The roots absorbed the burning grass fluff, and a moment later, a piece of burning wood was ejected from the Plant Cage.
What kind of plant was this?
And what kind of ability?
Did it directly transmute matter, or did it elevate it to a higher level in a conceptual way?
This bizarre scene left everyone with looks of astonishment.
But right now, they had no spare energy to delve into the details of this strange plant.
This was because creatures, as dense as a swarm of insects, were gathering from all directions, covering the ground and the treetops.
They seemed sensitive to light, but not to the point of fear.
The earlier sunlight and firelight were more like a sudden disturbance to them.
At this moment, they were stirring restlessly in the shadows, as if waiting for a single signal to surge toward Morrow's group like a tide.
There were simply too many of them...
Just by the scattered firelight, one could vaguely make out a dense, dark mass.
If not for the ray of sunlight piercing through the canopy from above and the burning grass fluff barely holding a small space, there would be almost no ground to stand on.
As far as the eye could see, there were only these unidentified beings, clad in decaying husks, their state of life or death impossible to discern.
If one had to say where else they could set foot...
It would probably only be in the area surrounding those strange plants of unknown origin.
That area was exceptionally clean.
But in this environment, cleanliness exuded a disquieting sense of danger.
As his thoughts raced, Morrow suddenly looked up at the bottom of the canopy above.
In just a short moment, even the underside of the canopy had become covered with a dense mass of creatures.
Anyone with trypophobia would probably faint at the sight.
We can't stay here any longer.
Morrow frowned.
If these swarming creatures were just an ordinary threat, he and his team might have been able to face them head-on.
But the vast majority of these creatures appeared as decaying corpses, yet they seemed to possess consciousness and could move with extreme agility.
Decay and vitality.
Two words that should have been contradictory were now simultaneously embodied in these unknown beings.
The scene was truly bizarre.
Faced with such a situation, the wisest choice was naturally to get as far away as possible.
Just then, a chaotic sound of flapping wings erupted from the canopy above.
It was the swarm of Giant Spiny Dragonflies that had been chasing them. They brazenly burst through the opening in the canopy that Chimera had previously smashed, pouring into this dark space like a raging, dark current.
The reckless intrusion of this swarm of Giant Spiny Dragonflies instantly ignited the hostility of the surrounding decaying creatures.
In an instant, dark figures leaped down from the bottom of the canopy like raindrops, engulfing the pursuing swarm of Giant Spiny Dragonflies in the blink of an eye.
It truly was just the blink of an eye.
The massive body of each Giant Spiny Dragonflies was as if it had been splashed with ink, covered in a dense mass of decaying creatures.
This showed just how astonishing the number of these decaying creatures was.
It was as if true death did not exist within this dark space, yet life could continue indefinitely.
That must be why such a staggering number had been created.
"Chimera, go now, while you can!"
Seeing this, Morrow gave the order without hesitation.
Chimera heard him and abruptly twisted its body, charging toward the opening in the canopy above.
Using the moment the Giant Spiny Dragonflies were drawing fire, it successfully passed through the opening and returned to the space above the canopy.
However, before everyone could even catch their breath, a wave of fire, carrying a blast of heat, suddenly approached from above.
Huh?!
Everyone looked up abruptly, and what met their eyes was a meteorite burning with fierce flames.
Although the meteorite was only the size of a small car, it was heading straight for Chimera.
A meteorite?!
Morrow's pupils contracted, a sense of absurdity flashing through his mind.
With a single glance, he could tell that the meteorite's trajectory perfectly corresponded to Chimera's flight path after it exited the canopy.
It felt as if the meteorite had predicted Chimera's flight route, perfectly on target, with impeccable timing.
This was the fundamental reason Morrow found it so absurd.
Before Chimera could react, Morrow's expression changed slightly. With an extremely fast Hatsu, he raised his hand and shot a Nen wave at the meteorite.
But...
Something even more absurd happened.
Just as the Nen wave was about to hit, the meteorite disintegrated into several pieces without any warning.
Morrow's Nen wave passed right through the gaps between the fragmented pieces, shooting off into the high sky.
The interception failed.
The fragmented pieces of the meteorite slammed viciously into Chimera's body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of dull impacts exploded.
Chimera, which had just burst out of the opening a second ago, was now blasted back down into the canopy by the meteorite fragments.
Rustle!
