Sluke did not know when it was born.
It only knew…
that flesh and blood were delicious.
About two years ago, it developed a sense of self-awareness.
At that time, it was merely a vine about two meters long, and its capabilities were quite limited.
Following an inner yearning, it seized an opportunity to burrow into the body of a snow fox killed by explorers.
After devouring its flesh and blood, it grew stronger…
It was then that Sluke understood it could increase its power by absorbing organic matter and could even manipulate the hollowed-out corpses.
In the beginning, it could only hunt small animals and was unable to speak.
After a long period of accumulation, it set its sights on a creature with a high flesh-and-blood content—humans.
After successfully consuming its first human, not only did its abilities skyrocket, but it could also begin to move around using the identity of the deceased.
Its thoughts became increasingly active, it gained the ability to speak, and it developed a certain capacity for learning.
Under normal circumstances, it disguised itself as an explorer on the Cruz Snowy Mountains, frequenting the Ice Maze.
It didn’t yet dare to venture too far from this place.
Later on, it encountered the first “person” who was truly different.
They didn’t seem like a “person,” but rather some kind of monster.
That was what Sluke thought upon their first meeting.
That individual possessed a human appearance but radiated an aura more terrifying than the fiercest of beasts.
Sluke had to exert every ounce of effort to pretend to be a normal person.
Fortunately, it was lucky, and its identity was not exposed.
The second time it met such a “person,” they were part of an exploration team.
This individual didn’t have an aura as powerful as the first and died here following an accident while exploring the Ice Maze.
Sluke suppressed its inner hunger until the others had left before returning to feast.
To this day, it still believed that to be the most delicious meal in the world.
Without exception!
After devouring that flesh, its various abilities made a staggering leap forward.
Later, it occupied the man’s corpse and began acting under his identity.
It was only then that Sluke learned these “people” had a unique designation.
Nen users!
These were special beings among humanity who possessed fearsome power and were rare in number.
In order to consume more Nen users, Sluke used treasures found within the Ice Maze to set a trap.
It then used its identity as a Nen user to invite others to form an exploration team.
As for the so-called “Treasure Compass,” it was merely a glowing stone it had picked up; Sluke didn’t possess Nen at all.
Predictably, when those people saw the treasure, they would choose to fight amongst themselves and kill one another.
Once they were weakened, Sluke would step in to harvest the remains.
It had become very proficient in this routine.
Greed—this was the fundamental flaw of humanity!
Because it was born from the Ice Maze of the Snowy Mountains, it gave itself a name and began calling itself ‘Sluke’.
Inside the ice cave.
There was a deathly silence.
A faint breeze drifted through, carrying a bone-chilling cold that made Eugene, who was lying on the ground, shudder involuntarily.
He had barely managed to revert from his “leather suit” state back to his normal form, but his injuries were too severe; he remained slumped on the ground, unable to move.
Waves of pain were battering his brain, yet he didn’t spare a single thought for himself.
He simply stared fixedly at the inhuman “Sluke,” his face masked in horror as a chill spread through his entire body.
Was this some kind of joke?
Sluke wasn’t even human?!
To think that the leader of this team was actually a self-aware plant?
Even for someone as well-traveled as Eugene, seeing this scene caused his mind to stall, making it difficult to process.
Many types of Magical Beasts lived across the six continents, but he had never heard of a monster that could wear human skin and act normally!
On the other side, Lynn had already mentally classified Sluke as a [Calamity].
This world was filled with far too many novelties.
One particularly unique category, especially those with miraculous effects and immense value, was known as [Hope].
Examples included the Nitro Rice which could extend life, Herbs that could cure all diseases, and the Trinity Water that served as the base for all liquids.
Each kind of [Hope] possessed incredible value but was difficult to obtain because they mostly existed on the Dark Continent.
In that place, [Hope] was almost always accompanied by [Calamity].
The opposites of [Hope] were the [Calamities].
They brought countless negative impacts to humanity, and it was not impossible for them to destroy the very continents humans relied on for survival.
For instance, the Hell Bell two-tailed snake that spreads murderous intent, or the desire-dependent entity “Ai” that can drive people to insanity and mutual slaughter…
In the incredibly eerie Dark Continent, accidentally stepping on a single bug could lead to unpredictable and tragic consequences.
Even if a group of the world’s top elites explored together, it was almost a guarantee of death; very few people ever returned to the six continents alive.
Because the Dark Continent was so terrifying, the upper echelons of society suppressed this information.
Ordinary people remained ignorant of the world’s true nature.
Only Nen users had the opportunity to learn about it.
Based on various sources of information, the authorities had established a [Dangerous Biological Evaluation Chart], defining the intensity of a [Calamity] based on its ferocity toward humans, its population, and its reproductive capacity.
For example, the Chimera Ants that appeared in the original story were classified as B-grade dangerous organisms.
Lynn roughly estimated that Sluke was likely a D-grade, but even so, dealing with it promised to be a headache.
This finally explained Sluke’s previous oddities.
The reason he actively invited stranger Nen users into the team was that he viewed them as rations—simply adding another dish to the table.
Test the waters first.
If it’s impossible, then retreat!
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Lynn’s hands did not stop moving.
A massive amount of cold air suddenly surged from between his palms, taking shape in the atmosphere.
Following this, five eagles formed of ice charged straight toward the inhuman Sluke.
One could almost hear the faint cry of a hawk!
[Ice-Make: Eagle]!
“Attacking me instead of running?”
Sluke’s voice rang out, incredibly sharp and grating.
The sound was deeply unsettling, as if it were coming from multiple directions and overlapping.
At that moment, Sluke was merely a humanoid mass composed of countless intertwined vines, possessing rudimentary limbs and an abstract face.
Facing the whistling ice eagles, Sluke simply raised its “right hand.” Countless vines shot out in a blur, piercing directly through three of the eagles.
The eagles shattered into ice shards, scattering across the ground before disappearing.
“Hmph,” Sluke snorted coldly.
“Pointless!”
However, under Lynn’s control, the remaining two eagles narrowly avoided the attack, carving graceful arcs through the air as they struck from the left and right.
Sluke didn’t dodge or block, allowing the eagles to land their hits.
Bang!
The eagles exploded, and in an instant, the cold air expanded, savagely tearing through the vines.
Broken pieces of vine fell to the floor, and Sluke visibly shrunk in size.
Suddenly, in the space of a single breath, the cross-sections of Sluke’s broken vines began to grow at an extreme speed, quickly restoring it to its original form.
It possessed a staggering self-healing ability!
Lynn narrowed his eyes slightly.
High attack, low defense, but high recovery?
This was going to be troublesome.
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