Before Oboro could reach the lizard's trap, the space beside him suddenly rippled.
Something invisible materialized from the void, seemingly drawn by the sweet scent of water vapor, seeking it out.
A colossal rat, with only a single, round, scarlet eye for a face, its body and fur resembling a rat's, but with the limbs of a lion and tiger, was clearly a sign of evolution.
And it was undoubtedly a predator!
While the lizard was luring and killing prey, it had also exposed its own existence, attracting the attention of a stronger life form.
With a boom.
As soon as the rat appeared, its entire body plunged into the soft sand beneath. Immediately, the two bottom-tier creatures of the Dark Continent began a fierce battle, filling the air with yellow sand and shaking the ground violently, like a magnitude-ten earthquake.
Compared to these two behemoths, Oboro, minuscule like dust, seemed on the verge of being swept into the sky by the aftershocks.
Even Menchi and the others, who had retreated to a distance, had their hiding rocks blown away... If they didn't leave now, they too would be affected.
Although it seemed far away, to these two creatures, it was right in front of them.
"Heavens!"
As Gebuwich ran, he couldn't help but look back.
They had seen the octopus before but hadn't had time to examine it closely. Now... after a closer look at this creature from another continent, they couldn't help but change color and exclaim.
The lizard and the rat tumbled and roared across the desert... causing sandstorms and a chaotic scene.
The sheer force generated by the two monsters fighting alone felt like the earth was shaking and the mountains were trembling.
And the Captain... had disappeared.
Seemingly swallowed by the sandstorm!
This sudden hunt ended quickly, with the rat as the victor.
It dragged the lizard's corpse out from underground, then opened its fanged maw and contentedly began to devour it.
Oboro walked step by step through the sandstorm, entering the blood-soaked area.
Standing beneath the rat.
He had to look up to encompass the rat's entire form, like gazing up at a mountain.
The rat, engrossed in its meal, continued to chew on the prey's flesh and bones. Its eye swiveled, fixing on a black speck that had appeared at its feet... It merely glanced, showing no interest.
As if it had no interest in the 'small thing' approaching.
"Unfamiliar?" Oboro read an emotion from the rat's eye.
Perhaps for this kind of monster, it was the first time seeing a human, and he wasn't on its menu. Moreover, he had suppressed some of his aura, making his life energy seem very low... Besides, although his physical prowess was unmatched in the human world, it was still in the lower tier in the Dark Continent.
Oboro did not release his ghost fog.
Upon arriving in this land, perhaps his true strength lay not in his physical body, but in his soul.
"Being... underestimated."
Oboro chuckled.
Just as he was about to act, another change occurred.
The rat, which had been eating, suddenly stopped. Its eyes widened in fear, as if sensing something. It dropped its food and fled.
Suddenly, the sky darkened as if heavy clouds had descended.
A cold, fierce wind began to blow. Oboro instantly spiritualized his body, making himself immune to the wind's physical damage, ignoring physical harm.
He followed the wind's direction and saw the fleeing rat, in the blink of an eye, its body disintegrated, cut into several segments.
A monstrous bird with three heads covered in rotting flesh descended from the sky, its sharp talons seizing the rat's mangled remains.
One moment, the rat was the hunter; the next, it became the prey...
Interconnected.
What was important was that danger could arise at any moment.
The frequency of such hunts and the perilous state of survival seemed to be the norm in the Dark Continent.
It was only then that the sky above erupted with a series of air currents and sound waves, indicating that this monstrous bird had flown from an extremely distant location. Its speed had definitely surpassed the speed of sound... Only after its body landed did the oppressive aura and sound follow.
How far away it was... Oboro couldn't estimate, but it was definitely beyond his perception range.
He hadn't sensed it.
Holding the rat's corpse, the monstrous bird did not 'dine' immediately. Instead, it surveyed its surroundings, ensuring there was no danger, before tearing into the rat's carcass piece by piece.
Yes, tearing.
