Storm Vortex X Coming Ashore

May 17, 1997

Almost ten months have passed since Kevin and his companion were exiled to the Dark Continent.

In other words...

Kevin and Melusina had lived in the Dark Continent for nearly a year without any preparation.

Is the Dark Continent dangerous?

Without a doubt, it was indeed a dangerous place.

Kurapika stood atop a makeshift Watchtower, deep in thought.

Over the course of nearly a year, his understanding of the Dark Continent deepened for various reasons.

Initial.

His knowledge of the Dark Continent came from his Uncle Kevin's frequent casual conversations and the Travelogue that Kevin used to always have in his hand.

He later learned that the book was actually a banned book, and that it was jointly banned by several major countries.

In the market, almost none of these books are circulating outside the country; they are all obtained through various means. It's definitely not just a matter of lip service being banned.

When the Five Great Powers are determined to ban something, it's no joke.

Kurapika also loves reading, but he's more lively than Pairo.

Uncle Kevin had mentioned the Dark Continent before, but he hadn't said anything specific; it was just casual conversation. And what he learned from that book, he always thought was a fantasy story.

I never really cared.

It wasn't until Uncle Kevin and his companion went missing that they began to truly investigate.

And it was the first time I learned about the real "world" from Biscuit's perspective.

To be honest, he was shocked when he learned that human society was just a small island in a lake.

Because this is too outrageous.

This was practically a complete upheaval and expansion of his worldview, but fortunately he was young, and had only truly begun to understand modern society a few years prior.

So I accepted it very easily.

In order to rescue Uncle Kevin and his companion, they exerted all their strength and, with the help of Biscuit, learned more about the Dark Continent.

For Nen user, or rather, for Hunter x Hunter.

The Dark Continent isn't actually a very closed-off concept; if you're willing to learn about it, it's easy to get a general understanding.

But once you delve deeper, it becomes extremely difficult.

Kurapika and his friends also encountered this problem.

Until recently, I learned more from Kim and Biscuit's conversation and their explanations.

Jin even shared some detailed information he had gathered from the V5 exploration logs.

The Dark Continent is terrifying, but not that terrifying.

Looking through the records, it's easy to see why the explorations by the Five Great Powers ended in near-total failure.

Because the Five Great Powers have had a very clear objective from the very beginning.

What they wanted was a treasure worthy of being called "hope".

Rock that extend lifespan without any side effects, cure all ailments, and whose small size is enough to generate an enormous amount of electricity—etc.

The list goes on and on.

Even acquiring just one of these would elevate V5, one of the Five Great Powers, to a higher level.

Although the things in that book were based on reality, it didn't elaborate much on the dangers involved.

Such treasures would certainly be essential resources for the survival of some creatures on the Dark Continent.

The environment and living organisms are interconnected.

This is the essence.

Such "hope" is naturally guarded by powerful creatures, perhaps because these treasures are the very substances these creatures rely on for survival.

This naturally led to the near-total annihilation of the army.

If the goal is simply to travel to the Dark Continent, one should not describe those rare items with greed and desire.

Then the security level will increase dramatically.

By comparing the proportions, one can see just how enormous the Dark Continent's area is.

It is precisely because of this extreme scale that there will not be a situation where every single inch is a deadly danger.

That's neither normal nor reasonable.

So as long as you honestly do not compete or fight, and simply seek survival, you can live a good life.

It's not that difficult.

But if going to the Dark Continent is simply a matter of survival, then why bother going?

Everyone who ventures to the Dark Continent is ambitious.

The danger level increased more than tenfold; to put it bluntly, they were just throwing their lives away.

Since they were essentially sent to their deaths, the mortality rate was naturally ridiculously high.

This is why everyone believes the Dark Continent is exceptionally terrifying.

A careful consideration of the cause-and-effect relationship reveals that this is not the case.

At first, Kurapika and the others didn't understand the relationship between these things because they didn't know enough about the Dark Continent.

