Chapter 208: Shrinking Nature—Den of Evil

Time quickly passes on the Eastern Yorbian Continent.Auren spends his time healing injured people, learning about the administration in Hollow Blade’s first nation, and frequently takes trips with the others to explore the surrounding area. Apart from that, he spends at least six hours a day training—mostly in his gym—constantly working on his Nen abilities and physique, using Azure Restoration to push his limits further and further, seeing small but noticeable gains.

Over the next two months, several well-defended outposts are constructed across the region, protected by large wooden walls and surrounded by thick, deep trenches.

Even Point B is established, as more and more settlers set foot on the new continent, reaching a total of over forty thousand people, along with thousands of heavy pieces of machinery, from small trucks to dozers and even armed vehicles.

It doesn’t take long before the route between the two large settlements is firmly established, and even a rough, yet functional dirt road appears. With that, it becomes easy to travel between them with the off-road vehicles that have already been shipped in. The settlements are no longer only connected by water and air, but also by land, opening up even more opportunities, along with smaller outposts connecting them, leaving a human footprint on the formerly uncivilized land.

Because of various new buildings—like huge silos for fuel and gas—Auren can barely keep up with all the new projects going on. From offshore platforms extracting oil and gas, to new lumber camps, quarries, mines, fisheries, and farms producing crops, even raising livestock that is steadily shipped in as well, Auren notices a tremendous number of projects being greenlit. With almost limitless resources and their large fleet of cargo ships, Auren grows more and more impressed, feeling the growing excitement and the euphoria of the citizens who describe it as a miracle.

New workers are immediately assigned to their workplaces, and the amount of work available seems endless, leaving everyone feeling fulfilled and needed.

Bit by bit, the wilderness is coldly suppressed, and the dangerous wildlife is slowly but surely eradicated, along with anything else blocking progress.

Auren and the others gain more and more experience exploring and fighting, allowing everyone to make significant progress with their Hatsus.

Especially Vanessa and Eren, who learned their Hatsus recently, have managed to get enough experience that they gain full control over them and can now focus on strengthening them.

Auren does his best to absorb as much Aura as possible through Eternity. With each fallen beast, his blade becomes more and more formidable. With the life force of over a thousand powerful Beasts, Eternity finally reaches a bottleneck, significantly slowing further progress.

Exactly ten weeks after arriving at Point A, Auren gathers the other members of his group in his airship to discuss their future plans.

“Are we leaving already?” Vanessa asks instantly. “I’m not tired of hunting yet. These beasts are the perfect targets. This is a rare opportunity to go wild! I’m so skilled already—not only with my Hatsu but also with my guns. I can blow away anyone just using my rifle. I could probably use my Meteor Fist to take out a friggin tank! After we’re back in more civilised parts, I won’t be afraid of anyone.”

“You know... overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. There are people far scarier than those simple-minded beasts, Vanessa,” Auren says slowly. “However, I acknowledge your effort. We all improved—especially you. Your Aura quantity was incredible from the start, and now that you’ve learned to properly control it, you have every reason to be confident.”

His gaze sharpens, displaying a hint of worry. “Just remember that power and ability can become completely useless in a Nen battle. If you fall under the control of a Manipulator, for example, you’re finished. It doesn’t matter how many tanks you can blow up with your Hatsu—if you’re controlled, it’s all over. Just make sure you don’t act rashly, okay? I am being serious, Vanessa, if you underestimate Nen users, you’ll die.”

“I am not stupid,” Vanessa says, looking embarrassed. “Don’t worry... I’ll be careful.”

She might seem rash, but until now, she hasn’t fucked up in any major way. She is almost too skilled. I need to trust her... however, it can’t hurt to caution her as well.

Auren nods, then looks at the others. “You all did great as well. Eren, your Hatsu is probably one of the most stable ones I’ve seen. It’s as useful as Neffi’s, and you did a great job with it.” He pauses, then continues more seriously. “It was certainly worth taking part in this expedition. To be honest, I’m pretty much done here. I’ve healed everyone who truly needs it, and we’re not really contributing much anymore. There are hundreds of Nen users here, along with many thousands of skilled and heavily armed soldiers. They even have armed vehicles here—ones that can tear through any beast.”

He crosses his arms, continuing, “In addition to that, partly due to our efforts, Hollow Blade has figured out how to deal with most beasts. The savage bears can be easily poisoned, since they’re willing to eat any meat. Alternatively, they can be blown apart with strong weaponry from a distance, as their eyesight is quite bad.” His tone stays calm, almost clinical. “Even the worms which are rare but exceedingly dangerous, can be tricked into swallowing meat laced with explosives. They can then be blown up from the inside. They are blind, after all, and they rely on their sense of touch to feel vibrations through the ground.”

“I agree,” Neffi says. “We are no longer needed here. These beasts and threats seemed extremely dangerous at first, but since we know their weaknesses and have the manpower, we can deal with them easily. Since we went on patrol with the others so many times, I can tell you some of the Nen users are quite strong. Even the soldiers are well-trained and well-equipped. We achieved a lot here already, and we can’t do much more for them.”

“True. I learned a lot as well,” Eren says, smiling softly. “It’s been a great experience to be here and help the people. Everyone is kind, and despite the hard work, I have never seen such a wonderful atmosphere and community. This could become a true paradise in just a few years. Maybe I’ll decide to live here with my siblings. Permanently.”

