Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

A deep rumbling echoed through the chamber as the heavy stone door was fully pushed open, resting against the walls on either side.

The eerie green light inside flooded out instantly, consuming the entire stone chamber. Everyone's eyes were now reflecting an eerie emerald hue.

A chilling sensation, carried by the green glow, slithered over the exposed skin of everyone present, like invisible threads brushing against their bodies.

The rhythmic beating of their pulses and the flow of their blood... both seemed to slow down, leaving their bodies feeling slightly stiff.

Beyond the door lay a long corridor. On both sides of the walls, at regular intervals, were shrine-like sconces, each holding a fist-sized, glowing orb that emitted a ghostly green radiance.

Upon closer inspection, one could vaguely see tiny worm-like creatures writhing within the orbs.

There were also human skeletons lying on the ground. There were so many of them that it was impossible to count them at a glance. All the way to the bend at the end of the corridor, the ground was filled with bones, leaving no place to stand.

The green light reflected off the skeletal remains, coating them in a chilling, ghastly glow.

Everyone looked at the bones scattered all over the corridor in silence, and their bodies seemed to be gripped by an inexplicable chill.

"Are these... all the people who came before us?" Someone said in a trembling voice.

The piles of bones scattered on the ground are the most conspicuous warning sign.

"So what? Now that you're here, are you going to back down?" One of the braver individuals scoffed at the trembling speaker, with a look of disdain on his face.

"Those glowing orbs... they look like night pearls. Since they're that big, they must be worth a fortune." Someone said greedily.

"Why don't we just take the pearls and leave? There are enough for all of us!"

"Yeah, if so many people died just at the entrance, it must be even more dangerous inside. Anyway, there are so many night pearls. If we sell them all, it will be a huge sum of money."

These ordinary people were not frightened by the Nen on the stone gate, but after seeing the numerous night pearls and bones on the ground so close, most of them quickly leaned toward the idea of taking the pearls and leaving.

Uncle Bill glanced at those who had set their eyes on the night pearls, with disdain flashing in his eyes, 'In the end, they were just ordinary people who had not been exposed to Nian. Although they were strong and fit, their confidence was obviously not enough to support them to set foot in dangerous places.'

'Just the night pearls at the entrance are enough to satisfy them... It's really an insult to the reputation of the Stargie's tomb.'

Those who suggested prying off the night pearls and leaving were all ordinary people, while Uncle Bill and the other Nen Users did not express their opinions. It was obvious that both sides were not seeing things on the same level.

Uncle Bill and the other Nen Users thought that, since there were so many night pearls in the corridor at the entrance alone, what treasures might lie deeper within the tomb?

Biscuit is a Single-Star Stone Hunter. While she likes gems, she is not interested in these night pearls. Seeing the group's hesitation annoyed her, but she didn't show it.

Atomu, who has been deliberately eliminating his presence, stood in the corner with an expressionless face, clearly opting to go with the flow.

However, he knew one thing for sure: While the ordinary members might be satisfied with the pearls, the Nen Users wouldn't settle for such trivial gains.

It wasn't arrogance. It was simply that those with greater abilities could see further. They wouldn't be swayed by the allure of the pearls or frightened by the piles of bones.

The people standing at the entrance of the corridor thought that the glowing orbs on the wall were night pearls, and did not notice anything unusual in the orbs.

While everyone hesitated, Law was instead examining the two-headed bird carving on the stone door. His behavior did not seem like that of a treasure hunter heading for the tomb, but more like that of a Relic Hunter.

The entire body of the two-headed bird occupied the stone door, with each half of its body split between the two doors.

'With Palo City's level of craftsmanship, such crude carvings shouldn't exist.' Law stared at the ferocious-looking two-headed bird carving, thinking silently. However, he didn't notice that Biscuit was observing him.

At this time, the ordinary people who thought of prying off the night pearl and leaving all began to act.

In this regard, Uncle Bill and others neither opposed their actions nor went to help.

Seeing that Uncle Bill and the others were indifferent, this group of people didn't care either. They took out heavier tools and tossed them into the corridor.

Tools such as shovels and pickaxes fell on the bones on the ground, making sharp, jarring sounds. The bones, even those barely grazed, instantly crumbled into fine powder, drifting through the corridor like dust in the air.

Everyone could clearly see it: even the slightest touch reduced the bones to powder, as if they had been weathered over centuries.

Watching this scene, the group fell silent again.

Law also stood up and glanced at the dozen or so ordinary people nearby. He had no intention of interfering. However, if there were any Nen on those so-called night pearls, he wouldn't hesitate to step in.

Gulp…

In the quiet stone chamber, the sound of someone swallowing nervously echoed unusually loud.

After a brief pause, greed took over and the group of ordinary people cautiously stepped into the corridor. All the bones they touched immediately turned into powder.

There were simply too many night pearls. At a glance, there had to be at least a hundred, and who knew what lay beyond the bend, perhaps another long corridor filled with pearls.

With so many pearls, these people felt there was no need to worry about dividing them fairly.

"Uncle Bill, we're taking them first."

Having ventured a short distance down the corridor without incident, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief and called out to Uncle Bill standing at the entrance.

Uncle Bill just smiled, with indifference in his eyes behind the glasses. The other Nen Users were silently paying attention to the dozen or so ordinary people who had entered the passageway.

From what they can see so far, there seems to be no traps in the corridor, and the scattered bones on the ground are all intact, showing no visible signs of injury.

After confirming it was safe, the ordinary people who entered the corridor began to pry off the night pearls.

They proceeded with caution, wearing gloves before touching the pearls. To their surprise, the pearls required no prying, and they could be easily scooped up by hand.

From entering the corridor to gathering the pearls, everything had gone smoothly.

Each member held a glowing pearl in their hands, their faces lighting up with excitement, while their eyes brimming with undisguised greed.

'It seems there aren't any traps after all. But these bones... could they be from the workers who build the tomb?' Uncle Bill mused.

At this moment, the people holding the night pearls suddenly collapsed soundlessly to the ground. The night pearls slipped out of their hands, rolling across the floor with crisp, echoing clinks.

"Huh?"

This sudden scene startled the people standing at the entrance of the corridor.

"They're dead." A Nen User took a look at the people who had fallen to the ground inexplicably and found that they were no longer emitting Aura, so he made such judgment.

'Is it poison…?' Uncle Bill glanced at the night pearls, 'These people died suddenly after touching the night pearls. But even if it was poison, how strong could it be to take effect so quickly? Moreover, these people were wearing gloves, so how could they be poisoned?'

Law looked calmly at the corpses on the ground with frozen expressions of excitement, and remained silent.

Just five seconds after these people fell to the ground, a sudden change occurred.

The green light emitted by the night pearls in the corridor suddenly disappeared. A moment later, unknown insects with fluorescent bodies crawled out of the pearl, spreading their wings with a buzzing sound.

Then, these winged insects flew towards the people at the entrance of the corridor.

Under the glow of their bodies, their translucent wings shimmered, revealing glowing patterns across their forms, each with a grotesquely tiny human-like face.

Each insect was about the size of a baby's fist, and when they took flight in unison, they resembled a swarm of fireflies stirring over a lakeside at dusk.

However... this group of insects clearly poses a deadly threat.