After dawn, the temperature began to rise. After some simple preparations, the group embarked on their journey into this unfamiliar continent.
During the day, they could look up at the sky and see sunlight and clouds, but only in a limited area directly overhead. Towards the horizon, shadows still loomed, and it seemed that the further they walked, the dimmer the light became.
It felt like transitioning from day to night.
Oboro knew this was because a 'towering tree' in the center of the continent blocked everything.
Of course, this was just his speculation for now, not yet confirmed.
"The temperature is starting to rise..." The group walked cautiously, not daring to go fast. On one hand, it was to conserve energy, and on the other, to avoid attracting the attention of any dangerous entities. They almost always set off only after Oboro confirmed that there was no immediate danger nearby.
However, the location where they landed and the current environment were different from the V5's records.
They seemed to have chosen a very unfortunate route.
Within just a few hours, the once bone-chilling desert temperature had skyrocketed, turning it into a veritable furnace.
And this was before noon, the hottest part of the day.
"We must find a water source immediately," Oboro's brow furrowed.
At this moment, he suddenly raised his hand, signaling his teammates to stop.
Without needing any instructions, Menchi and the other four instantly transformed into streaks of light and disappeared from their original positions, hiding behind rocks.
Only Oboro remained standing in place.
Oboro stared coldly into the distance, sensing a soul fluctuation several kilometers away.
The 'opponent's' ability to conceal its presence was exceptional.
It would be difficult to detect using only 'En.'
Oboro's mind conjured the 'soul form' hidden beneath the sand: it resembled a strangely shaped giant lizard, akin to a chameleon. This creature's ability to hide and camouflage was innate, and it was one of the reasons it could survive in the Dark Continent's food chain.
What surprised Oboro was that, perhaps due to the Dark Continent's unique ecosystem, this monster with such powerful life force possessed a perfect, innate control over its aura... It was almost more terrifying than human Nen users who had mastered 'Zetsu' to its extreme.
What humans spent their entire lives cultivating, this monster had mastered from birth...
If not for his soul abilities, even he might have fallen into this trap.
Oboro stood still.
Soon, a massive sand wave surged from the ground ahead, and a jet of water, like a spring, erupted from beneath the earth, scattering into the sky and forming a beautiful rainbow.
The high temperature in the desert was astonishing and lasted for a while. In such conditions, the sudden appearance of a water source undoubtedly brought hope to many 'lives,' including Oboro's team.
What they lacked most at the moment was water.
Water was more important than food.
The water cascaded down, soaking the sand.
Not long after, Oboro witnessed a black scorpion sprinting from a distance, its form still quite massive.
Unusually, its long tail, tipped with a venomous barb, was not the only one.
The scorpion sprinted to the suddenly appearing water source, stopped, and began to draw moisture from the sand. But as soon as it stood still, the vast desert ground suddenly collapsed, forming a vortex. A chasm-like maw emerged from below, directly biting the scorpion and swallowing it whole, leaving only half its head exposed.
It was the lizard Oboro had sensed... hiding beneath the ground.
This scene was incredibly shocking, partly due to the 'majestic' size of the creature, and partly due to the visually impactful and stark depiction of the hierarchy within the Dark Continent's food chain, the relationship between predator and prey.
The water jet was a form of the lizard's ability, intended to lure prey into its trap.
The scorpion had clearly fallen for it!
The scorpion's several terrifying tails repeatedly stabbed at the lizard, trying to struggle, and emitting piercing shrieks.
But due to the latter's hard scales, they were unsuccessful... and it was ultimately eaten.
This entire event, from beginning to end, was very swift.
In just a few minutes, the desert ahead returned to its calm state.
As if nothing had happened.
And the water soaked into the sand quickly evaporated due to the high temperature, leaving no trace.
Menchi and the others remained hidden, not daring to come out, their faces pale... They had all sensed that violent, surging aura, which fully indicated the terrifying nature of its life form.
Oboro waited for a while, and as expected, another familiar water jet erupted, just like before.
Some water mist drifted over, and faintly, it carried a sweet, milky fragrance that was enticing.
Oboro's pupils gradually narrowed.
