The diary left behind by past voyagers provided Linne and her team with some clues about 'that gaze'.
It immediately reminded them of the black forest they had passed through earlier, and the clear spring water they had drunk from.
But compared to this clue that may bring some value, what is more concerning is the timing of the diary's appearance.
It was too coincidental...
So much so that Linne, the most suspicious-minded member of the group, couldn't help but question it.
Or perhaps, after being surrounded by that unknown gaze for so long, she had instinctively begun to suspect that this diary might have been deliberately placed by 'some existence'.
They couldn't afford to ignore that possibility.
At the very least, Linne wasn't taking any chances.
Holding the diary in her hands, Linne glanced at Zigg, who was about the same height as her, then looked up at the much taller and bulkier Netero, waiting for their thoughts.
However, after several seconds, neither Zigg nor Netero said anything. They just stared at each other with blank expression.
"…"
After a brief silence, Linne's slender eyebrow twitched and she asked, "You two... don't you have anything to say?"
"…"
The place suddenly became quiet again.
Netero and Zigg exchanged equally confused expressions.
"Should I say anything?"
That was Zigg's response.
"Huh?"
This was Netero's reaction.
The corners of Linne's mouth twitched imperceptibly, and then she fell silent again.
"Tch..."
She sighed in resignation and gave up the idea of getting 'insight' from Zigg and Netero.
'That's right…'
'These two idiots-'
'One was a Zoldyck Family's assassin, who believed every problem could be solved with violence.'
'The other was a battle junkie whose brain was 90% muscle, the type who would just punch first and ask questions never.'
'To them, no matter what lurked in the darkness ahead, the answer was always the same: "Hit it until it stops moving".'
'And if that didn't work, then they'll just embrace death with open arms.'
Realizing this, Linne wordlessly tucked the diary away and silently continued forward along their planned route.
Netero and Zigg first looked at Linne's back, then glanced at each other again.
'What's her problem?'
'Didn't we already say we'd just beat up whatever shows up?'
Their eyes conveyed the exact same question.
…
The team continued to move forward.
That 'gaze' which came from nowhere still clung to them like a shadow.
As time passed, its presence only grew more palpable.
Sometimes, Linne can keenly feel that 'that gaze' is staring at them nearby.
But even when she look towards the source of the gaze, although she can still clearly feel the existence of the gaze, there is always nothing within the reach of her gaze.
Though she hadn't sensed any immediate danger, Linne felt a sense of oppression, as if she was on a 'countdown'.
In the entire team, the only one completely unfazed was Netero. Maybe because he's confident that he could use 100-Type Guanyin to resolve the issue the moment 'that gaze' revealed its true nature.
The team moved forward slowly.
Netero was at the front, Zigg was behind, and Linne stayed in the middle.
This was the formation they always adopted during their exploration.
Not long after-
The team arrived at a sparse woodland.
Compared to the gigantic, monstrous landscapes typical of the Dark Continent, this place felt almost normal.
In fact, it might as well have been a patch of grass by Dark Continent's standards.
Without much hesitation, the team proceeded along the planned route into the forest.
At this moment, the setting sun cast its orange-red afterglow among the trees.
Netero walked at the front with a steady look in his eyes.
As an Enhancer that has reached the pinnacle, Netero exuded a presence capable of crushing any danger ahead.
It was this intangible, overwhelming presence that gave Linne and Zigg unwavering confidence.
They could always trust Netero standing at the forefront.
Rustle-
The wind blows through the branches and leaves, making continuous noises.
As the last traces of sunlight faded, the surrounding trees and foliage suddenly began to emit a faint green glow.
Before Netero and the others could examine this change closely, a fleeting killing intent suddenly flashed across the sky.
The killing intent-
came from behind the team.
Netero and Linne seemed to have no reaction at all, while Zigg, who was at the back of the team, also looked forward, focusing his attention on the plants that were glowing green.
Then, the killing intent from behind attacked the back of Zigg's head with a sharp force.
At that moment-
Although Zigg's focus remained on the luminous plants, his body reacted as if on instinct. His arms, which are hanging naturally at his sides, suddenly lashed out like whips toward the black shadow attacking from behind.
Bang!
A dull impact echoed amidst the shimmering green light.
The shadow that had aimed for Zigg's head was struck away by his whip-like arm and landed steadily on the forest floor, muttering a series of incomprehensible syllables.
At the same time, Netero and Linne turned to face the source of the sound.
What they saw was a semi-humanoid magical beast over two meters tall.
The magical beast had a pair of curved black horns atop its head, and its golden slit pupils gleamed with a human-like curiosity. Its body is covered with thick black fur, though it couldn't conceal the rock-like bulging muscles beneath.
However, while its upper body was powerfully built, its lower limbs were slender and bent.
