Before entering, Gelman didn't hurry through the gate. Instead, he set up a Teleport Lantern point outside the Gate of Limit.
That left him with seven unused Teleport Lanterns.
Only then did he head toward the Gate of Limit again.
The normal route to explore the Dark Continent was, of course, by sea: from the Six Continents to the Gate of Limit, then from the Gate of Limit to the Dark Continent itself.
But Gelman had done the opposite. First he'd found a way to break into the Dark Continent itself, and only afterward had he reached the Gate of Limit to open up the proper route.
That was what they meant by "working backward through the map."
He reached out and touched the cold Gate of Limit. After confirming there were no traps, he channeled his Nen Energy and unleashed a powerful aura.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
The Gate of Limit weighed 256 tons, but under the force of Gelman's hands pushing against it, it was no different from an ordinary door. It swung open.
Only after everyone had passed through to the other side of the Gate of Limit did Gelman let go. Amid a deafening rumble, the gate closed again.
"Wow." Biscuit, her hair tied in twin buns, gasped in amazement—not at the Gate of Limit, but at the enormous beast that came into view.
It was a sphinx with a lion's body, a thick mane, and powerful muscles. Its broad back bore a pair of folded wings. It crouched on the ground, glaring at them.
"This is the 'Sphinx' the old man, Netero, mentioned, right?" Biscuit asked.
As an explorer who had passed through the Gate of Limit twice, Netero had naturally shared every detail of his past experiences before Gelman's group set out.
The Gate of