A few days later, Oboro's team of twenty-three officially set off for the Dark Continent.
The route they would take was the one explored by the Oukima Federation years ago, heading directly from the northernmost point of the human continent towards the area above the island in the lake.
Looking at the map, the lake where humans lived was oval-shaped. If extended from east to west, the distance would be the longest, and the travel time the longest.
Going up and down, however, would be relatively shorter.
But it was also more dangerous.
This was because the routes taken by humans in previous expeditions to the Dark Continent, especially by Netero and Beyond, were not this one.
In the team, besides the six members of Oboro's squad, the remaining seventeen were not members of the Hunter Association. Five of them were the strongest combatants and Nen users selected by the V5 from the military forces of their respective countries. The other twelve were top professionals from various fields... Here, everyone had signed a contract with the V5.
Some had proactively applied to accompany Oboro and his team, not wanting to miss this opportunity, while others had made deals with the V5.
And Oboro held absolute authority within this team.
Actually, Oboro didn't want to bring so many people, but considering the V5's concerns, he relented.
The ship they departed on was not large, accommodating only about a hundred people, but it was built with the pinnacle of human technology... with many functions, making it a medium-sized vessel.
Oboro had also settled all affairs before his departure.
Their operation this time was highly secretive. Even the mid-to-high-ranking members of the Hunter Association and the Fels family were unaware of their departure time and location.
Therefore, no one saw them off.
They simply left the human world on a bright and sunny morning.
...
After boarding the ship, Oboro briefly got acquainted with the others.
There was no need for him to brief them on the protocols and guidelines for arriving in the Dark Continent.
These individuals had been selected to go together... The V5 had already 'trained' or 'informed' them sufficiently.
From the island in the lake to the Dark Continent, at their ship's speed, it would take several months.
During this time, they would stop at some islands along the route for supplies.
From the moment Oboro announced his intention to lead a team to the Dark Continent, the V5 had begun preparations, such as providing support along this route.
Establishing a small base on an isolated island closest to the Dark Continent as a transit point, and so on.
Oboro didn't need to worry about these matters... Human capabilities were beginning to manifest at this moment.
As for life on the ship, there wasn't much to say; it was very monotonous.
Some members, initially excited upon boarding, gradually became somber as they drew closer to the Dark Continent.
Their state was noticeably different.
Meanwhile, in Oboro's mind, he was constantly filtering through limited information.
On one hand, there was humanity's current limited understanding of the Dark Continent.
On the other hand, there was an image.
It was a few simple illustrations he had seen in anime or manga in his past life when the Dark Continent was mentioned.
This... was all he knew about the Dark Continent.
"From Netero's report submitted to the V5 and Beyond's diary, danger and opportunity coexist... This seems to be a specific balance of the Dark Continent. Danger naturally refers to disasters, while opportunity refers to some 'hope' or resource beneficial to the human world... It has always been this way."
The next day, Oboro stood on the deck at the bow of the ship, leaning against the railing, gazing at the sparkling sea, his brow furrowed.
He had reached the pinnacle of the human world, possessing abilities that could almost rival a disaster. Even so, he felt heavy-hearted about this journey to the Dark Continent.
It was like finally leveling up in a game, only to suddenly have to start from the beginner's village again.
"Captain."
At this moment, Menchi and the other four also boarded the deck. Anthony called out cheerfully.
This guy was truly an anomaly; he ate and drank as usual.
In his words, the days on the ship, though monotonous, might be the last period of peace in their lives, so they should enjoy it to the fullest.
"Moist just said that in about a month, we'll be entering uncharted waters," Menchi said.
Uncharted waters, meaning areas closer to the Dark Continent, unexplored by humans.
"In a few days... we'll reach the last isolated island for resupply. After that, until we land, we'll be on our own."
"Mhm."
