In the heart of the purple forest, the soft crunch of purple leaves underfoot breaks the silence.
A faint, crisp sound echoes as feet step carefully, rustling the dead leaves scattered across the ground.
The group's formation remains unchanged from their time in the desert, but their approach to moving through this new environment is different.
In the desert, people tend to focus on the ground or even beneath it, occasionally glancing at the horizon or sky, since the vast openness allows for clear, distant views in every direction.
The real danger there lies beneath the sand.
Here, in the dense purple forest, thick trees and countless obstacles block the view, while the mysterious purple haze dims visibility even further.
This forces everyone to stay alert from multiple angles, watching underground, between the trees, and in the shadows, because danger could be lurking anywhere.
As they move deeper, they begin to understand the forest's eerie nature.
It's incredibly quiet, so much so that every step sounds loud against the stillness.
Oddly, despite being a forest, there are almost no animals around, not even birds.
It seems the toxic purple light has turned this place into a kind of dead zone.
The only things visible are the towering, glowing purple trees, making humans feel tiny and out of place.
These trees are unusual, too.
Although all bathed in the same purple glow, their shapes vary widely, some grow tall and straight like poplars, others twist and bend unpredictably, and some even resemble giant mushrooms.
Only a few trees share similar forms, adding to the forest's strange and otherworldly atmosphere.
The only thing these trees had in common was their incredibly lush leaves, not only were they thick and abundant, but they also gave off a strong purple glow.
The ground beneath was bathed in this dense purple light, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Because the trees' canopy was so thick, hardly any sunlight managed to filter through, so the forest's light relied entirely on this purple glow.
You could say it was like stepping into a world painted entirely in purple, as if someone had applied a purple filter over everything you saw.
This strange forest was otherworldly, with every visible detail tinged in shades of violet.
Of course, this also meant the forest was filled with toxins.
But everyone was wearing protective suits, so the danger from the toxins wasn't a concern, at least not yet.
They had just entered the forest and hadn't realized the real threats lurking within.
Larry, walking at the front, suddenly sensed something and glanced toward Miru, who was nearby.
Without warning, the bark of a massive tree peeled away as if it were just paper.
From the opening, several thick insect legs emerged, covered in sharp barbs that looked like they'd make it nearly impossible to break free if caught.
No one else seemed to notice, but Larry took in the full sight of the creature.
If he had to describe it, it resembled a giant mix between a fly and a spider, only much larger, its body was about the size of a car.
On its head were two long antennae and a pair of enormous blue eyes.
Its body, hidden inside the tree, was bent, and faint wings peeked out behind it.
The most striking feature was its multiple pairs of insect legs.
These legs were far thicker than any normal insect's, each one thicker than a human arm, and there were eight of them in total, powerful and strong.
At the rear of the creature was a slender mouthpart dripping with a purple liquid.
Suddenly, it lunged forward, extending all eight legs at once in a swift, binding motion aimed directly at Miru, who was the closest target.
Its movements were lightning-fast; from sliding out of the tree bark to launching its attack, everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Ordinary people wouldn't even catch a glimpse of the afterimage; to them, it would seem like the person vanished in an instant.
Larry had every reason to believe that this move had been executed countless times before, which explained the incredible smoothness and speed of the action.
In the next moment, Miru was suddenly seized by the insect, it wrapped its eight legs tightly around him and dragged him straight into the tree!
The sudden threat caught everyone off guard, their breath caught in their throats.
By the time they noticed something was wrong, Miru was already trapped inside a hollow in the tree.
"Damn it!" Miru shouted in frustration.
He hadn't expected to be captured so quickly.
He struggled fiercely to break free, but the insect's grip was unyielding.
Its eight legs held him firmly, pinning his arms to his sides and leaving him helpless.
For anyone else, escaping this would be nearly impossible.
Miru's eyes widened with determination, and he suddenly unleashed a surge of aura, sending ripples outward from his center.
Despite the impact, the insect tightened its hold, intent on carrying him deeper into the tree to devour him.
With a flick of its tail, the insect's venomous tail needle shot toward Miru, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.
Instinctively, Miru concentrated the abundant white aura gathered in his hands, shaping it into two slim, silver spears.
Fueled by his will to survive, his speed shattered previous limits.
Twisting his wrists, he hurled one spear directly at the incoming tail needle, relying solely on the sound of the rushing air to aim.
The other spear slashed across the insect's legs that bound him, trying to break free.
Miru's unique ability stems from mastering a variety of martial arts.
The easier a martial art interests him, the more powerful he becomes with it.
Each time he masters a new style, he can manifest weapons associated with that discipline.
As captain of a mercenary team, Miru isn't like most mercenaries who depend on guns and cannons, he's more like a dedicated martial artist, fully committed to perfecting his craft.
His passion isn't for firearms but for mastering diverse martial arts, including swordsmanship, gunsmanship, and archery, among others.
Though all these weapons fall under the category of cold weapons, Miru wields each one with impressive skill.
The silver spear, formed from his aura, was incredibly solid, not something hastily made.
When it struck the insect's tail needle, a sharp collision echoed, and the tail needle was forcefully knocked back by
The silver spear continued its advance with powerful aura rippling through it, sweeping across the insect's eight thick, sturdy legs. One by one, the legs were shattered or broken, allowing Miru to break free.
Without hesitation, he thrust the silver spear forward, piercing the insect's head precisely. The spear, charged with Miru's powerful strike and the momentum of a breaking bamboo, went through the head and caused it to explode on the spot.
The tree, already hollowed out by the insects, cracked loudly from the intense fight. Luckily, it was a large tree and remained standing despite the damage.