Chapter Summaries

Leo and his group reached the stone gate leading to the Dark Continent and met its two gatekeepers. The gatekeepers recognized Leo’s tattoo and invited him inside to discuss it, while Sophia and the others waited outside.

• Leo led Sophia, Morel, and the others from their yacht across the beach and canyon to the immense stone gate.
• Leo noticed a stone house beside the gate and approached it with the group.
• Two robed gatekeepers opened the door, and Leo respectfully asked them to let the group enter the Dark Continent.
• The gatekeepers agreed to speak with Leo first and recognized the dark gold spiral tattoo on his hand.
• Leo accepted the gatekeepers’ invitation to discuss his tattoo inside, while Sophia and the others waited outside.
• Inside the house, Leo sat with the gatekeeper and asked what he wanted to discuss.

Tobias recognized Leo’s Proof of Humanity tattoo and explained its connection to Elliott Harper and the Kukape Civilization. He shared information about the Dark Continent, including the source of Nitrolomi and the danger posed by the Cape Clan’s enemies.

• Tobias identified Leo’s tattoo as Proof of Humanity and learned that Leo had reached level one hundred.
• Tobias revealed that Elliott Harper had been the tattoo’s previous owner and suggested that he had lived for more than two thousand years.
• Tobias explained that the Cape Clan’s enemies had lured a giant dragon to destroy their homeland and warned Leo not to seek revenge on the dragon.
• Tobias told Leo that a swamp south of the passage was the source of Nitrolomi, which Leo’s companions might need.
• Tobias warned Leo that conceited birdmen had hunted the Cape Clan and might target him if they saw his tattoo.

Sophia and the others questioned Isaiah about the Dark Continent’s scale, dangers, and inhabitants, learning that their abilities could keep them alive only in the Outer Region. Leo then emerged from the stone house pleased with his meeting and said he would explain what he had learned on the way.

• Sophia asked Isaiah how tall the mountain was, and he said it reached about 13,500 meters and enclosed Mobius Lake.
• Kastro asked how far the group could explore, and Isaiah said they could survive in the Outer Region.
• Hisoka asked whether humans stronger than him lived in the Dark Continent, and Isaiah said some were stronger while others were weaker.
• Morel asked about the continent’s size and powerful creatures, and Isaiah said its true size was unknown and Mobius Lake was only a speck of dust by comparison.
• Isaiah ended the questions, and the group thanked him as Leo came out of the stone house.
• Sophia asked Leo how his meeting had gone, and Leo said it had been fruitful and that he would tell her on the way.

Leo and his group entered the Dark Continent through the gatekeepers’ passage, leaving Tobias and Isaiah behind. After the gate sealed, the two gatekeepers discussed the Birdmen’s growing conflicts with other peoples.

• Tobias gave Leo a whistle for summoning a guide and explained how difficult it was to reach the gatekeepers without one.
• Tobias and Isaiah opened the stone gate, revealing a pale blue passage.
• Leo led Sophia, Kastro, Goreinu, Kalluto, Shizuku, Nico, Morel, Shoot, Knuckle, Hisoka, and the others through the gate.
• Tobias and Isaiah closed the gate after the group vanished into the passage.
• Isaiah said the Birdmen had provoked the Dragonfolk, and Tobias agreed that the Birdmen were in for trouble.

The Black Whale began its voyage from Kakin, while passengers heard the official route to the supposed Dark Continent. As the ship left the coast, Beyond remained under guard and Kurapika checked the security of Prince Woble’s room.

• The Black Whale departed Black Whale Port amid cheers and a public broadcast describing its planned voyage to the Dark Continent.
• The narration revealed that the ship would actually stop at the New Continent, where true Dark Continent travelers would transfer to another vessel.
• Kanzai, Saccho, and Ginta guarded Beyond in his caged cabin, and Saccho proposed asking Storm to let one of them assist the king’s army.
• Kurapika checked the security of Woble’s room and relied on a network of trusted Hunters serving other princes to share intelligence.

Leo and his team crossed a gate onto the Dark Continent and climbed to a ridge overlooking its vast wilderness. They were left staring at a landscape filled with gigantic creatures, while Leo laughed with excitement at the sight.

• Leo emerged from the gate, used En to check the area, and confirmed that it was safe.
• Sophia, Morel, Nico, and the others followed Leo through the gate and spread out to watch their surroundings.
• Morel and Nico explained that the gate had been placed in a cleared safe zone, and Leo led the team toward the ridge.
• The team reached the cliff and saw enormous animals and plants across the Dark Continent, including creatures hunting and devouring one another.
• Leo surveyed the wilderness and laughed, thrilled to have reached the Dark Continent.

Leo unleashed a vast Nen barrage on the Dark Continent, destroying the creatures across a wide stretch of land and gaining eight levels. After his companions warned him to be more careful, he led them down from the cliff to explore.

