choice but to run. But if you show such a gap, you will definitely be attacked. If they hadn't intended to do so from the beginning, they wouldn't have surrounded them.

You must somehow create an opportunity to escape. Before we can escape, we must first get there. How to deceive the enemy? I look around.

Then I noticed an anomaly. Where the monster I killed earlier had been, a giant cactus pole had formed. Around the dead tree-man who fell after being consumed by the "Erosion Machine Bullet," a red succulent plant was growing.

I had never seen such a change before. The target hit by the "Erosion Machine Bullet" died of poisoning. The poison kills the virus before it can reproduce. But I have always had my doubts. What would happen if an enemy resistant to my poison were hit by this attack?

The phenomenon happening before our eyes is the answer. The sight of a guy being parasitized by a red cactus and devoured by it is a manifestation of an explosive virus. That is to say, this indicates that Life Energy continues to radiate within the monster's body, and it is still alive.

After being hit by so many bullets and poison, he is still alive. It is not just the explosive effect; I am shocked to witness the enemy's tenacious Life Force.

The change did not end there. As the cactus grows, it absorbs nutrients and forms a bud-like organ. The flower bloomed. Like a work of art carved from a piece of raw stone, a brilliant gemstone flower blossomed.

Something emerged from the center of the blooming flower. It was a small bullet. It was a viral cyst. The infected person who has entered the outbreak period spreads cyst bullets from the ejection port. In the case of my viral infection, the appearance of the exit seems to be a flower.

The blooming cactus began to fire bullets in all directions. It is completely rooted in the ground, serving only as a fixed turret. The feeling of being able to release a large number of bullets is good, but it is indiscriminate. It ended up flying toward me.

However, for the dead tree-man, this attack was the fuse that triggered a psychological obstacle. A companion turned into a mysterious figure and began attacking wildly. This should not be something they can ignore.

As if to express the turmoil, the hidden enemies withdrew from their positions while opening fire.

Now.

A perfect opportunity to transition to an escape. I ran with Quinn.

They saw my power. We have the ability to defeat our enemies. I was able to show off my power, letting people know that I am a threat. So, despite the large number of enemies, they carefully hid and watched everything happening here.

You run away like this, perhaps they won't chase you? This faint hope quickly vanished into thin air.

I sensed signs of something chasing me from behind at an extremely high speed. This is a speed that cannot be escaped without mixing in the "Soul Stone." Increasing their leg strength with a reinforcement rate that exceeds the body's limits, it seems they are finally evenly matched.

With every step, I felt my muscle fibers tearing. Running while forcibly repairing with Aura. This is a rough move, as the effect of the stone also enhances the healing ability.

The speed is almost uniform. However, they are not competing under equal conditions. The relationship between the pursuer and the pursued is disadvantageous to the latter.

In a dense forest with poor visibility and poor footing, it is difficult to run at full speed. The person running in front must find a passable path, opening up undeveloped areas, but the person behind just follows.

It was reproached by the overwhelming pressure approaching from behind. The violence of one against many stimulated it. By making full use of "Thought Calculation," he chose visual information and ran along the route with as little loss as possible.

But this is not enough. I do not have enough speed to separate them. Finally, a deafening scream rang out from behind.

Ahhhhh—!

The air is trembling. This is a sonic attack. You cannot dodge it. Quinn's body trembled.

I focused all my attention on the enemy's attack. The split consciousness driving Quinn was reduced to a minimum, and the aggregation network was subdivided to detect abnormalities within the body.

In the process of being attacked many times so far, we have grasped the signs. Tiny vibrations converge to the target location, triggering an explosion. If you don't miss that slight tremor, you can perceive in advance who the target is.

The vibrations gathered at one point. That place is... Quinn's heart. The next moment, the heartbeat of life suddenly burst and stopped.

"……!"

If I hadn't taken any countermeasures, Quinn would be dead now, and the main body would soon fall into the same fate.

I was able to stop the attack before it destroyed my heart. What I did wasn't that difficult. At the moment the enemy attacked, he "lowered" his heart reinforcement rate with "Ryu."

