Beginning with Chimera Ant incident, the public came into contact with information about the Dark Continent for the first time.
Pandora's Box had been forcefully pried open.
To maintain the taboo nature of the Dark Continent, the V5 had once barely suppressed public opinion with the explanation of a new species, the Magical Beast race.
But the subsequent gold rush initiated by the Kakin Empire completely tore apart the cover-up they had painstakingly maintained. The lid of Pandora's Box could no longer be closed.
However, the situation at this point was still within the V5's control.
The true catalyst for losing control stemmed from the sudden invasion of various calamities from the Dark Continent.
Calamities erupted all over the world, with constant attacks and a continuously soaring death toll.
Especially after Meteor City got involved and joined forces with the Death God, the scale of casualties expanded dramatically, with the death count leaping to the hundreds of millions.
From then on, chaos and turmoil spiraled out of control.
The world thus gained a deeper and more blood-soaked understanding of the treacherous dangers of the Dark Continent.
At the same time.
People also began to realize that a kind of extraordinary power existed in the world.
Only by mastering this power could they add another layer of security for themselves.
Thus,
Amidst the chaos, some fell into pessimistic despair, believing that death was inevitable no matter what.
Others began to actively seek the source of this power, hoping to have some means of self-preservation in critical moments.
Especially after witnessing the battle between Morrow and the Death God, this desire to master extraordinary power for self-preservation became unprecedentedly strong.
This collective consensus began to violently impact the original structure and order of human society...
Perhaps in just a year, or even less, the previous structure of human society would undergo earth-shattering changes.
However, before this "change" could arrive, something that once again refreshed humanity's understanding of the world arrived even faster: a behemoth.
It descended from the sky, bringing with it a shadow that blotted out the sun.
The humans on the ground could not see its full form at all. They could only look up at a certain part of its body from different angles and positions.
Some humans saw its head, which resembled a toad commonly found in damp forests. Its chin bulged with two balloon-like vocal sacs, and its entire face was covered in moist bumps. A pair of ridiculously large eyes took up almost two-thirds of its face.
Other humans witnessed its lizard-like torso, covered in hard, rough, thick skin, bloated and massive.
But it had no tail. Instead, dense, insect-like jointed limbs extended from the sides of its body.
Each limb was covered in huge holes, from which a powerful airflow continuously gushed out.
No one could see the monster's complete appearance.
They could only piece together information from various sources to form an absurd and bizarre, chimerical image in their minds.
However, more terrifying and humbling to the people of the six continents than its indescribable form was its purely, unimaginably immense size.
It was a suffocating, almost unbelievable immensity.
So immense that it made people doubt how such an existence could be permitted on the planet they lived on.
Under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, the toad-headed giant landed on a city in the Kakin Empire on the Azian Continent.
When its heavy body touched the ground, it instantly triggered a violent earthquake.
The moment it made contact, more than half the city was directly crushed by the toad-headed creature's body.
The continuous tremors that followed destroyed all the remaining buildings in the city.
As the earth shook and the mountains swayed, the entire city was utterly reduced to a pile of ruins.
In front of this behemoth, even skyscrapers seemed so small and fragile, let alone the humans living in the city.
Extreme panic spread through the world in an even more vivid form.
Upon learning of the behemoth's arrival, the V5 immediately convened an international emergency meeting of the highest level.
A human city was just flattened by that behemoth?
If it were allowed to run rampant, it could probably destroy all human settlements on a continent in less than a day.
The atmosphere of the international emergency meeting was grim. No one discussed the possibility of failure.
Because there was simply no second option for humanity.
They had to act immediately and eliminate this threat at all costs.
The meeting not only had to discuss what means to use against this monster, but it also made the V5 decision-makers shudder as they recalled the intelligence provided by the Hunter Association about the "Wall theory."
The endless stream of calamities forced them to believe this theory.
If a high wall truly existed between the six continents and the Dark Continent to separate them, then...
Once a breach appeared in the wall, wouldn't the six continents have to face the endless threats from the Dark Continent day after day?
Right now, the various countries were already overwhelmed just dealing with the other calamities.
Just when they had made a little progress, an unimaginably huge creature had appeared out of nowhere, and a second or third could appear at any time in the future...
"Is the Wall theory really credible?" a representative asked with a heavy voice, his brows tightly furrowed.
