Chapter Summaries

Ging agreed that Gon could come to Greed Island and prove himself, while the group prepared the Ancient Labyrinth Castle and chose who would travel to the Treacherous Mountains. The chapter ended with Gelman and seven others set to depart on March 1, leaving Buhara behind to guard the castle.

• Ging accepted a group photo of Gon and discussed the Dark Continent scripts needed to help Piyou decipher the West Chapter Fragment of the New World Travelogue.
• Shizuku used Evil Tenderfoot to furnish the Ancient Labyrinth Castle and give the team supplies and personal gifts from the Six Continents.
• The group discussed their rough living conditions and the progress they had made exploring and trading around the Ancient Labyrinth.
• Gelman selected Ging, Biscuit, Morel, Shizuku, Shubika, Menchi, and Knuckle to join him on the Treacherous Mountains expedition, while Buhara stayed behind.
• The team planned final preparations, including enchanting Morel's pipe and familiarizing Morel and Knuckle with the route, before departing on March 1.

Morel received a Water Element Enchantment for his Giant Pipe, and the group completed preparations to enter the Treacherous Mountains. After Gelman teleported everyone there, he discovered that the journey had inflicted diseases and negative traits, prompting Shubika to recommend All-Curing Herb injections.

• Mshihah enchanted Morel's Giant Pipe with Water Element, allowing Morel to control water vapor alongside his smoke.
• Morel and the others thanked the Moose Centaur Tribe and returned to the Ancient Labyrinth at the end of February.
• On March 1, Gelman teleported Ging, Biscuit, Shizuku, Morel, Menchi, Shubika, and Knuckle to the Treacherous Mountains in three groups.
• Buhara stayed behind at the Ancient Labyrinth and began his life as a lonely gourmet.
• Gelman checked his Hunter Badge and found three negative traits and two diseases; an All-Curing Herb injection cleared his Black Death.
• Shubika advised everyone to take All-Curing Herb injections to strengthen their resistance to disease.

Gelman and the others were swallowed by a dark tide released from the Teleport Lantern and stranded in Dark Space. After helping the group steady themselves, Gelman sensed living creatures approaching, and a tentacled monster appeared in the light.

• Shubika advised the group to use the All-Curing Herb Injection, and everyone received one before she packed away the syringes.
• The Teleport Lantern hummed, released a dark tide, and swallowed Morel, Knuckle, and Menchi before engulfing Gelman, Shizuku, Biscuit, Ging, and Shubika.
• Gelman helped everyone control their drifting in Dark Space by staying calm and using Nen.
• Gelman reasoned that the Teleport Lantern's frequent use had triggered the dark tide, then conjured the Sacred Moonlight Greatsword to light their surroundings.
• Gelman sensed many living things approaching, and a gigantic tentacled monster curled inside a spiral shell floated into view.

Germann and his companions fought a swarm of nautilus-like Nen Beasts in Dark Space while the creatures’ Pressure Invasion steadily overwhelmed them. After Shubika and Menchi were swallowed by mysterious vortices, Germann kept the gigantic nautilus occupied and faced its revealed second form.

• Germann judged the smaller nautiluses to be Elite Grade and attacked the Champion Grade giant, while his companions fought the rest of the swarm.
• The nautiluses’ Pressure Invasion burdened Ging, Biscuit, Morel, Shizuku, and the others, and Biscuit explained that Dark Space prevented Shizuku from using Evil Tenderfoot to swallow dead things.
• Shubika and Menchi succumbed to the Pressure, developed Dark Crowns, and vanished into separate twisted vortices despite Biscuit and the others trying to help them.
• Germann used his weapons and armor to cut through the smaller nautiluses and wound the giant, which burst its shell apart and revealed a fearsome second form covered in spider-like eyes.

Ging, Biscuit, Morel, and Shizuku were pulled into the Twisted Vortex after failing to resist the Dark Crown, while their attacks gave Gelman an opening to defeat the Abnormal Demon Nautilus. Gelman escaped the Dark Space but found himself alone in an unknown forest with no working devices, and began searching for the others.

• Ging warned the group that the Dark Crown led to the Twisted Vortex, but Morel and Shizuku were taken before they could avoid it.
• Biscuit tried to pull Shizuku away from the vortex, but Shizuku broke free and was carried off; Biscuit was taken soon afterward, followed by Ging.
• Before the vortex swallowed him, Ging hurled a golden spear at the Abnormal Demon Nautilus, giving Gelman the chance to smash its defenses and destroy it.
• Gelman killed the Abnormal Demon Nautilus and drifted alone through the Dark Space, where his space-related Nen abilities and Food Card did not work.
• Gelman entered a Twisted Vortex and emerged between boulders in an unfamiliar forest, where his communicator and phone were dead.
• Gelman released his En and began searching the area for Shizuku and the others.