Their voices can easily destroy a human body reinforced by Aura. However, this does not mean that the energy of the sound produced by a loud voice will be hit directly. This is not a way of using power, like tearing your eardrums with a loud sound.

I anticipated that this was an attack of "Resonance." There is a phenomenon where sound of a specific frequency acts on other substances and amplifies their vibrations. Objects have vibration values that make them vibrate to the maximum. If you use that, you can break glass without using your Nen Ability, just using your voice; you can explain it with the body.

Even so, if it were not a human organ made of a single material like a glass cup, it would be impossible to resonate and destroy the entire human organ. What makes all this possible is the extraordinary environment of the Dark Continent.

Anyway, the enemy is targeting the "most destructive frequency" for this organ. If so, just change the intensity of the target point before the sound tuning matches. If the intensity changes, the frequency value required for resonance will also change accordingly.

There is no guarantee that this response method will succeed, but I was able to verify the effect in a live performance. In the face of this sonic attack, no matter how much you use Aura to increase the body's endurance, it doesn't matter. A penetration attack that ignores defense. Conversely, even if you don't use Aura reinforcement at all, the result is the same.

What is important is the change in the reinforcement rate. This is not just blindly following the trend. I thought it would be a difficult opponent, but after blocking the previous blow, I understood. Their true value is not the screaming itself, but the high level of their tuning technique.

It is impossible to completely stop resonance by aimlessly stirring Aura in the body with electric current. Because they adjust the frequency in response to this change. You must accurately read the enemy's target and change the intensity before the resonance destruction occurs.

Ahhhhh

Ahhhhh

Ahhhhhhh

The sound rang out from all directions, behind Quinn, in front, and to the sides. Possibly, the purpose is to create the illusion that friends are gathering from multiple directions by echoing their voices. In reality, only a group of people is approaching from behind.

The dead tree-men, who originally did not know how to use Aura to reinforce their physical abilities, can use "Absolute" without any disadvantage. Ruthless hunters who hunt prey with echoing sounds while completely cutting off any presence.

As a practitioner of resonance destruction, his leg speed is amazing, and it is said that he also possesses Life Force that can withstand poison. I am using "together" to find the enemy's whereabouts, but it is usually difficult to find them unless I can use a wide-range En. And even if I can find them, whether I can deal with it from there is another matter.

The reason I have been able to keep running without dying is that the enemy's attack has a range. Sound energy attenuates as it moves away from its source. It seems that it needs to be close to the target to cause resonance.

However, conversely, the closer the distance, the more accurate and powerful the enemy's attack. It is possible to destroy even at the current distance. If I were any closer than this, I don't trust that the flow would be in time.

Shoot "Erosion Machine Bullets" at the protruding enemies to constrain them. His hope of winning is gone. There is no way to hit an enemy in a state of full alert. However, this may be a restraint precisely because they are cautious.

If possible, I don't want to fire this bullet. It is an egg, and it is one of my brains. Every time I shoot, the consciousness cluster shrinks, and the number of tasks it can handle decreases. Even so, the number of remaining eggs is less than half, and he has overused his split consciousness at the limit of his processing power. Only a few hundred bullets. Not a single shot was wasted.

With such restraint, the time I can gain from the enemy is 0.1 seconds or 0.01 seconds. Unless you create a gap that only flashes, you cannot escape.

If you don't keep your distance, you will be immediately drawn into the opponent's offensive. I intend to keep a close watch and not let the enemy get close. However, the front line is gradually approaching.

Finally, the thing I was worried about happened. A wave of resonance attacks. Now it is possible to receive attacks from multiple enemies. The movement of two or more Auras caused by electric current must be performed simultaneously, and one must be careful with the timing. For example, the difficulty of completing completely different tasks with the right hand and the left hand.

That was just the beginning. Sometimes you can perform 3 or more, 4 or more Aura actions. Furthermore, you can launch multiple attacks against the same target. For example, two dead tree men would simultaneously use resonance destruction attacks on Quinn's heart.

