From above came a sudden buzzing, like a swarm of bees flapping their wings.
In the next moment, a flock of black shadows appeared on the horizon—rapidly closing in on them.
So close, they even passed directly overhead.
"Those are…" Pokkle instinctively raised his bow toward the monsters above.
But those creatures, even as they flew low right above them, didn't react at all. Not even a glance in their direction.
Just like how they'd completely ignored the nearby airship earlier.
"Relax. They can't see us," Cyr said, lounging in a camping chair Maro had set up, casually instructing Maro and Sora as they busied themselves assembling a barbecue grill.
He didn't seem concerned at all about the Chimera Ants flying overhead in search of food.
"What are those monsters? New types of magical beasts?" As a magical beast hunter, Pokkle was intrigued but managed to restrain himself.
"Chimera Ants—well, the evolved kind," Cyr said, standing in front of the grill. He reached into curse's mouth and pulled out a well-preserved, plump sheep.
Seeing that fake-accident sheep earlier had gotten him craving mutton.
His abilities came in handy—it effortlessly sheared the wool clean, and he sliced the meat into even portions.
"Humans really do eat everything," Eili said quietly, hugging her little lamb.
"Wanna join?" Cyr grinned as he looked at the pair's sheep horns, warmly inviting them.
The non-humans couldn't pick up on the twisted humor behind his friendly smile. They simply shook their heads, refusing.
"Chimera Ants? Evolved?" Pokkle and Ponzu exchanged glances.
They knew about Chimera Ants—but what did he mean by evolved?
"Basically, after eating humans, they evolved to the point where they can use Nen!" Cyr gave a thumbs-up.
Though they weren't that skilled yet, that cat-like Chimera Ant had already awakened Nen after getting beaten up by him.
Just like Neon—didn't know a thing about Nen systems but could still use her ability to tell fortunes.
"Chimera Ants that can use Nen…" Pokkle and Ponzu's voices were tinged with disbelief.
"Come to think of it, Sora, you never learned Nen, did you…" Cyr looked over at the big white tiger.
But Sora could manipulate wind. Hmm… Let's just say magical beasts had their own training systems.
"Is it just the two of you?" Cyr asked Pokkle and Ponzu.
"No, we're part of a seven-person team. We split into three groups for scouting, and I'm partnered with Ponzu," Pokkle explained.
Since Ponzu could use her bees for intel gathering, their group's efficiency wasn't worse than the others.
Of course, the other teams had their own methods too.
"I see," Cyr nodded, saying nothing more.
Some of those people captured by the Chimera Ants—those slightly stronger ones—were probably their teammates.
But… weren't there more than just five of them?
"Sizzle sizzle"— the lamb skewers roasting over charcoal released a mouthwatering aroma.
Once the seasoning was sprinkled on, the smell became even richer.
That scent alone was enough to make Cyr forget whatever he was about to demand.
"Sir, please enjoy," Maro said, handing over the freshly grilled lamb.
Aili and Eimei sat quietly nearby, holding fruit platters, chewing without expression.
To Cyr, they looked like they were eating while spacing out.
Was eating supposed to be that painful for them?
"It's been half a year since we had fruit, brother," Aili said calmly.
"Yes, Aili," Eimei nodded.
They weren't saying anything particularly tragic, and yet the vibe around them felt tragically bleak.
They probably didn't have money, were used to drifting across the sea (as in, floating with ocean currents), and now they were tagging along with Chimera Ants (who ate people). It wasn't hard to guess why they hadn't had any normal food in forever.
Cyr leaned back in his camping chair, sipping freshly squeezed juice and nibbling on lamb skewers. He'd take a bite, glance at the lamb in Aili's arms, look away, then take another bite.
Eventually, the lamb in Aili's arms curled up with its back turned to Cyr, head buried in her clothes, too scared to even look at him.
Meanwhile, the Chimera Ants—done with their hunt—passed by their area again on their way back to the hive.
This time, as Pokkle, having finally overcome his unnecessary shame, stuffed food into his mouth with gusto, he happened to glance up—and froze mid-chew, swallowing the meat whole.
He recognized the Chimera Ants above—but why were they carrying humans?!
Even their teammates were being carried off by flying Chimera Ants—seemingly to some unknown destination.
Pretend he didn't see anything?
Or try to save his teammates?
Pokkle didn't hesitate—he chose the latter.
He and Ponzu had both stood up at almost the exact same time, leaving their food behind and grabbing their weapons to rush out.
But the next moment, they were stopped again by that invisible wall.
Only this time, it wasn't keeping them out—it was keeping them in.
"Let us out! Our teammate's been captured!" Pokkle turned and shouted at the white-haired boy, who still sat there casually as if none of it concerned him.
Even with so many people being taken by monsters, he remained relaxed, not even glancing up.
It was like… he had zero empathy.
"You want to go die? Sure." Cyr glanced at their determined faces and gave a faint nod. "Go on, then." He waved them off dismissively.
"If you can break through that wall, prove your strength, I'll let you out." He stayed in his chair, eyes still fixed on the grill in front of him, speaking offhandedly.
"…" Pokkle said nothing more. He simply raised his bow and shot an arrow at the invisible wall in front of him.
The arrow was stopped cold.
Completely ineffective.
Meanwhile, Chimera Ants with wings were already flying off with the captured humans into the distance.
Outside, another Chimera Ant—one shaped like a spider—had just arrived in the area and, like Pokkle and the others earlier, ran into the same invisible barrier.
"There's… something here?" the spider-like Chimera Ant tapped the air in front of him with his spider leg.
As expected, he met resistance.
"…" The creature grew intrigued, circling around the wall, tapping and probing until he managed to roughly figure out its size.
A circle about 50 meters in diameter.
His actions attracted more Chimera Ants. They began to gather outside, trying various methods to break the invisible wall.
On the inside, Pokkle and Ponzu were only one thin layer of the barrier away from the Ants.
To those outside who couldn't see the wall, it looked as if they were face-to-face.
So close to such monsters, Pokkle and Ponzu couldn't help but take a couple of steps back.
"How about we see who breaks the mystery first?" the spider-like Ant suggested.
"...Foolish." Cyr sighed.
Why are they so curious? Weaklings don't need useless curiosity.
"It's your curiosity that'll get you killed."
As more Chimera Ants gathered, Cyr extended his hand outside the barrier.
An invisible slash landed on the Chimera Ants outside.
Blood sprayed like fountains. Limbs fell like rain.
In a single instant, the crowd of Chimera Ants was reduced to nothing but corpses.
All that was left were the stunned expressions on Pokkle and Ponzu's faces.
The gap in power had been shown in a way they would never forget.
°°°
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