Gelman searched the Treacherous Mountains for his scattered companions while enduring the Dark Crown’s torment and the Contempt Armor. He defeated a Master-level rust-red-furred beast blocking his path, but still had no sign of the others.

• Gelman cautiously crossed the Treacherous Mountains and worried that his companions might be alone and succumbing to the Dark Crown’s torment.
• Gelman repeatedly released En to scout for his companions and warn off beasts, but received no response.
• Gelman encountered a Master-level rust-red-furred beast that blocked the narrow path and switched from his Spiral Cane to the Sacred Moonlight Greatsword.
• The beast hurled a boulder at Gelman, but his blue spikes shattered it, and he charged through the dust.
• Gelman dodged the beast’s attacks, severed its right arm, evaded its fur and whiskers, and pierced its head with the Sacred Moonlight Greatsword.
• The rust-red-furred beast collapsed against the cliff and tumbled into the abyss.

Gelman discovered that the sleeping Bloodthirsty Claw Beasts were being drained by a Human-Raising Beast Papu, which exchanged life for intense pleasure. After the Papu’s Nen briefly tempted him to keep it alive for relief from the Contempt Armor, Gelman destroyed it and continued resisting the Dark Continent’s dangers.

• Gelman reached a nest of sleeping Bloodthirsty Claw Beasts and noticed that they were withered and sickly.
• Gelman sensed Nen underground, concealed himself with In, and watched a tentacle emerge from a hole and drain a sleeping beast.
• Gelman pulled a Human-Raising Beast Papu out of the cave and recognized that it traded the beasts’ life force for pleasure.
• The Papu’s Nen eased Gelman’s pain and tempted him to keep it as an assistant, but he ran it through with the Sacred Moonlight Greatsword and destroyed it.

Gelman struggled through the Treacherous Mountains alone until the full moon empowered his Sacred Moonlight Greatsword and led him to Morel’s hidden shelter. There he reunited with Shizuku, whose enthusiastic kiss ended with their glasses smashing into both their faces.

• Gelman left the Bloodthirsty Claw Beasts and continued searching for Shizuku and the others, refusing to enter the Human-Raising Beast Papu’s cave.
• Gelman camped in the mountains, burned a sandwich crawling with transparent worms, and resumed traveling after resting.
• Under the full moon, Gelman’s Sacred Moonlight Greatsword grew stronger, driving off and destroying the monsters that surrounded him.
• Smoke rabbits led Gelman across a stream to Morel’s concealed cave, where Morel confirmed that his scouting rabbits had found Gelman.
• Shizuku leaped onto Gelman and kissed him, but her Black-rimmed Glasses struck both their faces.

Gelman reunited with his companions in the hidden cave, where they exchanged accounts of surviving the Dark Space torment and Treacherous Mountains. After hearing Gelman’s warning about Human-Raising Beast Papu, Shubika examined him and began considering treatment for its addictive effects, while Gelman fell asleep safely beside Shizuku.

• Gelman reunited with Shizuku and the others at Morel’s concealed cave, though Ging and Knuckle were still missing.
• Biscuit, Morel, Shubika, and Menchi described how they had been scattered, endured the torment, and found one another; Shubika and Menchi had also been injured.
• Gelman asked whether anyone had encountered Human-Raising Beast Papu, then recounted his encounters with it and the Bloodthirsty Claw Beast.
• Biscuit and Menchi helped Gelman remove the Dark Crown and Contempt Armor, and Shubika examined him and said she would work out medicine to curb the addiction.
• Gelman fell asleep with his companions around him, and Biscuit quietly covered him with a blanket.

Gelman and Biscuit realized the Treacherous Mountains drained electricity from devices and living beings, while the Human-Raising Beast Papu traded pleasure for its victims’ life force. The group split up, with Gelman and Morel setting out to search for Ging and Knuckle.

• Gelman woke in the cave and found Shizuku asleep beside him after she had stayed up with him.
• Biscuit told Gelman that the Treacherous Mountains drained electrical current from devices and bioelectricity from people, causing low moods and sluggish reactions.
• Gelman and Biscuit concluded that the Human-Raising Beast Papu stimulated nerves to give pleasure while consuming its victims’ lifespan, and that the creatures became batteries for the Manless Stone.
• After breakfast, the group decided that Gelman and Morel would search for Ging and Knuckle while Biscuit, Shizuku, Menchi, and Shubika stayed at the cave.
• Gelman and Morel set out to search other parts of the Treacherous Mountains.

