The human-beast war raged for several hours. Although the alien beasts present were not overwhelmingly powerful, their sheer numbers were their advantage. They firmly believed in the maxim that quantitative change leads to qualitative transformation, understanding that victory is built upon piles of corpses.

Thus, even as they were slaughtered, causing rivers of blood and suffering constant retreats, they relentlessly pressed forward into the teeth of the danger, fully embodying the spirit of certain certainties.

However, once the battle reached a critical point, and realizing that half of their comrades had been wiped out while the enemy hadn't broken a sweat, they finally understood: no matter how many scraps you gather, they remain scraps; even ten thousand scraps combined cannot forge a single God-Tier City Guard.

With that realization, all the alien beasts began to flee in a chaotic rush.

Lin Luo glanced in the direction they were running: to the left were the cute little monkeys and wild boars; to the right were the bizarre QB River Crab Horse-Donkeys... After contemplating for a mere 0.000001 seconds, Lin Luo unhesitatingly bolted toward the right.

Under his relentless pursuit, accompanied by the 'Bilibili' crackle of blue-and-white electrical torrents, the River Crab contingent of that particular bizarre legion was utterly annihilated. Then, black magic barrages filled the sky, and the legion of idiot-faced QBs capable of forcibly contracting Horse-Donkey Maidens was also utterly destroyed, blasted into pieces, their shattered remains attracting countless small creatures like ants and cockroaches for consumption.

Finally, when Lin Luo struck the last Grass-Mud Horse, which was emitting a look of deep resentment, with a decisive punch, the fierce human-beast war finally drew to a close—a conclusion that was certainly cause for celebration.

"Huh, where is this..."

Mugino's slightly surprised voice reached his ears. Lin Luo focused his gaze and realized that in their pursuit of the bizarre army, they had unknowingly strayed out of the forest. Before them lay an environment resembling a tropical rainforest.

As far as the eye could see: mountains, rivers, grasslands, lakes, and, further in the distance, towering, ceaseless waterfalls.

"The environment isn't bad..." Lin Luo clicked his tongue, carefully assessing the surrounding terrain. He wasn't sure if this landscape was native to this world or sculpted by the God War, but it appeared uninhabited, with no sign of other sentient life besides the occasional small animals and unfamiliar alien beasts.

Mugino surveyed their surroundings for a moment, then asked, "What now?"

"What else can we do? We have no way of knowing the specific location of the world's core. For now, we can only wander blindly," Lin Luo sighed, replying helplessly.

Although the World Heart had a certain connection to the Book of Contracts, as long as they were in the same world, the sense—which surpassed the Sixth Sense—would eventually lead to an opportunity. But the timing was highly uncertain.

Lin Luo couldn't risk another Walker stumbling upon the host before he did.

Thus, after a brief consultation, the two continued forward... Lin Luo kept both Misaka Mikoto and the little SABER in confinement. Setting aside the fact that Mugino and Misaka currently seemed to be in a cold war, the current situation was hardly suitable for her appearance.

In just two days, they had encountered thousands of dragons, tens of thousands of snakes, and nearly ten thousand of the bizarre army. Who knew what more powerful beasts lay ahead? If something as formidable as the Dragon race appeared, things would become extremely difficult. It was better to let her remain in the Fourth Space for the time being, releasing her only when the situation stabilized.

Moreover, just for travel speed, the two of them alone were actually faster; after all, both could fly.

Of course, flight consumed energy for both Lin Luo and Mugino, so they only took to the skies when encountering terrain that was exceptionally difficult to traverse on foot.

After about half a day of traveling like this, although they encountered several waves of beast attacks, they were all low-level fodder with negligible offensive power. They were quickly scared off after a brief engagement—a kind of unexpected entertainment, at least preventing the journey from becoming monotonous.

Currently, the two were sitting near a lake, replenishing their energy with roasted meat.

"Speaking of which, what were those butterflies that attacked us earlier? They made that 'Amida, Amida' sound when hit. This world is truly full of strange creatures," Mugino remarked while eating. What she hadn't realized before was staggering; this bizarre, ever-changing world had provided her with too many surprises.

"Probably Amida-butterflies. There are many kinds of butterflies. Don't sweat the small details," Lin Luo said with a smile, standing up and walking to a nearby pool to wash his face.

