šØ To get the full story and future chapters purchase it from patron shopĀ
Beyond looked at Netero's back, silent for a moment, then stood up and followed.
"Should we follow them?"
Cervantes looked at the two figures, one in front and one behind. He really wanted to follow them and see what the current chairman of the Hunter Association intended to say or do to Beyond.
"It's the boss's family matter; we don't need to get involved."
Among Beyond's Hunter team, a handsome man with waist-length white hair shook his head. His ears were long and pointed, his image like a legendary elf.
"Beyond isn't going to stop here, is he?"
Captain Orson frowned. He hadn't expected Beyond's father to actually come to the venue and even threaten to stop him from going to the Dark Continent.
He thought for a moment and decided to go and persuade him. No matter what, Beyond had to go to the Dark Continent and serve as the vanguard investigation team.
"Don't go."
Captain Orson had just taken a step forward when he was blocked by a burly man wearing a silver metal mask.
Orson looked up at the other party. He instinctively sensed the condescending gaze emanating from beneath the mask, making him uncomfortable.
He, Captain Orson of the Seventh Regiment, Viper Elite Infantry Regiment, was being looked down upon.
Swish!
He was about to speak, but at that moment, all the other Hunters' gazes were fixed on Orson. His right eye twitched slightly, and he left for another direction of the venue, his face grim.
That evening, no one knew what happened between Beyond and Netero, or what they said.
The next day, at precisely 08:00 AM.
Limassol Bay. A large cruise ship named [Limit Breaker] was moored in the harbor. Amidst Captain Orson's anxious waiting, Beyond, clad in a long battle armor, boarded the cruise ship.
"Netero didn't appear. It seems he still can't stop Beyond."
Illumi stood at the edge of the ship's railing, looking at Beyond, who was boarding with a confident smile, his expression calm.
To his left and right stood King Bradley, Pride, Greed, and Sloth, respectively, and behind them stood thirty fully armed Avenger soldiers.
"Yo~ we meet again."
After boarding, Beyond first tentatively greeted Illumi and his group, but all five wore cold expressions and made no response.
Beyond didn't care about their reaction. Instead, his gaze swept deeply over the thirty soldiers behind them.
All these Avenger soldiers wore triangular metal helmets, composite bulletproof vests, and multi-functional combat fatigues. They carried never-before-seen standard rifles.
Moreover, all of these individuals had reached an astonishing height of three meters. Compared to ordinary people, they were simply giants. Thirty people stood neatly, silently, exuding an astonishing aura.
"Boss, don't mind them."
"Those five people are all emotionless faces."
Among Beyond's Hunter team, a fair-skinned fat man looked at Illumi and his group. As he spoke, he imitated the expressions of all five of them one by one.
"Just to stretch our muscles a bit."
Greed's eyes flashed with fierce light. He was about to step forward, but Illumi stopped him with a single glance.
"No need to cause conflict over such a small matter."
"Avoid contact with them as much as possible before reaching the Dark Continent."
King Bradley said in a low voice. They didn't know the abilities of the personnel in the opposing Hunter team. If contact with them caused any problems during the voyage.
Although they weren't afraid of trouble, it was better to keep a low profile during this special period.
Clap, clap~
Captain Orson came onto the deck, clapped his hands, and attracted the attention of Beyond's group and Illumi's five people.
"Everyone, please come to the command room to discuss the upcoming mission objectives and itinerary."
Captain Orson gestured for everyone to follow him. He turned and walked into the cruise ship. Illumi's and Beyond's teams followed him to an office.
"This is a map drawn by people who traveled to the Dark Continent in the past."
Everyone came into the office. Captain Orson picked up a remote control and turned on the oversized screen on the wall. A map covering the entire screen appeared, with various markings.
"Everyone."
"As you can see, the current human world map's continents are merely located in the center of a vast lake, and this vast lake is also only part of a vast continent."
"Our mission objective this time is to go to... here."
Captain Orson pointed a laser pointer at a marked spot on the map. Illumi and Beyond's groups stared at the mark. Captain Orson smiled and pressed the remote control, zooming in on the marked area.
