They were common Sushifish, but they were different from any caught before.
In fact, these Sushifish hadn't even been caught by Aaron; they had seemingly gone mad, hurling themselves onto the shore of their own accord.
Unlike normal fish stranded on land, these Sushifish made no effort to struggle or flop back into the water. Instead, they gave the impression that they were trying to get as far away from the river as possible, desperately leaping toward the depths of the dry land.
"Roar!"
"Little Boss says they've become crunchier, meow! And he feels like his strength has increased after eating them, meow!"
"Hey! Partner! You can't just go around eating things like that!!" Seeing Mirrorblade devour the fish—along with the damp mud from the riverbank—in one clean sweep, the Investigation Team Leader cried out in a sudden panic. "What if you get sick?!"
"Roar!"
"Little Boss says his body is strong and he's not afraid, meow!"
"It's not a matter of being strong or not!" The Team Leader grew frantic. "You saw the changes that happened to that mouse, didn't you? There's no way that state is normal."
"Ah! A bite!!"
While the others were arguing, Aaron suddenly leaned his body back. He gripped the handle of the rod with one hand and supported the middle section with the other; the fishing rod bent into a sharp, visible semi-circle.
"What incredible strength!"
Aaron let out a cry of surprise. He was an elite Hunter, after all—even if he was prone to clumsiness and causing trouble, his muscles were the real deal. However, he looked genuinely worried that the rod might snap in half.
After a fierce struggle that would make any fisherman's eyes turn red with envy, Aaron successfully dragged the catch onto the shore: a Goldenfish.
"Strange, meow. You can catch Goldenfish in the river now, meow?" Kankan sat on his haunches next to the thrashing Goldenfish, tilting his head in confusion. "Wait, is this really a Goldenfish, meow?"
In Kankan's memory, these shimmering gold fish were supposed to be caught only in sunless caves.
At a glance, the golden base color was there, sparkling under the sunlight. But upon closer inspection, a thin layer of pale blue crystals could be seen over its scales, as if the fish were wearing a layer of armor.
"It is indeed a Goldenfish," the Team Leader said, shaking his head. "It's obvious that even the aquatic life in the river has begun to exhibit the Bluerization phenomenon. I thought flowing water would be safer."
"I actually think it's because flowing water is safer that this Goldenfish traveled through an underground river or some tributary to get to—AHH!!"
With a scream of pain, Aaron jerked his hand back from the Goldenfish as if he'd been electrocuted. Blood began to flow rapidly from his palm. He had been bitten by the fish.
The Goldenfish was over a meter long. It had snapped its head back in a sudden strike, leaving a semi-circular teeth mark on Aaron's palm before flopping a few times and splashing back into the water.
"Goldenfish aren't exactly aggressive predators, but you..." The Team Leader pulled out gauze and herbs with a complicated expression, bandaging Aaron's wound while biting back further comment.
"Weren't the Hunters sent to the New World supposed to be hand-picked elites, meow?" Kankan jumped onto Aaron's head, laughing. "You're always covered in scars, meow! Hahaha! Even a cat wouldn't get bitten by a fish like that, meow. We'd dodge it in a flash, meow~"
"Don't say it..." His face flushing bright red, Aaron lowered his head in dejection. "Please, just don't say another word."
Compared to the pain in his hand, his heart hurt more. He was so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
"It was just unexpected for a docile fish to bite. There's no need to blame yourself," the Team Leader said, patting Aaron on the shoulder after finishing the bandage. "Just keep an eye on the wound. If any strange changes occur, report them immediately."
"Understood," Aaron muttered.
Unlike previous surveys, and given the intensity and urgency of the Bluerization outbreak, this investigation involved multiple squads working in tandem. They moved forward together as equals, having agreed on a unified reporting time.
One month later, Glavenus Tribe Territory, Astera Forward Investigation Base.
The base was bustling. Usually, it housed at most two Hunter squads and a team of scholars, but now people were everywhere. Tents were pitched one after another, and the moment you walked in, you could smell the aroma of cooking food. It felt like being back in a human town, with the sounds of conversation echoing throughout.
Several Hunter squads had already returned to the forward base. Everyone was eager to share the wonders they had seen, though some were deeply worried about the worsening Bluerization in the Ancient Forest, fearing the anomaly might spread to the Wildspire Waste.
Once the final squad returned, the Commander convened the summary meeting.
"...That concludes all the intelligence gathered by our squad," the Investigation Team Leader reported first.
"High-concentration, combustible energy crystals and endemic life that seems to have gained special enhancements?" The Commander nodded. "Specific results will require further testing to confirm."
"Yes," the Team Leader continued. "Furthermore, the wounds left by Bluerized animals have not worsened or shown any changes related to the phenomenon. For now, we shouldn't have to worry about contagiousness."
"We can't say that for certain," the Scholar Representative beside them said, shaking his head with a look of exhaustion. "This could mean that as long as life exists in this forest, there is a chance for Bluerization to occur... We still don't know the source of this phenomenon."
When it came to unknown ecological events, the scholars were the most hardworking and driven. The Scholar Representative, for instance, slept less than four hours a day, wanting to pour all his energy into studying the Bluerized plants and animals.
"Continue the reports," the Commander said to another squad leader.