He likes it that much? I guess that’s the highest form of praise. It’s really shaping up to be a great place... and we’re treated almost as royalty here, so I can understand his desire to settle down. Maybe a nice house at the coast, a short distance away from one of the two major cities constructed at landing points A and B.

“I have also done as much as I can,” Leira states. “I handed over all my research notes to the scientists, and we’re already breeding the newly discovered fish species at numerous sites.”

“Brute fish, was it?” Eren asks, trying his best to remember. “Because of their limited mental capacity and triggered aggression.”

“Indeed,” Leira says, nodding. “Surprisingly, they are omnivores, and they are fully satisfied with plants. If they don’t come into contact with blood or foreign objects, you could even call them peaceful.” She sounds almost proud. “The moss has been cultivated as well, and we’re not using it only for the fish, but also for our people. It’s a cheap organic supplement that’s highly effective. I’d even say it could become a world-famous product if we were to leak it. It contains a lot of vitamins and minerals, as it was enough for the Brute Fish to survive on. It’s a so-called superfood.”

“Interesting...” Auren replies.

The only problem is... that it tastes absolutely disgusting... but if they can maybe turn it into a pill, I’d be willing to give it a try more often.

“So we’re going home then?” Vanessa asks, growing impatient.

“We could...” Auren says, taking out a map. “There is one thing we can consider doing before we leave. I’ve been briefed by the Elders that we’ve pretty much brought a large area under our control. Look at the map.” He taps it once, then drags a finger over the region. “Of course, there are still beasts nearby, but overall we’ve established more or less secure pathways, along with various small settlements. This part here—” Auren draws a large circle that encompasses both Landing Point A and Landing Point B, with a diameter of around one hundred kilometres (sixty-two miles). “The only exception... is this point here.”

He points towards the heart of the large forest surrounding Landing point A, the one they’ve been hunting in repeatedly.

“But we have secured points all around it...” Vanessa argues, pointing towards the smaller settlements, mostly lumber camps and supply camps. “I’ve been at those camps; they produce some beautiful lumber there. I’ve even ordered a few pieces of furniture for my dad. Don’t we have that area under our control? What’s supposed to be inside there anyway?”

“That’s what we need to find out,” Auren replies. “The number of dead scouts is over fourteen now. We lost contact with three units in total.” His voice stays steady, but his eyes grow dark. “We lost many comrades.... So you wanted a challenge. Apart from this, I don’t think we can contribute much anymore.” He taps the map once. “However, this operation seems very risky, so I’ll leave it to you if you want to participate.”

“Let’s do it!” Vanessa says, smiling wildly. “Finally, a challenge!”

What did we talk about? Overconfidence....

“Adrenaline junkie...” Neffi mutters, looking visibly excited as well, even while trying to act calm. “Still, if there is danger, it’s best if we deal with it before we leave, or the number of victims will keep rising.”

“I’ll follow you, Auren,” Eren says simply.

“Of course, I am not staying behind,” Leira states, not even pausing to weigh the risks.

“Great,” Auren says. “However, we are not going in alone.”

“Why not?” Vanessa asks. “We don’t need help.”

“Yes, we do,” Auren says, getting a little frustrated. “Look at the map. The area we need to cover is huge. It could take days, weeks—especially since we don’t even know what we’re looking for.” He points at the circle again. “The Elders have lost their patience. News about our dead scouts spread somehow, so people know there’s something dangerous out there. That gives rise to panic, which we want to avoid.”

His voice turns firmer. “It’s also endangering our supply routes connecting the smaller settlements we’re setting up. There will be a large operation. The only question is whether we’re leading it—or whether we leave this place and let others handle it.”

“I see,” Neffi says. “Can’t we just scout out the forest? We have so many airships now...”

“They tried,” Auren explains. “The forest is extremely thick, and there isn’t a real landing point near where we need to go. The trees are also ancient, so it’s useless to attack anything that’s hiding below.”

He hesitates for a fraction of a second, then continues anyway. “Also... this information hasn’t been leaked yet, but a smaller patrol airship has gone missing. It happened a few days ago.” He looks around the table. “So the Elders—rightly so, if you ask me—decided to take this threat seriously. They want it handled in one coordinated strike before people worry too much. Morale is the most important thing, right now.”

He continues, pointing towards the map again. “Most of our soldiers are currently positioned all around the forest, and a large strike force will go in. The common opinion—what most of our zoologists are guessing—is that there’s a hostile tribe of animals. Something acting in coordination. Like a wolf pack acting under a leader. That raises the danger level significantly. The Forest Worm or the bears might be more dangerous individually, but they can’t act organised. This threat apparently can, which makes it far more threatening to us.”

“How can wolves bring down an airship?” Eren wonders.

Exactly....

Auren shrugs. “They can’t. It was just an example of animals that work together. Don’t expect common or even known animals. Expect anything. Much like the beavers, there could be any kind of monstrosity waiting for us.” He pauses. “It could even be a threat that can fly.”

“Hehe,” Vanessa laughs wildly. “Finally, a worthy challenge. Let’s take care of the problem. Calmly and decisively.” She even stands up, stretching her shoulders, “I’m ready now. I’ve never been this motivated before. Let’s do this right now!”