"Starting from our world, we will sail southeast across the lake. Upon reaching the new continent, it will be a vast forest. Passing through the forest, and then going about four hundred kilometers further inward, we will reach our destinationā[Hell's Swamp]!"
"Why not just head directly north? Why go all the way around to the southeast?"
Among Beyond's Hunter team, Cervantes frowned and asked. He felt it was a waste of too much time.
"That's because there's a long-life food there that can extend lifeā[Nitro Rice]."
Captain Orson's words instantly made everyone's eyes light up. Long-life food, as the name suggested, could certainly extend life. The Dark Continent was truly amazing.
"Tch, in the end, it's still for the selfish desires of those corrupt royals."
Greed's expression was disdainful. He had no intention of helping the Kakin Empire's royal family. Anyway, this kind of thing was useless to him. They were just using the Kakin Empire's channels to go to the Dark Continent.
He believed that Envy had already obtained the qualification to contact the Gatekeeper. By then, they could bypass V5 and go to the Dark Continent to explore and investigate on their own.
Captain Orson glanced at Greed and said nothing. He then scanned the other people present and continued to explain to everyone.
"Our mission is to investigate that swamp and find the long-life food within it. But be careful of the monster in that swampā[Two-Tailed Serpent: Hell's Bell]!"
"It once made an investigation team of over a thousand people from the Ozma Federation kill each other. In the end, only 11 survived, and the rest all became its prey."
At this point, Captain Orson's face was grim. This information was top secret, and he only learned about it after accepting the mission. When he felt regret, it was already too late.
Illumi, arms crossed, listened to Captain Orson's explanation, his expression calm.
They had already known this information in advance. This was all thanks to Lyla Gates, the computer genius, who, by hacking into the V5 organization's intelligence department, obtained all the currently known human intelligence about the Dark Continent.
"Are we currently sailing southeast?"
Beyond suddenly spoke. Captain Orson's face stiffened. He repeatedly pressed the remote control. The map changed, and a red dot appeared on the map of Mobius Lake.
"No, we are currently heading northeast to an island. The voyage will take about three weeks. There, we will first replenish the ship's supplies."
"Then, we will leave human waters and go to an uninhabited island in unexplored waters to make contact with the [Gatekeeper]."
"They will propose conditions, we will fulfill them, and we will establish cooperation."
"This way, they will lead us to the Dark Continent. Otherwise, it would be difficult for us to do it on our own."
As Captain Orson explained, the map on the screen immediately changed to a photo. In the photo, a towering city wall stood on the land, like a giant's garden wall.
"So troublesome. Then how long will it take for us to reach the Dark Continent?"
The white-haired man to Beyond's right asked. Captain Orson pressed the remote control again. The [Fearless Vanguard]'s sailing route appeared on the screen.
Departing from Limassol Bay, sailing half a circle around the north coast of Chimera Continent to an uninhabited island for resupply. Then, circling the remaining half of Chimera Continent, passing through the island where the Gatekeepers live, and reaching a deal with them.
Under the Gatekeepers' guidance, they would sail southeast, officially heading to the Dark Continent.
"According to this route, it will take us three months to reach the Dark Continent."
Captain Orson informed everyone of the estimated sailing time, so everyone could be prepared to drift on the high seas for three months.
Time flew by. The [Limit Breaker] had been sailing on the vast ocean for a month.
Thump, thump.
Inside the room, Illumi, who was sitting cross-legged and cultivating, slowly opened his eyes. King Bradley's deep, resonant voice sounded from outside the door.
"The [Gatekeeper] has arrived."
Illumi heard this, stood up, opened his suitcase, and rummaged through his clothes: black suit, white suit, dark blue suit, etc. But when he saw the black tight-fitting suit in the suitcase, his hand movements paused.
"This time, I'm afraid it will be a year from now."
Illumi paused for a moment, then picked up a black suit nearby, and also a black trench coat. He quickly dressed, opened the door, and King Bradley was standing outside.
"Let's go."
One after another, Illumi and King Bradley's figures disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Whoosh, whoosh~~
As soon as Illumi and the two arrived on the cruise ship deck, a strong wind blew across their faces, carrying a hint of coolness.