Its massive body crashed through the dense branches and leaves, falling once again into the dark space below.
The people on its back could only curl up in the gaps between its scales, covering their bodies with their aura output to maximize their defense.
But this sudden meteorite, and the way it had just disintegrated...
It all filled everyone with a sense of absurdity.
How unlucky did a person have to be to encounter two maximum-danger coincidences stacked on top of each other?
Under the impact of the meteorite fragments, Chimera's body plummeted until it was only a few meters from the ground before it managed to halt its descent.
But one problem followed another.
Seeing Chimera fall back into the dark forest, the surrounding swarm of decaying creatures immediately soared into the air like a black tide, converging on Chimera.
—--
At the same time, the dense mass of other decaying creatures clinging to the bottom of the canopy also began to fall.
The momentum was like a downpour of thick ink, instantly obscuring their vision.
The fastest to react, Morrow, Biscuit, and Gel, had originally intended to use Nen attacks to buy Chimera a chance to take off again.
But now, seeing the incredibly numerous swarm of decaying creatures that was about to dye the surrounding space black, they didn't know where to even begin.
Or rather, it was simply impossible to stop.
Because from their position on Chimera's back, even if they blocked the swarm coming from above, they couldn't possibly stop the other swarm that was directly attacking Chimera's belly from below.
In the nick of time, Morrow's gaze swept toward the strange plant on the ground not far away.
As this tide-like swarm of decaying creatures 'flowed,' they all detoured around the strange plant that seemed capable of direct material transmutation, keeping a certain distance.
It was unknown whether they feared the entanglement of the strange plant's roots or something else...
But for Morrow and the others right now, as long as they could fend off the strange plant's roots, it was better than facing the endless swarm of decaying creatures pouring in from all sides.
After all, even the swarm of Giant Spiny Dragonflies, which could suck a dragon dry in an instant, had vanished within seconds of recklessly barging in here.
They had presumably been swallowed up by this dense, decaying frenzy in some corner.
"Chimera, go there!"
Morrow raised his hand, pointing to the empty patch of ground around the strange plant.
Chimera bent its neck, bringing its bird-like head close to Morrow's side, and followed his pointing finger to see the plant with the hanging Plant Cage.
"Roar!"
It let out a low roar in acknowledgment, flapped its wings rapidly, and flew diagonally in that direction.
Morrow cleared a path for it, raising his hand and firing a Nen wave into the surging black tide.
Boom!
The Nen wave exploded within the tide, and the violent energy instantly tore open a huge gap.
Chimera seized the opportunity to pass through, landing steadily on the ground near the strange plant.
And the surrounding swarm of decaying creatures, which had been surging like a mad tide, all came to an abrupt halt the moment Chimera landed in that area.
It was as if time had suddenly frozen, all movement ceasing at that very moment.
"Phew..."
Watching the swarm of decaying creatures suddenly stop moving, the people on Chimera's back couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
In this dark and enclosed forest, a black tide of this scale was the stuff of nightmares.
Although they had temporarily escaped the siege by relying on the strange plant's 'territory,' the danger was not yet over.
Morrow leaped off Chimera's back without hesitation.
The moment his feet touched the ground, brilliant starlight had already spread out like flowing water, covering the ground under Chimera and the surrounding area.
While maintaining Starlight Convergence, Morrow stared directly at the plant in the center with the hanging Plant Cage.
At this time, under Kalluto's control, the three familiar spirits, the King, Youpi, and Neferpitou, also arrived at Morrow's side at the first opportunity.
Kalluto had wanted to jump down as well but was stopped by Biscuit's outstretched hand.
The reason was simple.
Morrow had an early-warning ability like Starlight Convergence, which gave him the confidence to land first and investigate, while also mitigating the risk for Chimera.
Kalluto lacked such an ability. Rushing down rashly would likely only make things worse.
The familiar spirits were different.
They were meant for clearing the way, and if necessary, could even be used to draw fire.
So having them land first to assist Morrow was perfectly fine.
Morrow's gaze quickly swept over the three familiar spirits, then he nodded at his teammates on Chimera's back.
Strange...
After looking away, a trace of doubt rose in Morrow's mind.
Up until now, the strange plant still hadn't made a move.
Earlier, the moment the burning grass fluff landed, its roots had immediately burst from the ground.
