They couldn't see it, but they could feel the presence of that Aura.
This made it even more terrifying in their perception.
Beyond and his group stopped, having no intention of returning to the surface through the nearest exit for the time being.
Only someone with a brain injury would risk going out directly.
They looked at Beyond.
In any case, they were unwilling to provoke the entity on the surface.
Even if it meant taking a detour, it didn't matter. After all, there was plenty of food here. Spending more time here wouldn't starve them to death.
"Detours are such a hassle."
Seemingly guessing his teammates' thoughts, Beyond's sudden remark sent chills down their spines.
'No way, it's really not necessary!'
They screamed in their hearts.
"But we have no choice but to detour."
Beyond looked back towards the passage they came from.
Hearing this, his teammates breathed a collective sigh of relief, their emotions swinging from high to low.
They had been truly afraid that Beyond might be stubborn and choose to go out through the nearest exit.
Luckily, he decided to detour. By staying far away from the area covered by that Aura, the danger of leaving should be greatly reduced.
"Actually, I'd really like to see what entity can emit such a powerful Aura."
Beyond withdrew his gaze and looked towards the nearest entrance instead.
There was a hint of reluctant longing in his eyes.
"We should get going."
"Yeah, if we're taking a detour, which route should we take?"
"No idea, let's ask Pariston."
"Oh, just let Pariston lead the way. There aren't many monsters here anyway."
Everyone ignored Beyond entirely, talking among themselves as they followed Pariston's footsteps.
Beyond watched them, the flesh on his cheeks twitching slightly.
The woman in the gentle Japanese style whispered in Beyond's ear, "Captain, it's time to go."
"Fine, fine."
Beyond replied grumpily.
The woman smiled, pressing her lips together, and walked shoulder to shoulder with Beyond to catch up with the group.
Faced with the unknown Aura diffusing over them, Beyond's team chose to avoid its sharp edge.
However, they didn't intend to stay in the ruins for long, as the Scarecrow, whose location was unknown, was still down below.
The longer they stayed, the higher the chance they would encounter the Scarecrow again.
Therefore, they would take a detour to avoid the area covered by that Aura, exit the ruins through another entrance, or break through the passage directly to the surface outside the Aura's range.
This was the wisest choice at the moment.
...
The Hide-and-Seek Dimension.
The Hunter Association's team had thus come to a halt.
Including Netero, they all stood before the door, silently staring at it as it remained shut.
Everyone was waiting for Netero to make a decision, the air suddenly growing very quiet.
Netero frowned, reflecting on recent events, feeling a sense of being unlucky.
One moment, the regained strength gave him unwarranted confidence.
The next, it felt like a blow to the head.
"Open the door."
After a moment, Netero looked at Knov.
Knov glanced at Law first, then opened the door once more.
Law then asked, "Old man, what do you plan to do?"
Netero sighed. "Detour around the area covered by the Aura, then return to the surface. I think Beyond will do the same."
"That works."
Law nodded.
The Hunter Association's team could have also chosen to stay in the Hide-and-Seek Dimension for a while to see if the Aura on the surface would leave.
But Netero clearly didn't want to wait idly. If they could get ahead of Beyond's team and return to the surface first, they could seize the initiative.
As per usual, Kuro went out first to scout.
After confirming there was no threat near the exit, he returned to the Hide-and-Seek Dimension.
Then, Netero led the Hunter Association's members out of the Hide-and-Seek Dimension passage and onto the passage of the ruins' negative first floor.
Law followed them out, intending to see them off.
Once in the passage, the Aura diffusing from the ruins' entrance clung to their skin like a bone-deep maggot, raising goosebumps.
It was like the cold wind of winter, turning into countless tiny knives, lightly scraping against the skin.
Netero had already felt the Aura and accepted it calmly.
But the others, experiencing the negative effects of the Aura for the first time, found their bodies slightly stiffened.
'Truly unusual,' They thought.
Law looked towards the ruins' entrance, a glint of curiosity flickering deep in his eyes.
Generally speaking, Aura is the first impression for judging strength, but this method is very imprecise.
For example, a seasoned old general, even if his physical functions have degraded to a negligible level, can still give a deep impression through sheer presence alone.
However, most of the time, the intensity of one's Aura often does reflect their approximate strength.
Depending on an individual's experience, the examples they can draw for comparison will differ.
Netero felt that this Aura was stronger than any he had encountered in his life, even the Ant King being no match.
Among the enemies Law had encountered, many were stronger than the Ant King.
Therefore, Law had many examples for comparison. But the Aura diffusing from the surface was perhaps stronger than any enemy he had faced before.
Even the Gatekeeper Clan that had attacked them at the ancient labyrinth city earlier couldn't compare.
Law gazed at the ruins' entrance for a moment, then silently withdrew his gaze, turning to Netero. "I wish you success in completing your mission."
Netero nodded. He had many things he wanted to say, but when they reached his throat, he swallowed them back down.
"I'm off."
He said this.
Then, with Law seeing them off, Netero led the Hunter Association's members away.
After Netero and his group's figures disappeared into the darkness at the end of the passage, Law returned to the Hide-and-Seek Dimension.
Netero and the others had left, but the Hide-and-Seek Dimension had gained one more person.
Sanbica, as a newcomer, seemed out of place.
Some in the team knew her, some did not.
Law looked at Sanbica, but instead of having her introduce herself immediately, he had Buhara prepare that evening's dinner.
One of the best ways to build rapport was around a dinner table.
Regarding Sanbica's ability, every member of the team also needed to know about it.
Both its strengths and its weaknesses.
That evening, Buhara prepared a large table of dishes.
Everyone sat around the table, gradually engaging Sanbica in conversation.
Sanbica was a bit reserved at first, but gradually grew accustomed to it over time.
By the time only a pile of empty bowls and plates remained on the table, everyone understood the characteristics of Sanbica's ability and her weakness of physical frailty.
"A very useful ability," Shiro said, eyeing Sanbica as if she were a giant panda.
Sanbica couldn't quite withstand the intensity of Shiro's gaze and lowered her head.
Seeing this, Ging stepped on Shiro's foot, signaling him to tone it down.
After dinner, Sanbica felt she had integrated into the team a little more.
She noticed that in Law's team, everyone had their own role and their own little space.
But what concerned her more was the planting area Nique was responsible for.
Not to mention the Nitro Rice and Grass Jelly, even the vine plants from the ruins had been transplanted into the apartment by Nique.
She felt that everyone here was far from ordinary.
...
Ruins Surface, Nightfall.
The night sky was cloudless, the moon absent, only endless, dense stars remained.
Coo still stood atop that low building. Her eyes were closed, but she had not ceased the diffusion of her Aura.
It was an Aura severely diluted, tens or even hundreds of times over, diffused across the entire ruins.
In principle, it wasn't En, but its effect was similar to En.
Neither Netero, who chose a detour, nor Beyond and his group were aware of this.