Chapter 110: National-Level Combat Power
In the midst of the silent forest, a scene of devastation unfolded.
With his leather shoes stained with sticky blood, Haze slowly approached a corpse, absorbing the soul matter and black mist emanating from it.
The left side of his clothing was rotted, yet he was unscathed.
In less than half an hour, he had defeated over a dozen Nen users… The stronger the enemy, the more complex the coordination of their Nen abilities and the more extreme the situations and information he had to process.
In a sense, once a Nen user reached a certain level, the increase in the number of enemies was more than just additive.
All of these individuals were quite powerful.
However, this week, the passive enhancements of his Infernal Curse and Absolution abilities had slightly increased his Nen power, influenced by his magic.
Additionally, his physical defense and resistance to physical damage had also improved slightly
making it difficult for weaker Nen users to harm him.
The Black Mist affected attack range, critical hits, and life steal.
Haze's Black Mist had already reached 40 layers, yet his attack range had only increased by ten centimeters a huge difference compared to what he had experienced in the game world.
That was to be expected.
After all, he had separated from the game and become part of reality.
Moreover, this separation had reduced the effects of forgiveness, decreasing his attack power.
Reaching this level of growth was already impressive.
Critical hits also increased his damage, and while a ten-centimeter increase seemed small, it was particularly effective in real combat. Especially in close-quarters fights dodging and moving without enough distance still left Haze vulnerable to punches and kicks.
He had also recently killed a few ordinary people… and discovered that their souls and Black Mist did not appear upon death it only happened with Nen users. Moreover, the stronger the opponent, the greater the increase in soul stats or Black Mist released, regardless of the number of layers absorbed.
Thus, for Haze, hunting the strong was the best way to grow.
Even if some targets didn't die by his hands, they still dropped souls and mist. These were the passive effects of his abilities, but with a limited radius around 500 meters which required his presence.
If not collected quickly, both energies would dissipate over time.
After checking the corpse for anything useful, the green spectral mist surrounding Haze dispersed, and his figure vanished instantly, leaving no trace.
"The captain's back!"
Elsewhere, Anthony and the others, using telepathic communication, located Haze.
Seeing his torn clothes, they were surprised.
Only four survivors remained, and the battle had clearly been fierce...
Now they felt deep confidence and admiration for Haze's strength.
"What happened?" asked Machi, turning toward them.
Haze briefly explained the situation.
"More than a dozen people? A trap…"
"Mm… two forces working together," Haze nodded.
"Perfect! That means we can cross one off the list." Anthony grinned, pulling out a pen and striking out a red mark on the map. "Five left."
They could, in fact, eliminate the insurgents outside the restricted zone faster.
However, beyond the marked point, many other forces were still within the area some recently arrived and undiscovered by the Sori Group.
This made their workload and intensity far greater than expected.
"No rush," Haze said, pulling out clean clothes from his bag and changing. He glanced at Machi. "Let's prepare something to eat first."
Machi understood and turned away, with Feitan following behind.
The power of gourmet hunters lay in their ability to obtain local ingredients. The team didn't need to bring rations they could always find food and craft delicious meals.
Some unique ingredients and cooking methods also made their dishes extraordinarily restorative.
The team had witnessed Machi's cooking skills firsthand truly an art.
The kitchen knife she wielded could dissect and debone any animal with precision and elegance.
Machi was sharp and insightful when it came to food, and her dishes were exquisite in appearance, taste, and aroma.
A skilled gourmet hunter required not only the courage to face danger in pursuit of ingredients but also vast knowledge qualities Machi had in abundance.
In every area the team had traveled, she could identify edible fruits or plants with just a glance even those not on her ingredient list.
Her exceptional knife skills were complemented by her deep understanding of ingredients. For instance, when dealing with fierce beasts, no matter how monstrous their appearance, Machi could visualize the structure of their skeleton beneath the skin, allowing her to strike with surgical precision.
In short, Haze was delighted with her performance.
Soon, Machi and Feitan returned with ingredients for their next meal.
Haze then gathered the other four members to review the recent battle, giving them tactical feedback and areas for improvement.
The main instructors were Gebwich and Rita...
A few days later, Haze and his team met again with their contact.
