First Step onto the Dark Continent: X[Ren]'s Counterforce

The piercing sound waves pierced his eardrums, shaking his brain to its core... Roy barely managed to get up from the ground, saw the Sandworm, his pupils contracted, and he remembered something...

This is clearly the monster that Netero, Linne, and Grandpa Jager encountered when they first arrived on the Dark Continent!

"No wonder they looked familiar." Roy subconsciously turned his head, and there stood three figures beside him: Netero, Linne, and Jager!

"So, did I regress, or was I forcibly pulled into Grandpa Jager's memories?"

Roy didn't have time to think. An endless swarm of Sandworm blotted out the sky, and one swept down... Then a loud shout came from beside him, "Get down!"

He quickly lay down on the ground... but while he could dodge the tail, the fierce wind carrying the incomparably powerful [strength] overturned the ground, uprooting people and trees together, and there was no way to escape it.

The only option is to retaliate in kind, using [training] as a countermeasure!

Think quickly... think every second counts... imagine opening Aura Nodes of your body in an instant, forcibly releasing your "Manifested Aura." Roy had just begun to feel it when he released a "mind" shield to cover himself, and then... he was hit by a large tree that had been uprooted and sent flying backward.

It seems like all my internal organs are shattered...

Two seconds... I've only been in this world for a short time, and I already have to go back?

Roy felt a sweet taste in his throat and uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood. Then his head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness...

[WARNING: Detection detected; "Unknown consciousness" connection...]

[The early warning mechanism is activated... The "Gate of Cognition" is opened...]

A familiar feeling of falling washed over me... and I vaguely seemed to hear a familiar voice again.

Roy opened his eyes groggily, and what he saw was the familiar Sea of Cognition, and many wooden doors floating on its surface...

To my surprise, I didn't immediately return to reality, but instead found myself in a world of perception!

He struggled to get up from the beach...

Get a medical check-up as soon as possible.

Excellent, no injuries, all internal organs are functioning well, everything is showing signs of improvement.

That world, including the tentacles, was nothing but a dream.

Thinking this to himself, as usual, he lifted his trouser leg, letting the seawater wash away his weariness, then suddenly glanced at something and froze...

Beside the Gate of Demon Slayer, another pitch-black door appeared out of nowhere, its opening slightly ajar... faintly, the roars of strange beasts and the screams of humans could be heard.

"Re: The Game of the Dead"... "Unknown Consciousness Connection"... Jager, Linne, Netero... a multitude of words intertwined and flooded the mind, forming an unbelievable conjecture--

Roy gradually realized that,

Whether by chance or by accident, he connected with Grandpa Jager's consciousness through his Nen Ability "Gate of Cognition," or rather, his memories of the journey to the Dark Continent!

Therefore, this extra door leads to the Dark Continent in Jager's memories!

As his thoughts gradually cleared, Roy finally understood what his great-grandfather meant by "your Grandpa Jager loves sausages"... It turns out that some people die, but their consciousness remains, and they haven't been forgotten by the world...

So the question is, should we continue?

The Sun-Earring Boy snapped out of his daze, hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, waded across the shallows, pushed open the door, and went back inside!

"Get down!" Memory flashed back... Roy heard that roar again. Without thinking, he quickly dropped to the ground, activating [Training]. It was the same feeling as before. He forced all his "Manifested Aura" out of his Aura Nodes, forming a "Nen Barrier" to protect himself from wave after wave of impact...

"Bang!" This time, Roy was hit by a flying rock and sent flying backward for two and a half seconds...

"Splash~" The seawater crashed against the rocks, and the familiar feeling of falling came again. As expected, Roy woke up again and returned to the familiar Cognitive World he knew, safe and sound.

This time he patted his face.

Without hesitation, he pushed open the black door and rushed inside, shouting again, "Get down!"

He forced himself to "Manifested Aura" to form a "Nen Barrier" to protect himself. This time, he held out for three seconds before being hit by a small boat and losing consciousness.

Next, we enter the Dark Continent, return to the Cognitive World, then enter the Dark Continent again, and return to the Cognitive World, in a continuous cycle...

After making seven or eight more trips, a deep weariness washed over him. Roy returned to the Sea of Cognition for the tenth time, struggled to turn over, and collapsed onto the beach, knowing in his heart that this was his limit!

Fifteen seconds... this time he held on for a full fifteen seconds...

Ancient Castle, basement.

I watched as Roy pushed the food cart into the aisle.

As Scar-Face One-Eye closed the security door, Tsubone slowly pulled a pocket watch from her pocket. Seeing it, her memories seemed to return to the past... This was her third time here, the previous times being Zeno and Silva.

She was a Zoldyck houseborn, adopted by Maha from a young age, grew up with Zeno, and even helped Silva urinate. She clearly remembered how long they each spent inside.

She had met Jager before, and even served him for several years. She was present when he died, so she knew what was inside.

Three seconds was Zeno's answer, three and a half seconds was Silva's limit, and now... the old butler stared intently at the passage, releasing her [En]. The moment she sensed the fluctuation in "Nen," she pressed the button on her pocket watch to start the timer.

The Scarface and the One-Eye stood like two guardian deities, protecting her from anything and no one, preventing her from being distracted.

Tsubone silently counted; "One... one and a half... two..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Two and a half... three..."

His pupils dilated in surprise, and he continued, "Three five... four... five... six!"

This... is impossible... The two pink ponytails began to become disheveled in the wind... Tsubone frowned and continued counting, "Eight... nine... ten... eleven... fifteen!"

He abruptly pressed the pocket watch, noticing... the unique "Nen" fluctuation disappeared... and froze!

"It seems the master really likes him," Scarface said in a deep voice.

"Because he stayed the longest," the One-Eye added honestly.

They were all adopted children of Jager, playmates who grew up with Zeno, and among them... Scarface was also Tsubone's husband, Holl's father, and Amane's grandfather.

Seeing that Tsubone was lost in thought, he reminded her, "You should report the truth."

Tsubone snapped out of his daze, still holding the pocket watch in his hand. He used his other hand to take out his phone and called Silva. It was so quick and efficient, he didn't even have to walk.

"Squeak... squeak..." The master bedroom on the second floor...

The soft, large bed was shaking, as if it couldn't withstand the impact, protesting and wailing...

"Ring ring..." A series of ringtones sounded, and the large bed fell silent...

The man frowned, picked up his phone, pressed the answer button, and said unhappily, "What is it?"

"The time the master requested has been set."

"A few seconds?"

"Fifteen seconds."

"Um?!"

Silva leaped off the bed, revealing a muscular physique as if cast in steel!

"You know this is no joke."

On the other end of the phone, Tsubone vaguely heard a series of footsteps. She looked up towards the passageway and saw Roy pushing a food cart out slowly. The bouquet of chrysanthemums was left in front of the airtight door, blooming quietly.

"You know I don't joke around."

Silva: "..."

I put down my phone and fell into a long silence...