Return to the Human World

Lord of Crows' flesh was scorching hot. Gelman could feel its breath flowing and its organs pressing against him.

Without hesitation, Gelman rubbed his fingers together, materializing an antique-bronze Flamethrower inside Lord of Crows' abdomen and pressing it against its beating organs.

In the blink of an eye, Lord of Crows seemed to realize its fate. It pecked at Gelman once more, heedless of everything, its beak like a blade hanging overhead.

Gelman pulled the trigger.

Whoosh—the horrifying heat burned everything flammable from the inside out, spewing blood and flesh from Lord of Crows' open beak. The stench of charred flesh filled the air at once.

Only then did Gelman let go with both hands. He kicked Lord of Crows' wing and used the momentum to drop toward the ground.

Lord of Crows didn't pursue him. It was burning, but the little crows kept harrying him.

With the flock hot on his heels, he landed with both hands over his face.

The Reed Forest, its reeds as tall as trees, softened his landing. He tumbled into the mud, sinking almost up to his thighs.

Gelman had no choice but to lie as flat as he could on the mud, slowing his descent.

Fortunately, the irritating little crows didn't come back to peck at him.

The huge fireball that had been Lord of Crows fell as well, crashing down in front of Gelman and the Reed Forest.

Mud splattered everywhere. The reeds caught fire, and the flames spread in an instant as thick smoke billowed upward.

The flock circled overhead, cawing in a way that might have been a wail of grief or a curse. They didn't swoop down, but flew toward their nest deep in the Reed Forest.

Gelman reached out and grabbed Lord of Crows' motionless wing. Using it for leverage, he pulled his legs free of the mud, then crawled out of the Muddy Land.

Covered in mud and wounds, he stood nearby and quietly watched Lord of Crows burn.

Almost all its eyes had closed. But on closer inspection, the single eye in its head was still wide open, scarlet like a "Hokage Eye."

Gelman looked at his left arm. The three eyeballs had vanished completely, leaving only three gashes that oozed black pus.

At least I won... But in this condition, I probably can't keep exploring.

The dangers of the Dark Continent lay not only in its terrifying, unknown creatures, but also in its sheer vastness. The farther one ventured, the longer the supply lines became.

No one could predict what might happen along the route, whether the expedition team at the frontier could return, or whether the logistics troops could keep up. It was all unknown.

Without the Third Lantern, Gelman would have to drag his battered body back the way he'd come, gritting his teeth and pressing on.

An injured person was bound to attract predators. No wonder so many human expeditions had perished here.

So Gelman was lucky.

After confirming that he'd obtained a new "Grudge bestowal," he dug Lord of Crows' Monocle out of its socket himself.

The eyeball rested in his palm. Gelman could sense the remnants of its cursed grudge.

It was safe to hold for a short while, but if he kept it beyond a certain limit, it would cloud his mind and radiate the curse within a certain range.

Gelman didn't know whether the limit was three days, three weeks, or three months, but the eyeball unquestionably held a genuine curse.

He figured only a Nen Exorcist or his Hunter Badge could completely purge the grudge from it.

However, Gelman didn't absorb the grudge. He put Lord of Crows' Monocle in his backpack to see if he could sell it later.

After shouldering his backpack again, Gelman planted the Third Lantern beside the Muddy Land.

[ ]

The light and the little demon arrived as promised.

He took one last look at the Reed Forest, then, guided by the little demon, traveled through the lantern's light and returned to the human world in the blink of an eye.

January 14, two in the morning.

All was silent.

In his room at the Opera Hotel, Gelman lit the Lantern, its glow faint, then extinguished it.

Without time to check his condition, he staggered out of his room, went next door, and knocked.

There was no answer for a long while. Just as Gelman wondered whether Machi was sleeping too soundly, the light came on inside, and footsteps approached.

The door creaked open.

Machi stood by the doorway. She didn't usually wear pajamas, so she still had on her clothes from the day, though her ponytail had come undone and hung in a disheveled mess over her shoulders. Her gaze was unfriendly.

Machi was a light sleeper and always stayed alert, but being woken in the middle of the night still made her angry.

"I really didn't expect you to show up at this hour..."

Machi hadn't finished her prepared sarcasm when she saw Gelman covered in wounds, blood dripping onto the floor like rain, his robe caked with clumps of dried mud.

Had he been fighting someone in a muddy field?

She swallowed the rest of her words, frowned, and stepped aside. "Come in and lie down on the sofa."

Machi took her work seriously.

Gelman did as she said and entered her room.

The layout was similar to his own. He walked straight through the living area and lay down on the long sofa.

Machi fetched the small cloth bag she carried with her and crouched beside Gelman.

"First, I'll clean your wounds and stop the bleeding, then I'll use Nen Thread Stitching. You have to cooperate with me throughout the whole process and maintain Zetsu."

Maintaining Zetsu meant not using Nen to defend himself. It was when a Nen user was at their most vulnerable.

Gelman agreed without hesitation. He followed Machi's instructions, took off his wet, sticky Hunter Robe, and tossed it aside.

It wasn't that he trusted Machi. He trusted his own judgment.

"These wounds, and the amount of blood you've lost..." Machi looked over Gelman's upper body, then spoke coldly as she cleaned the wounds. "You're lucky you made it to my door."

It wasn't entirely luck. Gelman's Physique was 20 points. That wasn't as impressive as Uvogin's, another member of the Phantom Troupe, but it was enough to keep him alive.

Lying on the sofa, Gelman had felt dizzy while walking over, but now he was much more clearheaded. He stared up at the ceiling with his dark eyes open.

"I'm starting."

Machi took out a needle and threaded Nen Thread through its eye. The thread moved nimbly.

The next moment, both her hands became a bewildering blur. Her fingers, the needle, and the Nen Thread gradually disappeared from view.

"Right shoulder stitched."

"Left arm stitched."

"The small wounds on the front are stitched. Turn over."

"All the small wounds on your back are stitched."

Machi had treated countless similar injuries and was highly experienced.

Once again, she cleaned and stitched the wounds quickly and skillfully. Her Nen Thread Stitching could even stitch nerves, helping the wounds heal in the future.

In less than ten minutes, Machi finished her artful work, enough to put most surgeons and emergency physicians to shame.