046 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

"The previous rules and procedures you mentioned..."

"Ah, just like with Nen, it's all about equivalent exchange." Beyond said casually, picking his nose with his pinky.

"It's just not fair."

"They summon demihumans to guide the way so we can reach the Dark Continent more safely. Sounds like noble intentions, right? All that for free, too?"

"Of course not~" Ronnel smiled, shaking his head. He'd already expected as much. "There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Exactly." Beyond flicked the booger away like it was nothing—only to be met with a barrage of disgusted curses.

Unfazed, he went on, still playing the clueless offender.

"If we want those gatekeepers to cooperate, we have to offer them something worth their while."

"And that something is the treasures... the ones we've collected from the Dark Continent?"

"We split our haul with them, right?" Ronnel caught on quickly.

"Bingo." Beyond snapped his fingers. "Once we come back, we have to give up a portion of the loot as payment for the safe passage they provided."

"The thing is, treasures from the Six Continents don't hold any value to them. Back when humanity retreated from the Dark Continent and settled around Lake Mobius, all the valuables they brought were plundered by a group of vampires."

The lion opened its maw—and took nearly everything with it.

...

"Later, when people started organizing new expeditions to the Dark Continent, they offered up whatever treasures they'd found on the Six Continents as travel expenses to the gatekeepers," Beyond explained.

"So in the end, the only things that really tempt those guys are fresh, untouched riches from the Dark Continent."

At that, Beyond curled his lip. "Why else do you think I brought back an alchemical plant? The real prize—the head, the rare materials—they got taken from me during the return trip."

"They're scoundrels. Even though I snuck in without their help, they caught me on the way back and robbed me blind!"

Clearly, Beyond didn't hold the gatekeepers in high regard.

Seeing his bitter expression, Ronnel's curiosity grew.

"But what happens if an expedition returns with nothing—or worse, doesn't return at all? Doesn't that mean the gatekeepers get nothing too?"

"So what?" Beyond shrugged. "All they do is summon demihuman guides. Their own risk is practically zero."

"If the explorers die on the Dark Continent, the gatekeepers lose nothing. But if the expedition succeeds and brings something valuable back, they reap the rewards."

"It's way safer and far more profitable than exploring the continent themselves."

...

"So basically, they're running a no-risk, high-reward racket?" Ronnel mused.

It reminded him of antique appraisers who sat back, waiting for treasures to come to them.

But in this case, it was more like: I control this mountain—if you wanna pass through, pay up.

"You could say that," Beyond nodded. "They're clever. And they've got backing."

"If you come back empty-handed—or worse, try to sneak past them—they won't let that slide. If they catch you..."

"It's said that Zobae, the incurable disease and one of the Five Threats on the Six Continents, was brought back by those gatekeepers as punishment for explorers who tried to cheat them."

Tsk tsk. The Dark Continent is overflowing with disasters.

"For guys who've lived there for who-knows-how-long, and who've got deep connections, dealing with a few calamities is child's play."

Beyond clicked his tongue, lost in the memory.

Ronnel, meanwhile, recalled a certain figure.

The Bone King Overlord of the Braga Grand Canyon—his tribe was wiped out, and he'd tried to relocate to the Six Continents.

But the gatekeepers stopped him.

According to Beyond, the undead Bone Demon clan didn't have anything valuable to offer in exchange for passage—so the gatekeepers denied them outright.

Ronnel frowned at the thought.

...

"If I hadn't guessed they have some way of tracking how people leave the Dark Continent for Lake Mobius, I'd still try to sneak past them," Beyond muttered. "But I've got teammates to think about. I can't take the risk again."

"Those guys are robbers and villains! When I went to the Dark Continent before, I smuggled my way back—and they still ambushed me and my companions!"

"Huh?" Ronnel looked up, eyes narrowing. "They attacked even Chairman Netero's group back then?"

"There wasn't a direct fight," Beyond said with a cold smirk. "They used a cursed object from the Dark Continent to trigger a catastrophic effect."

"Luckily, the old man dodged it. But his two companions... not so fortunate."

...

Companions?

The word stirred Ronnel's memory.

Two people had accompanied Netero to the Dark Continent:

Food Hunter Linne Horsdoeuvre, and Zigg Zoldyck—the son of Maha, and father to Zeno.

Those two...

"I heard from the old man that one of them suffered accelerated aging, and the other... his whole body was engulfed in darkness. He seemed fine at first, but then vanished after returning home."

Accelerated aging? Disappeared?

That means... both were affected.

Ronnel vividly remembered the flashback in the manga where a middle-aged Netero set out for the Dark Continent with two youthful companions.

But when Netero hosted the Hunter Exam years later, he looked like a sage from folklore—radiant and ageless.

Beyond's words now made a troubling kind of sense.