Reunion with Machi

Beyond these, there were two other names that most deserved Gelman's attention.

"Rat" Pariston, "Boar" Ging.

They were both members of the Zodiacs, held high status within the Hunter Association, and each had various connections to the Dark Continent.

Pariston was a spy planted in the Hunter Association by Netero's son, Beyond, and had been accumulating power for a return to the Dark Continent.

Netero was aware of this but did not stop him.

Ging, on the other hand, was a descendant of Don Freecss, the man who wrote the New World Records.

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

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

Beyond, however, was impatient and eager for quick success. He had already been to the Dark Continent once and was desperate to go a second time.

He did not care about the "calamities" that humanity might bring back from the Dark Continent.

Gelman did not like the name "Beyond"; it sounded like an insult.

However, he would not be biased against Beyond because of that, nor would he judge their positions based solely on his own preconceived notions from his past life.

Who was a friend could only be determined after actual contact.

After using his Hunter License to test out the Hunter website, Gelman was reasonably satisfied and planned to begin the next step of his plan.

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

"I might need your stitching services in the next few days. Do you have any time recently?"

As it turned out, the message was like a stone dropped into the ocean; Machi did not reply.

Gelman was not in a hurry. He left the internet cafe and took a walk along the nearby river embankment.

He sat on a bench to rest for a while, during which time he attracted a black cat.

The black cat stared at Gelman, observing him for a moment, then jumped onto his lap, curled into a ball on his knees, and closed its eyes to rest.

Gelman did not chase it away, instead gently stroking its fur with his fingers.

Just as the man and the cat were about to fall asleep, Machi's reply finally came through.

"Fine. Where?"

Gelman glanced at it and replied just as briefly: "SW City."

"I probably won't arrive until the morning of the 13th. That's alright, right?"

"It's fine."

"Then it's settled. The fee will be based on the severity of your injuries."

"Understood."

The text conversation between the two was concise and clear, coming to an abrupt end.

Gelman put his phone back into his pocket, tilted his head to look at the fluffy white clouds in the azure sky, and the birds that occasionally flitted by.

Today is the 11th. Machi will arrive here in two days, on the 13th.

Gelman will spend today and tomorrow purchasing the necessary supplies, and then, after Machi arrives, he will use the lantern to begin another Dark Continent Journey in the early hours of the 14th.

This time, his goal is no longer to hunt beasts in the Arid River Valley, but to explore the regions beyond the valley, travel as far as possible, and finally set up a new lantern in a safe location.

Gelman does not know what he will face on this journey, which is why he called for Machi in advance.

Perhaps her Nen Thread Stitching will be of use after he returns, perhaps not; it is better to be prepared than sorry.

At noon on January 13th, there was a knock on the door of Gelman's room at the Opera Hotel.

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

"Sorry, I'm late." Her apology lacked any hint of guilt; it remained cold.

Afterward, she looked Gelman up and down and said, "I don't see any external injuries on you."

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

"'Not injured right now'?" Machi was somewhat surprised and frowned in confusion. "What does that mean? Are you going to fight an enemy later?"

Gelman saw no need to answer her question and instead handed her a room key card.

"This is the key card for the room next door. I've already paid for it through the morning of the 15th. During this time, I might come to you to treat injuries. If I don't need to, I will let you know."

Machi took the key card, remained silent for a moment, and then put it away.

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

"Alright."

Machi didn't waste any more words. She picked up the small greyish-white cloth bag she carried with her, turned, and left, swiping the card to enter the room next door.

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

At one o'clock in the morning on the 14th, Gelman stayed in his room at the Opera Hotel and used his Hunter Badge to materialize the glowing lantern on the floor.

Gelman turned off the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, letting the room fall into darkness before it was filled by the purple glow of the lantern.

The four imps clung to the lantern like shadows, staring at Gelman with wide, eager eyes.

Gelman could feel their longing. As he reached his finger toward one of the imps, he heard a chorus of cries that were simultaneously filled with surprise and disappointment.

The lantern displayed two lines of text.

Lantern Location: Dark Continent - Arid River Valley
Cooldown: 8 minutes (Ready)

With a hum, Gelman held hands with the imps, flickering within the purple radiance of the lantern, and in the next instant, they all vanished without a trace.

Instantaneous teleportation, day and night reversed.

Gelman arrived once again at the sunlit Arid River Valley.

The moment he landed, he heard the whistling of the wind. A cloud of dust swept across his field of vision before fading away, revealing the riverbed with its layered rock formations on both sides.

Turning his head, he saw the lantern's cooldown had doubled to 16 minutes, which did not surprise him.

Carrying a bulging backpack, he took out a compass, observed his surroundings for a moment, and began walking toward the mouth of the valley.

Along the way, Gelman encountered more Meat Sucking Bugs; they were likely the most numerous creatures in the valley.

They swarmed toward him, flapping their wings like tireless carriages.

He randomly hunted a few, drove the others away, and dug a Chameleon Stone out of one of the corpses, placing it into his backpack.

This would be enough to satisfy Biscuit.

As for the Poison Mist Centipedes and Gale Ripple Moths, he simply bypassed them whenever he saw them, unless they took the initiative to attack him.

With a flamethrower on hand, the effects against these giant insects were significant.

However, Gelman still avoided combat as much as possible.

For one, he did not want to linger in the valley for too long; he hoped to explore as far as he could.

Secondly, their value had dropped significantly, especially the venom of the Poison Mist Centipedes; an antidote had already been developed in the Dark World, and quite rapidly at that.

Gelman arrived at the bottleneck of the valley. Stepping over a stretch of gravel, he finally left the Arid River Valley and walked out into a vast wilderness.

He maintained In to conceal his presence and En to probe for auras. The further he walked, the more vegetation he saw, and the more bizarre, strangely shaped creatures he encountered.