Hiss—
The needle pierced skin with a sharp sting, followed by a numbing pain. Germain pressed down on the syringe, injecting the "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" into his body.
His three companions were doing the same.
To an outsider, it might've looked like some kind of addict party.
But in truth, Ging, Bisky, and Shizuku were just being cautious.
The disease resistance granted by the "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" was crucial for their journey into the rainforest.
Yes—after leaving the ancient labyrinth tower, they had been teleported into a lush, vibrant rainforest.
And Germain had already been infected with an illness called "Red Fever."
It weakened his "Constitution," a curse triggered by using the "Special Lantern."
The "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" was specifically effective at neutralizing it.
And it worked—when Germain touched his "Hunter Badge," the status screen no longer showed "Red Fever" under the "Diseases" section.
"Give me your syringe," Shizuku said, walking up to Germain with a box in her left hand. Inside were the used syringes from her, Ging, and Bisky—carefully collected.
It was Sanbica's request, and everyone had taken it seriously.
"Alright." Germain placed his syringe into the box, then watched as Shizuku sealed it and stuffed it into the mouth of her "Blinky."
The whole box tumbled down the vacuum hose, disappearing into her "Dark Space."
"Your Blinky works on a first-in-last-out system. Swallowing that box—won't it mess with how you handle emergencies?" Germain asked with concern.
"Hmm?" Shizuku adjusted her thick black-rimmed glasses and tilted her head slightly, her eyes showing a bit of confusion. "Didn't I tell you already?"
"Tell me what?"
"My Blinky evolved." She poked her full lips with a finger, eyes glancing upward in thought. After a moment, she added seriously, "Hmm… Did I really never mention it to you?"
Germain interrupted Shizuku's tangled thoughts and asked, "When did it evolve? And what did it evolve into?"
"Right after I got back to Meteor City… I'd always wanted a more convenient ability, and at that moment, it finally responded to what I was wishing for."
Germain understood that Nen abilities aren't fixed — they're always evolving.
If someone's ability stayed the same for years or even decades, it would've been fully figured out and countered by now.
Killua's Lightning and Godspeed, Hisoka's Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise, Chrollo's Skill Hunter and Bookmark, even Germain himself — all of them had their abilities evolve or branch out over time.
As a fighter's strength improves, their Nen needs to grow with it — not just in "power," but in how it works too.
"Like this…" Shizuku held Blinky in her right hand and stuck her left hand into its wide-open mouth. "If I keep thinking about a specific item I want to take out, and clearly imagine what it looks like…"
The Blinky made a gurgling, uncomfortable sound, like it was about to throw up.
But Shizuku didn't stop. She kept reaching inside, even pushing her hand all the way into its throat.
Finally, her eyes lit up like she found something. With one sharp pull, she yanked her left hand out of Blinky's mouth — squelch!
The Blinky let out a long sigh of relief, its giant tongue flopping out the side like a tired guard dog, panting fast and heavy.
In Shizuku's left palm sat a six-sided die.
She held it up to show Germain and said, "This is the die you gave me back then."
Germain picked it up, turned it around in his hand, inspecting every side, and confirmed — it really was that same die.
Back then, he'd been affected by a Terrible Gambler negative trait, and wanted to test just how bad his luck really was.
He ended up losing a dice roll to Shizuku, and she casually pocketed the die like it was nothing.
"So now," Germain asked, "as long as you remember what's inside the Blinky, and clearly picture it in your head, you can pull it out directly?"
"Yup," she replied.
"If you forget what's inside Blinky, or can't remember what that thing looks like, how are you supposed to activate that derivative ability?"
Shizuku paused and thought seriously for a while.
In the end, she came to a conclusion.
"If I really can't remember… then I guess I'll just give up."
"You're just giving up like that?" Bisky, who had been listening nearby, couldn't help but put her hands on her hips and complain.
"Tools forgotten inside your Treasure Pouch—they'll cry, you know!"
"Treasure Pouch?" Shizuku blinked in confusion.
"My ability is called Blinky. Bisky, your memory's terrible."
"I was using Doraemon's Treasure Pouch as a metaphor… Ugh, never mind."
"The moment I mocked your memory, I already lost."
Bisky sighed helplessly, while Shizuku still didn't realize what was wrong.
After circling around the area, Ging came back and said to the group,
"No sign of any swamps yet. Looks like we'll have to search this wet rainforest for a while."
"Then let's start looking."
Germain didn't waste any words.
The expedition team walked over fallen branches, rotting leaves, and muddy ground, heading in a steady direction.
From time to time, Germain used his En, sweeping their surroundings.
Thanks to that, they avoided many of the dangerous creatures hidden in the damp rainforest.
Unless absolutely necessary, they had no intention of getting into meaningless fights.
Right now, finding the swamp was the top priority.
According to the Journey to the New World – Fragmented Pages, the Longevity Food – Nitro Rice naturally grows in swamps.
If they could find the swamp, they'd find the "hope" they were looking for.
"I think the swamp will be deep in the heart of this rainforest," Ging said as his boots crunched over the withered leaves, thick mud clinging to his soles.
"The Federation of Ochima's exploration team reported that '99% of the people became food for Hellbell before even reaching the swamp.'"
"But they entered from outside the rainforest, unlike us."
"If most of them died before even getting close, it means the swamp is much farther in."
"So it's highly likely the Longevity Food – Nitro Rice is growing deep within the forest."
Germain basically agreed: "Let's head in this direction first. If we reach the edge of the rainforest, we can change our search direction."
"Okay." Ging, standing nearby, used his Nen to carve a Möbius ring symbol on the twisted trunk of a tree.
"This mark shows we've been here. Even at night, it will glow."
Bisky lowered her camera, which had been capturing the flickering shadows of the branches in the distance, and curiously asked, "You knew this kind of Nen Ability?"
"Just a little," Ging, replied. "I learned a bit before."
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them. Looking up, they saw dark clouds rolling in, densely gathering out of nowhere.
"Is it going to rain?" Bisky frowned.
A blinding flash of light struck, followed by a thunderous roar. Before anyone could react, large raindrops began to fall from the sky.
Bisky's guess was right—it was starting to rain.
"Ah!"
Bisky suddenly cried out, looking at her arm where a raindrop had landed. The spot was slightly swollen and bright red, and the burning sensation hadn't faded.
Was this the temperature of boiling water?
A sense of unease spread as the rain intensified.
********
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