Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The snake-like glowing tendrils slowly approached Vincent's corpse. After circling around for a while, one of them suddenly pierced into Vincent's chest, writhing as it began to drain the cooled blood from his body.

The wriggling, tentacle-like appendage pulsed rhythmically, and the liquid flowing within gradually turned red, emitting a soft crimson glow.

These glowing tendrils resembled some kind of plant vines, not a single entity but rather separate strands that could survive independently.

Within the eerie blue glow, streaks of red light intertwined. One by one, the vines pierced Vincent's corpse, and within mere seconds, they had drained him dry, leaving behind a mummified husk. For a moment, the area shimmered with a sinister red radiance.

After sucking the blood, the glowing vines slowly retracted to their original positions. However, just before leaving, one vine coiled around Vincent's body and flung it toward the edge of the platform.

The corpse flew off, plunging into the pitch-black abyss below, falling endlessly.

In the darkness below, nothing could be seen, and only the faint sound of rushing water echoed up from below, with an occasional glimmer of a moving water surface.

When the body was about to fall to the water surface, a black shadow jumped out of the water, caught the body in mid-air like lightning, and then suddenly dived into the water, sending a spray of water into the air. Moments later, the water returned to its stillness.

The height from the platform to the water surface below was approximately 300 meters, meaning the water resided deep within the mountain's belly.

The sound of flowing water indicated it was not stagnant, but where it came from and where it led remained a mystery, whether it was part of a larger underground system or an enclosed loop.

…

In the hall.

Law and the others had no idea what was happening outside. As the stone door closed automatically shut behind them, they subconsciously released their Aura to cover their entire bodies, staying prepared for any potential threats.

The hall was silent, with no one speaking. The beams of their flashlights illuminated the thick layer of dust blanketing the floor and distant corners.

Ssszzttt!

Just at this moment, faint hissing sounds echoed through the darkness. Everyone looked solemn and held their breath to guard against the unknown.

Logically speaking, there could be no living people or any living creatures in the palace. However, the venomous insects they encountered in the corridor before and the inexplicable sound of the harp just now could not be judged by common sense.

Given the current situation, Law wouldn't even be surprised if a zombie jumped out at them next.

After the sound was heard, seven or eight flashlights flashed around the hall. Suddenly, the entire hall was illuminated by flames.

From the walls on both sides, fire erupted from the stone statues, casting an ominous glow throughout the chamber.

"Hmm?"

Seeing fire suddenly appeared, Law was surprised for a moment, but he remained calm. He quickly turned off his flashlight immediately to conserve the battery.

Several members of the group twitched slightly, barely managing to maintain their calm under the unnerving circumstances.

First, the stone door had closed on its own, and now flames had spontaneously ignited from the statues. Everything was becoming increasingly bizarre.

With the hall now fully illuminated, everyone could finally see their surroundings clearly.

On the walls on both sides, there is a tall headless humanoid stone statue every ten meters, with the flames spewing from where their heads should have been.

Closer to the center of the hall, two rows of stone pillars stretched in parallel toward the far end, leading straight to another structure, which is a palace within the palace.

In front of the door stand six three-meter-high stone statues with animal heads and human bodies, like guards guarding the door.

Stone statues, stone pillars, and palaces are the only things filling this big hall. Before everyone came in, they would never have expected that there was another palace in such a spacious hall.

No one spoke, and only the sound of irregular breathing filled the room.

"If there's nothing good in there, then we've come here for nothing." Mark tugged at his black jacket full of iron studs and said gloomily.

"Why not rummage through the ruins outside? Even if you dig up an old chamber pot, it's still worth something." Uncle Bill glanced at him and said coldly, "But between antiques and treasure, I'd rather have treasure."

Mark's face froze and he was left speechless by Uncle Bill's remark. Meanwhile, the two other weak Nen Users standing beside him gazed at the palace ahead with eager anticipation. Like Uncle Bill, they were also fond of getting their hands on treasure.

