The frequency of the thunder grew more intense. Every few seconds, a flash of lightning would pierce the darkness, briefly illuminating the entire landscape.
The rolling movement of the black clouds became more and more intimidating, but the rain still refused to fall. And without rain, the Doom Toads would not emerge from the rocky mountains.
People wearing raincoats are scattered throughout the Talma Mountain Range, like anxious gamblers awaiting the results of a lottery.
No one could predict exactly where a Doom Toad would appear, so their only option was to pick a spot and wait for the rain. If luck was on their side, they might just stumble upon one.
At the bottom of the valley.
Biscuit observed the increasing number of people gathering on the mountains, but she wasn't surprised in the slightest.
She knew they had all come for the Doom Toads, which only surfaced during thunderstorms. But she had no interest in them whatsoever.
Then, suddenly, she felt an unguarded gaze land on her. Without hesitation, she followed her instincts and turned in the direction of the stare.
Rumble…!
Thunder rumbled as lightning streaked across the sky.
In the brief white flash, Biscuit locked eyes with Gel. She was momentarily surprised but quickly recalled Gel's profession. It wasn't hard to guess that Gel was here to study the toxins of both the Bliss Mushroom and the Doom Toads.
"Hmm?"
Biscuit looked at Gel standing on the top of the mountain, her eyes flickered a few times, and suddenly an idea came into her mind.
Doom Toads were extremely rare. If one was spotted, it would instantly become a target for a frenzied scramble.
If someone found a Doom Toad and kept it hidden, they might be able to slip away unnoticed in the chaos of the storm. But if they were discovered, it would undoubtedly lead to an all-out brawl.
When Biscuit saw Gel, her mind became active.
'Since it's a gift delivered right to my doorstep… there's no reason to refuse.'
Biscuit turned to look at Law, who was sleeping soundly on the ground, and her signature dangerous smile appeared on her face.
During this period, Biscuit had been exceptionally strict with Law. Even minor mistakes that wouldn't normally matter were pointed out and corrected.
Her harsh training was meant to prevent Law from suffering needless injuries and shedding unnecessary blood in the future.
Biscuit was fully aware that she was essentially forcing rapid growth, but she wouldn't always be around to guide Law. So her goal was to push his potential to its limits before their agreed training period ended, as only then could she leave with peace of mind.
According to the original plan, Biscuit would eventually send Law to Heavens Arena, where he would battle against a variety of opponents. Until then, the only person he had been sparring against was her, as they are temporarily limited in terms of opponents.
But now… a perfect opportunity had appeared.
Biscuit had no interest in most of the people gathered in the Talma Mountain Range at this time, but Gel was an exception.
Gel recognized Biscuit. Although she wondered why Biscuit was here, she didn't think much about it. She only looked at her for a while and then looked away.
If she knew that Biscuit was planning to use her as Law's sparring partner, who knows how she would react?
On the mountainside, the middle-aged man in animal skins hesitated for a long time, and ultimately decided not to descend into the valley to find Law.
After all, it might rain at any time, which is also the time when the Doom Toad would appear, and he did not want to miss it.
He still vividly remembered how, back in the Amaromi Forest, Law easily solved the venom of the Rotting Spider by using a combination of two plants, which made the middle-aged man feel that Law must be very accomplished in this field. Age didn't matter, only skill did.
After that incident, when the antidote for Rotting Spider's venom was made public, it caused a considerable stir. Many people had approached him, eager to learn more about the person who had discovered it. But he had kept his mouth shut. After all, he only knew Law's name and nothing more.
'Did Law come here for the Bliss Mushroom and the Doom Toads as well?' The middle-aged man thought to himself. He had only recently come to the Talma Mountain Range, so he didn't know that Law had been here for several months.
It was now mid-December, and he had signed up for this year's Hunter Exam. He passed by the Talma Mountain Range on the way, and he had chosen to stay for a while at the invitation of some fellow hunters.