Morel and Gelman searched the Treacherous Mountains for Ging and Knuckle while discussing the Dark Continent and the young Hunters they were helping develop. They found Ging at a cliffside cave, but Knuckle’s condition remained uncertain.

• Morel and Gelman searched the mountains, with Morel growing anxious about Knuckle and Gelman assuring him they had not searched long enough to rule out the area.
• Morel and Gelman discussed Pariston and Xiyou working for Beyond, the plans to return to the Dark Continent, and their own Hunter ambitions.
• Gelman said Kurapika, Killua, Gon, and Leorio could help provide the talent needed for future expeditions and the development of the Dark Continent.
• Morel’s Smoke Rabbit detected a Nen presence, and Gelman recognized one as Ging’s while sensing another weak presence nearby.
• Morel and Gelman hurried to a cliff and saw Ging wave to them from one of the caves.

Ging told Gelman and Morel how he rescued Knuckle from the Human-Raising Beast Papus and helped him overcome his craving. With Knuckle recovering, the group prepared to investigate the Papus’ underground caves before the Treacherous Mountains further wore them down.

• Ging met Gelman and Morel in the caves and asked whether they had encountered a Human-Raising Beast Papu.
• Ging explained that he had found the Papus’ nest, observed their behavior, and learned what their exchange of pleasure for life involved.
• Ging recounted rescuing Knuckle, who had been captured and made into a battery pack, then helping him endure the night and overcome his craving.
• Morel comforted Knuckle, while Gelman and Ging agreed to investigate a marked nest entrance as soon as possible.
• Gelman, Ging, Morel, and the weakened Knuckle returned to the group, where Shubika took charge of Knuckle’s care and prepared medicine and poisons for the coming exploration.

After the team’s injuries forced Gelman to split the Exploration Team, five members entered Papu the Human-Raising Beast’s cave while Knuckle, Menchi, and Shubika stayed at the outpost. The five descended into the cave and spotted a Medium Species lurking overhead.

• Ging proposed streamlining the team, and Knuckle accepted the mission of guarding Menchi and Shubika while they recovered.
• Gelman chose Ging, Biscuit, Morel, and Shizuku to accompany him into the underground cave because their abilities could help counter the dangers ahead.
• After two more days of rest, the five explorers left the outpost and Ging tracked down the cave entrance atop a mountain.
• The explorers watched Papu and other creatures enter the lair, then proceeded inside with torches and Gelman’s Sacred Moonlight Greatsword.
• As the group reached a level stretch of cave, Gelman sensed a Medium Species above them and warned the others.

Gelman and the others fought their way through the cave, where corrupted monsters tried to stop them from advancing. They reached deeper underground, certain that the creatures were now guarding something farther inside.

• The Human-Raising Beasts Papu fled after Gelman summoned the Gloomy Dragon King to help defeat the giant bats.
• Gelman materialized the Stag Beetle and explained that he had several one-use Nen Beasts and could restore his Nen Energy with his rune.
• The Stag Beetle absorbed the first wave of attacks as Gelman and the others killed the drugged monsters in their path.
• The Stag Beetle fell, and the group continued deeper into the dark cave without finding new Grudge Memories.
• The monsters began making desperate attacks to keep the group from advancing, leading everyone to conclude that they were guarding something farther inside.

The Exploration Team fought through the underground caverns, using their abilities and Shubika’s preparations to counter the Human-Raising Beast Papu and the monsters they controlled. Near their destination, the attacks stopped, but Gelman’s scouting bat was killed by a powerful unseen foe.

• The Exploration Team pushed deeper underground as the Human-Raising Beast Papu gathered monsters to stop them, but the Grudge Memory Bloodthirsty Claw Beast and Morel’s Smoke Machine Soldiers cleared the way.
• Gelman, Shizuku, and Shubika’s poison, antidote, and injection helped counter the Papu’s attacks, while Shizuku’s Evil Tenderfoot absorbed their electrical discharges.
• After the Grudge Memory Bloodthirsty Claw Beast dissipated, Biscuit called for a rest, and Ging and Morel took turns keeping watch as the team recovered in a cave.
• The Exploration Team resumed its advance, using Gelman’s Grudge Memory Screaming Giant Bat to disrupt the monsters and targeting the Human-Raising Beast Papu to prevent them from summoning reinforcements.
• After crossing a boundary where the enemies stopped appearing, the team rested and sent the battered bat ahead to scout; a thunderous crash followed, and Gelman realized it had been killed in one blow.

