Towering trees rose from the depths of the primordial forest.
Many of them stood far taller than the buildings of the Six Continents — taller even than the World Tree — making the explorers feel utterly insignificant.
The expedition team set up camp in a lowland area that, from the perspective of a colossal beast, seemed tiny, but to them, was vast.
They began preparing food, setting up tents, and organizing supplies.
At night, a thick fog rose, dense as storm clouds.
Strange winds — or perhaps the roars of giant beasts — swept through the woods.
Most members of the team were exhausted, both physically and mentally.
With these conditions in mind, Germain made the call to halt the advance and set up camp on the spot.
It was a necessary pause, giving everyone time to digest and reflect on the day's overwhelming sights and experiences.
Cheadle, Gel, and Sanbica also took the opportunity to conduct a round of health checks on the team, just in case anyone had unknowingly caught some strange illness.
Some members who had been staying inside the "Fourth-Dimensional Apartment" decided to come out for fresh air — at least, those who were willing.
Regardless of how the team rotated shifts, at least one of the three strongest fighters — Germain, Ging, or Bisky — remained awake at all times.
The long night passed without incident.
Even those who had felt unwell due to Nen-related disturbances had now fully recovered.
At dawn, the expedition team broke camp and resumed their journey.
The road ahead remained long.
They estimated it would take nearly a month — covering over 400 kilometers — to finally reach the ancient labyrinth.
Most of that month would be spent traversing this vast sea of trees.
That made it crucial for Germain, Ging, Bisky, and others to carefully determine the route and direction.
Fortunately, with everyone performing their roles well, the team was prepared to handle most of the dangers that might arise.
During this time, Germain's primary responsibility was to drive away the colossal beasts — especially the aggressive and highly dangerous ones.
Every now and then, he would release his Nen, just like a lion's roar echoing through its territory.
It spread far and wide, sending a clear warning to the massive beasts nearby.
Don't come close. This is my domain.
Most of the giant creatures obeyed the warning.
As for the smaller monsters, they didn't even dare to get close.
Because of this, the team rarely encountered any attacks during their journey.
Even near their campsite, sightings of monsters became extremely rare.
This was frustrating for the professional Hunters who had come to study the creatures of the Dark Continent.
They could only collect feces, footprints, and claw marks—rare traces left behind—making it nearly impossible to observe the monsters directly.
In truth, though, this situation was actually good for the exploration team.
The real investigation could wait until they reached the ancient labyrinth.
And just like that, a week passed.
The exploration team set a record—zero casualties.
Only a few members had been injured or fell ill, but all cases were under control, with no threats to life or risk of spreading disease.
Still, Germain began to feel that something was off.
According to their original plan, the route they chose was meant to pass through several small demi-human tribes that had already joined the Sub Human Alliance.
Germain had even sent word ahead through the Moose Centaur Tribe to inform the others and make sure the human exploration team would be welcomed to rest and resupply.
But when they arrived at the first tribe, they immediately noticed something strange.
The whole settlement looked like it had been ravaged—either by a monstrous beast or some violent storm.
Buildings were torn apart.
And the demi-human residents were nowhere to be found.
"Strange," Ging muttered, after finishing his sweep of the area.
He walked up to Germain.
"Could they have been targeted by some large-type species?"
"Worse," Germain replied grimly.
"If that were the case, at least we'd see remains. But here... it's completely clean. Not even a corpse, not a single bone left behind."
Germain had already vaguely grasped the answer.
"This is a precursor to an invasion. The flesh monsters will swarm out in full force. There is no doubt they will devour and assimilate all living beings with flesh and blood."
Germain took out his Hunter Badge and used his En and temporarily distanced himself from the area.
He began checking the surroundings of each lantern teleport point one by one.
Unexpectedly, at the first teleport point he chose—the ancient labyrinth—he witnessed a strange scene.
At the top floor of the ancient labyrinth's tall tower, a man wrapped completely in a black robe was sitting cross-legged on the teleportation stone array, head bowed, as if sleeping.
Even without seeing his face or hearing any sound, Germain instantly recognized the man's identity in that moment.
It was Don Freecss.
Why was he here?
Suddenly, Don's body stirred.
He slightly lifted his head. His hood concealed the upper half of his face, but it was clear he was looking toward the direction Germain was perceiving from.
Don had sensed me too.
Sure enough, Don slowly stood up, nodded toward Germain's viewpoint, and then walked to the edge of the tower, pointing outside.
Don was explaining something to him.
Following his finger, Germain's vision shifted and caught sight of the ancient labyrinth castle from above.
What should have been a dead and lifeless fortress was now crawling with numerous dense black dots, like an infestation of ants.
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