"If it really exists, and a breach has really appeared, we humans can't just passively face the invasions from the Dark Continent, can we?"
"The problem is..." another person interjected, raising a deeper concern, "even if we find that wall, we'd probably be helpless. It's definitely not something that can be repaired with cement and bricks. Its nature is very likely far beyond our understanding and technology."
"But should we do nothing because of that?"
Someone slammed the table and stood up, saying in a deep voice, "Let's act first. We'll only know if we can succeed after we try!"
"Enough!"
A more urgent voice cut through the meeting, pulling the topic back to the present. "The most important thing to discuss now is how to deal with that absurdly huge creature. We can consider how to plug the source later!"
Just then, the young representative from the International Permit Agencies who had previously chaired the Dark Continent risk assessment meeting suddenly spoke up. "After the Kakin Empire announced its exploration of the Dark Continent, the Hunter Association formally submitted an application for a Travel Permit to the Dark Continent to the International Permit Agencies."
This sentence instantly drew the gazes of all the high-level officials in the conference room.
Meeting the sharp gazes of those who had been at the pinnacle of power for years, the young man continued with a calm expression:
"That being the case, I believe we can approve the Hunter Association's application now and, while we're at it, formally entrust them with the mission to 'investigate and repair the Wall'."
"..."
A brief silence fell over the conference room.
At the mention of the Hunter Association, the image of Morrow reflexively appeared in everyone's mind.
—--
The behemoth's invasion captured the hearts of all humanity in a very short time.
Today it destroyed a city in Kakin, but what about tomorrow?
Would it be their own city's turn?
Would it trigger even more severe chain disasters?
The vast majority of people who had escaped the previous calamities couldn't help but fall into this anxiety.
Panic spread silently, and a sense of self-preservation took over.
Not long after learning of this, the Hunter Association received a letter of approval for their Travel Permit, personally delivered by a staff member from the International Permit Agencies.
That evening, Ging Freecss and Gel, entrusted by Cheadle, set off to find Morrow.
By the time they saw Morrow, it was the morning of the third day.
During this time, the toad-headed giant beast that had landed on the Azian Continent had only rested in the city ruins for half a day before it began to move erratically.
It was not intentionally targeting humans.
But its size was simply too immense. Merely by moving on land, it caused landslides and earthquakes wherever it went.
Even the world-famous towering sacred mountain within Kakin's borders was devastated when it passed by.
As for human settlements, they were even more vulnerable.
Wherever the toad-headed creature went, all buildings were razed to the ground, and countless lives were lost.
Humans were completely unable to stop its advance.
It was simply too massive.
Humanity's existing military weapons could not inflict effective damage on it, and even the hastily deployed biological weapons showed no results.
Repeated failures caused public trust, which had recently recovered somewhat because of Morrow, to plummet to rock bottom again.
People still felt that when faced with the endless stream of calamities, the government seemed to lack the ability to respond and handle them.
This sense of powerlessness made the atmosphere of self-preservation and fear even heavier around the world.
"The International Permit Agencies approved the Association's travel application from a while ago."
Upon seeing Morrow, Gel got straight to the point. "But they attached a condition, requiring the Association to accept the commission to investigate the 'Wall' and its possible subsequent repairs. Moreover, they clearly hope to see you, Morrow, in the expedition team."
Unlike Gel's explanation, Ging, who had come with her, simply threw a question at Morrow: "That giant creature, do you have a way to deal with it?"
He knew that Morrow had once used his Nen to deal with an incredibly large black hand creature on the Dark Continent.
But the size of this toad-headed creature was even greater than that of the black hand.
So, whether Morrow could handle it was still an unknown.
If even Morrow couldn't do it, humanity might truly be helpless.
After all, the level of Morrow's ability had long surpassed the Nen System that Ging and the others were familiar with; it could be said to be a power of a higher dimension.
"I'll have to try to know if I can do it," Morrow answered Ging's question calmly, then asked in return, "So, the Association has already decided to head to the Dark Continent?"
Ging and Gel nodded.
Going to the Dark Continent was already one of the Association's established plans.
Now that the situation had changed, not only had the Association obtained formal permission from the V5 and the International Permit Agencies, but they also shouldered the heavy responsibility of investigating the Wall. They had no reason not to go.
"Understood. I'll go with you."
Morrow immediately made his decision.