Oboro nodded, then thought for a moment before saying, "Remember, from the moment we enter uncharted waters, there can be no relaxation whatsoever. Although human armies easily reached land on the previous routes without encountering any danger, that was many years ago... Who knows what it's like now. The most recent round trip was by Netero and Beyond, but their route was different from ours, so... it's still very unsafe."
"Understood."
...
A month later, Oboro and his ship had completely left the human world.
They had entered uncharted waters.
From this moment on, everyone on the ship was highly tense.
They had reached a location close to the Dark Continent.
Of course, although it was called a sea, it was actually a lake.
"It seems... there's no... change..."
In the ship's cabin, Gebuwich lay against the glass, looking at the vast expanse of blue sea outside, muttering.
If it weren't for the coordinates displayed on the instrument, it would feel like sailing near the human continent.
From the moment they entered these waters, Gebuwich had extended his abilities to everyone on board. Any unusual signs or discoveries could be relayed immediately.
"Something's wrong!"
But half an hour later, someone in the team suddenly said.
In less than half a minute, everyone was on deck.
Normally, crew members would patrol the bow and stern of the ship, remaining vigilant against hidden dangers... This was on a twenty-four-hour rotation.
The person who sounded the alarm pointed towards the distant sea.
Upon seeing it, everyone's expression turned solemn.
"The color of the sea... has changed..."
Someone murmured.
Under the sunlight, the surrounding seawater was sky blue, and closer areas were green... but in the distance they observed, it had all turned black.
It felt as if it had been polluted.
"The radar signal shows nothing," a companion reminded them.
Then, everyone's gaze turned to Oboro, who was standing in the center.
Oboro also sensed it. Indeed, he detected no aura...
"Accelerate, let's go through it."
He commanded.
"Yes."
A quarter of an hour later, the ship's speed increased, and they entered the black sea.
Oboro first instructed everyone to remain vigilant and ensure there was no danger. Then, a scientist on board used the instruments, put on a protective suit, extracted seawater, and began testing. Although their ship was not large, its facilities were extremely complete, including a dedicated laboratory.
A few minutes later, this person suddenly exclaimed in the 'telepathy' group chat, "Leader, this is an energy liquid!"
Energy liquid?
Oboro was stunned.
Then, the former explained in detail.
Oboro understood. In simple terms... it was very similar to oil.
But what was astonishing was the sheer size of this sea area. Could all of this be energy matter?
How abundant would that be?
They hadn't even reached the Dark Continent yet, and they had already made a discovery?
And after listening, Oboro's heart sank.
He knew... something had gone wrong!
Hope and disaster were intertwined.
There was something nearby!
"Everyone, go to battle stations. We've likely been targeted," Oboro immediately ordered.
"Leader, our ship's speed has decreased... The seawater here is filled with energy matter, significantly reducing our ship's maneuverability. Furthermore, the concentration of energy matter is still increasing. If we continue forward, we might lose power and be stranded at sea..."
This news sent everyone's hearts plummeting.
The consequences of being stranded on a deserted sea were self-evident.
Even if no danger approached, eventually, everyone would starve to death.
"Change course."
Oboro made a prompt decision.
"Yes."
They could still retreat now. Continuing forward would be tantamount to seeking death.
However, they sailed around for a day and a night but couldn't get out of the black sea's range. What was even more critical was that the ocean currents had changed at some unknown point.
It had become incredibly difficult for them to retreat; it seemed their only option was to move forward.
"As expected... it's not that simple."
Oboro thought to himself.
Just discovering this energy would make them heroes of humanity, and they could just return directly... It would be too easy.
But in reality, the moment they encountered 'hope,' disaster had already struck.
This was also why almost no one could return alive from the Dark Continent.
Most importantly, they hadn't even landed on the Dark Continent yet!
The route he had chosen was one of the V5's oldest routes, unused for many years. Oboro chose this route precisely because... it was the path Don Freecss had taken.
It had been too long since the Oukima Federation army had entered...
The worst-case scenario had occurred.
However, this also indicated that they were indeed very close to the Dark Continent.
____________________
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