Dark Continent: One Minute of Insight

Why?

Gelman had arrived here via the lantern teleport half a minute ago. The nearby creatures should have all sensed his presence by now.

But they neither attacked nor retreated. They remained silent, as if... observing.

Yes. Humans rarely set foot on the Dark Continent, so these beings simply didn't recognize this unfamiliar aura.

They were analyzing him through his scent, appearance, movements—determining what he was and where he fit in the food chain of this ecosystem.

This was a necessary skill for survival on the Dark Continent.

However, this period wouldn't last long, because the most accurate way to identify something was always to take a bite and find out.

"Pfft pfft pfft—"

A burst of soil churned and flew upward. Several creatures that had been perfectly camouflaged with their surroundings suddenly reverted to their bright red outer shells, sprinting toward Gelman on six long, slender legs.

They looked like stink bugs, but each one was the size of a small car. These were no ordinary bugs.

Their trembling, straw-like mouthparts made Gelman see exactly where staying here would lead.

He looked down. The lantern displayed a cooldown timer: "0:03." Almost ready to teleport again.

Then, this trip ends here.

He wasn't worried about the "stink bugs" in front of him. It was the other creatures stirring restlessly that concerned him.

They were all watching, and there was a good chance they'd play out the scene of the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole behind.

Those vermillion, giant "stink bugs" had already surrounded him in a circle, but he had long since extended his pinky finger to hold hands with one of the messenger imps.

"Whoosh"—like a bubble bursting in sunlight—Gelman and the lantern vanished together, leaving only his footprints behind.

Decades later, a human had once again set foot on the Dark Continent, leaving their mark.

"Bam—"

The "stink bugs" couldn't stop their legs in time. Their tiny heads and sturdy bodies collided with one another.

After failing to catch their prey, they dazedly extended their long antennae, trying to find where that thing had gone in the wilderness.

After another flicker, Gelman returned to the dark forest at night.

He bent down and picked up the lantern. The four messenger imps lay sprawled at his feet. The cooldown timer had changed again—this time to "Cooldown: 1:59."

Gelman checked the attribute panel projected by the Hunter Badge. His Spiritual Vision Pressure had increased from 2 to 12, and he had gained a strange new "Trait"—"Kleptomania."

So, the cost of using the lantern teleport was now clear.

Every time he used the lantern, its cooldown increased.

At first, it was usable immediately. Then, usable after one minute. Now, usable after two minutes.

Not only that, but each time he returned from the Dark Continent, his Spiritual Vision Pressure would forcibly increase by 10 points, and he might gain a Negative Trait.

His current Kleptomania trait was negative. It would drive him to be more impulsive, to steal any valuables he encountered regardless of the situation.

This meant that every time he used the lantern, he needed to be extremely cautious and well-prepared. Otherwise, the cost would far outweigh the gain. And the more he used it, the more pronounced the lantern's side effects would become.

Still, using the lantern to travel to and from the Dark Continent was far safer and more convenient than going through the Gatekeeper and having to bring back a calamity.

Gelman flexed his fingers and named the fixed lantern whose landing point was on the Dark Continent: "Dark Continent: Arid River Valley."

He grabbed the Hunter Badge hanging around his neck and recalled the Meat Saw, the Blunderbuss, and the lantern.

The purple light in the forest vanished instantly, replaced by moonlight filtering through the branches and leaves.

Finally, he rubbed the Hunter Badge, and this manifested fragment disappeared as well.

Through this experiment, Gelman had proven that he could develop and utilize the Hunter Badge, continuously strengthening his combat power.

This meant that sooner or later, he would possess strength that no longer required him to fear the threat of Phantom Troupe members. It was only a matter of time.

By then, neither his origins in Meteor City nor his identity as a Phantom Troupe member would be able to bind him.

Gelman would be truly free and could do what he truly wanted to do—

Explore the Dark Continent, surpass Don Freecss, who wrote New World Records based on his adventures there, and accomplish a feat unprecedented and unrivaled.

After confirming the lantern's teleportation ability, Gelman had this vague thought.

But just spending one minute on the Dark Continent had made him realize he needed stronger combat power, survival tools, and a team. Otherwise, teleporting there came with a real risk of dying on arrival.

Before he was ready again, he would silently accumulate strength.

Gelman returned to the bell tower. He tore down a large piece of curtain, shook off the dust, wrapped it around himself, and curled up in a corner to sleep for the night.

It was crude here, but at least it sheltered him from the wind and rain.

When the faint light of dawn pierced through the glass shards and stung the corners of his eyes, he woke up. He instinctively tried to rub his eyes before remembering that he wasn't in a clean bedroom but inside the bell tower.

He was covered in dust now.

Gelman shook off the curtain wrapped around him, stretched, then patted the dust off his clothes. He picked up the hat that had fallen to the floor, put it on his head, and quickly walked out of the bell tower.

He found a clear lake in the mountains, stripped off his clothes, and walked naked into the water to bathe.

After washing himself clean, he scrubbed the residual bloodstains from his clothes, used Nen to remove the stubborn grime, and then dried the soaked garments with Nen.

A quarter of an hour later, fully dressed, Gelman walked down a mountain path, occasionally needing to push aside the weeds blocking his way.

"Grrrr—"

Gelman's stomach protested. He couldn't help but purse his lips and quicken his pace.

An hour later, he arrived at a small town at the foot of the mountain called Cross, found a small restaurant that served noodles, ordered a meal, and sat down to wait.

The steaming bowl of noodles was brought over by the restaurant's owner herself.

"Take your time eating."

She set the bowl and chopsticks in front of Gelman, and as if by accident, brushed her fingers across the back of his hand.

Gelman looked up at the owner in surprise, only to see her wink at him, which seemed like a flirtatious glance.

The owner smiled, said nothing more, and swayed her hips as she returned to the kitchen.

Gelman was stunned for a moment before remembering that this shell of his was actually quite handsome. So he had just been taken advantage of and received some kind of hint.

If you're interested, follow me...

Gelman didn't dwell on it. He picked up the chopsticks, grabbed some noodles, and ate slowly.

Suddenly, he sensed a gaze fixed on him.

Turning his head, it wasn't the expected owner, but a girl with golden twin-tails sitting at another table.

The girl was eating her noodles in small, delicate bites. She glanced at Gelman shyly, and when she realized her peeking had been caught, she lowered her head in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing red.

Gelman turned back and continued slurping his noodles.

But just as he lifted another bundle of noodles, his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

A girl with golden twin-tails?

A wine-red Lolita dress?

This one... could it be...