His scalp tingled...
In his perception, the scorpion had been eaten by the lizard... but this was normal.
What made his heart pound was that after devouring its prey, the lizard's aura seemed to have grown stronger... and even its soul had grown a little.
This instantly reminded him of something.
Meruem's talent.
The Ant King had an instinct for 'eating.' After consuming the brain tissue of Nen users, his aura would become stronger... In other words, he could evolve infinitely! This shared a similar principle with Oboro's abilities; he had previously thought it was an isolated case.
But now, it seemed that was not the case at all!
Humans eat food to sustain life and obtain nutrients... but essentially, what they eat cannot be transformed into 'power.' There is a crucial process in between, which is cultivation!
However, creatures of the Dark Continent seemed to be different.
They could absorb the essence of life energy through digestion!
Note that it was absorbing energy... not simply eating living beings.
This was truly terrifying...
This meant that it was highly likely that most life forms in the Dark Continent... their food chain possessed a certain characteristic.
As long as they could 'eat' to become stronger, this would make the inter-species struggles within the food chain more brutal and bloody... And humans did not possess this ability. At least, in the current human world, no human had this trait, unless they possessed a special ability like Oboro's.
They all had the potential for 'evolution'!
Evolution, constant evolution...
No one knew how many years the Dark Continent had existed. If this was the case, wouldn't it mean that some ancient creatures on this continent were already at the apex of the food chain, having evolved to an unknown level of 'transcendent beings'?
It was like raising silkworms in a competition.
Having grasped this point, it indicated that on this land, there must exist several, or a few, and a group of the most terrifying 'entities.'
Oboro's heart pounded.
Netero's report to the V5 did not mention this, but... perhaps the old man had realized it, which was why he had forbidden humans from entering this continent.
"Fortunately, I developed the ability to stack passive skills... Otherwise, I wouldn't even have the basic qualification to participate in this game. Evolution... is just a ticket." Oboro suddenly realized, "The reason for evolution is powerful digestion and absorption abilities... Essentially, it's the difference in life structure."
Oboro couldn't imagine whether humans who hadn't migrated to the island in the lake before possessed this trait. At least now... they didn't.
He then thought of Alluka.
That kind of life substance involving rule-based energy.
Any creature's power was for survival; this was a law.
Oboro once believed that Alluka used humans' inner desires as bait to obtain the 'food' it needed. But what was its food?
Although it was invisible to the naked eye from the surface.
It didn't seem related to food, appearing more like 'playing.'
But anyone who fell for it or got close to it died... The price paid was life.
If Alluka could truly transform 'external life' into lifespan through its own power... it would undoubtedly touch upon the essence of life energy.
It had no physical form, so it naturally didn't need to eat physical substances. But what it needed... to sustain its existence, or rather, to continue existing, was life energy.
Not just flesh and blood, spirit, and soul, but also a form of that.
Viewed this way, whether it was the Ant King or Alluka, they both approached the essence of 'hunting, absorbing life energy, and constantly evolving.'
Was this a characteristic unique to the Dark Continent?
Alluka's evolutionary trait was not very prominent, but that didn't mean it didn't exist... It was just that it was still young, and its 'feeding method' was unconventional.
Realizing this, Oboro felt a chill.
He was unsure if all species in the Dark Continent possessed the trait of 'evolution,' or if it was limited to a portion.
Even so, he didn't dare to delve deeper... because it was too terrifying.
He now vaguely understood Netero's 'well-intentioned efforts.'
Looking at this world again, Oboro felt like a 'pitiable being' who had lost his way and stumbled into an abyss.
"No matter how bad the human world is, it's a relatively safe paradise... But this place is a real hell."
Oboro murmured to himself.
"It's just a shame... I still have to come."
"Because I already have the qualifications and ticket to participate in this game... This 'most real hunting feast' derived from evolution, how could I miss it..."
"Prey and predator..."
"I seem to prefer this side more. After all, there's no scheming and plotting, just a purer existence: the strong survive."
The next second, Oboro suddenly smiled.
A hint of bloodlust ignited in his eyes.
He came here... also for evolution!
With that, he walked alone towards the area where the water was rising.
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