Another Dark Continent Journey

Biscuit gave Gelman her contact information, helped him register online for the Hunter Exam in January 1998, and finally promised to tell him the exact location of the exam venue once she learned it.

After checking out at noon, the two who had only briefly crossed paths went their separate ways.

"Make sure you become a Hunter." Biscuit waved at Gelman before turning away.

Gelman watched her petite figure leave, then silently changed the name of her contact to "Little Grandma."

From that moment on, Gelman decided to weave a network of connections of his own.

December 25, 1997, was Christmas in certain countries and regions. The city streets brimmed with festive cheer, but none of it had anything to do with Gelman.

Over the month since the Phantom Troupe gathering on November 21, and since meeting Biscuit on the 22nd and 23rd, Gelman had dealt with wave after wave of assassins and Hunters, witnessing all manner of assassination methods.

At most, he faced four separate assassination attempts or direct assaults in a single day; at the least, there was still one. There had indeed been several dangerous moments, but he had pulled through every time.

Once he weathered this adaptation period for his body and Nen ability, and paired it with the Hunter Badge's "Grudge bestowal" function, Gelman began treating the enemies who came for him as a fixed daily source of rewards.

Gelman actually cherished this period.

He estimated that the first month or two would likely be the peak period for assassins and Hunters targeting him as a new member of the Phantom Troupe. After that, the number of attacks would gradually decline.

It could not be helped. More and more people would realize that this new member was no soft target within the Phantom Troupe.

Later, the facts proved his guess correct.

Over the month, he had obtained quite a few "Stat Points" and plenty of Jenny looted from corpses. Of course, his "Spiritual Vision Pressure" had also been steadily increasing.

As of today, Gelman had gained 13 additional "Stat Points" and 13 points of "Spiritual Vision Pressure," along with Jenny that came quickly and went just as quickly.

Vitality Constitution: 20
Stamina Aura: 17
Spiritual Vision Pressure: 26

If Gelman's body were compared to an army, he had now brought that army to a state of absolute discipline and equipped it with the powerful new weapon known as a "Nen ability."

As for "Vitality Constitution" and "Stamina Aura," they could be considered this army's logistical support capabilities.

Outsiders often failed to see their importance, but they truly were vital factors in an army's victory over its enemies.

Gelman could feel his physical condition improving by the day, and he was becoming increasingly adept at using his Nen ability to deal with enemies.

Perhaps it was also because he had yet to encounter assassins like the Zoldyck Family or Hunters like Biscuit.

In any case, over this past month, Gelman had familiarized himself with life in the Hunter world while displaying his sharp fangs to the outside world.

Now that he had accumulated a month's worth of gains, it was time to challenge the Dark Continent for the second time.

In the quiet darkness of night, he went to a remote suburb and found an abandoned mine shaft.

He set up simple traps nearby, then materialized a lantern in the pitch-black cave.

In an instant, gloomy, deep-purple light flooded the mine like shimmering lake water.

The four Messenger Imps were still clinging to the lantern's base and pole, staring pitifully at Gelman. Their muffled whimpers seemed to speak of the sorrow of waiting silently for the past month.

"I know, I know." Gelman nodded at the hungry imps.

Gelman could not tell the Messenger Imps apart, nor did he care to. He casually extended his little finger toward one of them.

"This time, I choose you."

That imp let out a delighted howl and hurriedly grabbed Gelman's little finger, while the other three could only cry out in disappointment.

The lantern displayed two lines of text.

Lantern Location: Dark Continent · Arid River Valley
Cooldown: 2 minutes (cooled down)

After a chaotic bout of spinning dizziness, Gelman and the Messenger Imp clutching his little finger vanished from the mine shaft, and the lantern disappeared with them.

The mine shaft returned to its proper darkness.

At the same time, Gelman arrived in that arid river valley in the blink of an eye and breathed in its fresh air.

"The second time..."

It was night at the mine shaft, but day here.

Gelman immediately lowered his head to look at the lantern by his feet. Surrounded by the four Messenger Imps, it displayed two lines that were slightly different from before.

Lantern Location: Central Islands of Lake Möbius · Abandoned Mine Shaft
Cooldown: 4 minutes (countdown 3:59)

The Central Islands of Lake Möbius were easy enough to understand. They were the area where humanity currently lived, and compared to the Dark Continent, they really were only the size of an island chain.

Gelman had also confirmed the pattern behind Lantern Teleport's cooldown time. It was simple: each cooldown was double the previous one.

The first use had been immediate, which could be ignored. Then came one minute, followed by two minutes, and now four minutes. The next one would most likely be eight minutes.

The cooldown time would only grow longer and longer.

"Then, are the bugs from last time still nearby this time?"

He swiftly surveyed his surroundings and soon noticed something unusual.

He did not see the Meat Sucking Bugs from before. Instead, he spotted another enormous creature.

Judging by its appearance alone, it should have been a centipede. Yet in terms of size, it was comparable to a twenty-two-car train.

Pairs of legs supported its long, twisted, segmented body as it waved its antennae and crawled to the edge of a small raised mound nearby.

"A centipede this time?" Gelman pondered.

The "centipede" suddenly shook with a rustle, rustle, rustle, and black dust billowed from its body into the air before drifting lightly down onto the ground of the Arid River Valley.

After a while, those "mounds" and "rock formations," whether protruding from the ground or buried beneath the soil, shed their original disguises, returning to bright red and revealing their true forms.

They were precisely the swarm of Meat Sucking Bugs Gelman had seen last time.

The Meat Sucking Bugs, so full of vigor that day, now trembled for a while beneath the centipede's black mist before collapsing to the ground, unable to crawl any longer.

The centipede immediately crawled atop one of the Meat Sucking Bugs. Its tiny hooked legs sank into the bug's fleshy shell with wet puffs, while its mandibles bit into its little head, tearing through flesh as it enjoyed a hearty meal.

"A toxin potent enough to stun Meat Sucking Bugs and soften their shells..." Gelman muttered as he made his judgment. "The Poison Mist Centipede and the Meat Sucking Bugs are links in the food chain around here."

In order to explore the Dark Continent more safely and efficiently, Gelman had deliberately bought a backpackful of supplies this time, even though he still would not be staying long.

They included a compass, Remote Bombs, medicine, compressed biscuits, drinking water, and more.

He had bought several bottles of emergency antidote, though he did not know whether they would work against the Poison Mist Centipede's venom.

Gelman took a step toward the Poison Mist Centipede.

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