"You've done excellent work your efficiency is astounding, truly worthy of Hunter Association experts," the man exclaimed. "Now our company can expand the restricted zone even further…"
"However, the situation inside the restricted zone is troublesome. We've lost quite a few people recently. Some of those outside are watching us, while others can't breach our defenses. But those inside are beings we can neither capture nor handle."
"Your team should include national-level combatants trained by the Ochima Federation, correct?"
"…Yes?" Haze asked.
"Yes," the man replied.
His tone revealed he was no longer hiding the connection between the Sori Group and the Ochima Federation. He was willing to share the truth because Haze's team had proven themselves capable and trustworthy.
If they weren't, he wouldn't have admitted it.
"Two… one already dead," the man said gravely.
All national-level Nen users dead?
Anthony and the others tensed.
"Do you have any specific information?" Haze asked calmly.
"Originally, there were four hostile groups, but one escaped with the loot they found in the ruins. The national-level Nen user died trying to stop them. That leaves three."
"The objects they took are extremely valuable… We can't afford further losses. Please, help us protect them."
The man abandoned his earlier arrogance and bowed deeply to Haze.
"This is all the data we've gathered on the three groups. It's incomplete." He handed Haze a document.
Haze stored it without even glancing at it.
"Tonight at ten, there will be a gap in the guard rotation. You'll have two minutes. Follow this route to enter the restricted zone," the man explained, pointing at the map.
"Understood," Haze nodded.
"I have a question!" Anthony suddenly exclaimed.
"Go ahead," said the man.
"If the ruins are so important, and you've been operating here for so long, shouldn't you have enough time to send reinforcements? Wouldn't it be enough to call in a few more of those 'national-level soldiers' you mentioned?"
The man's lips trembled. Machi, standing nearby, looked at Anthony with scorn, as if he were an idiot.
"That's enough," Haze cut in.
The contact nodded curtly, glanced at Anthony, and turned away.
"What's wrong? What's the problem?" Anthony asked in confusion.
Everyone, including Haze, ignored him.
Only Gabwich, stammering, muttered, "National… national…"
"Enough! Write it down," Anthony said, pulling out a notebook.
Gabwich scribbled quickly and showed him.
National-level combat power was extremely rare.
If the Sori Group could deploy such fighters freely, there'd be no need to hire them in the first place.
Moreover, this issue involved multiple interests and factions so the conflict could only be contained to a limited scope.
If it escalated to the point where it couldn't be concealed… it could even affect relations within V5.
"Hahaha, I knew that already… Just testing you." Anthony laughed, tossing the note away and hugging his younger brother. "You've learned well under our captain's guidance. I'm proud of you these mission experiences will serve you well."
"…"
Gabwich fell silent.
Immediately after, Haze and his team set out, moving toward the Sori Group's security line, waiting for the right moment.
"Change of strategy," Haze ordered on the move. "The enemy's too strong you can't face them head-on. Your top priority is survival. Even with Gabwich's abilities, don't expose yourselves unnecessarily. What comes next is crucial."
Eliminating the enemy was no longer their main goal.
The situation had changed and so must they.
"This document only lists five individuals, most of them nameless, with shallow skill descriptions practically useless to us. Given the speed with which these three teams broke through the cordon, infiltrated the zone, and escaped, each team shouldn't be large three to seven people, roughly our size. So this file covers only a small fraction. Many others remain hidden… or perhaps Sori's personnel simply can't detect them."
Machi reviewed the document, adding her observations.
"Yes," Haze replied. "Given the nature of their mission, there must be someone in their ranks capable of copying or storing data otherwise, they couldn't carry out much."
"Exactly," Machi agreed. "They're different from those outside the restricted area. Some may have already obtained what they came for, but Sori can't contain them. That gives them time and leverage to demand more. In such conditions, if even one member is injured or senses something's wrong, they'll withdraw immediately. They won't take reckless risks."
Feitan, who had been silent most of the time, finally spoke cigarette in hand.
Haze glanced at him with approval.
As expected of the team's most seasoned member…
He felt Feitan was the "personality type," while Anthony was more of the "reinforcement type."
But sometimes, personalities… could be very strange.
(End of Chapter)
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Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Under the Law of Equivalence
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