Regardless, this strange "blue-fluorescence" phenomenon had never been discovered in the Old World. To flee... no, that was absolutely impossible.
Whether they were hunters specialized in combat or scholars and technicians responsible for research in the rear, every person who accepted the summons of the Kingdom and the Commission to board the Research Fleet's ships had already written their final testament.
Among the members of the First Fleet who stumbled upon the New Continent years ago, those unwilling to stay had long since sailed back to the Old World. The subsequent fleets arrived fully understanding what venturing to the New Continent entailed before they ever set sail.
Until the mystery of the Elder Crossing was solved, and until every corner of the New Continent was thoroughly explored, they would rather take root in this land, letting their bones be buried amidst the wastes and forests.
As for the younger generation, like the Field Team Leader, they knew nothing of the Old World, the Kingdom, or the Guild. They were born in Astera; the New Continent was their only home.
So, they would not flee. It was impossible to flee in this lifetime.
Even knowing that the blue-fluorescence could manifest in their own bodies at any moment—mutating and twisting them just like the affected flora and fauna—not a single soul chose to leave the forward operating base. Instead, they took the initiative to make contact with the "blue-fied" Grimalkynes.
"Hmm... strange. Most of the fur is normal and feels quite soft to the touch," the Wyverian researcher said, his face clouded with confusion as he pulled back his high-powered magnifying glass. "But a small portion of the hairs look different. It's as if something is flowing inside them... yet they feel no different when touched."
"Meow?" Black Fruit turned his head blankly. "Flowing, meow? Why would something be moving inside my fur, meow? Don't scare me, meow!"
"Don't panic yet. Do you feel anything yourself?" the Wyverian scholar asked. "For instance, any pain, aching, or a tingling sensation anywhere?"
"None, meow!" Black Fruit hopped in place twice and struck a bodybuilding pose, flexing the muscles on his arms. "I feel very strong, meow! My strength has increased too, meow! Rocks I couldn't budge before, I can now carry from the riverbank all the way home in one go, meow!"
"Then it's a positive mutation," the Wyverian scholar mused. "Strange. Clearly, the mental states of those animals don't seem normal at all."
"What's that supposed to mean, meow?" Black Fruit snapped irritably. "So if I'm normal, that's 'not normal' now, meow?"
"No, no, no. Your hunting and gathering teams must have realized over the past year how different the blue-fied plants and animals are, right?" The Wyverian scholar smiled. "For example, the fish in the river have become more aggressive. Some small organisms grow stronger and, likewise, more hostile."
"...It does seem that way, meow," Black Fruit scratched his head. "I'm not entirely sure, meow. I'm a woodcarver, meow—but I don't feel like I've become grumpy, meow. Since my body got stronger, working is actually happier, meow! I can earn more Zenny, meow!"
The Glavenus Tribe used currency now. Well, not their own, but the hunters' currency, Zenny. After all, they only needed it to buy supplies or novelties from Astera; they had no use for it within their own tribe.
"Could it be that the larger the organism, the less likely the blue-fluorescence affects their sanity?" the Wyverian scholar hypothesized. "Or perhaps your blue-fication isn't deep enough yet? Will you become more irritable as time passes? Will the organ mutations become more severe and twisted? Will you be covered in blue tumors? Aieee!!"
The Wyverian scholar... had been scratched by the cat.
"I told you not to scare me, meow!!"
Black Fruit used Fury Swipes, his scratching forcing the Wyverian scholar into a frantic retreat.
"Ahahaha! Okay, okay, my fault! Don't get so excited, it's just a standard scientific hypothesis," the Wyverian scholar raised his hands in surrender. "Just a guess, just a guess! It doesn't mean it will definitely happen. Look, aren't you still very heal—MY GOD!!!"
The jokingly soothing words suddenly turned into a scream of terror. The scholar's shout caused other researchers and hunters nearby to poke their heads in to see what was happening. What they saw was a... er, Acnidrome?
