Saitama sent the flytrap flying with one punch, and the forest grew much quieter.
Most of the life signs that had been watching from the shadows vanished in an instant. The ones that remained huddled in the distance, afraid to approach.
"Let's go." Saitama patted the leaves off his hands, looking unconcerned.
The group continued deeper into the forest.
The farther they went, the taller the trees became. At first, the trees had only been a few dozen meters tall, but now they had grown to over a hundred meters, with trunks so thick that five or six people would have needed to join hands to encircle them. Their leaves were a deep, inky green, layered thickly enough to block out the sunlight completely. The forest was dim, as if it were dusk.
The concentration of energy in the air grew higher and higher.
After walking for a while, Gon suddenly stopped and lowered his head to look at his hand.
"Strange..."
"What's wrong?" Killua asked.
"My Nen... seems to be moving on its own." Gon clenched his fist, and white Nen seeped through the gaps between his fingers. "I'm not deliberately circulating it, but it's flowing automatically."
Killua sensed it too, then raised his eyebrows.
"Mine too. It feels like the forest's energy is nourishing it and making it more active."
Kurapika's Scarlet Eyes glimmered faintly as he sensed his surroundings.
"Every plant has a faint life sign. They're breathing, absorbing energy, and growing. This entire forest is one enormous living organism."
Leib excitedly collected various plant samples by the roadside. One moment he was plucking a leaf to smell it, and the next he was scraping off a piece of bark to taste, muttering nonstop.
"This leaf tastes like mint. It could be used as a spice... This