In that situation, the timing of the Flow becomes even more stringent. This is because it will be easier for you to match the frequency you are escaping from. While looking toward the future, you must also keep an eye on other resonances, constantly moving the Aura of every possible part of your body.

Precisely because of this, I had to give up on strengthening my leg power. Breaking a leg is the worst. To give a range for the fluctuation value of the reinforcement rate, if one does not dare to lower the reinforcement rate, one will eventually be surpassed. There is no room for change in full-power enhancement.

You must frequently change the power rate of your left and right legs, which will affect your running posture. Of course, speed will decrease, the enemy will close the distance, the difficulty of the Flow will increase, forming a vicious cycle.

Not just Quinn, even the internal organs of the main body are targeted from time to time. This is natural, as it launches the Bullet from the main body. In any case, I must defend it with my life, and I have invested unnecessary power into the Flow. This weakens other defenses.

Quinn's left arm flew off. I could not protect it. There is no obstacle to running. Aura repair is limited to stopping the bleeding. Now is not the time to consume extra Aura. Due to the imbalance in weight between left and right, my posture collapsed.

If you turn around, everything ends here. I am somehow stuck. For posture control, tasks exceeding the usage limit are imposed on the split consciousness, and the egg dies from overwork. Decelerate and shorten the distance to the enemy.

We are no longer in a situation where we are unwilling to launch the Bullet. If you don't fire, you will be killed. The enemy has gradually become accustomed to this attack and no longer spends much effort dodging. It is easily dodged. The Constraint effect is beginning to weaken.

How much time has passed since the escape began? I have lost my normal sense of time. I feel like I have been escaping within myself for several hours. However, since the effect of the "Soul Stone" has not yet faded, it is estimated to be less than a few minutes.

The Stone boost takes about 3 minutes. After the effect time ends, the lurking Aura will drop significantly, and it will be impossible to use normal Nen Ability. If you fall into this situation under these circumstances, you will lose your life. This escape has had a time limit from the very beginning.

At first, I created a consciousness to measure time, but I stopped halfway. Rather than focusing on these things, it is better to let them do other work. If you don't escape in time, you will die. That is all.

How much time is left? You might die in a second. Having to wait for the sinking situation is like a ship with countless holes in its bottom. In that desperate situation, I ran with all my heart.

Just then, light shone through the rows of trees. The dense forest was cut off. Running to the end of that inserted light is like a signpost representing hope.

There is a cliff.

A huge valley appeared before you. The bottom of the valley is dizzyingly far away. For now, water seems to be flowing, but if you fall from this height, the impact will be like hitting the ground. Not only that, we don't know what kind of threat is lurking by the water. If you still fall, it is highly likely you will not be saved.

The other side of the valley is very far away. Even in the sky, you cannot cross it without flying.

The enemy must know there is a huge canyon here. It has spread out to block the escape routes to the left and right. They intend to drive me to this place.

Everything is fine. I guess that is what he thought. But I have no intention of slowing down at all. I continue to run toward the cliff and cross it without hesitation.

Just as the enemy knew about this place, I had long known there was a ravine here. The search here was exhaustive. You cannot miss such a large change in terrain.

I knew from the beginning that my goal was this place. Unless you are in this place, you cannot spread the enemy. That is why I was able to stage a reckless escape drama after considering the time limit of a few minutes.

A jump using a full-speed sprint as a run-up. It leaps vigorously into the air from the edge of the cliff. Quinn's right hand is holding the main body.

"Hahaha!"

Throw the main body to the other side. A full-force Throw, ignoring the damage to the arm caused by jumping beyond the limit, which leads to a broken leg. Use Quinn here. Focus only on exhausting all remaining Aura to let the main body escape.

The main body folds its legs and curls its body to minimize air resistance to throw the ball into the air and fly in the air. With this momentum, it will surely reach the Beyond Netero. The fastest you can think of.

Escape from the enemy's hands. However, we cannot relax here. On the contrary, this is the critical moment.

After throwing the main body, Quinn is hit by the enemy's resonance attack faster than he falls. The reason I have been able to block this attack until now is largely due to the "Thought Calculation" which possesses ultra-high acceleration consciousness. This is a technique that Quinn, who has separated from the main body, cannot use alone.