Perhaps because he was too emotional? Or perhaps because there was a hint of aggression or hostility? In any case, as Black Fruit lunged at the scholar's knees to deliver a flurry of scratches, the fur on his back suddenly exploded outward.
It wasn't the usual "puffed-up" fur common to mammals. It was literal. The fur on his back abruptly fanned out, resembling short arrows aimed at everything behind him, even emitting a faint, ghostly blue luminescence under the sunlight.
"Meow!!!"
Catching a glimpse of the change on his back as he turned his head, Black Fruit jumped in fright. He launched straight up, leaving a dense cluster of tiny punctures in the tent roof above. It was now riddled with holes.
"It actually has offensive power..." a hunter who had leaned in whispered.
Though the tent roof wasn't made of monster hide, it was extremely tough—sufficient to withstand the claws or teeth of small animals. No one expected Black Fruit to puncture it so easily with a single jump.
"Don't move! Whatever you do, don't move!" the Wyverian scholar shouted, his excitement flaring. He gestured for Black Fruit to stay still while speaking rapidly. "And don't overthink! Just maintain your current mood! Remember this feeling!! Don't move!!"
He told the cat not to move, yet he moved himself.
The Wyverian scholar approached cautiously. Black Fruit realized what he was trying to do, so he stayed still, squeezing his eyes shut and furrowing his brow as he tried to memorize the sensation as instructed.
"It's very hard," the scholar whispered, his voice soft to avoid distracting the cat while he suppressed his inner thrill. "That's right. It's that small portion of fur where something seemed to be flowing—they've solidified."
Snap!
The scholar gripped one of the special hairs with tweezers and pulled firmly to the side. He didn't pluck it from Black Fruit's body; instead, it snapped at the base like a brittle thorn.
"Look out!!!"
Faster than words could tell, a nearby hunter lunged forward, tackling the Wyverian scholar to the ground. In the next second, following a slight tremor in Black Fruit's body, a series of sharp whistling sounds rang out—Patter-clatter!! Crash!!!
When the scholar raised his head again, his heart nearly broke.
With Black Fruit's back as the epicenter, everything behind him had been riddled with identical holes. Specimens soaking in translucent jars and liquids were spilled everywhere, and even the books on the table were perforated through and through.
"My thesis!!!"
The Wyverian scholar wailed in agony. He wished it had been himself that was punctured rather than the work on his desk.
"I-I'm fine."
Taking a deep breath, then another, he proved himself a professional scholar. No matter what happened, he had to maintain his composure. The event had already occurred; it was better to study the changes in Black Fruit. This latest research into the blue-fluorescence phenomenon would surely yield a new, even more valuable paper.
Don't be in pain, don't be angry, don't be sad. Calm. I must be calm... the scholar chanted repeatedly in his mind.
"In other words... whew... this must be the special ability you gained after the blue-fication, right?" the scholar said to the hunter who had just protected him. "Thank you. Could you please help me find the hairs that were shot out? Be careful, don't damage their structure."
Watching the hunter leave the tent, the scholar turned back to Black Fruit. "How did you feel just now? Don't be afraid, I'm not blaming you. Can you come closer and let me check your back?"
"S-sorry, meow," Black Fruit said sadly, realizing he had caused trouble and destroyed many of the things belonging to this kind researcher who was helping him. "I'll carve many statues to sell and pay you back, meow."
"It's fine," the scholar chuckled softly. "There were no unique manuscripts here; I just need to collect the data again. Don't worry about it. Come, turn slightly to the side."
Black Fruit obediently turned, making sure his back wasn't facing the scholar directly to prevent another accident.
"As I thought... the hairs that hardened and shot out were only that small portion. Strange, they felt soft at first... Did you feel anything just now? A sudden sense of danger?"
"I can't really say, meow," Black Fruit's ears drooped as he whispered. "It was when you snapped it, meow. Suddenly, my whole body felt uncomfortable, meow. It was like being stared at by some monster, meow... But I didn't want to do that, meow. I just shivered, meow."
