Far beyond the location where the professional Hunter Exam licenses are issued lies the Dark Continent.
At this very moment...
The sky was a thick, murky gray, like spilled milk spreading across the heavens. Beneath this dreary backdrop, a fierce battle was raging.
Boom!
Germain gripped his Sacred Moonlight Sword firmly with both hands. With the grace of a dragonfly skimming the water, he darted across the few remaining patches of solid ground amidst the searing lava.
Not far away stood the Disease Spreader, an ancient menace that had just resurfaced from the depths of the earth.
After departing from the Moose Centaur Tribe and returning to the Ancient Labyrinth, the team decided to teleport to the Ashen Wasteland to replenish their supply of Alchemy Plants.
The Disease Spreader was at its weakest immediately after resurrection. This was the perfect time to strike.
However, the team wasn't entirely sure if it had already revived. They could have arrived too early—or too late.
They had estimated its revival time based on the Bloodthirsty Apostle, which had taken about three months to return to life.
To prepare for this uncertain timing, Germain had placed two Teleportation Lanterns in the Ashen Wasteland.
One was a special lantern, set in the wasteland from the start. The other was a regular lantern, left on the battlefield where they had previously defeated the Disease Spreader.
Teleportation between special lanterns had no cooldown, but teleporting between a special lantern and a regular lantern, or between two regular lanterns, required a cooldown period.
The team took advantage of this. They used a special lantern from the Ancient Labyrinth to teleport directly next to the special lantern in the Ashen Wasteland.
Then, Germain sensed the location of the regular lantern, guiding the team along a shorter path, allowing them to reach the battlefield in record time.
That regular lantern served as a marker, left by Germain for precise navigation.
However, the team had arrived too early.
The battlefield, once ravaged by a terrifying clash, showed no signs of large creatures stirring. The Disease Spreader still slumbered in its underground lair.
Meanwhile, in the twisted gray sky above, countless cursed wraiths drifted.
Like a swarm of sardines gathering and multiplying, they whistled through the air, voluntarily diving into the depths of the lair below.
"Wooo wooo wooo—"
"Ugh ugh ugh—"
The cave was packed with wailing white spirits, their eerie forms nearly spilling out from the entrance.
Frost covered the ground, and even getting a little closer made the air around them drop sharply in temperature.
The goal of the Germain squad was to strike while the Disease Spreader was still in its weak, newly revived state—eliminating it quickly and harvesting the Alchemy Plants.
Right now, with the Disease Spreader still dormant, the situation was in their favor.
If it woke up too soon, devouring the Wraiths to regain its strength, things would become much more troublesome.
The squad had set up a temporary base in a nearby cave, keeping a distant but watchful eye on the reviving creature lurking deep underground.
Since this Disease Spreader wasn't as strong as the last one, which had been absorbing Wraiths for a long time, not everyone needed to be present for the mission.
For Germain, this was a relief—he wouldn't have to use the special lantern twice to bring the entire team over.
If he did, he would have to endure the consequences of two trips, accumulating at least four rounds of negative traits or illnesses. And once he returned from the Dark Continent to Greed Island, that number would increase to five.
That would mean Abengane and Hina would have their hands full trying to remove the nen curses, and they might even have to use the Panacea Herb.
Because of that, this squad was kept to a minimal four-member team.
Germain—responsible for teleportation, scouting, and combat.
Shizuku—tasked with storing Alchemy Plants and other supplies.
Bisky—responsible for relieving stress and soothing the team's spirits.
Buhara, responsible for food supply and damage mitigation.
They waited patiently in a cave near the respawn point of the Disease Spreader.
Fortunately, they had anticipated this situation and brought enough supplies to last one or two months—more than enough.
If necessary, Germain could use his "special lantern" to return to the ancient labyrinth and retrieve more supplies.
During the wait, Germain made a new discovery about his teleportation lantern.
After defeating the "Ant King" Meruem, he had finally become a true "Champion-level Nen user."
Later, after defeating the Bloodthirsty Apostle once again, Germain obtained a new teleportation lantern.
While examining this new lantern using his "Hunter Badge," he noticed something unusual.
In the projection of the "Hunter Badge," a silver-white triangular symbol appeared.
Each of the three corners of the triangle contained a small, simple teleportation lantern icon.
At that moment, only one of them was glowing—the other two remained dim.
Could this mean that once he collected three new, unanchored teleportation lanterns, something extraordinary would happen to the silver-white triangle?
What could it be?
Germain wasn't sure, but he was willing to find out. After all, his current need for regular teleportation lanterns wasn't high, so he didn't mind using them up.
Finally, after waiting until January 22nd, Germain, Shizuku, Bisky, and Buhara reached the moment they had been waiting for.
The most important trait a Hunter must have is patience, and their patience had allowed them to seize the perfect opportunity.
The Disease Spreader broke through the earth, completing the initial stage of its revival.
And at this moment, it was at its weakest.
Most of the Wraiths had been consumed during its rebirth, and it had yet to summon the army of undead infected by the plague.
As a result, the barriers surrounding it had not yet formed in time.
Without hesitation, the Germain squad launched an all-out attack.
This is the scene unfolding right now.
Since the Germain squad followed a "one leader, many elites" formation, the battle still followed the usual pattern—Germain fought alone while the other three coordinated with each other.
A few lingering Wraiths hovered around Germain, but as he swung his Sacred Moonlight Sword, radiating holy light, they were purified instantly.
It seemed that the Sacred Moonlight Sword was currently Germain's most powerful conjured weapon against corruption.
With the sword in hand, Germain charged straight ahead, not even bothering to activate his Despising Armor.
The Disease Spreader attempted to manipulate the elements of wind, water, fire, and earth to trigger a "cataclysm," hoping to drive them back or at least slow them down.
However, its power was significantly weaker than before, failing to achieve the desired effect.
Neither the raging blizzards nor the searing magma could hinder the squad's advance in the slightest.
After an intense battle, Germain once again personally struck down the Disease Spreader, sealing it back underground.
(Note: Since this enemy has been fought before, the details won't be repeated.)
As the last few Wraiths howled and scattered through the air, Germain received a notification from the "Hunter Badge Projection"—he had obtained a new lantern.
Taking a closer look, the silver-white triangle mentioned earlier now had two of its corners lit up, leaving only the last one still dim.
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