The swamp was deathly silent.
All living creatures in the vicinity, including Hellbell The Twin-Tailed Snake, had been wiped out by the Toothed Leaf swarm.
Even though the Nitro Rice emanated a rich life force, it couldn't bring the slightest warmth to this land.
Ponzu's bee swarm spread out in an orderly fashion, carefully scouting the swamp's condition.
After confirming there were no signs of life nearby, the team basically concluded that their plan to fight a calamity with a calamity had succeeded.
But just in case, everyone unanimously decided to let the bee swarm continue flying outward, further expanding the alert radius.
This way, even if an unexpected situation arose, they could buy more time to respond.
As the bee swarm's patrol range expanded toward the forest at the edge, Chimera descended from the sky.
Its massive body crushed swathes of reeds, creating a rustling sound.
Let's make this quick.
Morrow was the first to leap off Chimera, heading with clear purpose in a specific direction.
The bee swarm's earlier mission was not only to investigate the situation but also to pinpoint the locations of the fungal phase Nitro Rice.
This real-time information allowed the team's next move to be highly efficient, letting them head straight for their targets upon landing.
In terms of preparation, they were more than ready.
But to be on the safe side, Morrow still believed in a swift operation, to harvest the Nitro Rice as quickly as possible and then leave immediately.
Such caution was a sign of due respect for the latent risks of this land.
The team members moved out swiftly.
As the one connected to the bee swarm, Ponzu remained on Chimera's back.
This allowed her to maintain a relatively stable state to continuously manage the swarm.
To ensure her safety, Kalluto left familiar spirit Chimera Ant King and familiar spirit Youpi behind as guards.
This was a necessary arrangement, as threats could come not only from the ground but also from the sky.
And so, all members except Ponzu followed the location intel provided by the bee swarm, advancing in their respective directions through the towering reeds.
With no obstacles in his way, Morrow found the first stalk of Nitro Rice in just three minutes.
"Number 1, all normal. First stalk of Nitro Rice found."
After three minutes, Morrow reported his status to his teammates through Kalluto's Surveillance Paper Doll.
"Number 2, all normal. I should be close to the first stalk's location."
"Number 3, all normal. I'm almost there too."
"Number 4, all normal. I can see the Nitro Rice, but it looks a bit weird. Doesn't seem suitable for a cold salad."
"Number 5, all normal, uh, still trying."
"Number 6, all normal–"
Listening to the voices coming from the Surveillance Paper Doll, Morrow's lips curled into a slight smile as he turned his gaze to the Nitro Rice before him.
A small section of an insect's body was exposed on the surface of the marsh. From its end, exposed to the air, a thread-like, white-and-blue fungus extended upward. Like a slender snake, it wound its way up a reed stalk to the very top.
The fungus clung to the needle-like fruit of the reed, taking on the form of a needle mushroom, faintly exuding the air of a cuckoo occupying another bird's nest.
So this is the fungal phase, a fungus that lives by absorbing nutrients.
Morrow gazed at the mushroom attached to the reed's fruit, feeling the rich life force wash over him.
But what you absorb is probably the flesh and life force of other creatures, and that is the very source of 'longevity'.
Morrow muttered to himself, then raised his hand and directly snapped off the fungal phase Nitro Rice attached to the needle-like fruit.
Thanks to the information provided by the Lakeside Tribe elder, his movements were clean and decisive.
But he didn't touch the insect's body beneath the marsh.
Although he wasn't sure if leaving the 'root' would allow a new Nitro Rice to grow, his target was only the fungal phase. Since he had obtained it, there was no need to disturb the insect phase body buried in the marsh.
This could be considered leaving behind a sliver of hope.
If the Nitro Rice were to go extinct because of this harvesting operation, it would ultimately be a great loss for humanity.
Morrow placed the first stalk of fungal phase Nitro Rice he had acquired into a beast pouch and immediately rushed to the next location without pause.
This was the advantage of advance reconnaissance.
While clearing out threats, the bee swarm could also lock onto the positions of the Nitro Rice, allowing the team to plan their individual harvesting routes before taking action.
And their efficient mobility allowed the team to complete the harvest quickly, avoiding a prolonged stay in the swamp.
Along the way, the group collected all the mature fungal phase Nitro Rice, leaving untouched those that had just sprouted or were only halfway grown.
Perhaps even the half-ripe fungal phase could extend one's life, but they still maintained a degree of restraint against greed.
Moreover, according to the information from the bee swarm, the number of mature Nitro Rice they could harvest was already more than enough. There was no need to fixate on the parts that hadn't fully grown.
Soon, all the mature fungal phase Nitro Rice discovered by the bee swarm had been harvested by Morrow and the others.
—--
At the same time, the bee swarm had quietly infiltrated the forest area.