• Leo surveyed the Dark Continent with his companions and released a towering burst of Nen Aura.
• Leo shaped his aura into a huge dragon that burst into hundreds of thousands of projectiles, bombarding the land for two minutes.
• The barrage killed countless enormous creatures and left the ground devastated.
• Leo gained eight levels, reaching level 119 at 95%.
• Sophia, Morel, and Nico warned Leo that his attack had been reckless, and he promised to warn them next time.
• Leo led the group down from the cliff to explore the Dark Continent.

Bai returned to the Dark Continent after 368 years and promised to travel with Leo until he found his people. Leo reunited with the group and led them toward the swamp, while considering what they knew about Don Freecss and the regions of the continent.

• Bai emerged from a portal in the Outer Region, and Leo reminded him to honor their agreement.
• Bai promised to stay with Leo until he found his people, and Leo summoned the others to rejoin them.
• Nico maintained his communication field as the group gathered and set out south toward the swamp Tobias had mentioned.
• Leo recalled that Don Freecss was alive and stronger than him, and reviewed what Tobias had said about the Outer, Central, and Core Regions.
• Leo led the group through giant ferns as the ground grew damp and the air became more humid.

Leo's group fought their way through the Dark Continent, using coordinated Nen attacks to kill a giant six-legged beast and avoiding larger dangers as they traveled. Leo later killed two colossal beasts while they fought each other, advancing his level, and the group continued toward the swamps in search of longevity food.

• Sophia signaled the group to stop as a six-legged beast moved through the vegetation, and Morel and Kalluto concealed it in smoke and paper.
• Sophia, Kalluto, Kastro, Shizuku, and Goreinu attacked the beast's legs and head while Asher and Knuckle guarded the perimeter, killing it in about twenty seconds.
• Bai sensed another herd nearby, and Leo confirmed the area was safe before signaling the group to continue their journey.
• On the fifth day, Leo sensed two colossal magical beasts fighting several kilometers away and rushed in to kill both with a precise strike.
• Leo's level advanced after killing the beasts, while Bai continued to point out nearby terrain and plant communities.

Leo’s team crossed a grassland where Bai dealt with an enormous underground Earth-vein Giant Worm Beast. On the ninth day, they reached a barren wasteland covered in the remains of a creature that Leo estimated had stood over five thousand meters tall.

• Leo sensed an Earth-vein Giant Worm Beast moving beneath the grassland, and Bai explained how it hunted.
• Bai turned into white mist, entered the earth, and returned ten seconds later after taking care of the beast.
• Leo led the team onward, and after two more days they crossed the grassland into a barren region.
• The team found a gigantic skull and scattered bones across the wasteland, and Leo estimated the dead creature had stood over five thousand meters tall.

Little Azure awoke, grew to a kilometer long, and carried Leo and the others into the air across the wilderness. As a black tide appeared on the horizon, Bai recalled how an ancient dragon had once saved him in the Core Region.

• Little Azure woke after nine days of sleep and grew to a thousand meters long.
• Sophia stroked Little Azure, while it refused to let Kastro touch it; Hisoka realized he could not defeat the dragon.
• Bai remembered roaming the Central Region, being trapped by a giant in the Core Region, and escaping when an ancient dragon drove the giant back.
• Leo led the group onto Little Azure's back, and the dragon began flying across the wilderness.
• A distant buzzing shook the earth, and Leo spotted a black tide on the horizon.

Leo and his companions encountered a vast swarm of Blood-Eroding Insects that devoured everything organic in their path. When the swarm climbed into a pillar to pursue Little Azure, Leo attacked it with a storm of golden Nen projectiles.

• Bai identified the approaching swarm as Blood-Eroding Insects and explained that it numbered in the tens of millions and had likely stripped the enormous carcass down to bones.
• Leo ordered Little Azure to climb and fly forward before the swarm could reach them.
• The Blood-Eroding Insects detected Little Azure and piled on top of one another to form a rapidly rising pillar that pursued the group.
• Leo unleashed a golden Nen dragon that burst apart into hundreds of thousands of projectiles and bombarded the insect pillar.
• The bombardment repeatedly shattered the pillar faster than the insects could rebuild it.

Leo bombarded the Blood-Eroding Insect swarm from Little Azure’s back while Bai identified the ordinary queen and guided him to its location. After Leo destroyed the queen and scattered the remaining insects, his level rose from 121 to 128.

• Leo fired a second volley of Nen bullets, further scattering the regrouping swarm.
• Bai explained that the outbreak had an ordinary queen and that two more attacks should be enough to eliminate it.
• Leo launched a third bombardment, thinning the swarm and preventing it from advancing toward Little Azure.
• Bai located the queen two kilometers ahead and slightly to the right, and Leo concentrated his fourth volley there.
• The queen’s death threw the swarm into chaos, and Leo continued bombarding it as his level rose to 128.
• Only a few dozen Blood-Eroding Insects remained, crawling aimlessly around the scorched wasteland.

Benjamin watched the princes at the departure ceremony while unrest overwhelmed the Black Whale’s staff on its lower levels. On the Dark Continent, Leo’s group entered a canyon and encountered silent, featureless spherical creatures that communicated in an unknown language.

