Looking up at the blazing sun, he muttered to himself, "Does it usually absorb sunlight?"
Suddenly, Beyond waved his hand, and a flash of golden thought aura shimmered. With ease, he plunged five fingers into the ground and pulled out a flame stone, like a strong steel bar piercing through soft tofu.
The stone hissed hotly in Beyond's hand, sizzling like meat on a grill. But because Beyond's hands were wrapped in aura, he felt no pain.
For Ging and Beyond, both strong and experienced, handling the flame stone was no problem, but for others with less strength, it was a different story. Matthew, for instance, struggled to hold the burning stone.
He clutched it with both hands, tossing it up and down, exclaiming, "Hot! Hot!
Hot!" Despite his discomfort, no one laughed at him, many were dealing with the same challenge.
Those like Ging and Beyond could hold the stones comfortably, thanks to their powerful aura, which easily withstood the intense heat and burning sensation. Most members of the team were only at an A-level strength, and for them, the thought aura in their hands was fragile against such extreme temperatures.
It often needed significant reinforcement just to manage it. This flame stone was a clear example of their varying strengths.
Thankfully, their task was only to dig the stones out, not necessarily hold them for long, so everyone managed well enough. As the digging continued, more pieces of flaming stone were pulled from the earth and piled together.
The total wasn't huge, just a small heap about as tall as a person. I'm not sure if these flame stones are just rare here or if they've become scarce overall.
As usual, Larry asked Porygon Z to store the flame stones in cyberspace, making it easier to carry them since such items can be heavy or bulky. This is one of the perks of having access to cyberspace, things that are hard to transport can be safely stored away.
Still, after encountering these flame stones, everyone became more alert, carefully scanning their surroundings as they moved forward. They didn't want to miss any valuable ore.
This was the first time since setting out on their journey that they'd truly felt a glimpse of hope on the Dark Continent. Up until now, all they'd faced were disasters.
Hope was a rare and precious thing to come by, and it lifted everyone's spirits. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as they wished.
Before they could fully embrace this hope, disaster struck once again. They found themselves on rocky ground made mostly of black stones.
Larry led the group into an area filled with these dark rocks. Unlike before, where the stones were fragile and grayish-white, these were jet black and incredibly hard.
These black seismic rocks were similar to obsidian, not only extremely tough but also showing a faint, gem-like shine on their surfaces.
"I wonder if these ores have any value," Ging said thoughtfully as he squatted down and ran his hand over the black stones covering the ground.
At first glance, they didn't look like ores at all. These ink-colored stones were everywhere, more like ordinary rocks with a unique color.
Ging tapped the ground hard twice with his fingers.
"Dong dong."
The sounds were dull, more like knocking on thickened steel than hitting rocks.
"These are really hard!"
Ging's expression changed as he felt the force of the rebound.
"And they push back with a lot of power, that's definitely not normal for ordinary stones."
His initial impression had been wrong. Even though these stones were abundant, this whole area was covered with them.
They weren't as useless as he thought; in fact, they had some value. Ging's first thought was to use this stone, or maybe metal, for crafting equipment.
He didn't just knock twice; there was a clear intention behind it. If this had been an ordinary rock, it probably would have crumbled into dust from just those knocks.
But this shiny black stone didn't turn to powder, instead, only tiny, almost invisible cracks appeared on its surface. It was incredibly hard.
Given its resilience
and the way it bounced back, this mysterious stone seemed perfect for making equipment. Not only would it offer strong defense, but it could also reflect damage back at an attacker.
If someone threw a powerful punch, they'd end up hurting themselves. The only challenge was figuring out how to work with the stone.
Its hardness made it tough to shape and process.
"A rock that's mega hard and absorbs shocks really well?"
Miru murmured as he examined the black stone, a flicker of curiosity lighting up his sharp eyes. Having spent many years as a mercenary on the battlefield, he understood well the value of equipment made from this particular type of stone.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that such gear could save lives. In fact, its effects were almost comparable to a kind of Nen ability.
"Anyway, let's try to gather some first," Ging said, though he warned it might be a bit tricky.
The difficulty he mentioned was no small matter, especially for others. The terrain here was unusual, not just because the rock type had changed.
The rocks around them were fused together seamlessly, as if they had naturally grown that way. Essentially, the ground was flat and entirely covered with black shock rock, which reflected faint rays under the sun.
Since the surface was smooth and lacked cracks, friction was low; one could even "sKite" across it. Only three massive rock formations jutted out, each about seven or eight meters high.
These taller rocks cast larger shadows in the sunlight, but thanks to the surrounding black shock rock, the shadows blended in and weren't very noticeable. The formations themselves appeared to be made of the same black rock.
"This kind of rock is harder, but let's go for it," Ging said.
"Compared to the flat ground, these protrusions might actually be easier to break off."
Beyond clenched his fist, the sound of cracking echoing as he stood beside one of the giant rocks with Ging. Besides Larry, these two were the strongest on the field and the best suited for the task.
If it had been anyone else, they probably wouldn't have managed to collect many stones, even using all their strength and Nen. Standing next to the massive rock, their aura surged, and they prepared to strike with powerful simultaneous blows.
Their plan was that two punches landing at once should be enough to break large chunks off the rock. Meanwhile, Larry furrowed his brow.
Something about the giant rocks felt off. Trusting his instincts, he used his Nen ability, Illustration, on the nearest formation.
The result read:
Name: Stone Giant
Strength: S-
Description: Originally an ordinary rock giant with a grayish-white color, but after long exposure to black shock rock, its body transformed. Not only does this creature have enhanced defense, but it also possesses a strong resistance to shock.