However, as Uncle Bill pointed out, even if this well-preserved palace didn't contain any riches, they could still scour the ruins outside and find artifacts that collectors on the black market would pay a fortune for.

In other words, their trip was already worth it, and the palace within the palace in front of them was the final treasure chest.

When they thought about the possibility of finding numerous dazzling and fascinating treasures in there, the sense of crisis in their heart weakened.

Law glanced at the stone pillars and statues around the hall. They appeared ordinary, and nothing unusual stood out. However, the mystery remained: how did the stone door close on its own, and how did the statues ignite their flames?

He had specifically used Gyo to inspect the closed stone door and the flame-lit statues. However, he found no traces of Nen or Aura. Moreover, except for the venomous insects in the corridor, everything had gone far too smoothly. The most noteworthy thing was the inexplicable harp's sound and Vincent's change.

Considering the circumstances, Law suddenly thought about Nen Beasts and Martin's Nen Ability to monitor areas using patterns. Both could be used as means of reconnaissance to explore the mystery of the square palace ahead without having to take risks personally.

The group moved forward, stepping toward the palace ahead.

Twelve stone pillars stood tall on either side, forming a straight path leading to the square palace.

Their steps were light and slow. Even though they hadn't encountered any traps so far, it is always better to be careful.

However, their caution proved unnecessary.

They advanced to within ten meters of the palace without incident.

At this moment, a burst of intense harp's sounds resounded throughout the hall without warning.

The music began with a rapid glissando, descending from high notes to low in an instant, with forty-seven notes in just one second, as if plummeting from the clouds straight into hell.

The drastic shift in tone made the weaker members like Mark feel as if their hearts had almost stopped.

After the glissando, the sound of the harp circled within the lower and middle registers, like a vulture hovering above the wasteland sky, staring at a dying man below.

The music was so deep and oppressive, it felt as though heavy weights were pressing against the strings. It sounded like an ancient funeral dirge, mixed with faint, eerie cicada cries.

Listening to the constantly shifting melody, the group's expressions changed as well. They could only remain where they stood, bracing for potential danger.

'Who was playing this haunting tune?'

Law stared at the square palace ahead, where the sound of the harp came from. Though he couldn't detect anything unusual just from listening, when he thought about Vincent's incident, he still felt a little uneasy. The others also had the same reaction.

Suddenly, a huge amount of black Nen surged out of the square palace, exuding a strong presence of foreboding.

Law looked at the black Nen that suddenly emerged and his face changed.

A portion of the surging black Nen separated from it and turned into arrows that shot towards everyone like lightning.

"Watch out!"

Law reacted instantly, warning the others while leaping backward. The group scrambled to evade the incoming attack.

Resonance: Harmonics!

The arrow-like Nen abruptly transformed into a massive black net!

Law's Aura flared at his feet at this time, propelling him backward just in time to narrowly avoid the net. As the black net hit the ground, it fizzled out like fire doused with water, leaving behind wisps of black smoke.

Most of the group managed to evade, but the two Nen Users standing close to Mark weren't as lucky, as they were ensnared by the black net.

Those who avoided the black net quickly retreated far away.

The sound of the harp continued. Despite its clear, water-like tone, it played in such an oppressive and melancholic manner that a sense of despair spread through the hall.

Above the palace, the swirling black Nen showed no further signs of attacking Law and the others.

The two Nen Users, who was caught by the black net, stood frozen in place, motionless.

The black net turned into a pitch-black Nen membrane that covered the two Nen users.

Watching this unfold, unease surged in everyone's hearts.

At this time, they immediately thought of Vincent.

Law thought to himself, 'Could it really be the harp sound that had controlled him? But when Uncle Bill and the others first heard the melody outside the palace, they said they hadn't detected any Nen.'

The dark membrane fully merged into the bodies of the trapped Nen Users, and at the next moment, a surge of white Aura erupted from them.