As Allen drove toward the isolated inland villages, rumors of giant insects attacking humans within the NGL Autonomous Region had already begun to circulate throughout the Hunter Association.
For Professional Hunters, especially Biological and Fantastic Beast Hunters, this was an irresistible temptation. They mobilized one after another, entering a region that had almost no contact with the outside world.
In just a few short weeks, at least ten teams were trekking through the vast, dense forests, attempting to find evidence of the giant insects' existence.
Pokkle, who had recently completed his training in Nen, happened to be the leader of one such team.
Driven by a bright ambition to achieve great deeds and prove his abilities and merit to the world, he was currently galloping toward the site of the incidents on a chestnut stallion.
Ponzu, who had participated in the same Hunter Exam but was unfortunately eliminated, sat behind him, hugging her boyfriend's waist with an expression of pure bliss.
Clearly, these two had no idea that in this world, heterosexuality never ends well, nor did they understand the raw, unabashed malice Togashi harbored toward romantic couples.
"Hey, Pokkle! Are there really giant insects attacking humans here?"
Another male member of the team, Balda, couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know! Maybe, maybe not. This is NGL, after all; the entire country is a nature reserve. It's said that many flora and fauna live here that haven't been reported to the academic community. It wouldn't be strange even if there were man-eating bugs. Besides, even if it's not giant insects, discovering an unknown animal species would be a great result. For a rookie Fantastic Beast Hunter like me, the most important thing is accumulating merit. Since we're here, we have to produce some results," Pokkle responded enthusiastically.
It was evident that he had moved past the psychological shadow cast by Allen's overwhelming suppression during the Hunter Exam. He had also come to understand that the power used back then was Nen.
Unfortunately, in this small group of four, he was the only one who had reached the level of a basic Nen practitioner. The other three, including his girlfriend Ponzu, were still unable to use Nen.
Balda nodded slowly. "Alright, you have a point. At least it's an opportunity for us. Plus, we're planning to take the Hunter Exam next year to get our professional licenses."
"Eh? Really? Won't we be competitors then?" Ponzu said, a look of surprise on her face.
"Hahaha! It can't be helped! But if we face each other in the exam, I'll go easy on you for old time's sake," Balda joked.
"Hmph! We'll see who goes easy on who! I'm about to master that power myself!" Ponzu lifted her chin proudly.
"Then let's see who gets there first!"
"Think I'm scared? You're on!"
...
While the two were bickering idly on horseback, the final member of the team, Pekuba, suddenly pointed ahead and shouted, "Look! What's that?"
"Is... is that a corpse? Someone's dead!"
Ponzu clearly had the best eyesight; she recognized instantly that the person lying on the ground showed no signs of life.
Without hesitation, the team reigned in their horses and jumped down to inspect the body.
The man wore a white uniform and a surgical mask. There was a massive gash across his back. It was obviously the only wound on his body, and it was fatal.
The strike had not only torn through his clothing and muscle but had also shredded his vital organs, including the spine, heart, and lungs.
"What kind of thing could cause a wound like this?" Balda asked, his expression grim.
"I'm not sure, but I can guarantee it wasn't a human!" Pekuba replied without thinking.
"A gun?" Pokkle picked up a black handgun from beside the corpse. "It looks like this guy was an NGL insider involved in drug manufacturing."
"Over there! There's another body over there!" Ponzu pointed toward the woods a dozen meters away.
Following her finger, they saw another corpse wearing the same uniform and holding a weapon. Even the wounds and the manner of death were identical!
Just as Pokkle was reeling from the horror of the wounds, three ant soldiers, standing over two meters tall, walking upright, and covered in hard carapaces, slowly emerged from behind the thick trees.
Their razor-sharp forelimbs looked capable of tearing a human to shreds in an instant.
Seeing this, Pekuba began to tremble violently. "They're here... they're... monsters!"
"Dammit! Ponzu! Balda! Pekuba! Run as soon as I give the signal! Don't look back, no matter what happens!"
It must be said that as a team leader, Pokkle didn't crumble at the critical moment. He took the initiative to draw their attention so the others could escape.
Watching the three tall Officers approach, he finally activated his Hatsu—Rainbow Bow.
In an instant, he used his Aura to connect his thumb, index, and middle finger, forming the shape of a bow. With his other hand, he pulled the string and condensed a crimson arrow.
The next second...
The arrow flew out and slammed into the head of one of the ant soldiers, instantly erupting into intense flames.
This red Nen arrow combined the properties of Emission and Transmutation. While its power wasn't particularly high, it was more than enough to handle low-level Officers.
After a brief, violent burn, the struck ant collapsed onto its back and breathed its last.
Taking advantage of the other two ants' shock at their comrade's death, Pokkle screamed at the top of his lungs, "Now! Run!"
The four of them turned and bolted into the depths of the dense forest.
Under the threat of death, everyone pushed themselves to their absolute limit, not daring to stop for even a second.
Pokkle, in particular, had to look back periodically to keep an eye on their pursuers, using his Rainbow Bow to take down any bugs that caught up. Without realizing it, they lost their way.
When they finally reached a place they deemed relatively safe, they stopped, panting heavily, to discuss how to contact other Professional Hunters in the area to form a proper subjugation squad.
But before they could reach a conclusion, a massive Chimera Ant suddenly dropped from the sky. It swung a serrated, razor-sharp arm, decapitating one of them instantly.
Because the movement was so fast and sudden, the victim only realized they had been killed when they saw their own headless body slump to the ground.
Following that, Officers and Squadron Leaders appeared one after another. They annihilated the small team with ease, and even the Professional Hunter Pokkle was taken prisoner.
Only the clever Ponzu managed to flee toward a nearby village, where she began frantically releasing her messenger bees to carry out news of the threat.
However, while she was focused on the task, a needle-covered Chimera Ant stepped slowly from behind a tree, raised a gun, and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
With a crisp gunshot, Ponzu collapsed. She watched as bright red blood quickly stained her clothes, her eyes filling with despair.
She knew she was no match for these giant insects. Moreover, the bullet seemed to have hit her liver; she would go into shock from blood loss in a matter of minutes.
Even worse, the monster before her would likely eat her, just like the other human corpses she had seen gnawed beyond recognition.
Is this where my life ends? Ponzu asked herself internally.
Just as the Chimera Ant was about to pull the trigger again, a white, umbrella-shaped shockwave appeared in the distance, followed by a deafening roar that shook the sky.
BOOM!
Before the two on the scene could react, Allen dropped from the sky like a meteor. The mere aftershock of his high-speed impact pulverized the ant's gun-wielding arm on the spot.
He then smiled and waved at Ponzu. "Yo! Long time no see! How have you been lately?"
"Allen?! Save... save me..."
Ponzu used the last of her strength to utter those words before losing consciousness.