"That makes sense," Mugino nodded.

"Alright, fed and rested. So, next..." Lin Luo stretched his limbs but stopped mid-sentence, frowning. "Strange?"

"Enemies?" Mugino's expression shifted instantly.

"Doesn't feel like it." Lin Luo shook his head, but his brow furrowed even deeper. He stated grimly, "There's something weird around here. Pay attention. I'll use my Perception Domain to check carefully."

Without waiting for Mugino's reaction, Lin Luo's entire consciousness instantly sank into the Perception Domain and began to expand...

He discovered countless minute particles gathering near this lake: on the water's surface, in the grass, beneath the water, within the soil, and between stones. Countless granules were rapidly flying toward a single point, gathering together, slowly, slowly...

What on earth was that?

Lin Luo felt intensely strange because he sensed that these particles carried a degree of vitality; each one was a life form... No, it was more than just a life form. More accurately, it was a consciousness imbued with life, something akin to a soul.

These were not weak entities. Each soul-body was enveloped in a mysterious power, and these tiny souls were merging, attempting to form a single, larger soul-body...

For some reason, Lin Luo instinctively felt a surge of unease. He tried to attack with his own power, but it had no effect; his attacks couldn't even touch these soul-bodies, making contact impossible.

Damn it, these things are dangerous!

His intuition screamed at him not to let these souls coalesce, yet he had no means to stop them.

With this thought, Lin Luo hastily withdrew from the Perception Domain and told Mugino, "Let's find somewhere to hide first."

"Uh, what exactly is it..." Mugino paused, confused about what Lin Luo was up to.

"Don't ask yet. I think you'll know soon enough," Lin Luo said gravely, glancing around quickly before grabbing Mugino's hand and pulling her behind a large, grass-covered boulder nearby to conceal themselves.

"..." Mugino shot him a few surprised glances, but seeing his solemn focus fixed on an empty spot near the lake, she said nothing more. Suspicious and uncertain, she eventually followed Lin Luo's gaze toward that spot. Since the particles were invisible to the naked eye, all she saw there was empty air.

Lin Luo ignored Mugino's expression, cautiously staring ahead... Come on, combine. Let me see what the hell you are.

In his "sight," the scene unfolding was this... A faint, fist-sized sphere of light flickered in that open space. Countless white dots flew in from all directions, seemingly being absorbed by the light sphere. Every time it absorbed some, the sphere grew slightly larger. As more and more white dots entered, the sphere finally grew to be as tall as a person.

Then, it began to take shape... square, round, triangular—its form shifted through various shapes, until finally, the light sphere coalesced into a... humanoid form.

"Ah!" Mugino’s mouth dropped open, an expression of disbelief in her eyes. When the light sphere assumed a human shape, even she could see it clearly.

"What is that?" she asked Lin Luo via mental link.

"I don't know, but it gives me a profoundly dangerous feeling."

"Dangerous? Should we attack it then?" Mugino frowned, asking. The situation was clear: the entity hadn't fully materialized yet. Taking it out now would certainly be safer than attacking it after it was complete.

But Lin Luo shook his head. "No, my attacks can't reach those things."

"Let me try," Mugino paused, then bit her lip in refusal, extending her hand, unleashing an Atomic Collapse lightning bolt.

Swish.

The white electronic line struck the head of the light mass with perfect accuracy, but... it was as if it had struck air. The line passed right through the other side of the mass and shot off into the distance, disappearing.

"It really can't be attacked!" Mugino’s face changed drastically. "What in the world is this situation?"

"Heaven knows. We can only draw conclusions after it fully forms," Lin Luo said with considerable frustration. Knowing a monster that could bring disaster was about to be born, yet being unable to stop it—watching helplessly—was deeply annoying.

Frustration aside, however, he couldn't simply leave. He had a faint, growing suspicion.

"That damned little brat! She actually wasted my most precious resurrection opportunity! Damn it, I will never forgive you!"

Just then, the humanoid light sphere suddenly solidified, and an intensely furious voice emanated from within. Almost simultaneously, Lin Luo finally learned its true identity because:

"System detected Hunter's Book. Master: Ling Yi. LV2 Walker. Core Ability: Hunting. Strength Evaluation: Spirit Tier Initial Stage."

The Book of Contracts issued its cold notification.