Its three heads, shaped like those of some ferocious beast, lacked the beaks of birds. Instead, they were three mouths like circular orifices, filled with sharp teeth.
Oboro approached again.
But like the rat, the monstrous bird clearly noticed 'him' but did not attack.
As if in its eyes, a life form of this level was simply not worth the effort.
This was good for Oboro.
At least it meant that being sufficiently weak was also a form of safety.
As long as he didn't release his ghost fog or expand his soul's pressure, the risk of being targeted would be much lower.
However, Oboro had now joined this hunting game. Even if the monster ignored him, it couldn't extinguish his desire to hunt.
With a roar, black mist exploded upwards.
The monstrous bird, which had been unaware moments before, instantly sensed the danger. Its three giant mouths roared, stirring up a foul, putrid wind... Simultaneously, it flapped its wings, attempting to fly into the sky.
Although the wind caused the black mist to shift slightly, it did not dissipate completely. Like smoky ropes, it rapidly attached itself to the monstrous bird's body.
The monstrous bird struggled, its wings flapping frantically, but it could not extinguish the 'ghostly entity' that had enveloped most of its body.
Dense vengeful spirits, like crawling insects, moved through the mist and entered the monstrous bird's body.
In moments, the monstrous bird let out a desperate screech and finally fell heavily to the ground, submerged by the spirits.
Although this monster possessed astonishing strength and speed, as long as its soul fluctuated... its mind and body would find it difficult to connect, meaning it could not command its body parts through its brain. Naturally... it met a fatal end.
A moment later, the vast black mist contracted and was retracted by Oboro.
He closed his eyes, a look of satisfaction on his face.
His body returned to its normal state from its spiritualized form.
Immediately, he opened the system panel.
"Hiss... Absorbed three souls, and the rating didn't even increase by a point?"
His eyelid twitched.
"My physical strength currently seems to have limited use in the Dark Continent... However, based on my previous abilities, an increase in armor and magic power would also lead to a transformation of the physical body. The ecosystem and food chain ratings on the system panel should be comprehensive, including flesh and blood, spirit, and soul, as they are all part of life energy. But in the early stages, I should play to my strengths and rely on soul hunting first, and then consider physical evolution later... Compared to the innate hunting methods of these monsters, the soul is my talent."
Oboro clearly analyzed his path to leveling up.
This way of survival had its advantages and disadvantages.
Given the Dark Continent's bizarre ecosystem and species, Oboro couldn't believe there weren't 'soul-type' life forms here.
At that time, his ultimate move might not be effective.
At least for now, it seemed promising.
After a while, Menchi and the other five ran over from a distance.
They were stunned, looking at the mountain-like corpse of the monstrous bird.
Oboro walked to a patch of sand that had been ravaged by the battle, pointed to an organ roughly the size of a house, and called out to Menchi, "Come here!"
This organ was part of the lizard's tissue that had not been eaten by the rat.
From the outside, it looked like a giant sac.
But inside... it was filled with water.
It was the same liquid the lizard had expelled!
Menchi quickly stepped forward, slashed the sac open with her knife.
The sac's wall was very thin.
As expected... a stream of clear, sweet water flowed out from the opening.
"I observed the scorpion's condition after drinking it, and I also tentatively touched some water vapor earlier. There were no adverse effects, so it should be safe,"
Oboro said, "Let's fill some bottles first. We shouldn't stay here long; the smell of blood will attract other predators soon."
"Captain."
At this moment, Menchi walked around the sac, observing it carefully, and kept touching and tapping it with her hand.
As a Gourmet Hunter, she was very familiar with various beast ingredients, including their body structures, and possessed knowledge unknown to laypeople.
"What is it?"
Oboro looked over.
"Based on my experience, although the flesh and blood tissues are different, this sac... is likely the lizard's digestive organ for storing and excreting waste..." Menchi said.
Anthony and Fant, who were still standing with their mouths agape, exclaiming how delicious it was, were stunned.
Although Menchi had put it delicately, they understood.
This water... was the lizard's urine.
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