Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Everyone present had come well-prepared, fully equipped with the necessary gear, so having a gas mask was a given.

Biscuit had joined the expedition by chance. Though she was very interested in the legendary gemstone, she hadn't originally planned to come along, so it was understandable that she didn't bring any gear.

As for Law, God Hand was the best equipment he could have.

A gas mask was merely a precaution and is not a necessity, so Uncle Bill and the others didn't say anything when they noticed that Law and Biscuit weren't wearing any.

After donning their masks, the group gathered around the stone gate, completely ignoring the intricate carvings on it.

Sizzle…

Uncle Bill lit a flare stick and tossed it into the abyss-like darkness beyond the stone gate.

The flare dropped like a falling star in the night sky, shrinking in size as it fell. When it finally reached the bottom, it appeared no larger than a fingernail, but it continued to burn steadily.

'Since the flare didn't extinguish, it indicated that there was sufficient oxygen below.'

Uncle Bill looked at the members beside him and saw that they had already prepared the rope, with end was tied securely to a large rock, while the other end was attached to a weighted stone.

The group remained silent. Law and Biscuit stood on the outskirts, seemingly uninvolved in the preparations.

The member in charge of the rope slowly lowered the weighted end into the tomb. This rope is the 'ladder' for them to go down to the tomb and can also be used to measure the depth.

"Law, I'm a little scared... Can you protect me later?" Seeing that the preparations for entering the tomb were almost ready, Biscuit looked at Law with an innocent, pitiful expression.

"…"

Hearing this, Law silently looked at the big hole on the boulder not far away, thinking to himself, 'I doubt anyone here could withstand even one punch from you.'

They had briefly introduced themselves when Uncle Bill and his team started setting up, so they were now at least familiar with each other's names.

"A cute girl like me should always learn some self-defense, right? Besides, there might be strange Nen in the tomb. You are so good at exorcising Nen, so having you around makes me feel much safer." Biscuit said coquettishly without changing her expression.

If Law didn't already know Biscuit's true age and appearance, he might have found her words charming rather than unsettling. Unfortunately, he did know, and he couldn't exactly expose her.

With so many people present, Law had the confidence to face any one of them except Biscuit... After all, her strength was on an entirely different level.

However, since Biscuit wanted to act with him, he might as well go along with it. With Biscuit's strength, it would be good for them to have each other's backs.

"Actually, I was thinking the same thing. The stone of Gru Mountain is so hard, yet you can easily make a hole in it. With you by my side, I will feel much more at ease after entering the tomb. My Nen Exorcism Ability may be good, but my strength is really weak. Even if you give me another ten years, I will definitely not be able to make a big hole in that boulder with just one strike!"

Law looked at Biscuit with a sincere expression of admiration, playing along with her antics. He knew that Biscuit is a very kind senior who just loved to lie and play tricks on people, so teaming up with her wouldn't be a problem.

'Is this guy trying to indirectly say that I'm strong?'

Biscuit thought to herself, but with a sweet smile on her face, she said, "That's great!"

Law nodded slightly with a smile on his face.

The two of them stood there, grinning at each other like a couple of kids who had just been given candy.

The world's only fake shota and fake loli had come together like this.

Everyone else was concerned about getting down the tomb to retrieve the treasure as quickly as possible, so they didn't notice the conversation between Law and Biscuit.

Even the ordinary people among them would not think of retreating temporarily after witnessing the eerie occurrences.

If they take a step forward, they may have a lifetime of wealth and glory, and if they take a step back, all their efforts would be in vain.

'As long as we're careful...'

With such thoughts in mind, the ordinary members chose to ignore the two unlucky ones who had been eliminated before they even started.

The two unlucky guys who were attacked by the Post-Mortem Nen on the stone gate did not die, but they wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Others were not kind enough to send them back to Babu Town, so they were simply left behind.

Before long, the rope with the weight reached the bottom.

The person in charge of laying the rope looked at the mark and reported solemnly, "Approximately 110 meters."

"It's okay, not too deep, but this tomb entrance is truly unheard of." Someone commented while staring into the dark depths below.

"Haha, this is the legendary Stargie's tomb, how can it not be special?"

"We're the first ones to explore it!"

Perhaps it was the thought of finding so many treasures in Stargie's tomb that made the previously heavy atmosphere become much more relaxed.

"Hey... Are you guys sure this is the Stargie's tomb?"

Suddenly, an out-of-place voice interrupted the cheerful mood. It was Law.

After hearing Law's words, the faces of the people who were talking just now stiffened slightly, and they subconsciously looked at Uncle Bill.

'Did this kid do it on purpose?' Biscuit thought, holding her forehead in exasperation.

Law brought it up because the carvings on the stone gate were too strange. Rather than a tomb, it seemed more like an ancient ruin.

"We'll find out if it's the Stargie's tomb once we go down and see for ourselves."

Uncle Bill glanced at everyone. Even with all the clues and information they had gathered, there was no certainty that this was truly the legendary Stargie's tomb. Seeing is believing, so his words efficiently ended the discussion.

Not wanting to waste more time, he asked, "Who's going first?"

After these words were spoken, the members who had been impatient before now fell silent. Although they had confirmed that there was airflow below, everyone understood the risks of being the first to go down.

After a brief silence, just as Law was about to break the deadlock, Luby, with his green broccoli-like hair, stepped up. After a signature spin, he laughed and said, "Let this handsome guy go first!"

After saying that, without waiting for anyone's reaction, he grabbed the rope and slid down swiftly. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the darkness.

A few seconds later, a beam of white light lit up from below, swaying slightly. That was the light from the flashlight that Luby had turned on, indicating that everything was normal below.

Seeing the swaying white light, a second person soon stepped out and went down the rope.

Once they confirmed that there was no immediate danger below, everyone worked very efficiently. Within mere moments, only Biscuit and Law remained.

"You go first." Biscuit said.

Law glanced at Biscuit's frilly dress and replied, "You go first."

"…"

Noticing his glance, Biscuit's face twitched, and without another word, she descended.

Law took one last look at the three unfortunate members still lying unconscious on the ground before following suit.

…

Once below, the group found themselves in a large rectangular chamber, paved with long, uniform stone bricks. It was around 500 square meters in size, empty and barren.

The group swept their flashlights across every corner, but there was nothing of note, except for a semi-arched stone door. The door was adorned with a carving of a fierce-looking two-headed bird.

With the previous experience at the entrance, even the members who didn't know Nen did not dare to approach the stone door easily and looked at Uncle Bill.

"Law, we'll have to trouble you again."

Uncle Bill looked at Law, because this relatively small stone door was also surrounded by a wisp of black Nen. However, compared with the stone gate above, the black Nen here was insignificant.

However, although it was much weaker, it was not something that an ordinary Nen User could easily deal with.

Hearing Uncle Bill's words, the ordinary members were shocked, 'It's coming again? This is just the beginning.'

Law had noticed the presence of Nen on the door as soon as he came down. Now, another opportunity to absorb experience appeared before him.

Law approached the stone door and effortlessly absorbed the lingering Nen. Then, the data broke through the 30% mark.

The good news was that no unusual side effects occurred like last time.

After removing the Nen from the stone door, Law pushed it open. Then, a bright green light shone through the open gap of the door onto everyone.