Strange Snake and the Village

"No problem."

After the inspection was completed, the middle-aged man led the group away into the distance.

At this moment, the Guide, sitting by the car, waved to them and casually said, "Be careful. If you need me to pick you up, just give me a call, and I'll give you a discount."

The middle-aged man looked at the group and asked, "Are you planning to go to the Village?"

Men Qi nodded.

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, once you're in the Village, you have to follow the village rules. You're Hunter x Hunter, so you must have gathered all the necessary information. I won't go into details."

"If you're not comfortable here, leave now. Okay, you can go in now."

As he spoke, he led the group to a stone tablet.

The stone tablet was densely covered with incomprehensible characters and symbols.

Kevin narrowed his eyes slightly, roughly guessing that it was the God Text).

A font related to Nen ability.

He had only learned a little bit, so it wasn't very useful, but it was relatively easy for him to recognize the God Text" (shen).

The middle-aged man stood before the stone tablet, no longer moving forward.

The group nodded, and Gowen even bowed to express his gratitude.

Watching the group's retreating figures, the middle-aged man sighed and muttered, "Coming at this time—luckily, these young men don't seem to be weak."

He's a veteran in this industry, and his judgment of people is pretty accurate.

Ahead of them lay a sparsely wooded plain, with a narrow path stretching into the distance and danger signs posted along the roadside.

"Did you sense anything when you first came in?" Kevin asked.

"Feelings?" Men Qi looked at him questioningly.

Kevin nodded and said, "It's like passing through a thin membrane; there should be a barrier formed by Nen ability on the outside."

The exact effects are still uncertain, but it certainly influences the amount of mental energy.

However, the other three did not notice.

They don't have the same level of control over Nen ability as Kevin, nor are they as sensitive to the Kevin Nen Aura acting on them.

However, this also suggests that the barrier's effect is very weak; its function is probably to prevent creatures in the Secret Realm from freely crossing the area's Boundary.

Come here~

A gentle breeze blew by, and Kevin heard this sound.

Upon hearing the sound, he immediately stopped and frowned.

Men Qi and the others, who were walking, quickly stopped and became alert.

"What did you find?" Men Qi asked.

"[Coming sound], I heard you," Kevin replied.

"So unlucky?" Men Qi couldn't help but click her tongue.

This is a phenomenon unique to the Secret Realm, and its specific mechanism is unknown.

Some Hunter x Hunter will hear a voice telling them to pass through after entering the Secret Realm.

This sound disappears upon entering Village or leaving Secret Realm, and its appearance is highly random, with only a very few Hunter x Hunter able to hear it.

Intelligence suggests that following this sound could lead to the lair of dangerous creatures.

Hunter x Hunter with skill and curiosity can go and investigate, while those without should simply ignore it.

Not following the past will not pose any danger or cause any other problems; it may just be a little annoying.

They were so unlucky; they ran into them as soon as they came in.

"How about we leave it for now and go check it out later when we have a chance?" Men Qi suggested casually. After all, they had confidence in Kevin's fighting skills.

"Let's go, things aren't that simple," Kevin said.

What did you find?

I can't believe it Buhaci asked curiously. After all, their intelligence didn't mention the specific reason for the sound.

To this day, no one has been able to find out.

Kevin nodded and said, "It's Resentment. If I'm not mistaken, it should be the sound of someone's post-mortem Nen."

In other circumstances, Kevin might not have noticed, but if it's related to post-mortem Nen, then it just so happens to be something he excels at.

While Kevin couldn't guarantee how deep his understanding of post-mortem Nen was, his sensitivity to it was unquestionable.

He not only personally stripped away the post-mortem Nen, but also witnessed its formation process firsthand.

Is it post-mortem Nen?

Just get close.

He could tell immediately; it wasn't difficult for him. He never expected the voice to actually be caused by the post-mortem Nen.

"I didn't expect you to be able to find out, and you've even researched this stuff?" Men Qi muttered to herself, then didn't ask any more questions.

"Don't worry about it too much, it's just a couple of sentences. We can look into it later when we have time."

Kevin said.

After all, it's only the end of September now, and they'll be staying until at least next year before leaving, because the Harvest Festival is held at the end of each year, at the moment of New Year's Eve.

So the group continued their unhurried advance. They weren't in a rush, knowing that the Danger Level would increase dramatically once they entered the Secret Realm.

According to intelligence, there are a large number of creatures here that possess Nen Aura, or even those who have mastered Nen ability.

"Bang! Shatter!" A dull thud came from the ground, and they could even feel the earth beneath their feet trembling.

The group exchanged glances, then immediately hid in the nearby bushes, constricting their Nen Aura and entering a state of "absolute" concentration.