So it wasn't noticeable that, apart from Biscuit and Kim showing concern and taking action in the first month or two, they actually became increasingly calm afterward.

Through the Prophecy Poem, the two had long foreseen that Kevin and Melusina would have a high chance of surviving as long as they didn't do anything reckless.

Thinking of this Kurapika couldn't help but smile.

Even these two were surprised by Uncle Kevin and his companion's actions.

Because the two of them actually started their journey back on their own.

It even possessed the ability to return early on, but remained there for unknown reasons.

Needless to say, they already knew.

Clearly, Kevin's Nen ability going to the Dark Continent is like Rat entering a rice jar.

The prophecy also subtly suggests that Uncle Kevin's strength is increasing at an alarming rate.

"That's really impressive."

Thinking about this, Kurapika couldn't help but admire himself.

"Who?"

Morel climbed up from below and asked a question.

The sudden sound behind him startled Kurapika, who turned around to look at Morel.

Am I really that careless?

Kurapika couldn't help but ask himself the same question.

Although he was thinking about something and not paying attention, it was still possible that someone had climbed up and he hadn't noticed.

"Ah, sorry, it's just a habit."

Seeing Kurapika's expression, Morel immediately understood what was going on, slapped the back of his head, and laughed heartily.

"It's nothing, it's my own problem."

Kurapika said, but inwardly he couldn't help cursing himself.

It's still too weak, too insignificant.

That makes sense when you think about it.

Since Uncle Kevin and his companion left, the pressure from the outside world naturally increased without Kevin's protection.

Although it wasn't targeted at any external party.

But without their anchor, the people at the Nosra Manor remained restless.

In addition, a great deal of effort will be required to seek assistance that might help Uncle Kevin and his companion return.

This resulted in him not spending time exercising for a long time.

"It's time for your shift change. You can go back to camp now."

Morel said.

Kurapika nodded.

"I'll leave this to you."

Morel chuckled twice, waved his hand, and watched Kurapika leave.

My gaze fell upon the calm sea.

Are they really waiting for illegal immigrants?

He accepted the task and carried out many related actions and cover-ups, which he initially didn't care about.

But as time went on, the actions of these people still made him think about them.

What exactly are they doing?

What's so special about this island?

This hidden matter is absolutely important.

He knew it all just by seeing Biscuit and King.

Both of them were renowned figures in the Hunter x Hunter community.

Biscuit, needless to say, is a true veteran Hunter x Hunter with a high reputation among Hunter x Hunter.

Kim, too, had a high reputation, but also a notorious one.

This is also a manifestation of strength.

Everyone only ever talks about how Jin has an annoying personality; no one ever mentions his other abilities.

And he wasn't stupid.

As Ocean Hunter, Morel harbored a dream of conquering the Dark Continent.

It's hard for someone in his line of work not to have thoughts about the Dark Continent.

However, traveling to the Dark Continent is indeed troublesome, and the rewards may not outweigh the risks.

But their interest was enough to motivate these Hunter x Hunter to learn some information.

This island.

Seriously speaking, we've reached the Boundary of human-controlled waters.

Even his specially made ship would need to sail at sea for one or two months to get here from the harbor.

Boundary, isolated island, concealment, the strong, waiting.

Putting these words together, he felt that unless he was an idiot, he could guess what it was about.

As for why it wasn't a smuggling operation, it was because no relevant preparations had been made, and he didn't believe these people could fool him, not even Biscuit and King.

Moreover, although the two of them did not explicitly tell him about it, they did not deliberately hide it from him either.

After all, his responsibility was to cover up the operation and transport personnel.

It's either going or coming back.

But if it's a return trip, why would they engage in such strange behavior?

Given their capabilities, they should have prepared for the rendezvous well in advance; there shouldn't have been so much preparation and cover-up needed at the last minute.

In other words, this was an accident.

In his conjecture.

It's likely that a smuggling team with close ties to the two of them traveled to the Dark Continent, and then something went wrong with the rendezvous, passing the information to the two of them. That's why the two of them carried out the rendezvous operation under such urgent circumstances.