The air outside was humid and salty. Dark clouds covered the sky. The wind howled. A misty drizzle fell from the sky, hitting Illumi's face, bringing a chill.
Looking into the distance, the sea was turbulent, rising and falling. Waves continuously crashed against the ship's hull, making a "whoosh" sound.
"Such strong winds and rain?"
Illumi frowned slightly. This situation was a sign of an approaching storm.
Boom!
A red bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, adding a touch of brilliance to the dark sky. Illumi looked up. Clouds rolled in the sky, and silver snakes danced wildly.
Illumi stood on the deck, scanning left and right. His gaze fell on the left side of the ship's railing, where a group of people stood. Leading them was Beyond. At this moment, they were standing at the railing, their expressions solemn, looking towards the direction of the uninhabited island.
Besides the Hunter team, there were also Kakin Empire experts. A group of fifty people gathered together, looking excitedly at the island.
Bang!
Just as Illumi was about to activate his sensory ability to investigate, a heavy thud suddenly echoed from the land.
Thump... thump...
The heavy thuds continuously echoed, rhythmic.
Illumi and Beyond's groups narrowed their eyes, staring intently at the mist in front of them, which had appeared due to the misty rain. Their expressions were calm.
Due to the mist on the island, their line of sight was limited to about ten meters. Without equipment, they couldn't see anything in the mist.
"Hmm!?"
Suddenly, Illumi's expression hardened.
Thump... thump...
A huge shadow emerged from the misty fog. It walked upright, its heavy footsteps thudding, moving towards the coast, step by step.
Bang!
"Iron hoofs" stepped down. The ground trembled. The giant finally crossed the heavy mist and appeared before everyone on the ship.
The giant was nine meters tall, a humanoid creature with a thick layer of green fur all over its body. It had a lion's head, a human body, giant antlers on its head, bell-like eyes, and two sharp, two-meter-long fangs protruding from its mouth. Its large nostrils spewed thick white breath.
Not only that, but it also had two long, slender arms like those of an ape, and between its dark four fingers were black webs characteristic of amphibians.
Its lower body had short thighs and long calves, like an antelope, with horny hooves.
Bang!
Behind it, a giant tail suddenly slapped the ground, kicking up a large amount of dust.
The giant tail was about six meters long, without fur. Instead, it was covered in dark scales, like snake scales.
"This, this is..."
On the deck, people looked at the colossal creature that appeared before them, their faces filled with horror. But the next moment, a sense of excitement surged in their hearts.
"This is the [Gatekeeper]?"
Illumi looked at the monster that had arrived at the coast, feeling a sense of novelty. This magical beast, a fusion of various biological features, was the first he had truly seen.
"The Gatekeeper, as expected, is an entity capable of crossing Mobius Lake."
Beyond's lips curled into a grin. Looking at the colossal creature, his eyes, besides curiosity, also held a warlike impulse to fight it.
Whoosh!
The Gatekeeper suddenly raised its head and looked at the cruise ship deck. It seemed to sense Beyond's fighting intent.
The group of experts immediately held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
"Don't look at its eyes!"
Suddenly, a loud shout erupted from the crowd. Everyone heard it and quickly averted their gaze, not letting their eyes fall on the [Gatekeeper].
"Mr. Beyond."
From the crowd, a blond middle-aged man in explorer's outdoor jungle attire walked out, pushing up his glasses with a serious expression.
"The Gatekeepers of the New World most detest rude individuals."
Beyond's Hunters heard this, their faces all changed, and they quickly averted their gaze, including Beyond.
"How will it take us to the Dark Continent?"
Bang!
Just as Beyond asked, the "Gatekeeper" on the coast leaped into the vast ocean, diving underwater and disappearing without a trace.
Whoosh~
As soon as the Gatekeeper dived into the seawater, the cruise ship's horn sounded, signaling that the ship was about to set sail.
They began another two-month voyage, officially heading to the Dark Continent.
šØ Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +400 advance Chapters & 2 Chapters Daily and To Support The Daily Update