The lion pride retreated, and Su Xiao’s aura returned to normal.
"Con... Conqueror’s Haki?"
Little Healer’s mouth was slightly open, looking incredulously at the scene before her.
"I wish it was Conqueror’s Haki."
The male Contractor wiped the blood from his chin, raising his hand and realizing it was shaking.
"Who knows how many people this guy has killed, he’s definitely hard to deal with. If he has some kind of special fetish, good luck."
The male Contractor patted Little Healer’s shoulder, whose cheeks twitched, not out of fear, but because the male Contractor used her clothes to wipe blood.
Su Xiao turned his head towards the two Contractors.
Under Su Xiao’s gaze, Little Healer shrank back slightly.
Su Xiao stared at the two Contractors.
Little Healer looked at Su Xiao in confusion, while the male Contractor took a few steps back.
Su Xiao silently stared at the two of them, Little Healer was somewhat perplexed, the male Contractor hesitated for a moment before taking out an Original Seed.
All four of them carried an Original Seed, but the one the male Contractor took out was untreated by the Sun Woman, which, if not kept in a sealed container, would attract a lot of wild beasts.
The male Contractor somehow obtained an untreated Original Seed, which is quite troublesome.
The male Contractor spoke firmly.
A rock fell from the sky, crashing beside Su Xiao with a roar.
"Kaba te monsahju (unknown language)."
A roar came from afar, as a tall humanoid creature walked closer, having thrown the big rock earlier.
The male Contractor exhaled deeply.
Su Xiao looked at the humanoid creature, which was about four or five meters tall, roughly resembling a human, but with a large nose, bald head, and long black beard.
"Is this... a Giant?"
Su Xiao could only think of one possibility, and it seemed the Giant was not friendly.
Su Xiao raised his blade and approached; if it dared to get close, even a Giant would be cut down.
The Giant let out a mighty roar, wearing clothes made of various animal furs, with brown-yellow eyes staring at Su Xiao.
The male Contractor ran forward quickly: "I’ll negotiate with him, this is the reason for carrying the ordinary Original Seed."
The blood-covered male Contractor approached, and the Giant did not immediately attack. The rock it threw earlier was just a way of saying hello.
The male Contractor assessed the Giant, unsure if it could understand his language, merely following the Sun Woman’s instructions.
"What the hell are you looking at?"
The Giant glared at the male Contractor, speaking in a muffled voice.
The male Contractor was stunned.
The Giant rudely extended a large hand towards the male Contractor, who hesitated for a moment before handing over the Original Seed.
The Giant carefully pinched the Original Seed with its fingers, so small to it, and what it did next surprised everyone—it actually tossed the Original Seed into its mouth.
A rumbling came from the Giant’s stomach, stopping after a few seconds. The Giant let out a satisfied burp.
The Giant closed its eyes in enjoyment for a moment, then pulled out a piece of animal fur from its pocket.
The Giant threw the fur on the ground and turned to leave, each step causing a slight tremor on the ground, yet the Giant kept glancing sideways, as if on guard for something.
Su Xiao sheathed the Dragon Slash, and the Giant no longer looked at them, beginning to stride away.
The male Contractor picked up the map from the ground, and upon confirming it was correct, a smile appeared on his face.
"This is the map of the Black Forest."
Upon hearing the male Contractor’s words, Su Xiao quickly stepped forward to take the map.
The map showed the Black Forest as a circular area, enclosing the ordinary area inside. The other side of the forest was the island’s edge, and unless one had flying ability, one would have to cross the Black Forest, and that meant crossing it horizontally.
The Black Forest, though circular, had specific entry and exit points; it wasn’t an ordinary forest with entrances everywhere.
According to the map, entering the Black Forest from the ordinary area had only one entrance; trying from other directions was a death wish.
As Su Xiao looked at the map, Old Bar and the others gathered around.
"Is this map accurate? Although the Giant’s credibility is high, this concerns life and death, and I only have a general understanding of the Black Forest; specific coordinates still require a map."
Old Bar scratched his chin, while the male Contractor and Little Healer looked at him in surprise.
"Is this a Yasenman person?"
Little Healer looked at Old Bar’s red skin, clicking her tongue in wonder.
"Yes, how should I address you two, let’s introduce ourselves, as we will venture into ’Hell’ together."
Old Bar pointed at Su Xiao.
"He is Bai Ye, I am Bar, and this is..."
Old Bar looked at Bubu Wang.
Bubu Wang raised a paw, greeting the two.
Little Healer leaned forward, seemingly wanting to pet Bubu Wang’s head, but Bubu Wang, who had been gentle, bared its teeth, causing Little Healer to quickly pull her hand back.
"I am Little Confused, a support class healer, with a special ability to run fast."
Little Healer spoke, revealing neat little white teeth.
The male Contractor beside her took out a bottle of water, washing the blood off his face.
Once the male Contractor’s face was clear, Su Xiao was somewhat surprised, wasn’t this Umbrella Brother? This guy wasn’t dead?!
"I am Christmas, main tank, we’ve met before."
Umbrella Brother being a main tank was not unexpected; if he weren’t, he would have died long ago.
"Ah, hello Umbrella Brother."
The combination of Su Xiao and Bubu Wang was quite striking; it wasn’t surprising Umbrella Brother remembered them from the air.
Little Confused looked at Umbrella Brother in confusion.
"The past is hard to look back on; Christmas is just a codename, just call me Umbrella Brother."
The four of them were assembled, whether by fate or coincidence, forming a rather balanced team.
Su Xiao: top level charge, assassination, strong in close combat, and sniper. The rıghtful source is 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥
Little Confused: healer, with buffs stronger than healing.
Umbrella Brother: main tank, not using a shield, extremely survivable, notably resilient against falling, plummeting from the sky or cliffs didn’t kill him, just not very lucky.
Old Bar: has control abilities, balanced skills, knowledgeable about the Black Forest.
Bubu Wang: stealth, reconnaissance, group aura, capable of infiltrating the enemy at any time.
The group was now complete, and the next task was entering the Black Forest. It was already the seventh day of the survival trial.
Su Xiao entered the Black Forest voluntarily, while Little Confused and Umbrella Brother were different. Fleeting vines crawled around their necks; it was the Sun Woman’s means of controlling them, forcing them into the Black Forest.
After initial contact, Su Xiao found Little Confused the easiest to deal with, yet perhaps also the hardest; she seemed simple-minded, only trying to shake off the Sun Woman’s control to escape as far as possible.
Umbrella Brother seemed strange, as if he had resigned to his fate.
Old Bar was still a cunning fox, but his body was full of alchemy bombs.