Legendary Soul Art

The members of the hunting team were only waiting for the signal before they all flew up into the darkness and their Soul Arts illuminated the cavern once again. Their tactic seemed quite simple from the very beginning and it was to distract the beast with all the weak attacks to pull it away from its nest.

The Emerald Viper was clearly weakened by the breakthrough but it caught the bait and started snapping its maw in defense. Its venom gushed out at the hunters but they never stopped moving. They knew even a single drop could melt their bodies and it equaled a certain death.

"We are going to move as soon as the Emerald Viper uncovers its nest," Baldy informed as he watched the scene from afar. "We need to secure the eggs before joining the rest to finish off the beast."

Baldy heard no response from his new partner so he turned around to check on him but Number One wasn't behind him anymore. He was already in the middle of the stalagmite field which was dangerously close to the battlefield.

"Fuck!" Badly could only curse as he followed after Number One and grabbed his uniform to pull him to the ground. "What are you doing?! You are going to ruin the mission!"

"I'm just exploring on my own. Don't worry about me and just do your thing. It's not like you expected a lot from me anyway," Number One pointed out casually and jerked Baldy away. "I will join you when the nest is uncovered so just be on the lookout."

Number One didn't wait for Badly's reaction and moved away once again. Baldy wasn't even treating him badly so it was a bit selfish but he couldn't let go of this opportunity. The stalagmites on the ground had a white hue to them which was a clear sign of the Emerald Milk. He just needed to find the right place and the most possible location was near the nest.

Contrary to Number One's expectations, Baldy didn't ignore his decision and followed closely behind. "I don't know what you are looking for but we are sticking together. If you happen to die, the Captain will blame me so I can't let you go alone."

It wasn't the dream situation for Number One but he didn't argue. The two of them sneaked towards the nest much earlier than anticipated and Number One finally spotted the treasure he was looking for. The only problem was its location which caused him to frown.

A pure white stalagmite was sticking out in the middle of the Emerald Viper's nest while the pool of white liquid was used as a bath for two giant eggs. Any Alchemist would quickly grab their head and pull on their hair in frustration as the situation wasn't too close to catastrophe. Just a single drop of Emerald Viper's venom or its blood could easily contaminate the Emerald Milk and make it useless.

"We can't go in yet," Baldy warned as he tried his best to hide from the Emerald Viper's vision. "Once we reach the nest we will be noticed and the whole plan will go to waste. Don't do anything stupid."

The Emerald Viper was still protecting its eggs with the end of its tail while the hunting team tried to lure it away. Their efforts seemed to be fruitless though as the beast wasn't as willing to fight as they thought.

"It will take ages before they succeed and it will be too late by then. Your hunting team is playing it too safe," Number One commented as he watched the weak Soul Arts that didn't even scratch the Emerald Viper's skin. They wanted to act like they were weak to make the beast fight them more directly but he didn't have this much patience.

"I'm going in," Number One informed without any room for negotiations and his Heavenly Feather lit up as he dashed towards the nest. He didn't really have much time to practice his movement Soul Art but he didn't have a choice.

Hssss!

The Emerald Viper immediately noticed the slight movement at the corner of its eyes and stared at its nest as if looking for the enemy. Captain Jack only needed to take a look at the entrance of the cavern to know what was going on and he cursed with his face darkened, "Damn you, Baldy! Everyone, fire all you have!"

The atmosphere in the cavern changed in a blink of an eye as the hunters switched to their primary weapon. They formed Soul Bows in their palms and fired a volley of arrows at the viper's head. It dodged the majority of them but some still hit the target and drew the first blood of the battle.

"Get those damn eggs while we stop it!" Captain Jack cried out towards the nest as he charged into the battle himself. He closed in the melee range with a Soul Whip in hand and hovered right in the Emerald Viper's path.

The beast finally realized what was their plan and completely abandoned the nest to give itself more room for maneuver. It tried dropping all the way to the ground to wiggle back towards its eggs but Captain Jack was quick to block it again.

Pa!

Captain Jack slapped the whip in the air and the thunderous explosion pushed the Emerald Viper back. He kept whipping while checking the progress behind only for his eyes to widen.

Badly wasn't even inside the nest yet and instead, it was Number One. He was completely naked as he jumped inside the milky pool and swam toward two eggs that bathed on their own.

"Pass me the eggs!" Badly called out as he caught up to the nest and Number One finally listened. He threw the two eggs one by one and Baldy caught them into two nets he prepared beforehand.

"Mission complete!" Badly announced as soon as he secured the eggs on his back and the hunting team quickly regrouped to protect him. Alive objects couldn't be placed inside the Storage Rings so they still had to carry the eggs outside without damaging them.

"The party is not over!" Captain Jack reminded as he continued to face the beast on his own and he immediately received assistance. This time they didn't need to worry about destroying the eggs so they went all on the offensive.

Only Number One was paying no attention to the battle as he was in his own paradise. He expected to find a small puddle of the Emerald Milk yet he received a whole pool all to himself. He swiftly started filling every vial he had in his possession and when that wasn't enough, he began draining the pool into his heavenly space.

His actions didn't escape the hunting team's eyes but they were too busy with the battle to question him. The Emerald Viper grew more aggressive as he charged at Captain Jack but it was in a clear losing position. It stopped using its venom to avoid destroying its eggs and the whips stopped any chances of advancement.

"Number One! Regroup with the team! We are going to block the entrance to cut off the exit!" Captain Jack ordered sternly since Number One was the only one they were waiting for. Too bad, he was only done sucking up the pool while his main job wasn't over yet.

"It's okay, you can leave me behind," Number One called out casually as he dressed up and walked up to the white stalagmite in the middle. He had to undress earlier to minimize the contamination but the striptease show was already over.

Many would miss this but the solid rock in the middle of the pool was simply a condensed Emerald Milk that could be easily converted into its liquid form. With the spike being as tall and thick as him, Number One could easily create one or two more pools of similar size.

"We are not leaving anyone behind! Someone get him here before the Emerald Viper decides to—" Captain Jack scolded from afar but he wasn't able to finish speaking when his worries came to reality.

The Emerald Viper seemed to realize that he can't beat the whole hunting team so it switched its target. It wiggled back before launching towards the lone Number One who was hugging onto the solid Emerald Milk.

"Watch out!" Everyone shouted to warn him as they held their breaths but the Emerald Viper was quicker. It slammed against the milky stalagmite and swallowed it whole together with Number One who was holding it tightly.

Luna's heart almost stopped at the sight of Number One being eaten alive but Nami placed her hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Don't worry, it was his plan all along. I will definitely punish him for it later."

The whole top class turned to Nami in confusion just before the cavern lit up like a sun and blinded everyone watching. They immediately realized what was going on and rolled their eyes speechlessly.

Number One made them worry for nothing.