Finally, after ten minutes, the two of them saw the light at the entrance of the cave. The cool wind from outside flowed in, refreshing them.
The giant snake's nest was its home base, not a maze, so the structure was simple. It was easy to find the entrance and exit.
"Stress (Pressure) +6"
Standing at the entrance of the cave, they left the darkness behind. The sky outside was a bit dim, but they could see without using a flashlight.
Germain, now out of the dark, checked his "Hunter Badge" to see his stress level.
After being in the cave for about an hour, his stress level had jumped from 3 points to 74 points, including 5 points from the giant snake's attack.
However, when Germain and Shizuku used the flashlight together, his stress level increased more slowly. This might be important.
Darkness increases his stress, but his partner slows this process.
Germain was glad they entered the Dark Continent during the day. It would be much worse at night.
Suddenly, they heard a loud noise nearby, like something falling.
"What was that?" Shizuku put the flashlight back in the backpack and looked toward the noise.
Germain shook his head. "I don't know, let's check it out."
They walked towards the noise. On the way, Germain looked up to see why it was so dark.
There were towering trees in all directions. Each tree's trunk was as large as a church. The lush branches and leaves intertwined so densely that they seemed to block out the sun.
The sun's rays could barely penetrate the thick layers of leaves. Only a few lucky beams managed to slip through, casting sparse shadows on the ground.
Suddenly, some vague shadows flickered by.
Germain frowned but soon, the shadows disappeared without a trace, like a fading nightmare.
Did I see it wrong?
"Germain?" Shizuku, who was walking ahead, noticed Germain lagging behind and called out in confusion.
"Here I am," Germain replied.
The two of them walked to the end of the path and found a steep cliff in front of them. They peered over the edge and saw another ledge below, with a flat area covered in scattered yellow leaves at the bottom.
This was a three-layered valley, with steep cliffs separating each layer. Germain and Shizuku stood on the highest level, and from their bird's-eye view, the area looked like a ring.
At the bottom of the valley lay a monster as large as a two-story house. It was pitch black, covered in fur, with eight thick legs and sixteen green eyes.
"What a big spider," Shizuku commented bluntly. She then quickly looked at Germain and added, "I don't mean you. I mean the spider down there."
Germain had not hidden his identity as a member of the Phantom Troupe. When Shizuku had been curious and wanted to confirm, he rolled up his trouser leg to show her the twelve-legged spider tattoo.
Shizuku looked at the number "8" on the spider's abdomen and nodded repeatedly.
"Many people in Meteor Street admire the Phantom Troupe."
"In their eyes, the Phantom Troupe has brought order to Meteor Street, maintaining balance and improving living conditions. Even the elders consult them on major issues."
This shows how different perspectives and groups view the Phantom Troupe differently. Their heroes are my enemies.
Back to the present.
"I know you're talking about the spider down there," Germain said briefly, then pointed at the spider. "Look carefully at the person standing next to the spider."
Shizuku looked closer, blinked her big eyes, and asked uncertainly, "Is she... is she Bisky? Or someone wearing Bisky's clothes?"
It was normal for her to be unsure since she had never seen Bisky's true form. Germain hadn't seen it either.
Next to the fallen spider stood a tall, burly woman with a blonde ponytail and a princess dress stretched to its limit. She angrily kicked the spider.
She put her hands on her hips, seemingly complaining about something, but her voice was too soft for Germain and Shizuku to hear clearly.
"That's Bisky," Germain said, walking to the cliff's edge and jumping down to the next level, speaking mid-air. "This is her true appearance and combat form."
Shizuku also jumped down, landing steadily on the second level.
"Combat form?" Shizuku asked curiously as she followed Germain. "Is it one of Bisky's Nen abilities?"
Germain jumped to the bottom of the valley with her.
"It is closely related to her Nen ability."
"Do you know 'Rhythm Echo'? It's a technique used by assassins, especially the Zoldyck family, that leaves an afterimage in place. You can think of it as Bisky's Transmutation ability."
Actually, a more accurate example would be Illumi Zoldyck's disguise technique. He uses the 'Nen needle' to change his appearance, also closely related to his Nen ability.
Shizuku still looked confused. It was unclear if she didn't understand or if she understood but still had this expression.
Germain further explained: "You know the silverback gorilla, right? It usually walks on all fours, but when threatened, it stands upright like a human and beats its chest..."
Bisky's roar echoed from afar, clearly hearing what Germain had said, "Germain, if you keep talking, you'll end up like this spider!"
Germain felt Bisky's anger, so he waved his hand helplessly and stopped talking.
The two walked up to Bisky and had to look up to talk to her.
"Can I still call you 'Little Bisky' now?" Shizuku's glasses, which had slid to the tip of her nose, shifted back to the right position as she looked up, "You don't look small at all."
Bisky sighed but didn't revert to her petite form.
"Germain, Shizuku, let's set aside personal matters for now. You shouldn't have come down here immediately... Look up and see clearly. We're surrounded by enemies."
Hearing this, Germain remembered the vague shadows he had seen earlier and looked up again. This time, due to the angle and light, he finally saw what those outlines truly were.
Just like the spider that Bisky had knocked down, there were many identical spiders crawling on the tall trees. They hung from the branches, watching them intently from the cover of the foliage.
Above these twenty or so spiders, hidden among the branches and leaves, was an enormous spider web.
In the center of the web sat a much larger and more ferocious spider, its sixteen eyes fixed on Germain, Bisky, and Shizuku below.
The giant spider's two thick chelicerae moved up and down like waving flags, and all the smaller spiders began to crawl down like a torrent, resembling an army on the move.
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer