Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Escaping death by a hair's breadth has always been synonymous with the Amaromi Forest. Here, any sight, no matter how mundane, could conceal danger. Even the tiniest, seemingly insignificant insect might deliver death.

The ground, tinged faintly red as if drenched in blood, left shallow footprints with each step.

The forest floor was covered with vines, branches, and dead leaves, leaving little open space and creating plenty of hiding spots for various creatures.

There are towering trees all around, and the dense branches and leaves interweave to form an airtight ceiling above the head, making it impossible to gauge the approximate height of the trees.

Here, apart from the murky yellow of the river running through the forest, every visible shade was green, and there are basically no colorful flowers to be seen.

Walking through this environment, one's sense of time and space seemed to distort unconsciously. No matter how far one traveled, the surrounding scenery evoked a perpetual sense of déjà vu.

Upon first entering the Amaromi Forest, the most common plant they see is the arrow bamboo tree, which is also the main material used to build the Amaromi Village.

Arrow bamboo trees had slender trunks slightly thicker than typical bamboo, but their crowns were unusually lush, creating the illusion of a sky-shrouding canopy.

As the group of three ventured into the rainforest, the topic of conversation turned to the fabled Golden City, which is brought up casually by Tonpa.

"In ancient times, a powerful empire was born in the Amaromi Forest. That empire used the inexhaustible gold in the Amaromi Forest to build a capital city. Both the palace and the temple were built with a large amount of gold."

"However, compared to the legend of the Golden City, the Golden Lake is more credible. After all, no one has ever found the ruins of the Golden City, but there is indeed a lake in the Amaromi Forest."

Tonpa, with his signature deadpan expression, walked through the forest like a tour guide, recounting the legend of the Golden City.

His plan was simple: use enticing stories to lower the vigilance of these two and slowly lead them into a trap.

However, the legends of the Golden City and the Golden Lake weren't something he made up and they were based on real accounts.

Every year, many people come to the Amaromi Forest from all over the world just for the legend, but what most people experience is the horror of the Amaromi Forest.

Countless predators lurked in the darkness, treating intruding humans as prey. Like a bloodthirsty maw, the forest devoured unprepared outsiders by the dozens.

Law and Buhara, each chewing on a piece of jerky, listened to Tonpa's explanation like tourists on a guided trip.

"And then?"

Law, who is munching on the surprisingly tasty jerky, urging Tonpa to continue.

Tonpa, like a talkative and seasoned tour guide, continued: "The Golden City was governed by a monarchy. According to legend, during the coronation ceremony, the heir to the throne would strip naked, coat themselves entirely in gold powder, and swim across the lake to wash it off."

"During this process, the subjects would toss various golden ornaments into the lake as a sign of allegiance and recognition of the new ruler."

"That's the origin of the Golden Lake. By the way, these are all legends. So far, no one has found a large amount of gold in the Amaromi Forest."

While narrating, Tonpa discreetly scanned the surrounding environment. They were still in an area dominated by arrow bamboo trees, which is a region frequently traversed by terrestrial spider crabs. First, he needed to locate a spider crab...

"In that case, how do you conclude that the woman just now was heading for the Golden City?" Law swallowed the last of his jerky and looked at Tonpa with a smile.

Tonpa raised his index finger and replied calmly: "Although no one has discovered a large amount of gold, many people have found finely crafted golden ornaments in the only lake in Amaromi Forest."

"Oh?" Law was quite surprised. After all, if this was true, then it would be compelling evidence. However, when Sanbica searched the Amaromi Forest, they did not see any information about the Golden City, so he didn't know whether this was true or not.

Perhaps, within this vast and boundless rainforest, there once existed a glorious ancient civilization… a fleeting marvel in the long expanse of history.

If the Golden City truly existed, then the sunken ruins, which is shrouded in darkness, might harbor countless ancient artifacts steeped in time.

"The gold ornaments that were found seem to be telling people that there is indeed a Golden City here. Therefore, there are many people who are not afraid of death show up each year, hoping to try their luck in the Amaromi Forest."

"Of course, these people don't fare very well. And no matter how many die here, you'll never see any bodies because…" Tonpa flashed a sinister grin, the kind used to spook children with ghost stories, and added, "not even a single bone is left behind in this place."

Buhara scratched his cheek in thought and said seriously, "Not even bones? There must be some vicious canine creatures around here, then."

"Mr. Tonpa sure knows a lot." Law remarked with feigned surprise, clapping lightly as if to applaud Tonpa's knowledge.

"Heh…"

Tonpa's face twitched slightly as he explained, "I've got this habit of doing research before going anywhere. You know, better safe than sorry."

"That's a good habit." Law gave Tonpa a thumbs up.

Tonpa smiled, and at this moment, he suddenly clutched his stomach and stopped, and a series of gurgling sounds came from his midsection.

Buhara asked doubtfully, "Are you hungry?"

"That sounds more like diarrhea," Law said with a hint of exasperation.

"Oh." Buhara suddenly realized.

"Um…" Tonpa half-knelt down, clutching his stomach with a pained expression, and said, "I'm going to go to the bathroom. You two go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"No problem."

Law cast a deep, probing glance at Tonpa, then took Buhara to the front, ready to wait for Tonpa to finish 'handling his business'.

That lingering look from Law made Tonpa's heart skip a beat, but seeing the two walk ahead, he immediately smiled sinisterly. He quickly stood up and stepped back a distance, walked into a nearby thicket, pretending to relieve himself.

All along, Tonpa had been searching for a spider land crab. Just a moment ago, he finally spotted one. Using the excuse of an upset stomach, he sent Law and Buhara ahead, planning to execute his trap.

"Good luck, you two." Tonpa muttered under his breath as he looked at the backs of Law and Buhara.

Arrow bamboo trees are scattered throughout the area, as well as many different large trees. Their common feature is that their crowns are dense and block out most of the light from the sun.

After walking several dozen meters, Law and Buhara noticed the arrow bamboo trees around them beginning to move inexplicably. Under their shocked gazes, five tree trunks uprooted themselves, rising into the air and revealing sharp, spear-like bases.

'The spider land crab is disguised as bamboo trees?'

Looking at the spider land crab's legs hanging in the air like arrows ready to be shot, Law remained calm and said with a smile: "Buhara, want some crab for dinner?"

Buhara was also staring at the five bamboo arrows hanging in the air and nodded when he heard this.

"Then just stand next to me and don't do a thing," Law said.

Buhara was stunned for a moment, but simply replied, "Okay."

Before he finished his words, the airborne bamboo trunks suddenly stabbed towards Law and Buhara from different directions with lightning speed.

Despite the imminent danger, Buhara really did nothing and just obediently stood next to Law.

Tonpa, who is hiding behind the bushes, watched the scene unfold with delight and prepared to flee at any moment.

But in the next second, Tonpa's smug expression suddenly changed into an expression of disbelief.

He saw... the legs of the spider land crab that could effortlessly skewer people together were easily caught by Law with his bare hands.