Sanbica, wearing a mask, obediently clasped her hands together with her fingers interlocked. Her muffled voice said:
"『Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses Injection』can't completely cure all diseases in one go... After about an hour, if you take another shot, it will clear the 『tapeworm infection』."
She then turned around and timidly said to everyone:
"I suggest that everyone take a shot... It can boost our resistance to diseases. The effect will last for about twelve hours before weakening... During this time, we can continue taking injections to maintain our resistance."
Sanbica spoke rapidly, saying a lot of things in one breath, then blushed slightly and lowered her head.
The group looked at each other, and it was Bisky who first responded with action, becoming the second person to get a needle.
"Listening to Sanbica, the expert, is never wrong," Bisky supported the shy Sanbica.
After that, a series of "shh shh" sounds followed, and soon, everyone had received a dose of the "Herb for All-illnesses Needle Injection."
Sanbica collected all the syringes, carefully placed them in a disposal box, sealed it, and stuffed it into her backpack.
To avoid interfering with Shizuku's use of the "Blinky," they usually didn't have it swallow consumables immediately but saved them for the end of the journey.
The syringes were the same. The group wasn't so morally corrupted as to just throw away trash, unless it was an emergency.
Just as the group refocused on the surrounding "Steep Mountain Range," they suddenly heard a strange sound.
Buzz—
Buzz—
Buzz—
The unexpected noise caught everyone off guard.
Germain, who had just stood up, lowered his head in surprise when he realized he couldn't retrieve the "special teleportation lantern" on the ground for some unknown reason.
It seemed to be locked in place...
On top of that, it kept buzzing.
The purple light expanded outward in waves, one after another, until it suddenly turned into a dark tide.
Darkness surged forth.
The four "Messenger Ghosts" had already fled without a trace.
Germain had a sudden feeling and quickly turned around, shouting to everyone:
"Get out of here!"
The only one who reacted to his sudden shout was Ging.
Ging reached out and grabbed the nearest Sanbica, then leaped backward.
Germain did something similar.
He quickly grabbed Shizuku and Bisky, trying to escape to a safe distance.
Shizuku and Bisky hadn't processed what was happening before they were forcefully picked up and taken away, only reacting half a second later.
However, Germain himself didn't even know what the so-called "safe distance" really was.
Germain and Ging moved quickly, but trying to save others was pushing their limits. Yet, things never go as planned.
The dark tide pouring from the teleportation lantern immediately swallowed up the nearest Morel, Knuckle, and Menchi!
"What is this?!"
They vanished into the darkness, stunned.
Then, Germain, Shizuku, Bisky, Ging, and Sanbica were all caught up by the dark tide one by one. No matter how they used their Nen abilities, they were being gnawed by the darkness.
The speed of the dark tide was almost unimaginable!
A feeling of uncontrollable panic surged in everyone's hearts, and the endless darkness in their vision made them shiver.
This eerie silence lasted only a moment before it was replaced by the sound of startled cries.
"Where is this?"
"Which direction are you guys in? I can't see you!"
"Are we floating? Or are we falling? Why is there no ground?"
It was as if they were in a weightless state. But unlike others who were floating in the dark space without control, they couldn't find anything to push against, leaving them confused.
Germain was probably the first to regain his composure.
Unlike the others who were aimlessly floating in the dark, he found his balance and steadied himself.
He couldn't tell if he was rising, falling, or swaying side to side.
But at least, he had control over which direction his body was floating.
"Stay calm!"
In the darkness, Germain instructed the others on how to stabilize themselves and avoid panicking.
"Don't get too scared or tense. Just keep your mind focused, and with 'Nen', we can stabilize."
In the darkness, many people trusted Germain unconditionally and managed to control their floating.
As more and more succeeded, more people started to believe in Germain, and eventually, everyone maintained their balance, no longer spinning out of control.
The weightlessness in the dark space was no longer their biggest problem.
Their biggest challenge now was figuring out how to escape this dark space.
The worst possible outcome would be that they float endlessly in this darkness, starving or thirsting to death… or lose their minds to despair and end it all.
They tried not to think about these worst-case scenarios.
As for why they ended up in this dark space, Germain thought for a moment and came up with some ideas.
Zigg Zoldyck once said:
"We believe that all abilities related to 'space' are actually connected to 'darkness.'"
"Your 'Teleportation Lantern,' your companion Shizuku's 'Blinky,' and the professional Hunter Knov's 'Fourth Dimension Apartment,' all travel through 'darkness.'"
This was further confirmed by the "Wall Facers" near the true World Tree, who performed "forced teleportation" on Germain and the others, which was also in darkness.
And the last memory of Melody's terrifying "Dark Sonata" was:
"In that brief moment, we were immersed in boundless darkness."
If Germain wasn't mistaken, he and the others were brought into this endless "dark space" by the flood of darkness emerging from the "Teleportation Lantern."
What triggered the "Dark Torrent" was probably Germain's frequent use of the "Teleportation Lantern."
Germain conjured the Sacred Moonlight Sword.
Its greenish light easily pierced the darkness, offering a moment of psychological comfort to everyone around him.
As long as they could see each other and confirm their existence, the psychological pressure would be greatly reduced.
Inspired by the Sacred Moonlight Sword's light, the others quickly took out their headlamps, put them on their heads, and switched them on.
Soon, beams of light crisscrossed and swept through the dark space.
Where the light beams shone, they still couldn't see any ground, or even anything that could be considered an obstacle.
They drifted aimlessly for who knows how long.
Germain released his "En."
Now his "En" had surpassed Ging and was the largest range here, reaching a radius of 1,000 meters.
If he concentrated his "Nen" in one direction, it could reach even farther.
Whether it's full coverage or extreme range, Germain's "En" has already surpassed Neferpitou's "Irregular En."
At this moment, he suddenly furrowed his brow because his "En," aside from detecting Shizuku and the others, also sensed other "living creatures."
The "living creatures" were densely packed, rushing toward the light source, like moths flying toward a flame.
Germain immediately informed everyone of the situation, urging them to stay on alert.
Soon, under the light shining from everyone, a massive creature appeared, floating, its body curled up in a spiral shell and covered in thick, bulbous tentacles.
********
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