A choice, often made in a single thought, can be enough to decide life and death.
In this land, humans never know what might strike in the next second.
The sudden disappearance of the metal mobile city was yet another warning of the dangers here.
During their months on the Dark Continent, Morrow and his teammates had come to understand more and more deeply the powerlessness and shock that Chairman Netero had once felt.
This wasn't a battle against individuals, but a direct confrontation with nature itself.
Even a superpower like the V5, with the full might of their nation, would struggle to achieve anything on the Dark Continent, let alone a single human.
Netero, once hailed as the world's strongest, had never even truly crossed that threshold.
And while the team Morrow led could cross the threshold, it was absolutely impossible for them to seize the initiative on this continent.
Here, only by maintaining constant reverence could one possibly continue to move forward.
"Chimera, let's go."
Morrow calmed the turmoil in his heart, squatted down, and gently patted Chimera's back.
Although he desperately wanted to know how the metal city, which had been rumbling along just a second ago, had vanished, he wouldn't risk investigating further.
The wise move was to get away from here immediately.
Unlike Morrow and the others, Chimera wasn't particularly concerned about the phenomenon of the metal city vanishing into thin air. Upon receiving Morrow's command, it beat its wings and flew high into the stormy sky.
The group looked down, their gazes lingering on the massive trench carved into the ground by the metal city, their feelings complex.
Faced with such a bizarre phenomenon that occurred in a single "second," a normal person would probably lose the courage to even walk on the ground.
At this moment.
Just feeling the cold wind seeping through the gaps in Chimera's scales gave them an inexplicable sense of security, no less than that of a flame's glow.
The high altitude certainly had its own dangers, but compared to the "ground before their eyes," it was on a completely different level.
As Chimera flew higher and higher, the group silently retracted their gazes, their hearts wishing only for a smooth flight to the coastline and a safe journey back to the six continents.
Chimera did not rashly ascend higher to pass through the storm clouds.
The sky above those clouds was the most dangerous zone in the airspace.
Thus, for a safer flight, they had to endure the assault of the wind and rain.
Fortunately, the current wind was not strong enough to affect its balance, and Nen users could use their aura to enhance their bodily functions, so there was no risk of hypothermia in the short term.
Even if there were signs of it, Morrow could immediately use his Tree Rings energy to activate the diving gear they had just acquired from the metal city.
Once activated, it would at least help them insulate against the rain and low temperatures.
The reason he hadn't activated it beforehand was that the current priority for using the Tree Rings energy was to ensure their return journey and to deal with any potential subsequent threats from the Gatekeeper.
Should I have the Entropy Bird go "warn" the Gatekeeper?
Morrow's eyelids drooped as he repeatedly weighed the feasibility of this plan in his mind.
In fact, after recharging the Entropy Bird multiple times, he could already feel its undisguised reliance on him.
This strange existence, born from unknown origins, craved energy almost as a survival instinct.
Perhaps he could use this to make the Entropy Bird serve him obediently.
But he couldn't rule out the possibility that the Gatekeeper could also recharge the Entropy Bird.
Considering this, there was still a risk of letting the tiger back into the mountains.
So, before implementing a counter-plan against the Gatekeeper, he had to probe further or gain a deeper understanding of the Entropy Bird.
Although the consciousness portal constructed from the Bru Tribe remains could reflect the other party's true thoughts and emotional fluctuations to some extent, Morrow still couldn't be completely at ease.
The safety of the entire team was at stake; he had to be extremely cautious.
Chimera flew for several hours through the storm before finally breaking free from the dark and gloomy region.
No one could have imagined that the range of this severe weather was so vast.
After breaking out of the storm's embrace, they were greeted by a clear sky stretching for thousands of miles, as if they had arrived in another world.
In the distant sky, some black dots could be vaguely seen moving.
The land below was a vast plain.
All sorts of giant creatures, following their pure animal instincts, were playing out the drama of survival of the fittest.
The weaker ones, a moment too slow, would often become food in the next second.
Although it wasn't the first time they had witnessed such a scene, a sliver of doubt would inevitably surface in their minds each time they saw it.
These creatures engaged in high-intensity hunting and fleeing every day, so where on earth did they get enough time and energy to grow so enormous?
The answer was unknowable.
In any case, Chimera could rely on its formidable flight endurance to avoid the slaughter of this ecosystem.
—--
Over the next few days, Morrow continued to subtly probe the Entropy Bird's attitude.
