The silent forest was littered with carnage.
Oboro's leather shoes were stained with sticky blood as he walked slowly to a corpse, absorbing the emerging soul matter and black mist. The left half of his clothing was torn, but he was unharmed.
In less than half an hour, he'd killed all of the dozen or so Nen users. As the number of enemies increased, the coordination of their Nen abilities became more complex, forcing him to process more extreme situations and information. When the Nen users reached a certain level, their combined strength wasn't simply additive. These opponents were far from weak.
However, this week, due to the passive enhancement of his two abilities, Hell's Curse and Absolution, his Nen had increased slightly due to the magical power factor. His physical defense and overall constitution had also improved, making it harder for weaker Nen users to harm him.
The Black Mist affected three aspects: attack distance, critical strikes, and life stealing. In Oboro, it had now reached 40 layers, though the attack range had only increased by ten centimeters, different from his experience in the real game. This was to be expected, given the separation from the game and the integration into reality. In addition, Absolution's attack power was reduced due to the stripping problem. However, the growth potential was remarkable.
Critical hits increased damage output. The 10 centimeter attack distance, though short, proved to be significant in actual combat. In close combat, an opponent's dodges and movements would still catch Oboro's blows if they didn't keep enough distance.
Over the past few days, Oboro had discovered that ordinary people didn't release souls or black mist when they died, only those with Nen abilities did. The stronger the opponent, the more the expelled soul or black mist improved their attributes beyond the number of layers they absorbed. For Oboro, hunting strong targets had become a viable path to "advancement".
Even if the targets didn't die at his hands, they would still expel souls and black mists, passive effects of his abilities within a 500-meter radius that required his presence at the "scene". The energies would dissipate if not collected quickly.
After checking the corpses for anything useful, the dark green ghost mist surrounding Oboro dissipated and he vanished instantly without a trace.
"The captain's back!" Anthony and the others detected Oboro's location through their mind-link. The team members were surprised to see him return in torn clothing. Only four targets had escaped, but the battle seemed fierce. Their trust and admiration for Oboro's strength had grown immensely.
"What happened?" Menchi looked over.
Oboro briefly explained the situation.
"More than a dozen people? A trap" "Yes, the two powers have joined forces," Oboro nodded.
"Perfect, saves us the trouble of hunting them down. We can write that off." Anthony grinned and took out a pen to cross out the red dot that marked these coordinates on their map. "Only five left."
They could have eliminated the rebels outside the restricted area more quickly, but beyond the marked locations, many forces remained undiscovered by the Sori Group, including newly arrived gangs. Their work had proven far more extensive than originally predicted.
"No hurry." Oboro took fresh clothes from his bag and changed, then looked at Menchi. "Let's eat first."
Menchi understood and left, Anthony following close behind.
The power of the Gourmet Hunters lay in the use of local ingredients, the team needed no rations. They could discover and prepare foods with obvious restorative and satisfying effects. Everyone had witnessed Menchi's cooking skills, which could only be described as an art. Her kitchen knife could cleanly bone any wild animal.
Menchi was extremely particular about his food, making sure that his meals were delicious. To be an excellent gourmet hunter required both the strength to face danger while gathering ingredients and extensive knowledge. On their travels, Menchi could identify every edible wild fruit and plant at a glance, even those not mentioned in his records.
Her excellent knife skills came from deep insight into the ingredients. He could instantly assess the skeletal structure of any animal beneath its skin, making his cuts precise. Oboro was very pleased with his performance.
After a short time, Menchi and Anthony returned with the ingredients. Oboro gathered the other four, reviewed their recent battle, and noted areas for improvement, focusing mainly on Rita and Gabwich.
Days later, they met with their contact again.
"Exceptional work. Your efficiency is truly amazing, worthy of the masters of the Hunters Association," the man sighed. "Our company can now expand the restricted area, but the situation inside is still difficult. We've lost a lot of people recently. Some outsiders just watched and waited, while others couldn't breach our security. Those inside, however, are almost all beyond our ability to capture or handle."
"Your team must include national-level fighters trained by the Ochima Federation," Oboro observed.
"Yes," the man replied, essentially confirming the Sori Group's connection to the Ochima Federation. He only revealed this because Oboro's team had proven to be both excellent and trustworthy. With any less impressive power, he would have kept the secret.
"There were two. One is dead" The team's expression changed slightly when they learned that a Nen user of the national level had fallen.
"Any details?" Oboro asked calmly.
"Originally four enemy groups, but one left with items looted from the ruins. The national level Nen user died trying to stop them. Three remain. What they stole is extremely valuable, we can't afford any more losses. Please help us protect it." The man's former arrogance vanished as he bowed earnestly to Oboro.
"Here is our collected information on the three remaining parties. It's incomplete." He handed Oboro a file that was put away without examination.
"There will be a gap in our guard at 10 pm tonight. You'll have two minutes. Follow this path into the restricted area." The man pointed to a way on the map.
"Understood," Oboro nodded.
"One question!" Anthony interjected. "If the ruins are so important and they've been active for so long, surely you've had time for reinforcements? Why not bring in more nationally trained soldiers?"
The man's mouth twitched slightly. Menchi gave Anthony a disgusted look, as if he were staring at an idiot.
"That's all," Oboro interrupted their exchange.
The contact nodded, looked at Anthony and left.
"What? What's wrong?" Anthony looked questioningly at his teammates.
None of them, including Oboro, acknowledged him. Only Rita, slightly stammering, looked at Anthony and began: "National national" "Stop! Just write it down," Anthony pulled out paper and pen.
Rita wrote quickly: National-level fighting forces must be extremely rare. If the Sori Group could use them freely, they wouldn't need us. Besides, there are many interests at stake here, and the conflict must be contained. If it escalates beyond deniability, it could affect V5 relations.
"Ha! I knew I was just testing you!" Anthony tossed the paper aside and hugged his companion. "You've learned well under our captain. These mission experiences will be remembered."
Rita remained silent.
The team oriented themselves and moved toward the Sori group's cordon, timing their approach.
"Change of strategy," Oboro ordered on the way. "The opponents are beyond your abilities, your primary task is survival. Even with Rita's ability, stay close. The next phase is crucial!"
Eliminating enemies was no longer the priority. Different situations called for different approaches.
"This file only lists five people, most of them without appearances and only superficial descriptions of their abilities, largely useless," Menchi checked. "The three teams that can breach the cordon, infiltrate and escape quickly are probably 3-7 people each, like us. The file covers perhaps half the targets, with many still undetected or untraceable by the Sori group."
"Indeed," Oboro replied. "Given their targets, they must have someone capable of copying or storing instructions, or removal would be impossible."
"Correct," Menchi agreed.
"Unlike those outside, some teams may have what they want, but the Sori group cannot contain them, giving them time for more," Anthony observed, cigarette in mouth. "If a member falls and they sense trouble, they'll leave immediately, no unnecessary risks."
Oboro nodded in agreement with Anthony's insight. As expected from the oldest member of the team. He sensed that Anthony was more of the specialization type while Anthony tended towards enhancement. But sometimes such intuitions could be quite strange.