Silently look in the direction from which the sound came.

The tremors grew louder and louder, and then, behind a small hill in the distance at the edge of the field of vision, a huge shadow appeared.

A head covered in green moss and weeds emerged from the top of the hillside; this head alone was several times larger than an adult. Then, the enormous body slowly emerged.

This was an extremely enormous creature.

Honestly, if Kevin hadn't known about the existence of the Dark Continent, he wouldn't have believed such a thing could exist.

This colossal creature was at least fifteen meters tall, possibly even twenty meters, like a small building on the move. It looked somewhat like a dinosaur, but much more robust, its body covered in plants and mud.

The colossal object slowly passed in the distance, until the rumbling sound of its movement gradually diminished and eventually disappeared.

"This... this is the Secret Realm?"

Men Qi stared blankly, unable to help but ask. It was her first time entering an area Blockade by the Hunter Association, and she hadn't expected to be given such a "baptism of fire" right after entering.

Kevin simply nodded slightly; to be honest, he felt it was acceptable.

This behemoth was about the same size as the Calamity Dragon when it stood up, but the Calamity Dragon was much more powerful and imposing than this dinosaur-like creature. Moreover, the Calamity Dragon was more fantastical and had a stronger impact.

"Intelligence data is cold and impersonal; it only becomes a living reality when actual objects appear before your eyes," Xiahara remarked.

They had read about this giant creature in intelligence reports. It was said that the meat on its tail was delicious, while the meat on other parts was just average, and its bones could be ground into a special seasoning powder with a unique flavor.

"Why aren't you surprised at all?" Men Qi looked at Kevin strangely.

I recently fought with someone like that.

Kevin had just finished speaking when he suddenly seemed to sense something and abruptly turned his head to look to the side.

At this moment, Gowen stood there slightly, his eyes narrowed to slits, looking as if he were almost asleep.

Without hesitation, Kevin threw a punch at Gowen.

"Bang!"

The immense impact sent Gowen staggering back several steps, landing hard on his backside. He was completely unprepared.

After being hit, Gowen seemed to regain his senses, quickly got up from the ground, and a Knight's sword appeared in his hand.

He naturally held the sword blade horizontally in front of him, assuming a defensive stance.

The hilt of this Knight's sword is blue-gold, and the guard extends to both sides in a cross shape with an elegant color and a clear sapphire set in the center.

The straight, broad blade stretched forward, engraved with incomprehensible patterns; to be honest, it looked very cool.

Kevin guessed that the sword was a product of Materialization Type Nen ability, or possibly Specialization Type.

Kevin's sudden attack caused Gowen to instinctively make defensive movements, but he quickly realized that he did not seem to have been attacked in any real way, and his body did not feel any pain. On the contrary, his mind suddenly became clear.

However, he immediately felt extremely weak and quickly stuck the sword blade into the ground to support himself.

"I---" Gowen's voice was weak and feeble.

Kevin immediately pulled a vial of medicine from his bag and handed it to Gowen. Gowen took the medicine and drank it without thinking.

As soon as the medicine was ingested, its effects quickly took hold, and Gowen's weakness immediately subsided.

"Looks like you've been poisoned," Kevin said.

"When?" Gowen was completely puzzled by Kevin's words; he had no idea when he had been poisoned.

Kevin gave Gowen an [Antidote], a simple and easy-to-use potion that Hunter x Hunter usually carry with them when they go out. As long as it's not a special poison related to Nen ability, it can quickly cure the symptoms of poisoning.

Even poisons related to Nen ability can temporarily suppress and alleviate their effects.

In short, this is a very practical potion that sells very well and is a must-buy for every VIP user. Moreover, it is simple to make and its grade is not even C-Rank.

At this moment, Men Qi and the other two were also very surprised, because they had been acting together and had not noticed when Gowen had been poisoned.

This means that the poisoner could potentially harm them without their knowledge.

Then, the group jumped back a few steps, their eyes all turning to the bushes they had just been hiding in. They had been in a "perfect" state in the bushes for at least ten minutes.

The group fired their Nen Aura in a probing motion, scanning the bushes. However, they were at least twenty meters away from the bushes.

Kevin frowned because nothing was detected.

He began to move forward, rebuilding his own "circle".

Kevin's "circle" can be irregular, but the more the "circle" expands, the lower the precision will be if his own strength is insufficient.

He didn't know if others felt this way, but at least he did. The farther he Nen Aura, the weaker his control became.

If the Nen Aura travels no more than ten meters from the body, then nothing within the "circle" can escape his perception.

This has nothing to do with whether the "circle" is regular or not; ten meters is a limitation for him, which is obviously related to the characteristics of his Emission Nen ability. If he didn't have excellent control over his Nen ability, he probably wouldn't even be able to reach a range of ten meters.

