Finally, ten minutes later, the two of them reached the cave entrance without much trouble. Cool air from outside flowed back into the cave, lifting their spirits.
The Giant Snake's lair was merely its base, not a maze, so its layout was relatively simple. It was only natural that they found the way in and out quickly.
"Pressure +6"
The two stood at the cave entrance, at last leaving the pitch darkness within. The sky outside was somewhat gloomy, but at least they could see without using a flashlight.
Once free of the darkness, Gelman immediately conjured his Hunter Badge to check his Pressure Value.
The result was that after spending about an hour inside the cave, his Pressure Value had skyrocketed from its initial 3 points to 74. That included the 5 points of Grudge bestowal from the Giant Snake in its lair.
However, with Gelman and Shizuku using their flashlight together, the intervals between increases in his Pressure Value had grown significantly longer. Perhaps that was a clue.
Darkness worked against him and built up his Pressure Value, while light was his ally and slowed the process.
Gelman couldn't help feeling glad that they had entered the Dark Continent during the day. Once night fell, things would probably get much worse.
Just then, a loud crash came from not far away, as if something had fallen.
"What was that?" Shizuku stuffed her flashlight back into her backpack and looked in that direction.
Gelman shook his head. "I don't know. Let's go take a look."
They headed that way together. As they walked, Gelman raised his head and finally understood why it was so gloomy here.
Towering trees surrounded them on all sides. Each trunk took up an area comparable to that of a church, and their dense branches