Thunderstorm Forest Region: First Encounter with the Four-Armed Diamonds

Early the next morning, the six-person team set off.

They headed inland, toward the Thunderstorm Cloud Ocean Forest Region forty kilometers away.

Saitama walked at the front, taking long strides. He seemed to be in a good mood.

Gon and Killua followed behind him with packs on their backs, checking their surroundings from time to time.

Kurapika walked in the middle, holding a rough map Beyond had given him, with their general route marked on it.

Leorio carried a bulging Medical Kit on his back and was getting a little winded.

Forty kilometers was neither terribly far nor particularly close.

The terrain on the Dark Continent was difficult, with roots and bushes everywhere, making it impossible to move quickly.

Genos brought up the rear, his eyes glowing blue as he scanned their surroundings the entire way.

They walked for most of the day.

The farther inland they went, the taller the trees grew and the denser the vegetation became.

The air grew increasingly humid, too.

By afternoon, they could faintly hear thunder in the distance.

It rumbled on and on.

Not just one or two peals, but a continuous rumble, as though muffled thunder were rolling across the sky.

"We're almost there." Kurapika looked up at the sky. "The Thunderstorm Forest Region starts just ahead."

Gon looked up, too.

In the distance, purplish-black storm clouds hung low, with lightning occasionally flashing through them.

Compared to the clear skies overhead, it was a completely different world.

"Does it thunder here every day?" Leorio swallowed.

"Yes." Kurapika nodded. "According to the information Beyond gave us, this forest has thunderstorms year-round. They never stop, no matter the season."

"Why?" Gon asked curiously.

"The geology is unusual," Kurapika said. "There are mineral veins underground that create an abnormal magnetic field, so it attracts lightning