Kevin finally spotted what was hidden within the bushes when he was within ten meters of them.

It was a snake, about the thickness of an index finger and no more than twenty centimeters long.

"Whoosh!" Kevin suddenly rushed into the bushes and grabbed the snake hiding inside.

The snake clearly hadn't expected to be caught so suddenly, and instinctively it lunged to bite Kevin's arm. However, its tilted head collided with Kevin's steel-hard Nen Aura barrier, and instead of biting him, it knocked itself dizzy.

Kevin grabbed the snake's head and used his Nen Aura to create a Cage, hollow in the middle and surrounded by hexagonal shapes, trapping the snake inside. This was a little trick he had mastered.

Men Qi and the others gathered around.

"It really is the Hidden Snake," Buhaci said. Having thoroughly studied the intelligence, he had already made this guess.

Kevin didn't seem surprised. After all, Hunter x Hunter have a certain understanding of the creatures in the Secret Realm, and this information is clearly recorded in intelligence reports, especially some of the key marked creatures.

Gowen stared at the unremarkable, silvery-gray snake. He knew about the Hidden Snake and the symptoms of its bite, but he hadn't expected to be bitten so soon after entering the Secret Realm. If he hadn't been with Kevin and the others, he probably would have been killed as soon as he entered.

[Hidden Snake]

Its name itself reveals its characteristics—superb stealth, as if it could become invisible.

If you are bitten by it, you might not even notice the venom injected.

This creature can induce drowsiness in other organisms through its venom, similar to being anesthetized.

Its venom is said to be a top-grade natural anesthetic, capable of rapidly circulating through the bloodstream without being detected by the body's immune system or causing any rejection reaction. After the venom is metabolized, it leaves no trace in the body.

The Hidden Snake feeds on blood, but its size suggests that it can only suck a limited amount of blood at a time. Therefore, unless the person bitten is extremely unlucky, they may not even know what happened to them when they wake up.

Kevin was pleasantly surprised to learn that the entire body of the Hidden Snake was made of top-grade C-Rank material.

So Kevin reached out and flicked the Hidden Snake, instantly knocking it unconscious.

He took the specially made sealed bag from Men Qi and carefully sealed the Hidden Snake inside.

These sealing bags were specially used by Men Qi and his team to seal various materials, and have proven to be very practical in practice.

"A good harvest."

Kevin smiled as he looked at the snake in the bag.

He was eager to know what kind of potion could be made using this highly stealthy snake. The moment he saw the Hidden Snake, he had some ideas.

"This isn't a good place to research medicine," Men Qi complained.

"Of course I know, I'm just happy," Kevin replied with a smile.

After calming themselves down, the group continued on their way.

This time, they dared not be careless again. Their recent encounter had taught them a lesson that, in some ways, was even more powerful than the giant beast that had walked past them.

While remaining vigilant, they encountered no further danger along the way and successfully ventured deeper into the Secret Realm.

The sky gradually darkened.

"Shall we take a break?" Xiahara asked.

Men Qi shook his head and said, "Based on other Hunter x Hunter's experience, under normal circumstances, if you follow this path, you should be able to reach the village around nightfall."

They estimated that they were not far from the village, so they decided to rest there once they reached it.

After all, whatever they intend to do in the Secret Realm, using villages as bases to carry out their operations is a pre-planned procedure, so there shouldn't be any problems.

"Then let's keep going," Kevin said, gazing at the clouds in the distance.

As darkness fell, they ventured deeper into the Secret Realm. Kevin gradually sensed something amiss in his surroundings—not a change in the environment itself, but rather a faint, almost imperceptible "something" permeating the air.

"Mr. Kevin, what's wrong?"

Gowen looked at Kevin and could sense something was wrong from his expression and behavior. Kevin was walking forward, looking at the sky with a slight frown.

"It shouldn't be my imagination; the further we go in, the more obvious the Resentment becomes. Although it's a strange feeling, there is indeed a faint Resentment permeating the air," Kevin said.

The Resentment was extremely faint, even fainter than the "Coming sound" he had heard when he first entered the Secret Realm during the day. It was so faint that Kevin was not entirely sure if his senses were accurate.

"You mean the village might not be safe?" Gowen asked.

"Not necessarily." Kevin shook his head. "After all, the villagers are said to be Curse, and this is Secret Realm."

This situation is considered normal.

If everything were normal, this place wouldn't be called Secret Realm; they were prepared for that.

The group did not stop and continued moving towards the village.

After the sky had completely darkened, they saw lights flickering in the distance.

"We're almost there," Men Qi said softly.