Germain frowned slightly. After adjusting his tricorn hat, he turned around and said to the others:
"Be careful. There are two 'Champion-Class Mutants' inside."
Everyone was shocked.
Having worked with Germain for a long time, they understood exactly what he meant by "Champion-Class Mutant."
At first, the Exploration Team assumed that the underground cavern was home to a single large Champion-Class Aberration, like the Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain or the Disease Spreader.
This creature was believed to be the root cause of all the strange occurrences in the Steep Mountain Range.
However, against all expectations, there weren't just one, but two Champion-Class Mutants.
The realization stunned the group.
No one doubted Germain's words—his En was the most precise among all the Nen users present.
Besides, the instant death of the Screeching Giant Bat, despite its Nen and near-full vitality, proved that their enemies were no pushovers.
At this point, everyone—except for Shizuku—furrowed their brows just like Germain.
"Should we run?" Shizuku asked seriously.
The group gave her a strange look.
Who would even think about retreating at this point?
...Oh, right. It's Shizuku. Never mind, then.
"No, we're not running," Germain said firmly. "We're taking them down and retrieving the 'Unmanned Rock.'"
Shizuku made an "Okay" gesture. She was really just asking.
None of the other Exploration Team members objected.
After mentally and physically preparing themselves, they raised their torches and pressed forward.
Soon, as they neared their destination, the pitch-black cavern suddenly lit up—not with normal light, but with an eerie, unnatural blue glow.
The blue light bathed the stone walls, making them look like they were embedded with countless sapphires.
Bisky couldn't help but be in awe at the breathtaking sight.
"If only all of these were actual gems," she murmured, eyes darting around in admiration.
"You'll be seeing gems soon enough," Ging interjected. "'Unmanned Rock' is also a type of gem—and they're worth far more than Blue Planet."
"Whether or not they're gems in my eyes depends on how beautiful they are," Bisky replied. "If they don't have that dazzling brilliance, then to me, they'll never surpass Blue Planet."
This was the unwavering belief of Bisky, the Gem Hunter.
The exploration team reached the edge of a cliff. The first thing that caught their attention was the source of the strange blue glow.
A massive fissure stretched across the underground cavern beneath the mountain range. From both sides of the crack, countless vein-like patterns extended outward.
The eerie blue light pulsed from deep within the fissure, traveling through the vein-like pathways like flickering currents of electricity.
Apart from this, the cavern was filled with countless small, sunken lakes, each resembling a still, blue mirror embedded into the ground.
Near one of these lakes lay a large, otherworldly creature.
It had slender limbs, but its entire body was covered in strange, rounded tendrils—making it look almost like a porcupine.
The massive beast had already sensed the exploration team's presence, yet it remained crouched calmly by the water's edge, unmoving.
Just as the team was trying to figure out what it was doing, they suddenly saw its abdomen split open with a soft squelch.
Dozens of small, blue, glistening beads spilled out from its body, plopping into the lake one after another.
Arcs of electricity flickered with an eerie glow.
The large mutated creature, having finished laying its eggs, slowly rose from the lake. It seemed to glance toward the "Exploration Team" near the cliff.
Then, it moved forward with heavy, steady steps—each footfall like a mini earthquake—until it reached the massive rift. There, it crouched down again.
Lying beside the enormous crack, its round-headed tentacles gently rubbed and caressed the fissure with an almost affectionate motion.
Strangely, the rift itself responded, opening and closing as if breathing. Sparks of electricity crackled continuously.
At this moment, the members of the "Exploration Team" finally pieced everything together.
"The two 'Champion Mutants' I mentioned—one is that giant creature with the round-headed tentacles. The other… is the rift itself. It's alive."
Germain voiced his conclusion, confirming what everyone had already suspected.
"The Unmanned Stones aren't just ordinary minerals. They're the offspring of these two 'Champion Mutants' mating."
"I think the creatures we encountered earlier—those 'Pap'—hatched from these stones. But the ones we met were already in their mature stage."
"The massive rift and the round-headed tentacle creature use the 'Pap' to spread their influence through the underground tunnels that stretch far and wide."
"Any monsters living in the 'Steep Mountain Range' or wandering into this area quickly fall into an abyss of 'pressure accumulation' with no escape."
"The 'Pap' lure them into a so-called 'paradise,' where they slowly drain their bioelectricity—and, in turn, their very life force."
"After that, the drained creatures are sent back into the depths of underground caverns. The energy is channeled through vein-like patterns, transferring the current back to its true source—the massive rift."
"Then, the round-headed tentacle 'Champion Mutant' mates with the rift 'Champion Mutant,' and the cycle repeats as it lays new eggs."
From that moment on, the "Steep Mountain Range" completed its eerie, cyclical ecosystem.
Everyone held their breath slightly at Germain's shocking theory.
Normally, different species have reproductive barriers.
But these two monsters were "Champion-Class Mutants," and this was the "Dark Continent."
The common sense that applied across the Six Continents was meaningless here.
It was like how the laws of physics on Earth lost their significance in the Warp.
In fact, the disturbing thought of how two "Champion-Class Mutants" could even reproduce flashed through their minds.
They had to admit—the image was truly shocking.
As if the underground cavern had had enough of the exploration team's intrusion, the entire space began to tremble with a deep, rumbling sound.
In the next instant, sharp stalactites burst out from the surrounding rock walls, crackling with deadly electricity, shooting toward the group like spears.
"Scatter!"
Germain shouted.
After countless battles together, the team had developed perfect coordination. Without hesitation, they moved apart, creating space.
Germain raised the "Sacred Moonlight Sword" and unleashed a dazzling slash of blue light!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The crescent arc instantly shattered all the incoming "Lightning Stone Spears"!
But before the team could catch their breath, a chilling sound came from beneath them—
Crack. Crack.
A strange vibration rippled through the cliff.
And in the blink of an eye, the entire rock face fractured, breaking apart into countless crumbling pieces.
With nowhere left to stand, the "Exploration Team" plummeted into the abyss below.
But with their average level as "Master Nen Users," they all landed safely.
Morel even rolled on the ground expertly to disperse the impact.
Around them, the raised "electric current veins" swelled with a blue glow, then discharged electricity toward them!
As the crackling sounds filled the air, everyone's scalp tingled, and their hair almost stood on end. Just then, Shizuku's "Blinky" acted again.
The large, tooth-filled mouth of "Blinky" opened wide, sucking in all the scattered electricity into its belly.
This scene finally caught the attention of a nearby "Champion-Class Mutant"—"Tongue of Theft," a creature covered in round-headed tentacles.
"Tongue of Theft" straightened up once more.
The tentacles that had been gently caressing the massive underground fissure suddenly crackled with electricity and lashed out like terrifying whips.
And what it was protecting, of course, was the core of the underground cavern—another "Champion-Class Mutant"—"Fissure of Ecstasy."
"Fissure of Ecstasy" controlled the ever-shifting terrain of the cavern, while "Tongue of Theft" launched rapid attacks.
Together, they were nearly unbeatable.
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