The bodies were riddled with large holes before finally collapsing and going completely still, now fully lifeless.
Five corpses fell, only to be trampled by others behind them, mindlessly rushing forward without reason.
"Is that really your nen beast?!" Miru exclaimed, gripping the bow and arrow that had just appeared, disbelief clear in his voice.
Larry nodded and focused more closely on the skeleton monsters among the corpses.
There was definitely something off about them.
Everything had happened so fast, but now it was clear to everyone that this mysterious archer was actually Larry's nen best.
"Your nen beast is really powerful!" Miru said, gripping his glowing bow and arrow tightly, a hint of frustration in his voice.
Aside from Ging and Beyond, Miru was probably the best person to appreciate the decidueye's power.
He was skilled in archery himself and had trained extensively in various martial arts, so he truly understood how impressive those shots had been.
There's a saying: "Don't bite off more than you can chew."
Miru often wondered if he could truly master all the martial arts he had learned.
Among them, archery was definitely his strongest skill.
But facing Larry's nen best, his pride in his archery felt completely shattered.
He couldn't even follow the swift movements when the arrows were fired, it was a huge blow to his confidence.
And the accuracy was incredible.
Every arrow hit its mark!
Five shots, each one piercing right through the center of the rotting corpses.
What Miru didn't realize was that the decidueye was deliberately aiming at that specific area.
He didn't credit the nen best's skill to any special nen abilites; instead, he thought it was purely the decidueye's own talent.
After all, Miru could also shoot curved arrows like those, but he just couldn't reach the same level of precision and speed.
He had to admit, Larry's nen best had archery skills far beyond his own.
Noticing Miru's frustration, Larry casually remarked.
"It's only good at archery."
That simple comment sparked something in Miru.
True, he had trained in more than just archery, especially in close combat martial arts.
And since Larry's nen best was specialized in archery alone, overall, Miru felt he wasn't that far behind.
Thinking about all this, Miru not only felt his spirits lift and regained his confidence, but he also grew more excited.
Suddenly, Larry added.
"Even if it uses close combat, which it's not good at, it'll still have no trouble beating you."
Miru's smile froze instantly at those words.
As they talked, the group of rotten corpses steadily closed in on them.
Waiting ahead were a barrage of arrows, sharp-eyed sniper tree owls, and fighters ready to jump into action.
The number of rotten corpses was unusually large, like a foul-smelling tide rolling in.
They crawled through the grass, making a constant rubbing sound that sent chills down anyone's spine.
Just hearing them approach made everyone's hair stand on end.
Though the sniper tree owls took down many at once, the corpses didn't seem to decrease in number.
They were endless, like an ocean wave, moving so quickly they left faint afterimages behind.
In the blink of an eye, the horde was nearly upon them, making everyone tense up and focus hard.
Strangely, the fast-moving swarm suddenly split into two groups, bypassing one spot before continuing forward.
That spot was where Larry stood.
He folded his arms calmly across his chest, unmoving like a rock in the middle of a rushing river.
If anyone looked closely, they'd notice faint breaths coming from his shadow.
It was this subtle presence, Marshadow's breath, that made all the corpses instinctively avoid Larry, unwilling to face his sharp edge.
Larry showed no reaction, lost in thought.
Something about these corpses felt off, like there was a hidden truth he hadn't yet uncovered.
Just because Larry was safe didn't mean the others were.
"Pakkuri!" Beyond shouted, eyes wide as he stared at the restless mass of corpses.
"Got it!"
Pakkuri, the mushroom-headed kid who had invited Larry to play games, suddenly jumped up.
As she did, her aura surged, shifting from a smooth flow to a powerful pulse.
Her small body became enveloped in light, turning the entire purple forest into a pure white glow.
After a flash of light, similar to a flash bomb, the aura around Pakkuri's body instantly transformed into digital strips glowing with green light.
These data-like strips radiated outward from him, spreading over several hundred meters.
This was Pakkuri's game world: by enveloping the surrounding environment with
With her aura, she could turn the real world into a digital, game-like space.
The effect resembled a digital overlay.
Within this space, there were two types of creatures: players and wild monsters.
This classification was based entirely on Pakkuri's subjective perception.
She always saw herself and her teammates as players, while corpses or enemies were classified as wild monsters.
If Pakkuri decided to see herself as the only player and everyone else as wild monsters, that would also be valid.
Both players and wild monsters had health bars and blue bars displayed above them, but only players could see detailed information about themselves and the wild monsters around them.
The health bar represented vitality, while the blue bar symbolized the user's aura, physical stamina, or other inner strength.
Whether it's a player or a monster, their HP drops when they take damage, and once it hits zero, they die.
But players are digitized, so even if they get hurt, it doesn't affect their ability to move or act.
Even if their limbs or other parts are badly injured, they won't be disabled; they'll just lose HP.
Pakkuri looks like a child because of a special restriction and oath she made, which keeps her appearance forever youthful.
Despite her childlike looks, she's actually almost 30 years old and is a full member of Beyond's team, so she's definitely not a real child.
This eternal youth that Biscuit envies comes from the restrictions she set on herself, linked both to her talent and her personal experiences.
Pakkuri has been into games since she was young and loves them deeply.
But these aren't just ordinary games; they're games infused with Nen aura.
This isn't about Greed Island, but other types of games scattered across the six continents that carry Nen.
For example, a middle-aged woman might be so obsessed with a painting that her mind becomes attached to it, and if the painting has Nen, her connection deepens, even if she's not a Nen user herself.
Pakkuri's case is similar, except the game she inherited came from her father.
Growing up, she naturally developed the Nen ability she calls My Game World.
She wanted to turn her own reality into a game.