บท 212: Chapter 205 : Two people take turns to kill!!
Bisky lifted her skirt slightly, pressing her right hand firmly on the smooth stone floor, resembling the stance of a football player about to start a play.
"First, let's set up a little trap, Shizuku."
A few minutes later, a giant green caterpillar, taller than two trains stacked together, wriggled out from the gap between two massive stone pillars.
Its body, though large enough to fill the entire road, moved with surprising flexibility as it pushed its massive, green form forward.
The caterpillar had sensed the enticing aura from afar and began following it. Or more accurately, it was barely alive; it was the "tumor" on its back that had detected the scent.
Within the caterpillar's segmented body, a dark, round tumor-like shadow rolled back and forth as it crawled forward.
This "tumor" was the fruit of the "Botanical Weapon: Brion" and was already mature.
One day, when it finally "blossomed," it would burst open like a pea pod, releasing "spores" that would parasitize any nearby living beings.
Now, the time was near, and it needed a new host for its reproductive cycle.
At that moment, the caterpillar's two antennae perked up, instantly detecting a lifeform hidden behind a cube-shaped stone pillar.
The "Brion" rolled forward, pressing against the caterpillar's head, driving it to lift its short legs and charge toward the pillar with a thundering sound, like a locomotive.
Shizuku stepped out from behind the stone pillar. She had purposely released her aura to reveal her presence.
As the caterpillar reached the designated spot, Shizuku raised her "Blinky."
"Blinky, devour those shattered stones!"
Blinky opened its wide mouth, unleashing a powerful suction that pulled the broken pieces of stone toward it.
Earlier, Bisky had skillfully used the "Shingen-Ryu Fist Technique" to weaken a large section of the stone slab, making its structure fragile.
With the caterpillar's massive weight and the added force from Blinky's suction, the simple trap was set.
With a loud thud, the giant caterpillar crashed down as the ground beneath it caved in, reflexively curling up.
At that moment, Germain leapt out from the side, moving like a black streak of lightning. The butcher knife in his hand extended with a sharp click, transforming into a long blade.
He soared over the pit, casting a cold glance at the caterpillar below before unleashing a powerful nen-infused slash...
Germain aimed at the forcibly implanted "Brion" within the green caterpillar.
Slash—
One-third of the massive caterpillar was neatly severed, spraying thick, viscous fluid everywhere and soaking the ground. The tumor-like "Brion" was also split into two hemispheres, releasing a dark mist.
In reality, these were tiny parasitic spores dispersing into the air.
If these spores had matured and "blossomed" naturally, the parasitism success rate would be extremely high.
However, because the "Brion" had been forcibly split, the parasitic success rate was relatively low.
Even so, being suddenly surrounded by this spore-laden mist remained highly dangerous.
This particular "Brion" was several times larger than the last, and the spores it emitted spread more widely, enveloping the area around several stone pillars in an instant.
Fortunately, Germain had been on guard for this. He leapt onto a stone pillar, dashed along its side, and jumped to another pillar, moving away from the mist.
After maneuvering through the stone pillars for a while, he finally circled around and reached the tallest pillar nearby, where he reunited with Ging, Bisky, and Shizuku.
Shizuku had turned around and come here immediately after completing her decoy task.
Standing at the edge of the pillar, Ging watched the entire sequence of Germain and Shizuku's teamwork, stroking his stubbled chin.
"This is the 'Intimidating Silver-Gray Butterfly Larva.' It's the name of the beast parasitized by 'Brion' , named by Don Freecss and recorded in The Journey to the New World – Eastern Volume," Ging said.
"As an omnivore, it releases intimidating aura when hunting or defending itself, confusing prey or enemies into mistaking it for a formidable monster and making erroneous decisions."
He had just browsed the Eastern Volume information entered into his phone by Dwun and List, quickly finding the relevant data.
Germain, noticing his physical strength had increased by five points, was not too surprised and said:
"This parasite-infested creature isn't very strong. We can continue using this attack strategy."
"One person lures it, another slashes, then we swiftly move out of the range of the 'Brion''s spore spread."
"Agreed," Ging said, hands in his pockets. "Taking it down before it releases its intimidating aura is the quickest and safest approach."
Germain suggested, "Next, we can divide into pairs and take turns dealing with any enemies we encounter as quickly as possible. If we come across monsters stronger than the ones we've faced, we can increase our numbers as needed."
"This way, at least one pair can rest while the other fights," he added.
Germain's plan was met with agreement. "Alright. I'll team up with Shizuku, and you pair up with Bisky," he proposed.