However, to Ponzu's surprise, the Toothed Leaf swarm, which she had expected to continue its march deeper into the forest, was now gathered silently in a certain area among the trees.
Their round bodies were pressed tightly against each other, completely motionless, like a collection of frozen statues.
Don't tell me they're full and digesting...
Seeing this scene, a somewhat comical guess flashed through Ponzu's mind.
But she didn't dwell on it and immediately relayed this discovery to her teammates.
Upon learning that the Toothed Leaf swarm was gathered in one area of the forest, Morrow and the others were surprised but saw no need to panic.
Because the Star Mark left on a Toothed Leaf beforehand allowed Morrow to maintain the upper hand at all times.
"Time to pull out. Everyone back to Chimera."
With the harvesting operation complete, Morrow notified everyone to return via the Surveillance Paper Doll. He then put away the beast pouch containing 12 stalks of Nitro Rice and hurried back toward Chimera.
Twelve stalks.
Using the Lakeside Tribe, with their average lifespan of 200 to 250 years, as a reference, their eldest member who had eaten one stalk of Nitro Rice had lived to be 356.
This meant that one stalk of Nitro Rice could extend life by at least a hundred years.
Twelve stalks meant 1,200 years.
If he consumed them all at once, he would probably become a thousand-year-old demon in the future.
Even if one stalk extends life by a hundred years, it's not a good idea to eat several in a row.
The bountiful harvest exhilarated Morrow, but he wasn't swept away by it, remaining rational and calm.
Humanity's desire for eternal life has existed since ancient times; that much is self-evident.
If it were an ordinary person who obtained a single stalk of Nitro Rice, they would probably eat it on the spot without hesitation.
With several stalks in hand, it would be even harder to resist the thought that more is better and to devour them all at once.
However, not only did Morrow not eat one immediately, he even calmly foresaw the potential negative consequences of consuming multiple fungal phase Nitro Rice in succession.
After all, the only known case was the Lakeside Tribe elder who had consumed one stalk. There were no other examples to reference or determine whether consuming multiple stalks would cause an accident due to an overdose of nourishment.
In other words, this could be considered an unknown potential risk.
So even if he were to eat the fungal phase Nitro Rice later, Morrow would only eat one stalk first.
As for the other fungal phase Nitro Rice, they could be preserved using the Toothed Leaf.
However... Immortality seems to be within reach.
Morrow moved swiftly through the reeds, a bright glint in his eyes.
This operation had yielded so many Nitro Rice that everyone on the team was guaranteed at least a hundred-year life extension.
And as long as their lifespan wasn't approaching its threshold, the consumer could remain eternally young, like a vampire.
Under such a transformation, coupled with the Etude of Love that had already broken through human limits, it could be said that as time went on, Morrow's strength would only become more and more unfathomable.
When he truly reached that stage, with his abilities, as long as the Nitro Rice continued to exist, he could come and take them whenever he pleased.
In that sense, it really wasn't any different from "immortality."
A moment later, everyone returned to Chimera's side.
Without rushing to count their haul, everyone planned to leave this place first.
But just then, Ponzu's voice came from Chimera's back. "The Toothed Leaf swarm has woken up. Their perception is very strong; they've detected my babies. Should I lead them away, or should I just sever my connection with my babies?"
Her tone was perfectly calm as she reported.
The reason was simple: she had unconditional trust in Morrow's ability.
Hearing this, Morrow's first reaction was to tell Ponzu to sever her ability's connection to the bee swarm.
After all, the hive in her hat could continuously produce new bees.
But as the words reached his lips, he abruptly stopped, remembering the flesh of the creatures devoured by the Toothed Leaf.
"Ponzu, lure the Toothed Leaf swarm over here."
He looked up at her on Chimera's back and said calmly.
"Okay."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ponzu immediately carried out Morrow's command.
Under her control, the bee swarm flew in a panic toward the center of the swamp.
Behind the swarm was the group of Toothed Leaf, once again displaying their predatory posture.
"Get on. Let's get out of here first."
In the center of the swamp, Morrow then called for his teammates to climb onto Chimera's back.
Swoosh!
Once everyone was in place, Chimera flapped its wings forcefully, lifting its massive body into the sky.
Kalluto looked at Morrow's profile, puzzled. "Why go to the trouble of luring those leaves back here?"
"As fertilizer."
A smile played on Morrow's lips.
"Huh?"
Kalluto froze, not understanding for a moment.
Biscuit, however, instantly grasped Morrow's intention, a strange look in her eyes.
From a human standpoint, being able to harvest so many Nitro Rice in this perilous swamp was already an unprecedented feat.
But this guy, Morrow, before leaving, he was actually thinking of using the current opportunity to fertilize the immature Nitro Rice?
