As dawn broke and the first light of day appeared on the horizon, the "Ancient Labyrinth City," which had been filled with noise, roars, and unrest throughout the night, finally began to settle into a brief calm.
Of course, in such a vast ruin, there were still pockets of discord. The wriggling creatures known as "Brion Parasites" continued their relentless search for traces of their target from the previous night.
However, with the arrival of dawn, the "Night Stalker Sharks," which had been leading the parasites and were adept at locating their targets, vanished without a trace.
The "Night Stalker Species" only thrived in their domain—the endless darkness. Once daylight arrived, they relinquished control of the labyrinth to the "Brion Parasites."
Sunlight pierced through the lingering shadows, illuminating a cube-shaped stone pillar etched with a "Mobius Loop."
This was one of the many safe zones Don Freecss had established within the "Ancient Labyrinth City."
After fighting and retreating through the night, Germain and his group finally managed to shake off their persistent pursuers. Exhausted and battered, they arrived at the second safe zone just a short while ago.
Each of them bore injuries of varying severity that needed attention. They wasted no time unsealing medical supplies from the "Sanbica Kit" to clean, stitch, and bandage one another's wounds.
Even for these four, who stood at the peak of the Nen user hierarchy, the near-constant battles had taken a heavy toll, leaving them utterly fatigued.
Bisky and Shizuku had managed to get some sleep before the "Night Stalkers" began—Bisky for a few hours and Shizuku for at least two. Ging had also managed to rest for an hour.
Germain, however, had barely gotten thirty minutes of sleep after switching shifts before Ging woke him up to deal with the relentless attacks from the "Brion Parasites."
On top of that, Germain had already spent the entire previous day engaged in high-intensity combat. Among the four, he was undoubtedly the most sleep-deprived.
So, when Germain volunteered to take the first watch and let the others rest, he was met with unanimous rejection.
"No matter how strong your Physique is, as a human, you still have limits. Even if you were a robot, robots run out of energy eventually too."
The one speaking was Bisky.
To make fighting easier, she had already torn off the lower part of her skirt from the knees down and cut her ponytail, leaving only short hair that barely reached her ears.
Smooth, long hair required time and effort to maintain—especially for someone like Bisky, who cared deeply about her appearance. For her to willingly transform into this tomboyish look showed just how desperate she'd been last night.
"And then, there's this…"
She pointed to the silent Germain's head, where a flickering "Dark Crown" hovered, emanating an eerie and unsettling aura.
It was an undeniable presence tied to Germain.
"Torment · Brutality" was glowing intensely.
In the relentless battle, Bisky hadn't had the time to help Germain purge the "stress" that had been building up within him. Eventually, it reached a breaking point and erupted.
The good news?
At the time, Germain had fought even more ferociously, radiating an unstoppable aura like a force of nature—an unstoppable killing machine.
The bad news?
Germain had become so consumed by the slaughter that he nearly forgot about the other three, charging ahead alone to fight.
Thankfully, they managed to snap him out of it just in time before he found himself completely surrounded.
At that moment, Germain had been in a trance-like state, as if thinking, I don't know where I am. I don't know who I am. I only know I must kill.
And the "Dark Crown" that had appeared on him during that episode hadn't come off even now.
"It's affecting your mind," Bisky said. "Let my 'Magical Beautician Miss Cookie,' remove it. Then, take a good, long rest."
"Yeah," Shizuku agreed, adjusting her black-framed glasses. The left lens was visibly cracked, and the glasses clearly wouldn't last much longer. "I'll take the next watch."
"I'll take over after that," Ging said. His worn-out hat had gone missing during their constant movement. Now sitting cross-legged on the ground, he scratched at his short hair and added, "Germain, just get some sleep."
If not witnessed with his own eyes, Ging would never have understood the effects of the "Dark Crown Torment" on Germain. Even more chilling was the subtle influence it exerted on the other three members of their group.
During the chaos before dawn, even Ging had a fleeting moment where he wanted to align with Germain, charging into the fray to kill more "Brion Parasite Spawns."
Fortunately, reason prevailed, and they withdrew in time. Otherwise, they would have lost at least one member there—and that person would most likely have been their weakest, Shizuku.
In the worst-case scenario, Germain's death would have been disastrous.
If that had happened, the survivors would face the same fate as the United States of Saherta Special Forces:
They would have to force their way out of the "Ancient Labyrinth City," endure a grueling 400-kilometer trek, navigate the eerie and confusing Sea of Trees, and finally reach the shores of the Dark Continent to seek aid from a "Guide."
Without any external support, this would be their only way back to the human world.
Even if not for these grim prospects, none of them could bear to see Germain endure further "torment."
"You've been brave enough over the past several hours," Bisky said, not to comfort or persuade him, but as a statement of fact. "You don't need to feel guilty."
Shizuku nodded in agreement with Bisky's words.
Ging added, "We chose to come to the Dark Continent with you willingly. We had a rough idea of what we'd be facing before we even set out."
"To be blunt, even if any of us were to die during a 'Night Stalker' or the battles that follow, it wouldn't be your fault. Anyone afraid of dying wouldn't have come with you in the first place."
Shizuku nodded again, as if to say, "I can't express it as eloquently as they can, but I feel the same."
In the end, the group convinced Germain to rest. He lay down and accepted the soothing care of "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie," then fell into a deep sleep in the sleeping bag provided by the "Blinky."
Bisky, having expended a significant amount of Nen and being the third to take watch, also climbed into her sleeping bag and relaxed.
When Germain woke up hours later, he felt none of the soreness or fatigue from the earlier battles. Instead, his entire body felt refreshed and invigorated.
The "Dark Crown Torment" had vanished.
This was the result of the combined effects of "Trait: Tenacity" and "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie's Piano Massage."
After enduring the "Night Stalker Blood Battle," Germain was rewarded handsomely—his "Physique" and "Nen Capacity (Endurance)" skyrocketed to 133 and 139 points, respectively.
Unfortunately, not all the "Brion Parasite Species" he killed or helped kill granted him "Gift of Resentments." Otherwise, he could have risen even higher.
However, his "Physique" and "Nen Capacity" were still far from touching the edge of "Legendary" status.
Before breaking through any class threshold, he would always have a sense of it, knowing precisely where the limit was.
For example, he knew that "Master Level" required 50 points and "Champion Level" required 100 points.
Furthermore, after crossing the thresholds for "Master Level" and "Champion Level," his "Physique" and "Nen Capacity" gained corresponding boosts—"Master's Aura" and "Champion's Aura."
Currently, Germain couldn't sense when his "Physique" and "Nen Capacity" might surpass the "Legendary Level," let alone gain the trait of the "Legendary Aura."
The only thing he could sense was that the leap from "Champion Level" to "Legendary Level" might be greater than the combined leaps through "Apprentice Level," "Hero Level," "Elite Level," "Master Level," and "Champion Level."
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