071 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

Ronnel was quietly reflecting, immersed in the strange sensation of increased longevity.

After a while, he estimated the lifespan extension.

"One hundred years?"

He took a mirror from his storage backpack and checked his reflection.His already youthful face now looked even more radiant, with a vibrant energy pulsing beneath the surface.

One stalk of Nitro Rice, after being carefully cooked by Ronnel, could grant roughly a hundred years of additional life.

That result had been within his expectations.

Back then, Netero—still in his prime—and Zigg and Linne during their youth, had all benefited from life-extended Nitro Rice. Ideally, it should've been Linne doing the cooking.

As the world's top Gourmet Hunter, Linne's cooking wasn't at its peak back then, but being trusted to accompany Netero to the Dark Continent said enough—she was top-tier.

If Linne had prepared it, a single stalk per person might have extended life by sixty to seventy years—about two-thirds the effect of Ronnel's own cooking.

Calculated like that, it made sense.

Human aging usually takes hold around sixty or seventy. Netero had lived past one hundred and ten, with aging seemingly paused for a good sixty years.

If not for his final battle with the Ant King, and had he kept his physical state, Netero could've remained powerful for another thirty or forty years under the influence of aura.

What a pity...

Still, a hundred extra years was more than enough for Ronnel to spend freely.

But just to be safe, he cooked two more stalks of Nitro Rice and stored them in his backpack for emergencies.

You never know when you'll stumble into some place that drains your lifespan.

The rest, he mostly kept for himself.

Later, he used the apartment exit to return to the Six Continents.

He personally handed some over to Bisky and Shizuku. He and Shizuku spent several relaxing days together afterward.

The rest went to Ickshonpe and Emuksu.

He wanted to see if the two of them could analyze Nitro Rice, understand the secret of its longevity, and—ideally—find a way to clone, replicate, or cultivate it on the Six Continents.

They were both extremely intrigued and dove into research with enthusiasm.

...

Around that time, Ronnel received a call from Chrollo.

After a long journey across the sea, their group had successfully landed on the Dark Continent, led by a boar-like beastman.

Their landing site: the Mountains.

Trinity Elixir—believed to be the source material for all known liquids—wasn't exactly what Chrollo had come for, but it piqued his curiosity.

So, the Phantom Troupe's first stop in the Dark Continent was the Trinity Elixir region.

There were a few complications during the landing, but overall, it went smoothly.Soon, they were deep in the mountains.

Chrollo made the call during a break, while the group rested in a tree hollow Machi had found using her intuition.

He wanted more information about the Mountains—Ronnel clearly knew more than Chrollo did.

Originally, Chrollo had expected to deal with gas-based lifeforms and creatures that latched onto physical desires.

But what he hadn't expected... was penguins.

Penguins. In the mountains.

Even for the Phantom Troupe—cold-blooded criminals used to strangeness—watching flocks of bickering penguins darting through the woods was a surreal experience.

And they weren't normal penguins.

They were massive, bipedal beasts with glossy feathers in either bright red or deep navy.

Two groups.

The red ones.

The blue ones.

Locked in a never-ending war.

Every time they met, they would immediately brawl without hesitation.

The red ones spat fire.

The blue ones launched ice or streams of water like cannons.

Because of their elemental strengths and weaknesses, their battles always ended in a brutal stalemate—both sides taking heavy losses.

Watching the chaos from the sidelines, the Phantom Troupe didn't waste the opportunity.

They scavenged the battlefield, collecting the bodies.

The penguin meat and hides were valuable survival resources, and their razor-sharp beaks could be fashioned into primitive weapons.

After hearing all this, Ronnel was silent for a moment.

On the Dark Continent, anything could happen.

Penguins in the mountains? Weird—but not unthinkable.

Chrollo asked for detailed data, and Ronnel easily pulled it from Beyond's database and sent it to him via message.

From there, it was the Troupe's problem to deal with.

...

In the following days, both the Hunter Association and V5 forces completed their landing and began their own expeditions.

Ronnel didn't get too involved. Even if he knew more, he had no strong opinions on the matter.

...

Half a month passed.

While traveling, Ronnel and his group emerged from another long stretch of road to find themselves standing before yet another massive sea of trees.

Well, it was the Dark Continent. Forests were endless here.

In the heart of it all was the fully-grown World Tree, sprawled across the center of the continent like a natural fortress. It loomed over everything, casting its dominance over the land.

"...We've finally arrived."

They stood atop a massive outcropping.

Beyond stood at the front, eyes fixed on the endless green below.

At the far edge of the forest, faint outlines of buildings and metal walls shimmered in the distance.

His eyes gleamed.

"This time... I'm getting that vanilla. No matter what."

His words echoed in everyone's hearts, silent but resolute.