He had actually considered another, more drastic approach.
That was to directly absorb the Entropy Bird. Perhaps he could convert it into material for a Post-Mortem Will ability and then conjure it in the form of a Nen Beast.
That way, there would be no more worries about losing control.
But what if the conversion failed? Then the team would completely lose the important safeguard that was the Entropy Bird.
Morrow couldn't bet the safety of their entire return journey on such an uncertain possibility.
However, after a series of probes, he felt that he might have been overthinking it.
The Entropy Bird's attitude towards him, or more accurately, its attitude towards the Tree Rings energy, was almost excessively eager.
Like a sycophant.
This attitude, in turn, became Morrow's breakthrough for obtaining information.
By beating around the bush, he finally figured out the intelligence he wanted.
The Gatekeeper did not have the means to recharge the Entropy Bird, but he did possess the ability to "capture" it and ensure it remained in a state similar to "hibernation."
To be more precise, it was a conceptual ability that "froze its age."
The long lifespan of the Gatekeeper's clan was due to this ability.
For the Entropy Bird, which couldn't replenish its energy through other means, the Gatekeeper's ability was equivalent to helping it slow down its daily energy consumption.
This was also a way of extending its existence in a roundabout way.
And normally, only its range of activity was restricted.
Therefore, to ensure its own survival, the Entropy Bird was even willing to voluntarily enter the birdcage rather than use its ability to escape the Gatekeeper's control.
After all, actively using its ability also meant it had to consume energy, which was a self-defeating act.
In its view, freedom was far less important than survival.
This wasn't a choice on a spiritual level, but a survival strategy rooted in instinct.
Although the Gatekeeper would occasionally assign it tasks, as long as it wasn't forced to use its "Fate Selection" ability, which was the foundation of its existence, it was nothing major.
After learning this information, Morrow decisively decided to have the Entropy Bird deal with the Gatekeeper.
And he wanted to see, with his intervention, if the Gatekeeper died under the bad luck attack chosen by the Entropy Bird, would it bring him experience points?
—--
Land of Walls.
The Gatekeeper, with his exposed skull and a pair of golden eyes, stood here like a statue, day after day.
"Caw–"
Suddenly, the cry of the Entropy Bird came from a battlement atop the wall.
The Gatekeeper slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the sound.
He was not surprised.
The Entropy Bird's return meant that the group of humans had most likely been infected with Zobae, or had even died on their way.
But as he looked at the Entropy Bird, he could feel a hint of mockery in its gaze.
"Hmm?"
The Gatekeeper's expression changed slightly. Only then did he notice that the spot where the Entropy Bird had landed was different from usual; it had deliberately kept a distance from him.
"Entropy Bird, you–?!"
The Gatekeeper felt an inexplicable palpitation in his heart.
The Entropy Bird, however, suddenly beat its wings and flew away.
"Caw!"
A single black feather drifted down from the air.
When the Gatekeeper saw that black feather representing bad luck, countless possibilities flashed through his mind in an instant.
One of them was, had the Entropy Bird been tamed by that group of humans?
How was that possible?
He absolutely refused to believe humans could do such a thing, let alone make that incredibly "feather-cherishing" Entropy Bird voluntarily use its ability on him.
But how could he explain the scene before him?
The feeling of disbelief made the Gatekeeper's reaction half a beat slow.
Despite this, he still quickly adjusted his state, swiftly extending his right hand flat towards the Entropy Bird.
In an instant, a dense and powerful aura surged from his palm, rushing straight for the Entropy Bird, and in mid-air, it condensed into the form of a Guide with lightning speed.
"Catch it!"
The Gatekeeper's eyes were icy.
As soon as the Guide took form, it shot towards the Entropy Bird like a javelin.
Faced with this thunderous pursuit, the Entropy Bird appeared calm on the surface, but its heart was in a panic.
It wasn't afraid of being caught, but it was reluctant to use the energy for actively manipulating luck a second time.
Before coming here to make a move on the Gatekeeper, the "number of times" it had agreed upon with Morrow was two.
In other words, if it finished the job in one go, it could get a rebate for one use.
For the sake of its precious survival energy, it had to be meticulous in its calculations.
No! I don't want to use it a second time!
Just then, a fluorescent green Nen bullet came speeding from the distance.
It's here!
The Entropy Bird's spirits lifted, its gaze locking tightly onto that point of fluorescent green light.
