Swamp Expedition
In the swamp, Kevin led the way.
"Follow me, I know where they are." With that, the group quickened their pace and soon arrived at a gloomy area shrouded in thick fog.
Most of the surrounding vegetation was low-lying, appearing and disappearing in the dense mist.
Stepping into this area, Menchi and Buhara couldn't help but become vigilant.
At this moment, Kevin's aura formed a sphere and expanded outwards, stopping when it reached four meters from his body. This was the technique [En].
Due to his potential aura capacity and control, this range was not Kevin's limit, but for him, it was already sufficient.
Too large a range would consume too much aura, and in this unknown environment, that would be unsafe.
Buhara and Menchi were enveloped in the [En], but apparently, neither of them noticed.
Their control and sensitivity to aura had not yet reached a level where they could perceive it.
It was understandable, after all, one had been a Hunter for just over a year, and the other less than a year. Based on the timeline, they might have only just mastered their Nen Ability.
"Something's not right." Menchi keenly sensed something amiss, but couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, so she could only remind the two to be more careful.
"You are covered by my [En], so don't worry," Kevin explained.
"En? I've heard of this technique. Doesn't it require a long period of training to even begin to master it?" Menchi asked, puzzled.
Mastering this requires a bit of talent and time.
Kevin simply responded, "Everyone has their own areas of expertise, and advanced techniques are no exception."
Who exactly is the Hunter here? How does this guy seem so much stronger than us? Menchi couldn't help but mutter to herself, exchanging glances with Buhara.
"We're here."
Within the visible range of the thick fog ahead, a human-head-sized strawberry swayed slightly.
Immediately after, the mist was torn apart. An attack came from the side, a gaping maw lunging at the group.
Menchi deftly dodged it with a light leap.
However, Buhara stood still.
He let out a loud shout.
"Hey!"
He took a slight step back, dodged the attack, and then fiercely clamped his hands onto the attacking maw. The huge turtle head pressed against his stomach, creating a noticeable indentation.
Immediately after, Buhara exerted force, dragging the turtle's head, and actually lifted the entire massive turtle body, arcing it in a semicircle through the air, then slamming it hard onto the ground.
"Bang!"
This huge commotion even dispersed some of the surrounding thick fog.
Another turtle head lunged from the front. Menchi, who had just landed from mid-air, stomped on the turtle's head.
Unbeknownst to them, several kitchen knives had appeared in her hands. She gripped one tightly in her right hand, seemingly preparing to swing it down and chop off the turtle's head.
"Hey, don't kill them! Don't you want the strawberries on their backs?" Hearing Kevin's reminder, Menchi stopped her hand, but she stomped down hard, pressing the turtle's head into the ground, and even stepped on it forcefully twice.
This Killer Turtle, like its companions, was so battered that it passed out.
"What a letdown, I thought it would be tougher," Menchi said, jumping off the turtle's head.
At this moment, Buhara was holding his head, looking chagrined.
"It's over, so many strawberries on its back are smashed."
Because the turtle's shell landed on the ground, many of the strawberries on its back were smashed to smithereens during the earlier struggle, like shattered heads, revealing their bright red flesh and juice.
"Haha, the strawberries on my one are perfectly preserved!" Menchi said proudly.
She walked to the turtle shell, looking at the tree-branch-like things extending from the gaps in the shell, and the human-head-sized strawberries hanging from them.
Kevin watched the two pick strawberries, gazing at the bizarre creature, and couldn't help but complain, "The more I look at this thing, the stranger it gets. Is this logical? Strawberries growing on a turtle shell."
He walked over to a smashed strawberry, and after confirming it was non-toxic, picked up a piece of flesh and put it in his mouth to taste.
"It's… actually quite good." He had to admit, the taste was indeed excellent. At least it was more delicious than any strawberry he had eaten before, sweet and sour, juicy, and with a crisp texture.
And this was even a smashed strawberry.
"Let's go," Menchi said, walking over.
That fast? Kevin stood up and looked back, only to see that more than half of the strawberries on the turtle shell behind them were gone, and the remaining ones didn't look very good.
He looked at Buhara and Menchi again; both their hands were empty.
So that's it. Is Menchi an Emission系 Nen User? Or does she possess a powerful Emission系 Nen tool? After all, spatial attributes are usually categorized under Emission系, and it's difficult for Nen Users of other systems to construct Nen Abilities with spatial properties.
Is this considered a characteristic of the Emission系?
"I see, you two are quite fast," Kevin said with a smile, clapping his hands before standing up. He casually picked a strawberry and then led the way, preparing to leave.
Menchi and Buhara, who were following behind, exchanged glances.
He really did notice.
That's right, this guy is not simple.
He makes us look like clueless novices.
The two communicated briefly with their eyes.
Under Kevin's lead, the return journey was slightly detoured because Kevin also wanted to look for other interesting materials.
"Wait," Buhara suddenly said.
Then he poked his head out and sniffed hard at the air.
"Are you talking about the smell of blood in the air?" Menchi asked.
Buhara nodded, "My sense of smell is more sensitive. This smell of blood seems to be human."
Hearing their conversation, Kevin also stopped and sniffed carefully.
"Let's go take a look."
As the three moved forward, the smell of blood became increasingly strong and pungent. Kevin began to expand his [En], directly extending it to an eight-meter radius.
Soon, they arrived at their destination. The fog here was thick, making it almost impossible to see the path ahead.
Even when they saw the source of the blood, Kevin's [En] did not detect any dangerous creatures.
The three remained vigilant, looking at the scene before them—a group of soldiers in field uniforms, and several individuals in special uniforms, lying scattered on the ground.
The entire scene was a mess. The bodies of these people were torn to shreds, with hardly a single one intact. Blood, minced flesh, and internal organs were everywhere.
Looking at such a bloody scene, Kevin's brows furrowed, and a wave of nausea surged through him.
It was his first time witnessing such a tragic sight. Ordinary murder scenes were simply incomparable to this scene, which resembled a slaughterhouse.
Buhara and Menchi were even scared enough to take a step back.
"Wh-what happened?" Cold sweat beaded on Buhara's forehead.
Menchi covered her nose and mouth, her face shocked, and said with a frown, "They encountered some terrifying creature to be slaughtered so cruelly."
Just then, a beeping sound came from nearby.
The two turned their heads and saw that Kevin had already made a call.
"Begel, something has happened. I suggest you come over."
"Hmm, it should be between Zone C6 and C8."
"Okay, I'll wait for you here. Oh, and leave enough defensive power at the base, and stay vigilant. This scene is too abnormal."
With that, Kevin took a few photos of the scene and sent them over.
"Let's retreat a little. Let Begel handle this. This is his territory, after all."