Isn't it obvious he plans to come back for another harvest later?
Even a power on the level of a major nation like the V5 had to suffer a crushing defeat before this naturally grown swamp.
And here you are, already planning to treat this place like your personal farmland?
Biscuit shook her head slightly, truly at a loss for words.
She quickly turned her attention back to the fungal phase Nitro Rice she had just harvested.
Theoretically, the effects of life extension and eternal youth should be synchronized, slurp...
Biscuit slurped up her drool and chuckled.
On the other side, the other team members also understood Morrow's intention, and for a moment, they all wore strange expressions.
Harvesting Nitro Rice was an incredibly dangerous mission to begin with.
One had to remember that the elite troops of the Federation Of Ochima were nearly annihilated before they could even cross the threshold.
Yet their team had not only successfully obtained a large quantity of Nitro Rice, but they even had the luxury of paving the way for the next batch to grow?
It was truly... they didn't know what to say.
Everyone looked at Morrow in silence, their gazes complex.
At this moment, Morrow condensed a fluorescent green Shooting Star in his palm and looked down at the swamp below.
In the distant reeds, round Toothed Leaf were bouncing and leaping, chasing after Chimera which had not yet flown high.
"Shooting Star · Star Rain."
Morrow tossed the Shooting Star into the air.
Even with a splitting attack, he had to control the force as much as possible to ensure it would kill the Toothed Leaf, not blast them to smithereens.
The next moment, the Shooting Star suddenly burst open in mid-air, transforming into a sky full of star rain. With just the right amount of power, it accurately pierced the body of every single Toothed Leaf below.
Splat, splat!
The hit Toothed Leaf burst one after another, their rich, undigested flesh splattering across the reed leaves.
The viscous, bloody pulp slid slowly down the stalks, silently landing on the marsh below.
Deep within the marsh, the insect phase Nitro Rice, like a school of sharks smelling blood, began to stir quietly, greedily absorbing this nourishment that had fallen from the sky through the thick mud.
Morrow, of course, couldn't see this scene. He just kept attacking the Toothed Leaf with his Shooting Star.
He only stopped when the last trace of his Star Mark's perception vanished.
"All done."
Morrow glanced at the traces left by the Shooting Star below, then crouched down and lightly patted Chimera's back.
Chimera understood, flapping its wings to ascend to a higher altitude.
"Alright, now let's count how many stalks of Nitro Rice we got in total."
Morrow turned to his teammates, a smile on his face. He was the first to open his beast pouch, revealing the fungal phase Nitro Rice inside.
"I harvested 12 stalks," he said with a smile.
Kalluto sighed with a hint of regret. "I only got 11."
"Only...?"
Gel silently glanced at her own bag, her expression cool. "I have fewer, only 9 stalks."
"Um, I found 12 stalks too."
Sanbica raised her right hand, which was covered by a sterile glove, as if raising her hand in class.
"My luck was decent. I found 10 stalks."
Biscuit subtly wiped the trace of drool from the corner of her mouth.
Menchi then reported her number. "Same as Gel, I also have 9 stalks."
"Okay, so that's 63 stalks in total."
Morrow looked around at his teammates and smiled. "That's exactly 9 stalks for each of us."
"Nine stalks of Nitro Rice..."
Sanbica's gaze was a little dazed as she whispered, "This feels so unreal."
"I think we all feel the same way," Menchi said, looking at her. She took a deep breath. "Because this is the legendary substance of longevity. One stalk can extend your life by a hundred years, and each of us has nine."
In terms of practical value alone, this was a guarantee of a long life.
Even if one tried to convert it into money, the top tycoons of the six continents, those at the pinnacle of wealth, would probably be willing to give up half their fortune just to trade for a single stalk of Nitro Rice that could extend life by at least a hundred years.
That could be hundreds of billions, or even trillions, in wealth!
So of course it felt unreal, as if they were caught between reality and a dream.
But one thing was certain. They had accomplished a feat never before achieved by humankind!
Morrow's group, laden with a bountiful harvest, left the swamp behind.
—--
Some time later, the Gatekeeper stationed at the 'Land of Walls' managed to gather information about Morrow's group's movements through the various Guides he had dispatched.
This included the current state of that swamp.
When did the human team arrive?
A flicker of confusion crossed the Gatekeeper's beastly eyes. He then thought of the large swaths of Nitro Rice that had been harvested.
Are they here for 'immortality' again...
The confusion in his eyes was instantly replaced by a chilling coldness.
Immortality, immortality.
This had always been humanity's pursuit, and one of the most genuine desires the Gatekeeper could see inside human minds.
Therefore, the calamity named Immortality was the most fitting response for this type of person.
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Bonus chapter @400powerstones