Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

Germain woke up to a faint gray light filtering into the cave—night had passed, and dawn had arrived.

The dark crown and Contempt Armor he once wore had disappeared, along with the pain in his body and the heaviness in his heart, replaced by a deep sense of relief.

As his mind cleared, he turned his head and saw that he was still resting on Shizuku's lap.

Shizuku had taken off her glasses, leaning against the stone wall with her head tilted to the side, mouth slightly open, fast asleep.

She can sleep like this? Won't her legs go numb?

Germain sat up carefully, lifting the blanket that had been covering him and gently draping it over Shizuku without waking her.

The others were sprawled across the ground in all directions, though they had all crawled into their sleeping bags. Only Shizuku had chosen to sleep like this—for his sake.

She could have just woken me up… Germain chuckled softly and shook his head.

Menchi had undone her headband, letting her long green hair flow freely. Sanbica had removed her nurse's cap and mask. Both were sleeping soundly.

Without his sunglasses, Morel looked unfamiliar. His large, muscular frame was stuffed inside a custom-made sleeping bag, making him look both bulky and ridiculous.

It was almost like a giant python was swallowing Morel whole.

At the cave entrance, Bisky had taken over from Morel, who had stood watch all night. She sat cross-legged, yawning.

Noticing Germain had woken up, she gave him a small wave, signaling for him to come over.

Germain walked over and sat across from her.

"Keep your voice down," Bisky whispered, looking like a delicate porcelain doll as long as she didn't open her mouth. "Morel just went to sleep."

"Got it." Germain lowered his voice and gestured outside the cave. "Without Morel's camouflage, will we be okay?"

"It's fine," Bisky replied. "His mist disguise worked, and last night's darkness also helped. But it won't be as effective during the day."

Germain nodded. "That's true. Besides, we're here now."

"Yeah. Last night, Morel had to both maintain his disguise and search for threats. He used up a lot of Nen and stamina. Even for him, he needs proper rest."

Morel's stamina was as astonishing as his lung capacity. This had already been proven during the Chimera Ant extermination mission in NGL and the Republic of East Gorteau.

Especially when he spent several days fighting Neferpitou's puppets in the capital of East Gorteau, then immediately joined the final battle at the Royal Palace without rest.

Even then, he performed better than Knov, Knuckle, Shoot, and Palm. His physical endurance was almost monstrous.

Still, Bisky switched shifts with him so he could rest properly.

She knew that, even if Morel didn't say it aloud, he was worried about his disciple, Knuckle.

But right now, they had no news of either Ging or Knuckle. They didn't even know how many days they'd be stuck in these Steep Mountain Range. Letting Morel continue exhausting himself wasn't a wise choice.

In reality, he had already gotten some rest thanks to the "Card: Sleeping Maiden" they had set up in advance.

Bisky had him get into a sleeping bag to recover his Nen—something the "Sleeping Maiden" card couldn't fully restore.

"I slept in a hurry last night and didn't get a chance to ask," Germain said. "Are all your electronic devices unusable too?"

"Yes," Bisky nodded. "I tried to contact you immediately, but I soon realized my communicator wasn't working."

"Do you think it's because of Dark Space?"

"No, I don't think so." Bisky pointed at Shizuku, who was sleeping against the wall. "I thought the same at first, but then I ruled it out."

Germain blinked, then understood. "If Zigg's theory is correct, Shizuku's 'Blinky' should be connected to Dark Space…"

"But before this, the electronic devices taken from 'Blinky' were still working." Bisky raised an eyebrow. "So the Dark Space isn't the cause—at least not the main one."

"It's the Steep Mountain Range," Germain looked toward the misty morning outside the cave. "The devices only stopped working after being taken out of 'Blinky' and the card box, when they were exposed to the outside."

Bisky snapped her fingers, then glanced worriedly toward the cave. Fortunately, no one woke up from the sound, but she still lowered her voice as much as possible.

"Before I found you, I discussed this issue with Morel, Shizuku, and the others."

"Germain, have you noticed that after staying in the Mountain Range for a while, you start to feel a strange pressure? Like your emotions sink into a slump?"

"I have felt that. But… isn't it just the Dark Crown's torment causing it?"

Bisky pressed her fingers against her forehead.

"I almost forgot. Unlike us, you've been enduring that torment all day long. So compared to the Dark Crown's influence, the atmosphere around you probably doesn't feel any different."

Germain was momentarily stunned. That was true—he had already grown used to it.

Bisky continued, "We escaped that torment a few hours earlier than you did, so we were able to notice the unique effects of the Mountain Range more clearly."

"'Unique effects'?" Germain asked.

"The key is electricity," Bisky said carefully, choosing her words. "The terrain of this Mountain Range is constantly draining away all the electricity it can steal."

She took out her small phone and shook it.

"Electric currents from electronic devices."

Then, she pointed at the burnt marks on Germain's body.

"And the 'bioelectricity' in the human body."

Germain touched the wound, recalling Pap's attack patterns. He was starting to understand what Bisky meant.

Bisky went on.

"Sanbica explained a bunch of medical jargon—I didn't really get most of it—but the gist is that our nerve fibers transmit electrical signals. Apparently, we can generate electricity too? Something like that?"

"Nerve impulses… But we can't discharge electricity externally. Only creatures like electric eels can do that."

Bisky nodded and didn't delve deeper into this non-professional topic.

"Oh, it seems to be this… Simply put, the local loss of electrical currents in nerve fibers makes our reactions sluggish and puts us in a bad mood."

"That's why we feel this oppressive atmosphere—because the Steep Mountain Range is indeed affecting us."

Germain naturally continued, "At times like this, Human-Keeping Beast Pap, was born to counterbalance it."

"Its tongue can extend into a creature's brain or other parts of its body, directly stimulating neurons and nerve fibers. This grants it the ability to regulate emotions or even induce hallucinations."

"You either stay under Pap's tongue, experiencing euphoria until you die, or succumb to the oppressive terrain, unable to feel excitement, and die anyway."

"This was the choice that the creatures living here—and that thousand-person expedition team from back then—had to make."

"'An equivalent exchange of happiness and life,'" Bisky repeated. "When Pap drains a creature's bioelectricity, it gives an intense sense of pleasure. But in doing so, it consumes the creature's lifespan."

"The creatures that willingly surrender to this fate all become 'batteries,'" Germain shook his head. "I fear this is the true power source behind the 'Unmanned Stone.'"

"We need to find Ging and Knuckle quickly. They probably don't know about this yet, and there's no guarantee they're together."

"I agree."

Half an hour later, the others gradually woke up, including Morel. Any remaining sleep they needed was handled by the "Sleeping Maiden" card.

Although the "Sleeping Maiden" could substitute for Morel's rest, she was fragile and needed someone to guard her while she slept.

Sanbica took on that role.

Meanwhile, Menchi, with a cast on her leg, calmly prepared a delicious breakfast for everyone. It was the only way she could contribute at the moment.

After breakfast, the group discussed their next move and decided to split into two teams.

Germain and Morel would explore other areas of the Steep Mountain Range in search of Ging and Knuckle.

Bisky, Shizuku, Menchi, and Sanbica would stay behind in the cave.

With Menchi's fractured thigh, Sanbica needing to prepare medicine, and the "Sleeping Maiden" requiring protection, it made sense for Bisky and Shizuku to stay as well.

After some organization, Germain and Morel set off.

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