Clink.
It barely managed to time it right, throwing a Divine Script coin engraved with a "Star Mark" that it had prepared in advance at the relentlessly pursuing Guide behind it.
Under the pull of the Divine Script coin, the Shooting Star, which was originally aimed at the Entropy Bird, suddenly changed direction, crossed paths with the bird, and shot straight towards the Guide.
"What?!"
The Guide, possessing its own independent consciousness, had not expected this move at all.
Just as it was about to use its "capture ability," it was struck head-on by the Shooting Star before it could react.
BOOM!
The violent explosion instantly tore the Guide's body to shreds.
On the city wall.
The Gatekeeper also hadn't expected a Nen bullet to come from so far away.
And it was so fast, and so powerful!
He subconsciously looked in the direction the Nen bullet had come from.
All he could see was a vast, empty horizon, with no sign of anyone.
There was no more time to think. The Gatekeeper once again mobilized his aura, forcefully throwing it towards the distant Entropy Bird.
Unfortunately, the Entropy Bird had already flown out of his "visual range." The mosaic-like luster on its body began to turn transparent, and it finally vanished into thin air.
Because of the sudden interference from the Shooting Star, the Gatekeeper ultimately failed to keep the Entropy Bird.
In fact, even without Morrow's ultra-long-range Shooting Star support, as long as the Entropy Bird was willing to use its energy, the Gatekeeper wouldn't have been able to hold it.
It was just that the Entropy Bird was too stingy; even getting a rebate for one use was a huge gain for it.
The Gatekeeper had no way of knowing the Entropy Bird's thoughts at this moment, but its betrayal undoubtedly pointed to one possibility.
With his understanding of the Entropy Bird, let alone doing things for humans, just using a little of its energy was like taking its life.
But now, the Entropy Bird was willing to use its ability on him.
Setting aside whether the motive for doing so was at the behest of humans, at the very least, he could be certain that the Entropy Bird dared to do this and didn't care about the energy consumption because the human side must have a way to replenish its energy.
Regarding the Entropy Bird's motive, this was the only possibility the Gatekeeper could think of.
"Humans, to actually have such means..."
The situation was far beyond his control, and the Gatekeeper's heart was in turmoil.
The previous actions of this human team had, at most, shocked him.
But now, experiencing their method of taming the Entropy Bird was something he could not accept no matter what.
This feeling was like an ant he usually wouldn't even bother to glance at suddenly displaying a method more formidable than his own.
I must first deal with the bad luck the Entropy Bird just cast on me.
The Gatekeeper struggled to calm the waves in his heart, becoming extremely vigilant.
Even his clan had to be exceedingly careful when dealing with mechanism-type calamity abilities.
Otherwise, the slightest carelessness would result in death.
The Guide that the Gatekeeper had thrown out earlier could only return to the wall after its pursuit failed.
"Focus on protecting me."
The Gatekeeper glanced at the demi-human Guide.
Most of his techniques originated from the conjured Guide.
In a sense, the Gatekeeper was the most standard type of Conjurer.
The Guide nodded at the Gatekeeper and immediately entered a state of high alert.
However, both the Gatekeeper and the Guide had far underestimated the energy the Entropy Bird had invested in this bad luck.
After all, this was related to Morrow's strict requirement.
Thus, a certain calamity, guided by the Entropy Bird's bad luck, struck.
Even with the Gatekeeper and the Guide on high alert, it was difficult to defend against.
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
The sound of a book's pages flipping suddenly echoed in their ears.
The Gatekeeper whipped his head around, but his vision abruptly went black.
His consciousness felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, trembling as it disconnected.
And under the shocked gaze of the Guide beside him, he only saw the Gatekeeper barely manage to turn his head before, like a dried leaf specimen pressed in a book, his entire body instantly twisted and flattened, becoming like a picture, directly imprinted onto the ground.
It took less than a second.
The Gatekeeper had turned into a lifeless, thin sheet of paper.
—--
In the airspace somewhere.
On Chimera's back.
Morrow suddenly felt something, and his aura output surged.
"Oh?"
He looked down at the back of his hand.
The character in the middle of the Tree Rings was soaring from Lv. 125.
130, 135... it finally stopped at Lv. 141.
He's dead? To think I'd actually get experience.
Although he had considered this possibility, Morrow was still very surprised when it actually happened.
What was even more surprising was, the Gatekeeper's level was this high?