A massive amount of Nen surged from the man's body and poured into the javelin. In an instant, the javelin erupted with intense light as it flew from his grasp. The sound of it tearing through the air only echoed after it had already pierced the skull of the trapped giant scorpion.
Ronin analyzed the man's abilities, recognizing a combination of Enhancement and Emission. He used Enhancement to bolster the javelin's piercing power and launching speed, while employing Emission to maintain the aura on the weapon so it wouldn't weaken after leaving his body. In other words, he was likely an Emitter leaning toward Enhancement. He hadn't chosen a spatial development route; instead, he clearly wanted to use Enhancement to push the javelin's destructive power to the absolute limit. This was a Nen user who pursued ultimate destructive force.
The javelin easily skewered the giant scorpion's head. The Nen attached to the weapon then triggered a secondary explosion of damage from within the beast's body. Clearly, he also possessed some proficiency in Manipulation, otherwise he wouldn't be able to detonate the aura inside the scorpion with such precision. As expected of a Nen user from the Hunter Association, he had developed his abilities to near perfection. He had entirely relied on the mountain-shaped method of Nen training. He was primarily an Emitter leaning into Enhancement, with a minor focus on Manipulation for support.
Ronin committed the man to memory. If he recalled correctly, his name was Colin.
The giant scorpion possessed incredible vitality. Even with its brain pierced, it continued to struggle frantically on the ground. However, it was still bound by the large net, rendering its thrashing completely futile. As for the tiger-like monsters that had been prowling nearby, waiting to ambush them, they tucked their tails and fled at the sound of the scorpion's death throes.
"The beasts swarming out of this Beast Den are all driven by a kind of madness, but seeing as these guys still know when to run, could there be a monster with some sort of mind-control ability?" Ronin voiced his thoughts.
"Are you suggesting a monster has awakened to Nen?" Bencot's tone was laced with skepticism. If that were true, the danger level of this den would skyrocket.
"Hard to say. It might just be a unique biological trait," Ronin replied uncertainly. Deep down, however, he leaned toward the theory that a monster had awakened Nen, even if only on an instinctual level. After all, Nen was simply life energy. Humans could master it, Chimera Ants could master it, Magic Beasts could master it—it was entirely possible for a powerful monster to stumble upon it by accident. It was just that, lacking high intelligence, they would rely mostly on instinct when using it. But the moment they unlocked Nen, their threat level would increase exponentially.
Bencot naturally understood the grave implications of Ronin's theory. While he didn't say much outwardly, the entire squad became noticeably more cautious as they pressed on. Clearly, others had taken Ronin's words to heart as well.
The giant scorpion soon died completely. Its massive corpse was actually highly valuable research material. However, among the seventeen people in the group, only Ronin possessed an ability capable of storing the carcass, and no one else had demonstrated a similar trait. Ronin himself had little interest in the dead scorpion. He had no intention of wasting space in his Fun Fun Cloth, deciding that rationing his Nen would be more beneficial for the rest of the exploration.
After the giant scorpion was dealt with, the expedition became somewhat easier. At the very least, the nearby creatures no longer tried to attack them immediately, adopting a more observant stance instead. They lingered in the shadows of the trees, baring their fangs in warning whenever a squad member got too close, but scattering instantly if anyone actually made a move against them. The squad couldn't afford to waste their energy on these common beast-type monsters. So, they let the creatures tail them from a distance, with designated members keeping a watchful eye on their movements just in case.
The forest was incredibly vast. The squad pressed forward, yet uncovered very little new information. However, the deeper they went, the more monsters appeared. Even those massive scorpions began showing up frequently, alongside giant millipedes several meters long.
Even through his gas mask, Ronin could feel his breathing becoming noticeably smoother. Connecting this with the abnormally large insects, Ronin hypothesized that the oxygen concentration in this space was much higher than the outside world. It might even be upwards of thirty percent. Short-term survival in this environment posed no real risk; in fact, the high oxygen levels could even boost metabolism and blood circulation. However, prolonged exposure carried the risk of oxygen toxicity. More importantly, this oxygen-rich environment—coupled with the lack of natural predators like birds—was the perfect catalyst for insects to grow to gargantuan sizes. On the flip side, this hyper-oxygenated atmosphere made the area extremely susceptible to wildfires. After all, back on Earth, the Carboniferous period ended in a series of devastating blazes.
It seemed many others in the group had come to the same realization.
"High oxygen, giant insects, yet some of the monsters aren't that big," Ronin muttered, feeling that things weren't quite so simple. "But these monsters also exhibit traits of arthropods."
Following the appearance of the giant millipedes, massive ants emerged. These ants appeared in swarms, acting like the guardians of the forest. The moment they showed up, a bizarre, rhythmic thumping echoed through the air. It sounded like the heavy footfalls of the ants marching across the ground, but it carried a strange, hypnotic cadence. The arrival of this rhythm caused the beasts lingering on the periphery to grow increasingly agitated, their growls deepening into savage snarls.
When the thumping reached a crescendo, the first beast from the pack lunged forward. Its sudden attack was like a burning fuse finally reaching the powder keg—igniting an absolute explosion of chaos! The hordes of prowling beasts abandoned all restraint, giving in to their feral instincts as they charged madly at Ronin and the squad.
Ronin's gaze, however, bypassed the stampeding horde and locked onto the ants, which had been pacing in the distance since their arrival, deliberately keeping their distance. He could see the presence of Nen clinging to their bodies. Ants. Nen. Intelligence. And the strange traits manifesting in the other monsters.
The name of a highly dangerous species instantly flashed into Ronin's mind: Chimera Ants!
"They're Chimera Ants!"
A biology expert in the squad who had been observing them closely shouted the name just as the realization hit Ronin! They were actually Chimera Ants!
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