As Black Fruit grew more agitated, the scholar had to rub his head to calm him down.
"Don't take it to heart, no one was hurt," the scholar comforted him. "However, you must be careful when you go back. It's best not to let other Grimalkynes touch your back to avoid any accidents."
"I know, meow," Black Fruit nodded vigorously.
"Huh?" The scholar, who was peering at Black Fruit's back, suddenly leaned in closer.
He discovered that the hairs hadn't been completely ejected from the back. Instead, roots of about five millimeters remained. Under the magnifying glass, the scholar could clearly see a bead-like liquid secreting from the cross-section of the hair. In just a short time, it had already formed a bulging semi-circle.
"We need to continue observing," the scholar said, recording the phenomenon. "Stay safe during this time. If you notice any new changes, remember to come back immediately."
"Yes, I have to go warn the Chief, meow," Black Fruit said, scratching his belly. "The other blue-fied meows will probably become like me eventually, right? I have to make them careful, meow."
"Yes, don't worry," the scholar said. "At least your bodies are still healthy for now, with no signs of malignant mutations."
"I hope it stays good forever, meow," Black Fruit said somewhat despondently.
Accidentally almost hurting a human who wanted to help him made it hard to be happy. Combined with the fear of the unknown... even thinking with a cat's tail, having the fur on your back turn into a lethal weapon was just too weird. Moreover, it was uncontrollable—at least for now. What if he hurt his family or friends?
Thinking about it this way, the "good news" of becoming taller, more handsome, and stronger didn't seem quite so good anymore.
But regardless of what Black Fruit thought—whether he loved the change or resisted it—the bodies of this new generation of special Grimalkynes continued to change steadily. As time passed, the blue-fication became more and more apparent.
Given the information provided by Black Fruit, the blue-fied Grimalkynes were now being housed in a corner of the Great Tree's middle layer. Any cat found to be shedding large amounts of fur would be sent here. To date, at least a thousand Grimalkynes had been settled in this area.
Strangely enough, these blue-fied Grimalkynes could touch each other's backs without triggering a physical rejection. Only when they sensed danger—or when a non-blue-fied being caused even the slight damage of snapping a hair—would their back fur rapidly harden and shoot mercilessly toward everything behind them.
Porcupines.
Well, though the Grimalkynes had never seen such a creature, they learned about its characteristics from the scholars who came to treat them. Honestly, even the Grimalkynes themselves thought the description was quite fitting.
The Grimalkynes weren't fools. They had seen what the blue-fied plants and animals in the forest eventually became and the eerie traits they displayed. Consequently, some Grimalkynes asked Sparky and Caly if they should seek help from the Great Glavenus, Asterion.
However, these doubts were ultimately suppressed by Sparky and Caly.
On one hand, it was because the blue-fication had started from every Great Tree in the Ancient Tree Forest and spread outward; the Glavenus Tribe was not unique in this. On the other hand, it was because Black Fruit and the others didn't feel pain or undergo a drastic change in personality.
On the contrary, the blue-fied Grimalkynes were like the Dragon-Chosen warriors of old, constantly growing taller and more powerful. Wasn't that a good thing?
Even if the back fur was dangerous, it was fine as long as they didn't touch it carelessly. This power could even be used to help the tribe hunt stronger prey. As long as no major issues followed, the strength of the Glavenus Tribe would be further enhanced.
Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Meanwhile, Black Fruit's degree of blue-fication remained far ahead of the others. Compared to the other blue-fied Grimalkynes, his eyes had even developed a unique visual ability: Energy Vision.
According to Black Fruit, when he focused his mind and stared at the air in front of him, he could occasionally see blue-white currents flowing, most notably near the roots of the Great Tree and within the underground caverns.
But currently, he was the only one with this visual ability. Black Fruit's education was limited, making it difficult for him to clearly describe the world in his eyes to the scholars. When he activated the ability, others could only see his pupils turn a deep purple, the light emanating from them growing increasingly bright.
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