Now, with Chimera and them being such obvious targets and making a considerable noise upon landing, it should have logically reacted by now.
Although the strange plant before him showed no reaction, Morrow did not let his guard down. Instead, he took this opportunity to observe it closely from a short distance.
The hazy white light lingering on the plant's surface was undoubtedly aura.
Or rather, the aura belonging to flora and fauna.
It was just that this energy wasn't particularly strong, merely floating on its surface like a mist.
If I temporarily ignore the presence of fire, then what it did earlier was essentially turn grass fluff into a piece of wood?
Morrow stared at the Plant Cage hanging between the stems, the image of the wood being spat out from it flashing through his mind.
Was this achieved through an ability similar to 'Nen'?
His gaze moved slowly over the layer of hazy white light, his thoughts churning.
The countless beings of the Dark Continent...
If simplified, they could be divided into two types.
Dangerous and not dangerous.
They could also be simply classified as 'calamities' and 'hopes.'
The dangerous were calamities.
The not dangerous were hopes.
But without knowing the details, newcomers like Morrow and his group found it difficult to directly determine whether a being was a hope or a calamity.
Just like at this moment, even though this strange plant showed no hostility, not even the slightest intention of attacking...
Morrow knew nothing about it, making it impossible to say whether it was a hope or a hidden calamity.
And that meteorite from earlier...
As his thoughts flowed, Morrow suddenly thought of the meteorite that had smashed Chimera back into the forest.
For a moment, he had even suspected that the meteorite was a product of Conjuration by some Nen user or some being from the Dark Continent.
It was just too much of a coincidence.
From every angle, regardless of how the meteorite appeared, its power also seemed abnormal.
It had merely knocked Chimera back into the forest; beyond that, it hadn't caused any more damage.
It was as if its sudden appearance was solely to accomplish the task of 'making Chimera fall.'
If one had to speculate on its purpose...
Was it to force Chimera and them to once again face the endless decaying creatures in the dark forest?
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
This raised a sense of vigilance in his heart; he felt it was no coincidence and could not possibly be that simple.
Could it be some kind of mechanism-type calamity working in the shadows?
It wasn't strange for Morrow to consider this perspective.
This was because he also had the identity of a 'reader of the original work.'
He knew that a place like the Dark Continent completely defied common sense and held infinite possibilities.
Based on this, even if he was completely unaware of any so-called 'scheming in the shadows,' he would still be wary of such a potential possibility.
Morrow let out a soft breath, the corner of his eye glancing at the dark area outside the 'safe zone,' where he could see the various creatures 'surviving' with their broken bodies.
They were just like zombies...
If they were the calamity, then could this plant in the safe zone be the hope?
Morrow pondered for a moment, took out a Water Droplet from his backpack, and tossed it toward the strange plant.
The instant the Water Droplet left his hand, he suddenly sensed a gaze on him from the side.
The gaze appeared abruptly and vanished just as quickly.
Hm?
Morrow's expression shifted slightly.
Thud.
The relatively hard Water Droplet landed with a muffled sound, rolling to a stop near the strange plant.
In stark contrast to its earlier silence, the moment the Water Droplet settled, several roots burst from the ground and wrapped tightly around it.
Before Morrow could even try to trace that fleeting gaze, the change before him captured his attention, and his eyes narrowed.
Could it be that this plant only reacts to 'non-living things'?
Such a guess emerged in his mind.
At this moment, the Water Droplet, enveloped by the roots, seemed to have been absorbed just like the burning grass fluff before.
Just two or three seconds later...
The lid of the Plant Cage lifted again, spitting out a deep blue, crystalline sphere the size of a goose egg.
The sphere traced an arc through the air, landed, and rolled for two or three meters before stopping.
This is...
A look of surprise flashed in Morrow's eyes. The phenomenon of material transformation made the word 'alchemy' flash through his mind.
And at that very moment, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a feather slowly drifting down, only to gradually turn transparent in mid-air until it vanished completely.
His heart tightened slightly.
—--
On the edge of Chimera's back, Biscuit also saw the sapphire-blue gem ejected from the Plant Cage.
Her upper body suddenly tensed, and her eyes slowly widened.
With her expert eye, she could tell with a single glance that it was a gem of perfect quality in every aspect.
But what on earth was happening?
Why would a Water Droplet turn directly into a gem?
Biscuit was both shocked and delighted, her heart in turmoil.