An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori (official version)

A Black Scorpion Squad member was perched on the tree. He plucked the first revitalberry and reached for the

second.

Suddenly, his arm spasmed involuntarily in response to the sharp sting. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a red

bug on his palm, roughly the size of an ant.

The red bug tore through his skin with razor-sharp mandibles and burrowed into his flesh. Panic surged as he

tried to swat it away, but his efforts proved futile.

In a matter of moments, the red bug had embedded itself deep into his arm, gnawing at his flesh while laying

eggs.

The intense pain forced the Black Scorpion Squad member to scream, and he fell from the tree. His arm rapidly

decayed, swarming with countless red bugs, creating a nightmarish scene.

“Help! Somebody, please help!” The Black Scorpion Squad member cried out in distress, writhing on the ground.

His body seemed to wither before their eyes as if he were turning into a desiccated corpse.

In a heartbeat, the once-muscular man transformed into a skeletal figure with wrinkles etched across his

shrunken form.

“What the heck?”

The crowd, witnessing this horrifying spectacle, gasped collectively.

What seemed like a healthy person just moments ago was now teetering on the brink of death, his dried-up

appearance implying that his blood had been sucked dry.

“Look at his hand!”

An observant onlooker pointed out the Black Scorpion Squad member's arm, which was now entirely rotten, with

visible bones and a surge of red bugs crawling between flesh and bone. The bugs were reproducing at an

alarming rate, continuously hatching new ones.

The red bugs laid eggs in batches, ranging from dozens to hundreds. As they fed more on flesh and blood, their

reproduction accelerated.

Soon, almost half of the Black Scorpion Squad member's body was overtaken by the red bugs, creating a

horrifying spectacle.

“SaveSave me...” The screams of the Black Scorpion Squad member gradually faded into feeble moans.

His attempt to seek assistance faltered as his remaining hand, raised in desperation, was gnawed by the

relentless red bugs. In a matter of minutes, the once-living man turned into a lifeless skeleton.

“What ... What on earth are those bugs? Where did they cfrom?”

“Oh my goodness! Did that person just get devoured like that?”

The crowd, shocked by the horrific scene, trembled in fear. With no understanding of the unfolding events, they

just witnessed a Black Scorpion Squad member suddenly fall from the tree, devoured by a swarm of red bugs.

Amidst the confusion, another squad member suffered a similar fate, falling from the tree. This grim sequence

continued, with more members experiencing the sunfortunate outcome.

Soon, all the squad members who had climbed the tree to harvest revitalberries fell to the ground, writhing in

pain.

“Ah! My hand! My hand!”

“Bugs! There are bugs inside my body!”

“Captain! Save me!”

The squad members cried and pleaded, writhing on the ground in agony. After all, the pain of being devoured by

countless bugs was unbearable for ordinary individuals.

Garrett's face changed, and he urgently directed his two trusted aides to assist.

“Quick! Cut off their arms!”

Due to the swift reproduction of the bugs, he realized that those infected would turn into skeletons within

minutes. With no tto devise a better plan, he had to act quickly to save his squad members.

So, he and his two aides armed with knives rushed forward to sever the infected arms, preventing the bugs from

spreading further.

The contaminated arms were promptly devoured by the red bugs, leaving only bones behind. As they observed

the horde of red bugs, Garrett and his aides couldn’t shake off the chill running down their spines.

A delay of just a few seconds would have resulted in the entire squad meeting the sgrim fate.

“Medics! Bandage those wounds and stop their bleeding!” Grace quickly took charge, directing her team to care

for the injured.

Despite limited resources, they were fortunate to have ample medical supplies.

“Captain! What's going on here? Where did these strange poisonous bugs cfrom?” the bald, burly man

exclaimed, clearly taken aback.

“It’s the revitalberries!” she asserted firmly. “Anyone who touches it ends up getting infected. | suspect these

strange berries to be the root cause.”

“Revitalberries?”

Garrett frowned and walked over to a fallen member. He peered into the bag with the revitalberries.

His complexion paled immediately upon discovering that the once- translucent berries had ruptured open. Inside,

red bug larvae squirmed within the now murky flesh, turning it into their breeding ground.

“Hurry! Get rid of those revitalberries! There are bugs in them! Don’t use your hands!”

Garrett swiftly beckoned his two loyal aides, instructing them to use the sword handles to toss the bags away.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly valuable revitalberries harbored a swarm of flesh -eating bugs.

This discovery prompted a collective hesitation, particularly among the Embersteel Order disciples, who wore

expressions of relief, having narrowly escaped death.

Fortunately, their cautious approach prevented them from suffering a fate like that of the Black Scorpion Squad

members-severed limbs or even death.

The bleeding from the severed limbs of Black Scorpion Squad members finally ceased after bandaging.

Yet, a significant setback loomed as they grappled with the loss of their dominant hands. The pursuit of treasure

now took a back seat to the pressing challenge of survival.

The bleeding from the severed limbs of the Black Scorpion Squad members finally stopped after bandaging.

Despite this relief, they encountered a significant setback-the loss of their dominant hands. The pursuit of

treasure, once their primary goal, now took a backseat to the formidable challenge of survival.

As Garrett witnessed his comrades suffering and perishing, a dark expression of remorse clouded his face.

However, he realized that regret was a futile sentiment at that point.