"Sir. Our squad investigated the underground caves. We can confirm that the Bluerization phenomenon is far more prevalent underground than on the surface. Various common fungi have shown large-scale Bluerization."
The squad leader reported quickly.
"It's not just the Unique Mushrooms. Among the fungi, Blue Mushrooms and Nitroshrooms show the most severe Bluerization. Particularly the Nitroshrooms—their caps have grown significantly, and the interiors flicker with an eerie blue light. They also seem to no longer produce spores. Instead, when time passes or they are touched, they emit a visible, shimmering blue phosphorescent dust."
"We suspect it might still be spores, but since the cave terrain was too enclosed, we could only collect a few samples." At this, the squad leader gave a bitter smile and rolled up his sleeve.
From the back of his hand to his forearm, there was a large, ugly scar from a burn. It looked gruesome.
"It's dangerous. The phosphorescent dust released by Bluerized Nitroshrooms contains immense energy. I only tried to pick one off the stone wall without much force, but before I could react, everything was a blinding blue-white light. The dust seemed to ignite, blinding me instantly."
"Then came the pain. I don't think it was like a normal fire burn. It felt like it was penetrating my skin and flesh, seeping into my bones." He swallowed hard and continued. "With my partner's help, I tore off my damaged clothes and gloves immediately, but what happened next was something none of us expected."
"The wound healed itself." The leader pulled his sleeve higher so everyone could see. "I didn't use any Potions. My eyes were temporarily blinded, so I couldn't see, but according to my partner, the wound grew back like bark. There was almost no bleeding. It only took a few minutes to look like this, and I stopped feeling any pain."
"Can I touch it?!" the Scholar Representative asked impatiently.
"Of course."
After receiving permission, the Scholar pounced forward like a hungry tiger, rubbing the leader's arm.
"...It feels like a shell that hasn't fully hardened yet," the Scholar marveled. "Unlike normal, soft skin, this patch already has a significant level of defensive capability. It's just... not very pretty. Have you done specific tests?"
"T-Tests?" the Hunter stammered.
"Like using a knife to pierce or scratch it—actually, considering the injury, maybe we could try roasting it with fire?"
The Scholar's whispers were like a haunting drone. Not only did the squad leader turn pale, but even the onlookers nearby took a few steps back.
"C-Commander?" Sweat began to bead on the leader's forehead as he looked to his superior for help.
"Ahem, well... let's just try a little bit," the Commander coughed, offering a "kind" smile. "We need to understand the new properties of these Bluerized plants."
He was drenched in sweat.
It must be stated: the Hunters Guild is a free and autonomous hunting association. Hunters can take on quests based on their own needs and abilities. Furthermore, the Guild maintains a harmonious and friendly atmosphere, uniting all Hunters to make human life better and safer—except, perhaps, in the New World.
The tests didn't actually turn into a horror movie, but the experiments the Scholar mentioned were indeed carried out.
"Defense has definitely been enhanced. While the appearance is a bit ugly, this bark-like structure increases protection; it's slightly weaker than Apceros hide," the Scholar Representative announced. "Fire resistance has also increased. Theoretically, if he burned his entire body's skin following the same steps, he could reach Level 1 Fire Resistance... maybe even Level 2."
"No thank you, I'm good!" The squad leader's hand waved faster than a windmill as he shook his head repeatedly. "I'm not even married yet—wait, even if I were married, I wouldn't want to look like this! Absolutely not!"
"I know, I'm just using it as a comparison," the Scholar laughed. "Interesting, isn't it?"
"Oh yeah, sure, real interesting!"
His nervous expression made everyone laugh, but as more reports came in, the mood grew somber again.
The Ancient Forest was already a place of hidden dangers, but Bluerized flora and fauna had turned that danger up a notch. The only silver lining was that, so far, no Large Monsters had been found with signs of Bluerization.
But this was likely temporary. As Large Monsters roamed the environment and preyed on Bluerized plants or animals, this unknown energy would accumulate in their systems. Eventually, even the titans of the forest would be unable to escape.
February 13: The closer we get to the giant trees, the more common the Bluerization becomes. The Great Tree itself has undergone a fundamental change, as if something is trying to break free from within. The rough brown bark is splitting on its own, and a viscous blue fluid—suspected to be a sap mixture—is flowing from the cracks. The volume is low, and it hardens quickly upon contact with air...
February 27: Large nodules appearing on various vines seem to have a strong attraction for Scoutflies. We tried letting Scoutflies make direct contact with these nodules, only to find that the flies expanded rapidly after touching the fluid inside, exploding completely within seconds...
March 6: ...
March 30: Flashflies have gained properties completely different from their original state after Bluerization. The flash has changed from a sun-bright white to a dazzling blue-white. The blinding effect on Hunters is significantly reduced, but the control effect on Large Monsters has actually been enhanced. Reason unknown...
April 18: The water quality of several rivers has changed. Compared to past records, the water temperature has risen by at least five degrees. This has caused a massive die-off of algae and microorganisms. After taking precautions, we dove into the water and found large amounts of blue crystals deposited on the riverbed. Due to the danger, we did not make direct contact, but samples have been brought back...
May 9: ...
July 24: Bluerization appears to have manifested among Small Monsters. We captured a Wingdrake and found several unidentified lumps in its beige wing membranes. Upon cutting them open, we discovered several small blue crystals inside. The specimen has been brought back to base...
September 13: ...
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