Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

Shizuku went on, "Later, I heard that there was food available at the church, so I went there. After some time, I told the old priest about what I saw." 

She touched the inverted cross necklace hanging around her neck. "The old priest sighed and said, 'What they did was a grave sin, but they weren't evil to the core. They were just desperate to survive.'"

"In any case, ever since then, I haven't been able to stomach eating anything that's still alive. Maybe that's why the 'Blinky' ended up like this."

"I know I'm not a good person. I'll never be a saint in this life. But I still hope to stick to certain principles. It's the only way I feel like I'm truly alive."

Germain nodded.

"Then go with what you feel is right," he said. "The 'Blinky' probably has its current abilities because of who you are now. If you change, it might lose those abilities."

"That's what I think too… Hmm, what's that smell?"

Germain blinked at Shizuku's sudden remark. It wasn't until he caught the same scent that he realized what she meant.

It wasn't the imagined smell of cooked meat.

It was a rich, floral fragrance, as if some unknown flower had just bloomed and its scent drifted in from far away.

"You're back," Bisky said, stepping out from behind a stone pillar with a smile. "Ging is getting impatient. He said if you don't return soon, he'll leave without you."

"I never said that! Bisky, stop making things up," Ging's voice protested.

Ging followed behind Bisky as they emerged, still clutching the wrinkled map of the "Ancient Labyrinth City."

"But isn't this exactly the kind of reckless thing you'd do, you 'reckless fool'?"

"Even if I am reckless, I know I can't get the 'Herb for All-illnesses' on my own," Ging retorted.

"You should take a lesson from your ancestor, Don Freecss."

Ging shot Bisky a glance, choosing to ignore her taunt. He unrolled the map and, after triple-checking it, said, "You've all smelled that scent, haven't you?"

"Yes," Shizuku responded. "I even mentioned it to Germain earlier, saying, 'What a nice fragrance.'"

"That should be the scent of the 'Herb for All-illnesses,'" Ging explained. "Beasts have a keener sense of smell than we do, and they're drawn to the 'Ancient Labyrinth City,' only to end up as prey for 'Brion.'"

"We're already close to the core of the 'Ancient Labyrinth City,'" Ging continued. "At our pace, I estimate we'll reach it by tomorrow afternoon."

"Hmm," Bisky said as she brushed her golden ponytail over her shoulder. "This journey has been relatively smooth so far, and the monsters we've fought have only been 'elite level.'"

"We might encounter 'master level' ones soon," Ging warned.

"Don't jinx it," Bisky muttered.

Thanks to Germain's frequent use of a tier-system, like Hisoka's Personality system, to classify "Nen users," the group had gradually adopted it. Conversations naturally began to include these classifications.

"Let's keep moving," Ging said, tapping the paper map with his knuckles, creating a crisp sound. "Don Freecss left behind a 'resting place'; I'm not sure if it's still there, but we need to reach it before nightfall to spend the night."

Don Freecss had visited the 'Ancient Labyrinth City' more than once and had excavated several 'resting places' for overnight stays.

The place Germain's group was heading for was one such site, a safe zone left behind by Don Freecss.

As they advanced, they could feel the passage of time.

The sky gradually shifted from bright to a dim yellow, and soon, the darkness blanketed most of the stone pillars like heavy snowfall.

Germain's group appeared as if they were walking through the shadows of a sketch. Slowly, their colors blended into the surroundings, like ashes after a fire.

"This should be it," Ging said, coming to a stop and looking up at a stone pillar marked with a carved Möbius strip. "That's Don Freecss's mark."

Beneath the Möbius strip on the pillar, there was a carved-out notch. Similar notches were present on the other three walls.

"There's something reassuring about seeing a Möbius strip," Ging said sincerely.

"Your movements are so gross," Bisky mocked, but she also chose a wall, touching it with her fingers and knocking on it with her fist.

Germain and Shizuku exchanged a glance and then joined in, searching for clues. In the end, it was Ging who found it first.

"It's right here!" he shouted. Everyone turned and walked toward him. "This is definitely the spot."

Ging pushed the wall in front of him with force. What seemed like a seamless wall shifted inward, revealing a dark interior that exuded a stifling, musty air.

With a loud thud, the stone door fell to the ground. Ging waved his hand, clearing away the cloud of dust that rushed out. "Let's get some air flowing in first."

After a while, the group, flashlights in hand, entered the space. They coughed a few times, covering their noses and mouths as they used the beams of their flashlights to illuminate the interior of the stone chamber.

The room was pitch black, with only a few openings about two to three meters high on each wall, serving as makeshift windows for ventilation.

Don Freecss had excavated this space at the base of the stone pillar, creating a cube-like chamber to serve as his temporary dwelling.

And "Don Freecss's temporary dwelling" would now be where Germain and the others would spend the night.

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