Just as the three of them was overjoyed, there was a sudden strange sound coming from the direction of the statue.
Upon hearing the movement, Lion and his companions, who had remained vigilant, immediately turned their gaze towards the statue.
Crack, crack—
Under their watchful gaze, cracks began to appear on the surface of the statue curled on the stone pillar.
And the black Nen lingering on it actually seeped in along the cracks like running water, then disappeared without a trace in an instant.
"Huh!?"
Seeing this strange scene, Lion, Viper, and Mantis instantly entered combat mode.
Crack, crack—
In just a few seconds, the cracks on the statue became as dense as spider's web.
Immediately afterwards, stone pieces fell off the statue one after another, tumbling into the pile of gold coins, revealing a pale-skinned body inside, and a pair of pure black bat wings enveloping most of the body.
This is not a statue, but an unknown creature sealed by a layer of stone!
Lion, Viper, and Mantis were shocked, and they all stepped back, immediately creating distance between them and the creature.
The body of the unknown creature, freed from its stone shell, twitched slightly, and the black wings that enveloped most of its body slowly unfolded.
"Retreat!"
Lion's pupils shrank, and he decisively turned around and ran towards the open stone door of the temple.
Facing this kind of situation that cannot be explained by common sense, running away is always the best choice.
Viper and Mantis, who is shocked, also ran quickly towards the open stone door.
In order to cover the retreat of his companions, Lion deliberately slowed down and fell behind Viper and Mantis.
Such actions were what an Enhancer should do.
Soon-
The three of them passed through the stone door in panic and arrived outside the temple.
Not far away, Shalnark, who had arrived nearby and stood on the top of a building, immediately saw Lion and the others rushing out of the temple.
"Oh?"
Seeing the aura emanating from Lion and his companions, a look of surprise appeared in Shalnark's eyes.
He did not remember seeing these three Nen Users among the examinees.
'Hiding pretty deep, huh?'
Surprised, Shalnark speculated that the other party had let their Aura naturally dissipate to conceal their Nen Users identity.
'That crown…'
Without paying too much attention to this matter, Shalnark quickly noticed the pure gold crown in Viper's hand, which emitted a remarkable presence.
'Nice one!'
Shalnark's eyes lit up.
Even though the Phantom Troupe had plundered countless treasures, they are still unable to compare with that pure gold crown.
The Nen Users who had already arrived here was not only Shalnark, but also five other Nen Users examinees, as well as the newly arrived Moses and Menchi.
Everyone present inevitably noticed the pure gold crown in Viper's hand that shone with colorful luster.
Seeing the pure gold crown, Moses and Menchi couldn't hide their astonishment.
As for the other five Nen Users, they could not help but show greedy expressions.
Without any need for professional appraisal knowledge, they could conclude at a glance that the pure gold crown was a rare treasure of unimaginable value.
'Snatch it!'
In an instant, except for Moses and Menchi, all the other Nen Users present, including Shalnark, had the idea of snatching the pure gold crown.
At the same time…
Inside the temple's hall.
The unknown creaturecurled up on the stone pillar spread its wings, revealing a naked body that was no different from a human being.
It's just that its skin color is so pale that no blood can be seen, and there is also no hair on its head.
"…"
The unknown creature slowly straightened its body, stood up, and opened its pair of pure black eyes, which devoid of iris and sclera.
"No matter how the years change, the greedy nature of humans... remains the same."
Looking at the open door with its obsidian-like eyes, the unknown creature spread the wings on its back and flapped it slightly. The airflow created supported its body as it slowly descended to the ground.
This unknown creature, resurrected without warning from within the stone statue, actually came from the Dark Continent a thousand years ago.
Mammon is his name.
After thousands of years, he was reborn from within the stone shell.
To be honest-
Even Mammon himself was surprised.
Because from the moment he turned into stone, he had actually accepted death.
But just when his 'flame' was about to go out, the greedy desires of human beings turned into vital fuel, causing his soul to burn again like a fire at this moment.
Lion's conjecture just now is wrong.
The Post-Mortem Nen on the statue did not gradually strengthen because of his approach, but because of...
The greedy desires aroused in their hearts.
In fact…
From the moment Moses sensed the Post-Mortem Nen, Mammon's resurrection was inevitable.
As for the reason...
It is Moses's unique peculiarity that became the most important key to opening this door.
Under this premise, Lion and the many examinees who participated in the Hunter Exam provided the final resurrection energy for Mammon while coveting the treasure.
Everything had become a reality.
Mammon gazed at the open stone door.
Although he couldn't see the situation outside, he could feel the endless greed coming from afar.
Gradually, Mammon could already feel the friction between his bones and the blood flowing through his veins.
"Compared to the Dark Continent, this land is indeed better for me to 'survive'."
A gender-neutral voice that contained some emotion echoed in the temple hall.
Just as Mammon gradually regained familiarity with his body, disputes inevitably broke out outside the temple.
In order to snatch the valuable pure gold crown, the five Nen Users examinees attacked Lion and his companions without hesitation
Even Shalnark smiled as he pinched the antenna of 'Black Voice' between his fingers.
Without any verbal exchange, the intense battle began in the scene.
This unexpected development…
Surprised Moses and Menchi.
Before they could even settle down, they saw a man with a slicked back hair and two scimitars staring at them with eyes filled with cold murderous intent.
More precisely—
He is staring at Moses.
There is no particular reason.
Just because Moses had a long sword hanging from his waist.