In the next moment, Muheer was seized by the insect, his entire body wrapped up and dragged into the tree!
The sudden ambush left everyone breathless.
By the time they registered the anomaly, Muheer had already been pulled into the hollow of the tree.
"Damn it!"
Muheer cursed, furious that he'd been caught off guard in an instant.
He struggled with all his might to break free, but to no avail.
The eight legs held him in a crushing embrace, his arms pinned uselessly at his sides, leaving him no room to escape.
For anyone else, this would have been the end.
Muheer's eyes blazed with fury as his aura surged violently, waves of power radiating outward from his body.
Though affected, the insect refused to let go, tightening its grip instead, intent on hauling him up the tree to devour him.
With a flick of its tail, the venomous stinger shot toward Muheer, the sharp tip slicing through the air with a piercing whistle.
In that split second, dense white aura coalesced around his hands, forming two long, straight silver spears!
Driven by sheer survival instinct, Muheer's movements surpassed his usual limits in speed.
With a twist of his wrists, he channeled immense force—one spear lashed out to intercept the incoming stinger!
He relied on sound alone to pinpoint the attack's trajectory.
The other spear swept horizontally towards the legs restraining him.
Hundred Arts: The more he mastered a martial art, the more potent his techniques became.
And with each discipline he mastered, he could materialize weapons corresponding to that art.
This was Muheer's Nen ability—Hundred Arts!
Unlike the mercenaries who relied on firearms, as the leader of his squad, he resembled a martial artist wholly devoted to the path of combat.
He had no love for guns or explosives, but rather for the myriad martial arts—blade techniques, spearplay, archery, and more.
Though all fell under the domain of melee weapons, in his hands, each could unleash extraordinary power.
BANG! BANG!
The silver spears, forged from aura, were astonishingly solid, bearing no trace of hasty creation.
The moment the first spear struck the stinger, a violent collision resounded, sending the stinger recoiling!
The second spear fared even better.
Wreathed in intensely fluctuating aura, it cleaved through the eight thick, powerful legs with sheer force.
Some were bent out of shape; others were severed outright.
As the legs snapped one after another, Muheer finally broke free.
Without hesitation, he hurled a spear, piercing the creature's head with pinpoint accuracy!
Infused with Muheer's full-force strike, the silver spear pierced through the head with unstoppable momentum, exploding on impact.
The tree, already hollowed out by the insects, creaked incessantly after the intense battle.
Fortunately, the tree was massive and remained standing despite the damage, not collapsing outright.
"Whew."
Muheer glanced at the thoroughly dead insect, wiped the green fluid off his Safety Suit, and let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Clap, clap, clap. Such swift reflexes—that was such an excellent combat instincts."
Pariston lightly applauded, clearly impressed by Muheer's performance.
Standing close by, he had witnessed every move Muheer made.
Few others could have broken free so quickly in the same situation.
As a mercenary, Muheer had undergone countless battles, large and small, and his combat experience was truly exceptional.
Had the insect's ambush not been so lightning-fast, he wouldn't have even been caught in the first place.
"No need for the praise. This was just the bare minimum."
Muheer replied modestly, feeling he could have done better—he had still been somewhat careless.
Ging walked over to Muheer, resting his chin on his hand as he examined the lifeless insect, deep in thought.
"I originally thought there wouldn't be any living creatures left in this forest. Seems I was wrong."
"This insect is strange—hiding inside the tree to ambush, and blending in so seamlessly."
"Hard to say why it behaved this way. Is it an isolated case, or does a whole population of these insects exist in this forest?"
"Miro, did you sense this insect earlier?"
Ging studied the insect while piecing together the battle, analyzing aloud before turning to Miro.
"No, I didn't sense it at all." Miro shook her head, certain that she hadn't detected the insect.
After a pause, she hesitated before adding.
"Actually, ever since we entered this forest, the feedback from my Nen ability has changed significantly."
"This forest is bizarre—my Aura keeps picking up the same repeating sound wave. I assumed it was because there were no living beings here."
"But now, it seems that might not be the case."
Hearing this, Ging raised an eyebrow, already piecing together the real reason.
"If you've felt this way since we entered, then it's not just the insect being special—it's something that's been around us the whole time."
With that, Ging tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes at the tree's glowing purple leaves.
"So, it's these leaves, then."
"Though it's not too surprising they can interfere with perception. After all, this is the Dark Continent."
"I'm more interested in the relationship between the insect and the tree."
Ging shrugged, sounding somewhat resigned.
Akira stepped beside Ging and spoke softly.
"I might have some insight on that."
"They likely share a symbiotic relationship."
"The insect hunts for food, consumes it, and the leftover remains nourish the purple tree."
"In turn, the tree's toxins aid the insect in capturing prey."
"Even with the protection of the Safety Suit, the ambush still succeeded."
"It's easy to imagine how helpless other creatures would be when affected by paralyzing toxins."
Ging's furrowed brows gradually relaxed, showing clear approval of Akira's explanation.
"As for why the insects aren't affected by the violet light, there are two possible explanations."
Akira raised two fingers in a "V" gesture and spoke slowly.
"First, the insects normally hide inside tree trunks. The bark layers are too thick for the violet light to penetrate, so they remain unaffected."
"Second, these insects might have developed antibodies against the violet light's toxins, granting them partial immunity."
"Either way, these insects hold some research value. We should collect them."
As soon as he finished speaking, a spatial portal appeared beneath the insect's corpse, swallowing it whole.
After confirming Muheer remained unharmed, Akira led the team forward again.
Though the insect's ambush was merely a minor incident, it served as a stark warning.
This forest's dangers weren't limited to the obvious toxic threats!
Lurking beneath the surface lay hidden dangers!
For the next two days, they traveled by day and rested in the digital world at night.
No dangers were encountered during this time.
Instead, one of the Pokemons hatched first!
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