Using Nique's [Unseen Things] to achieve a shared perspective effect, then relying on Kuro's mobility to scout for potential dangers in the swamp.
The application and coordination of abilities allowed Law's team to explore the location of Nitro Rice and the possible activity range of the Hellbell in a safe environment.
Finally, Law used his ability to transfer Kuro's ear into the Hide-and-Seek dimension. Although it was one-way communication, the effect was far better than using a walkie-talkie.
A key point was removing Kuro's hearing.
Although it was uncertain if this could resist Hellbell's murderous bell sounds, it was worth trying.
In the projected image on the wall, Kuro stepped into the swamp filled with aquatic plants. His agile body walked on it as if on solid ground.
The surroundings were silent, with not even the sound of small insects rubbing against grass blades, exuding an eerie atmosphere everywhere.
"I don't want to fall here."
While walking, Kuro vigilantly observed his surroundings, raising his concentration to the maximum.
Other people's Nen Beasts chose an easy game difficulty, and at most, they'd lose some of their master's Nen upon death.
But he was different. From birth, his game difficulty was set to hell mode. If he accidentally fell, his level would reset to zero, starting over from scratch.
"It's too quiet, barely hearing any sound. Should I just go straight in until Law gives new orders?"
Kuro stopped, looking around, not seeing any trace of Nitro Rice or Hellbell for now.
However, in a swamp where plants grew so lush, there was no sound from any living creatures.
Kuro had experienced environments like this several times before, but this time was different from the past… almost no backup.
Before, at least Law was by his side, providing a strong sense of security.
Now, he was fighting alone.
No wind, silence.
The lush, haystack-shaped leaves were almost still.
Miniature groves were scattered around, each tree looking the same, with white and red striped leaves hanging down like long hair.
The trees were generally not tall, only about three meters, and the slightly oddly colored leaves hung in clusters to less than a meter above the ground.
"Damn it, I can't hear anything!" Kuro's eyes showed seriousness.
But soon, he realized something.
'Damn, Law transferred my ears to the Hide-and-Seek dimension. Of course, I can't hear anything.'
Realizing this, Kuro was instantly so embarrassed he wished he could vanish. Fortunately, the sound here couldn't reach the Hide-and-Seek dimension either, so Law and the others probably hadn't noticed anything.
Kuro sheepishly lowered his gaze, completely unaware that the swamp's current situation was indeed silent, as if no living creatures existed here.
"Go straight."
Suddenly, Law's command sounded beside his ear.
He clearly had no ears, but it felt like he did. And Law clearly wasn't here, yet the voice clearly sounded beside his ear.
Kuro paused, took a step, and continued forward, his peripheral vision constantly sweeping left and right.
"Damn it, whether it's the aquatic grass clumps or those trees, they're all too lush."
Following Law's command, Kuro only walked straight, but when encountering grass clumps or groves ahead on his route, he would temporarily avoid them.
The lush leaves could provide hiding spots for Hellbell or other creatures, appearing like time bombs in Kuro's eyes.
This feeling was uncomfortable, especially when alone.
One hundred meters, one kilometer...
Kuro entered the swamp, traveling about three kilometers deep. During this time, he encountered no attacks but also found no trace of Nitro Rice.
Hide-and-Seek Dimension.
"Strange. The Federation of Ochima's thousand-person team was wiped out before even entering the swamp, indicating Hellbell had a very strong territorial nature. But Kuro has walked nearly three kilometers without encountering a single Hellbell."
Law looked at the synchronized image on the wall, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Hmm, that is indeed strange," Ging lowered his eyelids slightly, sharing the same doubt as Law.
It wasn't just incongruous… it was abnormal.
"Could they have been eaten by other creatures?" Sheila wondered.
"That possibility can't be ruled out. After all, it's intelligence from many years ago, and no one knows what happened during this time," Law glanced at Sheila.
"But if Hellbell was eaten by some stronger creature, after Kuro walked this far, any such creature should have shown itself by now, right?" Shiro touched his chin, pondering.
"The Black Shadow."
Tonpa suddenly reminded.
"What?" Shiro looked at Tonpa.
"It's an existence that roams the Dark Continent, constantly devouring creatures it encounters along the way. We encountered it many times on the western Dark Continent. It's a terrifying thing you can only avoid, not confront directly," Tonpa said gravely.
"You mean this so-called Black Shadow devoured all Hellbells in the swamp?" Shiro's eyes showed a strange light.
"Unlikely."
Biscuit shook her head. The distance between the eastern and western Dark Continent was equivalent to a round trip from the Six Continents to the Dark Continent. Even with the turtle's help, it took them at least a month to get from the Six Continents to the Dark Continent.
Tonpa looked at Biscuit and said, "What I mean is, there might be a similar existence here, with no fixed territory, just roaming like a bloodthirsty hunter, searching for targets."
"If there are no Hellbells in the swamp, it's possible they were wiped out by such an existence. That would explain why there are no creatures in the swamp. After all, an existence like the Black Shadow wouldn't spare even an ant along its path."
"This possibility can't be ruled out," Biscuit nodded.
"Guessing back and forth here is meaningless," Law stared at the projection and said to Kuro's ear, "Kuro, expand your activity range. If you encounter enemies, avoid combat immediately. The primary target is Nitro Rice."
In the swamp, Kuro raised his right paw, indicating he heard.
Aside from Law's command, he also heard the others' conversation.
"So, Hellbells in the swamp might have been wiped out by something like the Black Shadow, but it's also possible that some unknown creature that wiped out the snakes now occupies the swamp."
"Anyway, it's dangerous."
Kuro muttered to himself a few sentences, then obeyed Law's command, expanding his activity range.
As he continued deeper, the surroundings remained completely still, making Kuro feel like he was in no man's land, as if claiming territory made it his own.
After nearly an hour of searching, Kuro had reached roughly the swamp's heartland, not encountering a single mosquito.
But he noticed the trees a few hundred meters away were different from before. On the watermelon-head-shaped tree crowns stood a few corn-like objects.
"Could that be Nitro Rice?" Kuro thought.
Seeing this through the synchronized projection, Law had the same thought as Kuro.
"Go check. It might be Nitro Rice," Law said.
Hearing this, Kuro immediately headed towards the trees with the unknown corn-like objects on their crowns. However, he didn't walk fast. Even after an hour without encountering any creatures, he still didn't let his guard down.
One hundred meters, fifty meters, thirty meters...
The closer he got, the more nervous Kuro became, afraid some ghostly thing would suddenly jump out.
But when he levitated and approached the unknown corn-like object, nothing happened.
Precisely because of that, it felt even more eerie.