Quinn bursts into pieces while scattering blood mist until it loses its original shape. So far, the results are within the expected range. The main body is already at a position far enough from the enemy. The resonance attack will never reach this level.

The problem is the price paid for Quinn's death. In view of this, we have to reduce the intake of eggs as much as possible. Although I couldn't have escaped without doing so, the loss is greater than I expected.

The remaining number is 345. After deducting the compensation of 333, there is almost nothing left. Moreover, this number is the minimum cost, and the actual loss is much higher. And when the number of afterimages drops below 0, the life of the main body also flows away.

Only 12 Grace. If you cannot keep the loss within that range, you will not die even if you escape. To do this, he must calm down and accept his death as soon as possible.

Struggling, struggling, accepting death at the end of the struggle is inconsistent. Dying for life, despairing for death. Reality is just that ruthless.

Point, Tongue, nest, and outbreak.

Thoroughly cut off the sense of connection with the outside world, enter Meditation, and immerse yourself in the spirit within. It has been a long time since I practiced "Burning", but I am relieved that I was able to transition smoothly to Meditation.

Let's do the final touch-up. I face the consciousness of death spreading within me.

What does it mean to accept death first?

At first, I thought it was losing all senses and being unable to perceive anything. For example, a deep sleep state. Losing consciousness and never waking up again. Isn't that like being thrown into the Pitch Darkness where you lose your five senses?

However, naturally, sleeping is not death. Even if you lose consciousness, your brain is still working, and the Pitch Darkness created during that time is exactly what you see.

If so, I think the state of nothingness where you can't think of anything is death. However, isn't the state of thinking of nothing just the state of "thinking of nothing"? No matter how much I want to empty my thoughts and let it be nothing, the nothingness I think of still exists.

In short, I think that no matter how close you are to death in a living state, it is "life" and not "death". It is like two sides of a coin. When you look at the front, you cannot see the back, and vice versa. There is an impenetrable isolation between the two.

However, the coin can be seen from the side. If the front says "○" and the back says "●", then seen from the side, it is written as "|". It is a single line. But is there an intermediate realm between life and death? I think this coin has no thickness. Seen from the side, there is nothing there.

In other words, there is nothing. Trying to see that non-existent realm is "accepting death", isn't it?

Then, it becomes a story about how to do it specifically. Approaching death while still alive and trying to overcome this absolute sense of isolation is like an abnormal feeling. A spiritual state beyond imagination that transcends ethics and common sense.

I thought so at first. But that doesn't seem to be the case. If you try to aim for this special state of mind, you would rather fall into the depths of thought, far away from nothingness.

Therefore, it is in a primary and primitive state, without further consideration. This is the state before thinking about something and trying to do it. More immature and nothing than ignorance, but still alive.

I also thought it was the birth of an egg's life; the moment life is born, its existence is between existence and non-existence.

So it makes perfect sense for me to sacrifice an egg's ability. The moment "spiritual tuning" is cut off and self-supply is cut off, the egg gains the special ability to "accept death". Because it is most vulnerable to the threat of death, it exists in the closest position.

Wait, now I am thinking. Thinking means living. Having overcome the fierce battle with the dead tree men, I was able to survive.

Six days have passed since then. For a while, I focused on recovering my physical strength and eggs, and continued to hide. I am tired of looking for rewards.

Come to think of it, on this continent, if there were resources useful for survival, it would be no surprise that creatures had already monopolized them. No, it would be strange not to do so. And in this ecosystem that boils down to the solidification of survival of the fittest, becoming a creature capable of forming a certain territory naturally has to be strong. If you look for hope (return), the risk of encountering a Disaster will inevitably increase.

I focused on finding the ocean, which was my initial goal. And now, walking through the forest, I have come to what appears to be a beach.

The sand dunes are endless. It looks more like a desert than a beach. However, if you look closely at the sand, there are many shells mixed in. In the past, there must have been a sea surface here.

Why has the sea level dropped so much that the sand is exposed? I decided to walk on the vast beach with a little trepidation.