• Benjamin watched the gathered princes and thought that he would not let any of them die easily.
• Queen Oito left the ceremony carrying the infant Fourteenth Prince, while King Nasubi Hui-Guo continued receiving guests and eating.
• Mizai Istom, Cheadle, Gel, and the other Zodiac members struggled to manage rising violence, illness, and shortages aboard the Black Whale.
• Leo’s group continued south across the Dark Continent and entered a narrow canyon on the eleventh day.
• The group spotted gray-white spherical creatures gliding silently through the canyon and making unintelligible sounds to one another.

Leo's group encountered resilient spherical creatures in a canyon and avoided fighting them before continuing toward the marsh where Nitrolomi grew. At the basin's edge, Leo warned the group about the deadly Hellbell Two-Tailed Snakes and had Shizuku produce custom earplugs designed to counter their call.

• Kastro and Goreinu tested attacks on the approaching spheres, but the creatures were unharmed and absorbed Nen projectiles.
• Leo led the group around the spheres, which stopped at the canyon's edge, and they continued traveling for two days.
• Leo's group reached a wetland basin and learned that crossing it would bring them to the marsh where Nitrolomi grew.
• Leo warned that Hellbell Two-Tailed Snakes could spread bloodlust and permanently damage the minds of those who heard their call.
• Shizuku used Blinky to produce twelve pairs of custom earplugs containing Melody's calming music as protection against the snakes.

Leo and his team entered a silent wetland to confront the Two-Tailed Snake, keeping Ken active and using earplugs to guard against Hellish Ringing. As they advanced, Leo detected a rhythmic sound from beyond his En’s range and warned the team to turn up their music.

• Leo suspected the Sonata of Darkness and its Demon King came from beyond the human world, but decided to focus on the Two-Tailed Snake.
• Leo equipped the team with earplugs and warned them to keep Ken up, while Bai went without protection because Hellish Ringing could not affect him.
• Leo led the group into the wetland with his En spread 3,300 meters ahead and found no signs of other living creatures.
• Little Azure peeked from Leo’s pocket and ate the chocolate Sophia had secretly given it.
• After the team had advanced for about ten minutes, Leo heard a steady rhythmic sound beyond his En’s reach and told everyone to turn up their earplugs.

Hellbell’s murderous ringing overwhelmed the party despite their earplugs and soothing music, threatening to drive them into violence. Leo’s Nen-powered roar cleared the ringing and restored everyone’s senses, though the threat had found them.

• Hellbell’s ringing spread through the wetland and began eroding the party’s resistance, disorienting Sophia, Kastro, Nico, Shizuku, Knuckle, and the others.
• Bai warned Leo that Hellbell had found them and dissolved into mist to keep watch over the party.
• Leo gathered Nen Aura and unleashed a roar that sent a shock wave through the wetland, overpowering Hellbell’s ringing.
• The roar restored the party’s focus and stopped their urges to attack one another as the wetland fell briefly silent.

Leo hunted down and killed six Two-Tailed Snakes whose Hellish Ringing had harmed the group, reaching level 134 before they left the wetlands. Sophia and the others returned to the island base, while Leo, Bai, and Hisoka stayed behind and camped for the night.

• Leo found an unconscious Two-Tailed Snake and killed it by crushing the black sac on its neck, gaining a level.
• Leo returned to the group and led them out of the wetlands, killing five more Two-Tailed Snakes as their ringing attacks sounded.
• After the final kill, Leo reached level 134 and the group emerged from the lowlands toward evening.
• Sophia, Kastro, Morel, Nico, Shizuku, Kalluto, Shoot, Knuckle, and Asher teleported back to the island base.
• Bai and Hisoka stayed with Leo, and the three camped beside a fire beneath the Dark Continent's night sky.

After recovering from the Two-Tailed Snake’s Hellish Ringing, Leo and the group entered a swamp to search for Nitrolomi. They set out across the rust-colored water in a hovercraft, with no sign of the longevity food yet.

• The group rested for two days and recovered from the Two-Tailed Snake’s effects before returning to the Dark Continent.
• Goreinu, Sophia, Kastro, Morel, and Nico inspected the swamp as Leo used En to scan the water and Bai confirmed that nothing unusual was nearby.
• Shizuku used Blinky to produce a hovercraft and protective suits, which the group put on before boarding.
• Leo started the hovercraft and steered deeper into the swamp to search for Nitrolomi.

Leo and the others found eighteen Nitrolomi plants in a remote part of the swamp and brought them back to their base. After they argued over who should test one, Leo volunteered, leaving the group poised to see what the plant would do.

• The group split up to search the swamp, and Kastro later reported finding plants that looked like Nitrolomi.
• Leo confirmed the plants matched Tobias's description, and the others harvested all eighteen with their roots and soil intact.
• Asher opened a teleportation gate, and the group transported the Nitrolomi to their base for examination.
• Knuckle, Shoot, Kastro, and others argued over who should try the plant first.
• Leo ended the argument by volunteering to test the Nitrolomi, despite Sophia urging him to run basic tests first.