"A demi-human magical beast...?"
Seeing the attacker's true appearance, Netero raised his eyebrows slightly and subconsciously thought of the Gatekeeper.
Meanwhile, Linne immediately checked Zigg's arm and asked, "Are you hurt?"
"Minor injury."
Zigg's expression remained unchanged as he stared at the demi-human magical beast that suddenly attacked him with a dead look in his eyes.
Thanks to the brutal training he had undergone since childhood, after he came into contact with Nen, he naturally developed the ability that allowed him to subconsciously react to any attack.
Just now, he relied on this ability to fend off the attack from the demi-human magical beast in time.
But even without this ability, he could have reacted to the fleeting killing intent.
Netero and Linne could have done the same.
The only problem was that his Manifested Aura was inferior to the magical beast's, so the arm he used to fight back has become red and swollen.
"Humans… how rare. Heh…"
The black-horned magical beast studied Netero and the others with interest before locking eyes with Zigg.
"Out of the three of you… you're the strongest, aren't you?"
Based on the results of the earlier ambush, the black-horned magical beast believed that Zigg, the only one who had reacted, was the strongest among the three.
However, to Netero and the others, its words were nothing but a string of unintelligible sounds.
Noticing the reactions of the trio, the black-horned magical beast realized the problem of language barrier.
"It seems I need to solve the language problem first…"
The black-horned magical beast chuckled, then suddenly tore off a chunk of flesh covered with thick hair from its chest with its backhand.
This abrupt act of self-mutilation startled Netero and the others, leaving them bewildered.
The black-horned magical beast ignored Netero and the others' reactions and muttered to itself, "What I give… must be repaid."
As soon as the words fell-
A red light came out of the palm holding the fur and flesh, and then the fur and flesh in the red light silently disintegrated into ashes.
The sacrifice is complete!
"You-"
Ignoring the ashes of flesh and fur in its hand, the black-horned magical beast turned its gaze back to Netero and the others and asked, "You're… 'stowaways,' aren't you?"
This time, its words were no longer incomprehensible syllables, but a common language with a standard accent.
Using its sacrificial ability, the black-horned magical beast had offered a portion of its own flesh as tribute to resolve the language barrier.
"Hm?"
Netero, Linne, and Zigg, who had been on guard, were momentarily taken aback upon hearing the magical beast speak their language.
With no time to question how and no intention of answering the other party, Netero instinctively asked back: "Then you are the 'voyeur'?"
The reason for asking this question back is-
Because Netero had noticed that the lingering 'gaze' had vanished the moment this black-horned magical beast appeared.
"???"
However, the black-horned magical beast did not understand the meaning of Netero's question at all.
"What voyeur? My name is Spudimen!"
In response to Netero's question, the black-horned magical beast's eyes widened slightly, and it proudly announced its name.
Spudimen-
It was the very same Gatekeeper, who would summon the Guide for Moses and his team years later.
However, compared to the cold and indifferent temperament that kept people at a distance many years later, the current Spademen exuded a lively vigor and...
An eagerness toward new and intriguing encounters.
Despite this-
In Spudimen's eyes, Netero, Linnie, and Zigg were still nothing more than food and prey to sharpen its skills.
That's right.
He intended to hunt Netero and the other two down, kill them, and then feast on their flesh.
Zigg, who was most sensitive to killing intent, immediately discerned Spudimen's intentions.
So, he took a small step forward.
Spudimen saw what Zigg was doing and couldn't help but smile.
The next moment-
Spudimen's figure seemed to bypass space itself, materializing right beside Zigg.
However, before Spudimen could make a move, Zigg, with his eyes deathly still, had already thrust his blade-like palm toward Spudimen's vitals.
This perfectly timed counterattack was as if he had foreseen Spudimen's move.
Spudimen hadn't expected Zigg to react so swiftly, but its reflexes were equally monstrous. At the last moment, it retreated, narrowly avoiding Zigg's strike.
"interesting."
Regaining its stance, Spudimen stared at Zigg with gleaming eyes and said excitedly: "You really are the strongest one here."
Its judgment was still based on reaction speed.
In the previous confrontation, it had once again observed that Netero and Linne hadn't reacted at all.
However-
What Spudimen didn't know was that Netero and Linne had also seen Zigg take that small step forward.
And in the eyes of Netero and Linne, that movement was Zigg's way of saying: I'll handle this.
So Netero and Linne had chosen not to intervene.
Hearing Spudimen's excited declaration, a question mark suddenly popped up in Zigg's head.
"'The strongest one here?"
"Tch…"
'How could I possibly be the strongest?'
'The real strongest is the man behind me.'
'The Isaac Netero whom I admire and respect!'
'If you can't even see that much… then I can probably win this.'
Zigg slowly shifted into an offensive stance, and murmured to himself.