As the minutes ticked by, the dark clouds in the sky were getting restless, with thunder and lightning appeared. But it did not rain, which seemed very strange.
Law, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes. Cookie had already turned back into Aura and returned to Biscuit's body.
After waking up, Law straightened his upper body, looked at Biscuit, who was sitting on the stone chair, and asked, "How long have I slept?"
"Fifty minutes." Biscuit replied.
Hearing this, Law looked up at the sky, 'It had been almost an hour and it still hadn't rained yet?'
After resting for fifty minutes, he had recovered about 80% of his Aura, which was enough for him to spar with Biscuit in a downpour for at least an hour.
He got to his feet, then rolled his neck and stretched his arms.
He noticed the growing number of people on the mountain. Though curious, he didn't dwell on it. Right now, he only focused on the sparring with Biscuit.
"How about we stop waiting for the rain and just start now?"
After waiting a few more minutes with no sign of rain, Law was getting restless.
Biscuit looked at him and suddenly said, "No training tonight. I have a task for you."
"A task?" Law repeated with a question mark on his face.
The corners of Biscuit's lips raised slightly and she said, "There's a poisonous creature called the Doom Toad in the Talma Mountain Range. It only appears during thunderstorms. I want you to obtain one of that."
'Not catch, but obtain.'
"What's it for?" Law frowned. He couldn't understand why Biscuit wanted him to go toad-hunting. If they had that much time, he might as well train more.
"The toad itself isn't important, but the process of you getting it is very useful." Biscuit said, tilting her head slightly in the direction of Gel.
Law didn't understand what she meant. He followed Biscuit's gaze and saw Gel in the flashing lightning. He could tell at a glance that Gel was also a Nen User, but he couldn't gauge her strength.
"That woman is very powerful. If you want a Doom Toad, you'll have to get past her." Biscuit said this when she saw Law noticed Gel.
Hearing what Biscuit said, Law finally caught on, 'So this was just Biscuit's excuse to get him involved in some chaos.'
"Do you know her?" Law asked.
"Her name is Gel, a Pro Hunter. She's pretty skilled." Biscuit explained briefly.
Law nodded, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Are we really doing this?"
"You've got some pent-up frustration, don't you?" Biscuit grinned wickedly, "Might as well let it out."
"But I feel like... you have ulterior motives." Law felt a little uneasy.
Biscuit immediately pretended to be shocked and said sadly, "You don't trust your master so much?"
"I don't." Law answered without hesitation.
Biscuit's face changed quickly, her eyes narrowed as she snapped, "Anyway, I'll be right here waiting for you to come back."
Since the order has been given, even if Law doesn't want to go, he has to go.
"Alright, alright…"
Law sighed lightly and walked towards the mountain path.
At this time, after nearly an hour of brewing, the storm finally broke. Torrential rain poured down in thick sheets, the heavy droplets hammering down on everything below.
The moment it started to rain, everyone who had been waiting here sprang into action.
As lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, Biscuit watched Law's retreating figure, and then quietly followed him.
There was no way she was just going to sit around and wait. If she didn't stir up some trouble tonight, how could this stormy night be any fun?
Somewhere on the mountain, a section of rock wall suddenly split open, and a creature emerged, tearing through the stone.
Upon closer inspection, it was a massive toad, about the size of a millstone, with sharp claws and a body covered in patterns resembling ancient bronze coins. As it croaked, it flicked out a long, snake-like deep blue tongue.
At the same time, in other inconspicuous corners of the mountains, several more Doom Toads surfaced.
Before long, two toads locked eyes, and without hesitation, they ignored the pouring rain and immediately began mating.
Above, thunder roared. Below, passion burned.
Truly, a perfect display of 'heavenly thunder igniting earthly fire'.
The two toads were so focused on mating and continuing their family line that they didn't notice someone was peeping nearby.
'Well, that's… quite the sight!'
Halfway up the mountain, Law looked at the two toads with a complicated mix of fascination and amusement.