Gelman and the Exploration Team discovered that the Manless Stones came from two Champion-level Abnormal Demons, Tongue of Theft and the living fissure Rift of Joy, which formed part of the Treacherous Mountains’ ecological cycle. The demons attacked the team, and Shizuku’s Evil Tenderfoot absorbed their electrical assault as the battle began.

• Gelman warned the Exploration Team that two Champion-level Abnormal Demons were ahead, and the group chose to continue toward the Manless Stone.
• The team reached a blue-lit cavern where a tentacled Greater Species Abnormal Demon laid eggs beside pools and then rested against an enormous living fissure.
• Gelman deduced that the tentacled demon and the fissure were Tongue of Theft and Rift of Joy, and explained how they produced Manless Stones and spread their influence through Human-Raising Beasts Papu.
• Rift of Joy shook the cavern and sent electrified stalactites at the team, but Gelman shattered them with his Sacred Moonlight Greatsword.
• The cliff collapsed beneath the team, and after they landed, Shizuku’s Evil Tenderfoot absorbed the electricity discharged by the cavern’s Electric Veins.
• Tongue of Theft rose and attacked the Exploration Team with electrified tentacles while Rift of Joy controlled the cavern’s shifting terrain.

Gelman fought Tongue of Theft alone while the others turned their attention to Rift of Joy. After Gelman defeated Tongue of Theft’s first form, the Champion-level demon transformed into a towering Stone Giant.

• Gelman equipped the Greedy Antler Helmet, Contempt Armor, and Dark Nautilus, then charged Tongue of Theft while the others focused on Rift of Joy.
• Dark Nautilus rammed Tongue of Theft and destroyed a dozen tentacles, but Tongue of Theft struck back and destroyed the Grudge Memory.
• Tongue of Theft unleashed Thunder: Max Broadcast, and Gelman endured the barrage with his defenses before reaching the demon and cutting off its right leg.
• Gelman leaped onto Tongue of Theft’s head and pierced its skull with the Sacred Moonlight Greatsword.
• Blue light gathered into a sphere with a golden pupil, and Tongue of Theft rebuilt its body from the cavern’s rocks into a towering Stone Giant.

Gelman destroyed Tongue of Theft after dodging its blinding light and lightning attacks. He then turned toward the ongoing battle, where the Rift of Joy began its own Phase Two Transformation after Ging was blasted out of its core.

• Tongue of Theft used its warhammer and shield to summon the Dragon of Thunder and fill the cavern with blinding light, but Gelman evaded its attacks.
• Gelman climbed Tongue of Theft's arm and struck its golden eye with a combined attack from Chaos Roar and the Sacred Moonlight Greatsword, destroying the stone giant.
• Gelman's Rune Veins healed his injuries, and his Hunter Badge reported that he had acquired a Thunder Hammer and a Teleport Lantern.
• Biscuit and Morel cut the Rift of Joy's Electric Veins while Shizuku guarded them from the Serpents of Lightning.
• Ging was blasted from the Rift of Joy's core, and the rift's stretch of land rose as it entered its Phase Two Transformation.

Ging survived the Rift of Joy’s first attack and regrouped with Morel, who told him that Gelman had won his fight. As the Rift flooded the cavern and prepared to electrify the water, Shizuku began sucking the flood into Evil Tenderfoot.

• The Rift of Joy opened a fissure beneath Ging, but Morel rescued him with Purple Smoke Fist.
• Morel told Ging that Gelman had won, and Ging insisted they should fight the remaining Champion-level Abnormal Demon themselves.
• Ging and Morel dodged more fissures and predicted that the Rift would use another attack.
• The Rift flooded the cavern with groundwater, exposed electrified nerves, and sealed the route back with snapping stone spikes.
• Shizuku used Evil Tenderfoot to suck up the rushing water.

Gelman and his allies attacked the Rift of Joy, whose hallucinations and defenses stood between them and its core. After Ging weakened its defenses and Gelman entered the tower, Gelman struck the core, triggering the collapse of the underground cavern.

• Biscuit protected Shizuku while Gelman rushed toward the Rift of Joy, and Morel created a smoke path to support him and Ging.
• Ging's first Nen spear was stopped by stone shields, and transparent worms tried to distract him with hallucinations of people from his past and present.
• Ging resisted the hallucinations, threw another spear to expose the Rift of Joy's core, and told Gelman to deliver the final blow.
• The Rift of Joy sent worms and a Thunder Dragon at Gelman, but he redirected the attack and forced his way inside as the tower tried to close around him.
• Gelman reached the core and destroyed it with the Sacred Moonlight Greatsword, setting off the collapse of the cavern around the two Champion-level Abnormal Demons.