Finding a relatively safe place to dock along the shores of the Dark Continent was no easy feat.
Moses and Ging engraved the Teleportation Divine Script as quickly as possible as a guarantee.
However, compared to the Divine Script with the functions of alarm and reinforcement, the Teleportation Divine Script held little significance.
Because the Dark Continent is simply too vast, and once the team ventured deep inland, the increasing distance would naturally exceed the teleportation range of the Divine Script.
As they prepared to set out, each team member only carried essential supplies.
Ashi and Nono's spatial abilities had very limited storage capacity, and bringing equipment like medical devices already strained their space capacity, so it was impossible for the team to travel light.
Everyone carried as many exploration supplies as possible, such as clean water.
Moses led the way at the front.
This role should have fallen to an Enhancer, but Moses's Manifested Aura is the highest in the team. Even though he wasn't an Enhancer, this advantage allowed him to build defensive capabilities comparable to one.
"Ponzu, don't spread your bees too far."
After exiting the tunnel and arriving at the flatland Botobai had mentioned, Moses looked back at Ponzu, who was positioned in the middle of the team, and gave her a reminder.
The swarm of bees served as scouts, and they would also be the first to face threats.
However, unlike conjured objects, each bee was a real loss if killed, so they couldn't be recklessly expanded like shadow clones to test risks without consequence.
"Got it."
Ponzu took a deep breath and refrained from controlling the swarm through verbal commands. Instead, she used her Nen Ability to directly manipulate them.
This method would put a greater strain on her mentally, but it would also reduce the swarm's attrition rate.
With the swarm scouting ahead, the team advanced across the flatland toward the distant forest on the horizon.
From afar, the forest appeared as nothing more than a deep green line stretching across the land.
As they drew closer, what unfolded before them were towering trees, each over a hundred meters tall.
Judging by the naked eye, they looked at least forty or fifty stories high.
As everyone stood at the outskirts of the forest, they looked at the many giant trees in front of them with solemn gaze.
Not only were these trees astonishingly tall, but their trunk diameters were equally staggering, at least ten meters wide.
What was even more noteworthy is that-
They were only at the outskirts of the forest.
Perhaps deeper inside, the trees would grow even larger and denser.
"Stay close."
Moses withdrew his gaze from the towering treetops and instead focused straight ahead, where the forest shimmered with shifting light.
The trees were abnormally tall and thick, but their canopies were unexpectedly sparse, so much so that inside the forest was still well-lit.
Moses stepped into the forest first, and the rest of the team followed closely behind.
As soon as they entered the forest, the sounds of insects and birds surrounded them from all directions.
Ponzu's swarm blended into the environment, acting like tiny radars scattered around the team.
Moses took the lead, keeping a sharp eye on any movement in their surroundings.
''Shadow Clone' is still more convenient...'
Moses thought as he glanced at the bee not far away.
While the swarm could serve as an early warning system, when it came to scouting and absorbing threats, they were far inferior to shadow clones.
Distance, visibility, gathering attack data-
For these critical functions, nothing surpassed the precision of a well-developed Nen Clone Ability.
During their first expedition to the Dark Continent, it was precisely thanks to the practicality of shadow clones that the team had achieved an almost unbelievable 100% survival rate.
'But now-'
Moses's expression grew slightly more solemn.
…
Time passes.
The team traveled for nearly half a day, but the scenery around them remained unchanged.
The ground beneath their feet was still firm, the light still abundant, the towering trees with their sparse canopies standing in irregular patterns, and the unseen corners filled with the lively sounds of unseen creatures-
After half a day of travel, the team had not encountered a single attack.
Though this was still only the outermost region of the Dark Continent, the peace and tranquility here still left everyone somewhat surprised and uneasy.
However, even though the journey was peaceful, none of them let down their guard.
By dusk, the group was still advancing steadily.
As the sky darkened, the chaotic noises of the forest gradually faded.
'What will the first 'night' bring...?'
Everyone looked around the forest, which was beginning to darken, their vigilance steadily rising.
The peace during the day does not bring any sense of security.
No one knew when, where, or what kind of horror might strike.
At times like these, the importance of abilities like the Fourth-Dimensional Apartment or Shadow World became all too clear.
Without a secure Nen Space to rest in, we they could only take turns keeping watch, and the shifts had to consist of at least three people each-
After all, this was the Dark Continent. It demanded absolute respect.
But contrary to expectations-
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning.
A thin veil of mist lingered among the trees.
The warm, gentle sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting hazy pillars of light across the forest floor.
The group packed up their gear, had a simple breakfast, and then continued onward.
"If it weren't for these trees that look like they've been alive for two or three thousand years, who would even know this is somewhere in the Dark Continent..."
"Don't let your guard down."
"I know."
"We are still far from the 'Threshold'. The deeper we go, the more dangerous it'll get."
"Hey, maybe we'll find some incredible Hope before we even reach the 'Threshold'."
"…"
The team moved in formation through the forest.
They continued to travel until noon and everything was still peaceful.
However, they did see a lot of colorful insects and birds that they had never seen before.
'It's so safe… it's unsettling.'
A strange sense of contradiction flooded his heart, and Moses raised his eyebrows and looked at a bird flying past a tree.
The bird was entirely scarlet, but its eyes were pale as white pearl.
The bird is only the size of a baby's fist, and it looks extremely small among the hundred-meter-tall trees.
The few things that are out of place in this forest are that the birds are very small while the insects are very large.
And, naturally, the birds had become prey for the insects.
"Hold."
Suddenly, Moses, who was walking in the front, stopped. He raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, signaling the others to halt.
About sixty seconds in front of Moses, there was a gray-white clearing.
The color exuded a thick scent of decay, like a massive sword had carved a jagged wound through the deep emerald forest.
Moses stared at the gray-white clearing, his eyes becoming slightly solemn.
He noticed that in the gray-white clearing, which was at least twenty meters wide, there were many miniature versions of the massive tree trunks...
At first glance, it looked like the gray-white clearing was left over from a raging fire.
But upon closer inspection, there were no signs of burning.
'Could this be a 'Calamity...'
Moses raised his solemn gaze slightly and saw the end of the gray-white clearing that stretched into the depths of the forest.
He faintly detected a heavy scent of death.
And it's the kind of dead Aura that comes from the Nen Ability System, but it's the kind of withered and dead presence without any vitality at all.