Disgusting Creatures

Chapter 42

After frantically waving his arms, the black creature finally released its grip on Ray and fell to the ground. Ray could now see clearly what the black animal was. It turned out to be a palm-sized scorpion. Ray felt a sense of horror as he realized that his body had just been swarmed by these venomous creatures.

In a state of panic, Ray quickly retrieved something from his storage ring. With a swift motion, a spear shot out and impaled the scorpion, putting an end to it. Ray, witnessing this, felt a slight sense of relief. Despite the unfortunate turn of events, Ray had no intention of leaving. To him, the peculiar bamboo and the strange liquid were not in vain. They held some value, albeit to a limited extent.

With that in mind, Ray was determined to continue his bamboo gathering activities. However, as Ray took a step forward to reach for one of the old bamboo stalks, he noticed small black dots moving closer. Ray, seeing this, became frightened. The pursuers were a group of tiny, menacing scorpions.

Ray, feeling cornered, was unwilling to leave the area. He was far from satisfied with the bamboo he had collected so far. Therefore, he clenched his teeth and activated his passive talent, [B rank Air Jump]. Afterward, he retrieved a jerrycan, not too large, from his storage ring.

Ray began leaping through the air, while the scorpions gathered beneath him in a chaotic frenzy. Moving with stability in the air, Ray directed the scorpion group to follow him into an open area. From his elevated position, Ray could observe the pursuing dots, resembling a swarm of ants searching for food together.

After spending some time in the air, Ray eventually came to a halt and began hopping in place. The scorpions that had reached the area beneath Ray started climbing on top of each other, forming a pyramid with their bodies in an attempt to reach him. Despite the long numbness in his scalp, Ray continued to jump higher.

Patiently waiting, the group of scorpions finally assembled at a single point. Witnessing this, Ray wasted no time and poured the oil from his hand. The scorpions, drenched in oil, showed no fear; instead, they climbed even more eagerly as if they had been stimulated by something.

Once Ray saw that the oil had evenly spread, he promptly set the group on fire. Whoosh! The flames ignited and caught one of the scorpions at the top. The fire slowly engulfed the scorpion before spreading throughout the entire swarm. Observing the scene, Ray continued to jump higher.

Soon, thick smoke billowed, giving the impression of a burning forest. Ray, positioned directly above the fire, felt like a pig being roasted. Despite the discomfort, he remained in place, determined not to let the scorpions scatter and accidentally ignite the surrounding area.

The scorpions continued to burn, and the distinct smell of charred flesh permeated the air in all directions. Ray even felt a slight temptation as he caught whiffs of the burnt aroma.

"Ah, I'm starting to feel a bit hungry..."

After a while, Ray could see from a distance that the scorpion group had perished. With that, he retrieved a fire extinguisher from his storage ring.

Psst!

The extinguisher hissed as Ray used it to put out the remaining flames.

Snowflakes gently descended, covering the group of charred scorpions beneath Ray. Satisfied that the area was safe, Ray scanned his surroundings before descending and collecting the roasted scorpions. It wasn't because Ray was particularly hungry and wanted to eat them, but rather because he believed they might serve a purpose. After clearing away the burnt remnants, Ray returned to the bamboo forest.

Now, in addition to gathering old bamboo for his needs, Ray intentionally collected the liquid within the bamboo. Instead of dispensing the liquid into a separate container, he collected it along with the bamboo itself. Although he wasn't certain of the exact use of the liquid, he had a strong conviction that it would be valuable.

After a while, Ray felt satisfied with his collection and prepared to leave the bamboo forest. He returned to his tent and resumed his usual activities. The following day, Ray leisurely explored the surrounding area while doing some hunting. The ordinary young man had no sense of urgency. Later, he returned to the city wall outpost to handle familiar administrative tasks before boarding a bus.

Contrary to his usual route home, Ray headed towards the western suburbs to meet a slender young man. In addition to searching for the source of the passive energy he required, Ray also continued to learn about the other person's active talents.

During this period, Ray made significant progress in this field, but he consistently faced failure at the stage following the attachment of objects with his aura tentacles. After several hours of work, Ray couldn't help but feel disappointed. He was still unable to unlock the key to success for this peculiar talent. Since he gained nothing, he decided not to linger in that place any longer.

Ray hurried home to prevent his family from worrying. By the time he arrived, the sky had already darkened. However, to his surprise, Yuvra showed no signs of anger. She was delighted that Ray had returned safely. After completing his daily tasks, Ray finally had the opportunity to examine today's harvest.

Ray retrieved a small portion of the scorpion, old bamboo, young bamboo, and bamboo filled with a thick liquid. He proceeded to take the old and young bamboo and crush them, later placing the pulverized bamboo into a bucket filled with water. The bamboo pulp would be processed to create paper.

Once finished with the bamboo pulp, Ray meticulously inspected each item. He pondered over what could be done with these disparate objects. Gradually, a vague idea began to form in his mind. Sensing a lack of references, Ray embarked on a quest for knowledge about the objects he had collected. Initially, he encountered some difficulty finding information about the bamboo he had obtained, but eventually, he discovered a connection between the bamboo and scorpions, as they were interrelated.

Bamboo is known as bamboo bank fluid. Typically, bamboo passively absorbs water from the soil to store it during the dry season. Despite its simple appearance, the true function of bamboo becomes apparent when it forms a symbiotic relationship with scorpions.

The scorpions involved in this symbiosis are known as lust scorpions. They have a mating season in summer, but their peak fertility occurs during winter. To ensure their survival, they continuously secrete fluids beneath the bamboo treebank, allowing the bamboo to absorb their fertility liquid. When needed, the female scorpion only needs to come in contact with the bamboo surface to fertilize her eggs. This symbiotic relationship does not harm the bamboo; instead, the fertility liquid also supplements the nutrition and water requirements of the bamboo during the dry season.

As Ray read about this, he furrowed his brow. He couldn't help but ask himself in confusion, "So, who is the father of the scorpion? Are they all siblings?" Perplexed by his question, Ray decided to stop dwelling on these peculiar thoughts. Despite his confusion regarding the scorpions, Ray sensed that bamboo could greatly assist him.

Afterward, Ray proceeded to examine the scorpion he had captured. With a hint of disgust, he touched the scorpion with his skin before activating his talent for copying. As a result, Ray witnessed a transformation within himself. It was evident that this small creature possessed a passive talent. Concerned that this passive talent might be related to poison and pose potential dangers, Ray promptly scanned the talent using the tesseract.

After being scanned, Ray quickly deactivated the talent. His skin turned red like a boiled crab, and his body was drenched in sweat. However, what Ray experienced was not poisoning but something else entirely.

"Damn, what kind of passive talent is this!" Ray exclaimed in frustration.

It was understandable for Ray to feel angry since the passive talent he had just activated was the [G Rank Strong Medicine]. This peculiar talent bestowed the user with limitless energy. Whenever the fertility fluid was released, the body would forcefully produce a new fluid immediately. As long as the body possessed sufficient energy and vitality, the user would remain strong in that aspect.

(Message: Strong medicine in Indonesia is often associated with drugs that enable us to last a long time in a marital relationship.)

Ray began to contemplate the implications of this passive talent with growing trepidation. What would happen if he used this passive talent repeatedly? Would he become completely drained?

Considering the well-being of his kidneys, Ray decided to keep his distance from the scorpion.

"Disgusting creatures and their obscene talents!" he muttered to himself.

Ray then continued his nightly routine with discipline. Despite his efforts to stay focused, he couldn't help but be distracted by the memory of the scorpion's passive talent. It had seemingly become a traumatic experience for him.

"Ah, cursed creature!"