This was all he could think of.

Moreover, given the tight secrecy surrounding it, there's only one possibility: this operation was successful.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement within him.

Smuggling is a tacitly accepted practice.

As long as you have the ability to find a route for smuggling.

No joke, even he himself, a seasoned Ocean Hunter has spent years in the Outer Sea, had no idea of the smuggling route.

If a smuggling team can find Smuggling Route and returns in disgrace, they don't need to hide or conceal anything.

This was originally a tacit understanding.

A large-scale, formal exploration is difficult, almost impossible; otherwise, he wouldn't have yearned for the Dark Continent.

However, it's not impossible for small groups of troops to sneak across the border if you have the ability.

That was fruitful.

What could it be?

It can't possibly be hope, can it?

He thought it was unlikely.

The Dark Continent is filled with countless treasures and artifacts, but only what the most powerful nations truly crave can be called "hope."

If they really bring this thing back, it will be impossible to hide it.

As a seasoned Hunter x Hunter, he dared to say that.

That means we've made some progress.

He sorted through his thoughts and came to a possible conclusion about his hiring.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he frowned and looked at the sky.

The island, which had been bathed in sunshine, now appeared somewhat gloomy.

This is clearly a sign that rain is coming.

"Beep beep!"

The walkie-talkie on his waist started beeping, followed by a message.

"The surrounding celestial phenomena are undergoing rapid changes, unlike normal celestial phenomena!"

Hearing these words, Morel frowned.

Something went wrong.

He picked up the pipe and exhaled into it, and a large amount of smoke billowed out. This purple smoke formed one humanoid gaseous shape after another and began to move.

After finishing, he picked up the binoculars from behind his back and began to search the sea.

A temporary camp on a distant island.

A large amount of supplies and various exploration equipment are placed here.

Kurapika, who had just returned to rest, rushed out upon receiving the notification.

Biscuit looked at him seriously and said.

"Based on what we understand from the prophecy, Kevin and the others should be returning."

Kurapika had also considered this possibility, and his face was already beaming with barely suppressed joy.

But then he thought about the unexpected things that might happen, and suppressed the excitement and joy in his heart.

With a frown and a serious expression, he said, "Shall we begin preparations?"

Biscuit nodded.

Jin was already quickly getting busy at the camp.

Besides the group of people, there were one or two unfamiliar Nen user.

They were hired by Jin, and their Nen ability could be useful in case of unforeseen circumstances.

"It's a storm! A storm is forming rapidly, right in the direction of the sea area we're monitoring!"

The Nen user was conducting celestial observation, shouted loudly.

"Understood. Begin preparations according to plan!"

Jin's voice remained calm and composed as he spoke.

Everyone here is an experienced Nen user; no one will panic.

They quickly arrived at one side of the island, where a makeshift Watchtower stood.

Morel was not surprised to see the arriving crowd. He remained standing atop the Watchtower, holding a telescope and looking into the distance.

A storm is forming.

Ahead of everyone.

The reason they paid attention to this place and kept a close eye on it was because their Diary detailed records of the smuggling route and process.

The direction facing the Outer Sea is the direction of return, and also the direction of progress.

At this moment, a storm quickly formed, and heavy rain poured down.

The once calm sea began to churn, and then a huge whirlpool appeared ahead.

It's right on the coast.

This is a place where such a huge vortex shouldn't exist.

This is clearly not something that formed naturally.

A massive whirlpool spun wildly, and the howling winds of the storm raged across the sea.

Everyone stared intently at the vortex.

"Roar!"

In this storm, on the churning sea.

A beast's roar came from inside.

The sound was incredibly powerful.

The Nen user on the shore almost instinctively entered a fighting stance.

"Boom!"

A clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky.

Within this lightning.

A Shadow Creature shot out from the whirlpool, streaked through the air, and crashed heavily onto the shore before everyone's eyes.