Neither Ging, Bisky, nor Shizuku had any objections to the arrangement, though Shizuku raised another issue.
"Hmm… How about we move across the tops of the stone pillars? That way, we won't need to take detours and can save time."
"No," Bisky pointed to the sky not far from them. "Shizuku, look over there."
Shizuku glanced in the direction Bisky indicated and saw a swarm of peculiar creatures flying in the air. They resembled carp but had two pairs of wings and mouths full of sharp teeth.
Their eyes, fins, bellies, and tails all bore lumps of Brion, making them appear oddly mismatched.
Bisky explained, "If we move on top of the pillars, we'll be too exposed. Those sharp-eyed, flying creatures will spot us quickly."
"On the other hand, moving on the ground allows the pillars to block part of their view," she continued. "If the beasts want to find us, they'll have to use perception techniques like 'En,' which raises their searching cost and gives us a brief window of safety."
Ging nodded. "I was thinking the same."
Shizuku acknowledged their reasoning and agreed.
"Let's leave now before more monsters show up," Germain urged.
None of them wanted to linger or risk getting surrounded by the parasitized beasts, which would only drain their energy. They all agreed and quickly descended the smooth sides of the stone pillars to the ground, masking their presence as they advanced cautiously.
Soon, they encountered two more massive, parasitized beasts roaming the Ancient Labyrinth City. Using their two-person rotation strategy, the team successfully defeated them.
Germain participated in slaying one of the creatures, which boosted his Endurance by 5 points.
He couldn't help but think that if it weren't for the risk of being surrounded and the yet-to-be-achieved goal of obtaining the 'Herb for All-illnesses,' he might have stayed to continue increasing his stamina and aura.
However, he also felt an increasing pressure building up, which had unconsciously reached 21 points. This was likely due to some subtle influence exerted by the Ancient Labyrinth City.
The group had been stealthily navigating the ancient labyrinthine city for quite some time, and before they knew it, several hours had passed.
Germain glanced at his pocket watch and noted it was nearly 1 p.m. He spoke up, suggesting, "Let's take a break and have lunch here."
"Sounds good," Shizuku said, rubbing her stomach. "I am getting a bit hungry."
As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach let out a loud growl.
Bisky, who was standing nearby, covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, but soon enough, a similar rumbling noise came from her own stomach, causing her face to flush with embarrassment.
It was clear that continuous sneaking, interspersed with three rapid battles and heightened tension, had drained everyone's energy.
They found a relatively safe spot next to a large, cuboid pillar and stopped to rest.
Shizuku used her "Blinky" to expel the small stones she had absorbed earlier, then proceeded to spit out a silver suitcase they had brought from Greed Island and placed it on the ground.
When the suitcase was opened, Shizuku pulled out a transparent card box labeled "Food" and asked, "What would you all like to eat?"
"Sandwiches, sausages, sandwich cookies, macarons, milk… Thank you."
Bisky reached for a card box. She used a "Free Card—Picnic Mat" and spread the newly unsealed mat on the ground.
Like an enthusiastic camper, she arranged the sandwiches, sausages, cookies, macarons, and milk that Shizuku handed her onto the mat.
Noticing Germain and Ging looking at her, Bisky blushed and defended herself, saying, "No matter where I am or under what circumstances, I'm always a lady."
Ging chuckled and sat cross-legged on the mat. "Shizuku, I'll have pork cutlets, soba noodles, and some cherry tomatoes, please."
Shizuku chose roasted meat, omelet rice, and orange juice for herself.
Germain opted for pickled vegetable fried rice, beef meatball soup, and mineral water.
These dishes were carefully prepared by Menchi and Buhara, two renowned Gourmet Hunters, who had taken everyone's varied tastes into account, ensuring a selection of different cuisines for them to enjoy.
Thanks to the efforts of these two culinary experts, Germain and his companions relished a rich and satisfying lunch that left them feeling content.
Germain felt his stress (pressure) ease slightly as he ate, lowering to a manageable level of 15 points.
Still, mindful of not letting stress accumulate, he asked Bisky for help. She used "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie" to clear away his stress entirely.
Bisky decided to treat herself to a massage as well while she was at it.
As for Ging and Shizuku, they mentioned that they didn't have any issues for now, so there was no need for stress relief at the moment.
Around 2:00 in the afternoon, they set off again.
Ging once more used "En" to scout the path ahead, while Germaine took up the rear. The four-person team continued on their journey.
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