The matter of the Wall concerned the future of the six continents.
If this problem wasn't solved, the former peace of the six continents would be gone forever, and it would truly become an insignificant lake within the Dark Continent.
At that time, it would be casually visited by all sorts of calamities and creatures.
If the situation evolved to that point, humanity would no longer have a safe place to live.
The best-case scenario would be to end up like the Zobae people, relying on objects of hope like the Water Droplet to survive with difficulty in a land of calamity where external threats could not easily enter.
Morrow certainly didn't want to lose the six continents, a place that could be considered a safe zone, so he decided to go to the Dark Continent with the Hunter Association.
Seeing Morrow agree so readily, Gel didn't react much.
For her, as long as Morrow wanted to go to the Dark Continent, she could follow without any burden.
Conversely, if Morrow didn't go, she wouldn't go no matter the conditions.
Because she knew all too well the horrors of the Dark Continent.
"Are we using the 'Klein Bottle' to get there again this time?" Ging asked.
"Not a good idea," Morrow shook his head. "Our main objective is to investigate the Wall, and the coordinates of the 'Klein Bottle' are all too deep within the Dark Continent. Taking that shortcut would actually waste a lot of time on irrelevant travel."
"Then what's your plan?" Ging looked into Morrow's eyes.
Morrow said, "Let Chimera take us there. Don't worry, it won't crash."
The skies above the Dark Waters were the most dangerous part of the journey.
But the Entropy Bird that Morrow possessed could ensure Chimera's safe passage across the entire sea.
Based on this proven fact, this was clearly a more reliable method than using the Klein Bottle to teleport directly to the Dark Continent.
Hearing the familiar internet slang from Morrow's mouth, Ging was first taken aback, then smiled.
Morrow continued, "But before we leave, let's try to see if we can take care of that giant creature."
He rarely used his ability, "Stellar Collapse," anymore.
The main reason was that in the human world, he was invincible, and there were no longer any opponents that would require him to use this Nen ability, which had the characteristic of challenging those above his level.
But this ability, if used on the oversized behemoths of the Dark Continent, was equivalent to a super-effective attack.
In any case, it was worth a try.
As for the risk...
He was now an existence of "Immortality."
He had far too many chances for trial and error.
That evening.
Blood-red fiery clouds filled the sky.
Chimera carried Morrow, arriving above the toad-headed giant that was currently crushing a city.
Looking down from high above, one could roughly make out the creature's full appearance.
It looked like a deformed creation that had been haphazardly pieced together.
Apart from its heaven-blotting size, its chaotic physical features were somewhat similar to Chimera's.
As long as I plant a Star Mark, I can activate "Stellar Collapse."
With a thought, Morrow leaped from Chimera's back.
Things went even more smoothly than expected.
During his descent, he deployed Starlight Convergence, enveloping a part of the toad-headed giant's body, and then easily implanted a Star Mark onto the behemoth.
Once the Star Mark was set, the rest was simple.
Morrow activated his ability. Relying on Chimera's high-speed mobility, he didn't expend much effort to ignite the seven Accretion Charges on the giant's body one by one.
Eerie blue flames suddenly swept out from the top of the toad-headed giant's head, burning its soul.
This creature, which could be called a behemoth even on the Dark Continent, immediately let out a heaven-rending, earth-shattering scream.
In just a moment, the Accretion Charge burned away its last shred of life.
Its giant body crashed to the ground like a collapsing mountain range, falling silent.
After dealing with the giant, Morrow, just like last time, climbed onto Chimera's back and quickly left the scene.
This was the second time.
Regardless of the reactions from the V5 and the International Permit Agencies, countless people around the world, after this event, completely revered Morrow as a savior.
He was worthy of the name.
Because Morrow could be said to have saved the world twice.
However, Morrow didn't pay much attention to the world's fanatical worship. After dealing with the giant, he headed to the Dark Continent with the Hunter Association and an elite team sent by the International Permit Agencies.
After a journey of about a week, Chimera carried the team to the location of the Wall.
The first thing everyone felt was a dead silence.
And a severely damaged Wall.
There was no sign of the Gatekeeper, and the once solemn and majestic Wall was now dilapidated and broken.
At that moment, the group didn't know what had happened here.
But they confirmed the existence and function of the Wall, and also realized the gravity of the situation.