Reunion with Machi

Besides them, two other names caught Gelman's attention most: Pariston, the Rat, and Ging, the Boar.

They were both members of the Twelve Zodiacs, held high positions in the Hunter Association, and had various ties to the Dark Continent.

Pariston was a spy planted in the Hunter Association by Beyond, Netero's son. He had been steadily building up his strength in preparation for returning to the Dark Continent.

Netero knew about it and did nothing to stop him.

Ging, meanwhile, was a descendant of Don Freecss, the man who had written New World Records.

Influenced by New World Records, he had been quietly waiting for the right moment to travel to the Dark Continent.

Judging by Netero's attitude toward Pariston and Ging, he wasn't entirely opposed to humanity exploring the Dark Continent. He simply believed the time wasn't right yet.

Beyond, however, was recklessly impatient. He had already been to the Dark Continent once and was eager to go again.

He didn't care that humanity might bring back "calamities" from the Dark Continent.

Gelman didn't like the name "Beyond." It sounded like an insult.

Still, he wouldn't let that make him biased against Beyond, nor would he judge the others based solely on what he knew from his previous life.

Only after meeting them in person would he know who his friends were.

After using his Hunter License to try out the Hunter website, Gelman was reasonably satisfied and decided to move on to the next step of his plan.

He took out his phone, found the contact saved as "Bad Woman," and sent her a text message.

"I might need you to stitch me up sometime in the next few days. Are you free?"

The message vanished without a trace. Machi didn't reply.

Gelman wasn't in a hurry. He left the internet café and took a walk along the nearby riverbank.

He sat on a bench to rest for a while, and a black cat came over.

The cat watched Gelman for a bit, then hopped onto his lap, curled up on his knees, and closed its eyes for a nap.

Gelman didn't shoo it away. He gently stroked its fur with his fingers.

Just as the man and cat were about to fall asleep, Machi finally replied.

"Sure. Where?"

Gelman glanced at the message and replied just as briefly. "SW City."

"I probably won't arrive until the morning of the 13th. Is that okay?"

"That's fine."

"Then it's settled. The fee will depend on your injuries."

"Understood."

Their text exchange was brief and clear, and came to an abrupt end.

Gelman put his phone back in his pocket and looked up at the white clouds drifting across the blue sky, and the occasional birds darting past.

It was the 11th. Machi would arrive in two days, on the 13th.

Gelman would buy the supplies he needed today and tomorrow. After Machi arrived, he would set off on another Dark Continent Journey at dawn on the 14th, using the Lantern.

This time, he wasn't going to hunt the beasts of Arid River Valley. He planned to explore beyond the valley, travel as far as he could, and finally set up a new Lantern somewhere safe.

Gelman didn't know what he might face on this journey, which was why he had contacted Machi in advance.

Perhaps her Nen Thread Stitching would come in handy when he returned. Perhaps it wouldn't. Better to be prepared.

At noon on January 13th, someone knocked on the door of Gelman's room at the Opera Hotel.

He opened the door and saw Machi, her hair tied in a ponytail and her gaze cold.

"Sorry I'm late." Her apology held little regret; her voice was still chilly.

Then, after looking Gelman up and down, she said, "I don't see any external injuries."

"I'm not injured right now," Gelman replied.

"'Not injured right now'?" Machi looked surprised and furrowed her brow in confusion. "What does that mean? Are you about to fight someone?"

Gelman didn't need to answer her question. Instead, he handed her a key card.

"This is the key card for the room next door. I've paid for your stay through the morning of the 15th. I might come to you for treatment during that time. If I don't need it, I'll let you know."

Machi took the key card and fell silent for a moment before putting it away.

"Fine. I'll be next door until noon on the 15th. If you need to extend the stay, tell me in advance."

"Okay."

Machi didn't waste any words. She picked up the small gray-and-white cloth bag she had brought, turned, and left, using the key card to enter the room next door.

Although they were both members of the Phantom Troupe, they weren't close, and there was no need for small talk.

At one in the morning on the 14th, Gelman was in his room at the Opera Hotel. Using his Hunter Badge, he materialized the glowing Lantern on the floor.

Gelman switched off the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, letting the room fall into darkness before the Lantern's purple light filled it.

The four little imps stayed right beside the Lantern like shadows, staring at Gelman with eager, longing eyes.

Gelman could feel their yearning. When he reached toward one of them, he once again heard cries of excitement and disappointment at the same time.

Two lines appeared on the Lantern.

"Lantern Location: Dark Continent · Arid River Valley"

"Cooldown: 8 minutes (ready)"

With a hum, Gelman and the imps held hands, flickered in the Lantern's purple glow, and vanished the next instant.

In an instant, he was transported, and day turned to night.

Gelman had returned to Arid River Valley in broad daylight.

As soon as he landed, he heard the wind howling. A gust of dust swept through his vision before clearing to reveal the riverbed, its rock layers stacked along both sides.

He turned to look. The Lantern's cooldown had doubled to sixteen minutes, just as he had expected.

With his bulging backpack on his back, he took out a compass, looked around, and headed for the mouth of the valley.

Along the way, Gelman encountered Meat Sucking Bugs again. They were probably the most numerous creatures in the valley.

They surged toward him, their wings beating like an endless tide of carriages and horses.

He hunted a few at random and drove the rest away. Then he dug a Chameleon Stone out of one of their corpses and put it in his backpack.

That should be enough to satisfy Biscuit.

As for the Poison Mist Centipedes and Gale Ripple Moths, he simply ignored them when he spotted them, unless they attacked him first.

With a Flamethrower, he could deal with these giant insects very effectively.

Even so, Gelman tried to avoid fighting whenever possible.

First, he didn't want to linger in the valley. He wanted to explore as far away as he could.

Second, their value had dropped considerably. There was now an antidote to the Poison Mist Centipede's venom in the Dark World, and it had been developed remarkably quickly.

Gelman reached the mouth of the valley, shaped like the narrow neck of a gourd. He crossed a stretch of broken stone and finally left Arid River Valley, stepping into the wilderness.

He kept his aura concealed with In while using En to sense the surrounding aura. The farther he went, the more vegetation he saw, along with an increasing variety of bizarre creatures.