For a moment, neither side spoke.
Finally, the man in glasses stepped forward and asked with a smile:
“I presume you are also here for treasure hunting?”
“Since we are all Nen users, it just so happens I have a treasure location.
Why not join us for the exploration?
An extra pair of hands means an extra layer of safety.”
Inviting him to join?
On the surface, Lynn remained impassive, but he was secretly analyzing the situation.
Judging by the appearance of the man in glasses and his companions, they were clearly an exploration squad composed of Nen users.
From the subtle details of their interactions, it was evident they were a temporary group.
Such teams could fall apart at any moment; there was no real trust to speak of.
The man in glasses seemed to be the leader.
He claimed to know a treasure location, and these people were likely heading there now.
Suppose one possibility: could the treasure location the man spoke of be the same one shown on Lynn’s treasure map?
After all, the Ice and Snow Labyrinth was vast; the odds of them meeting were low, and the odds of them heading to the exact same spot were even lower.
If he refused and the other party discovered he was walking in the same direction…
it would be easy to guess that he also possessed location information, which could lead to unnecessary trouble.
It would be better to agree for now to assess the situation and see where they were going.
If things looked bad, he could change his mind later.
Though the probability was low, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of being mobbed by the group if he declined.
After a moment of thought, Lynn feigned interest: “Joining you is fine, but words are cheap.
You’ll have to provide some proof.”
The man in glasses maintained his smile: “That’s fair.
Let me introduce myself first.
I am ‘Sluke.’ This compass is my Nen ability; it can lock onto a treasure location.”
“Due to my own lack of combat strength, I formed this squad to find people to explore with.
There is strength in numbers, after all.”
“Rest assured, there will be no shortage of treasure.
We will split it equally when the time comes; no one will have made the trip for nothing.”
Sluke spoke very well.
Combined with his approachable smile, he was quite persuasive.
But Lynn was no child; he wouldn’t believe him based on a few words alone.
Lynn acted as if he had a “sudden realization” and smiled: “I see.
Perfect, then.
I came to the Ice and Snow Labyrinth specifically for treasure.”
With just a few words, Lynn decided to join this strange little squad.
“We are teammates now.
Could you briefly reveal your name and ability?
It will make team coordination easier,” Sluke said, pushing up his glasses and speaking at a steady pace.
Lynn found the request reasonable.
As he spoke, he raised both hands.
His ten fingertips pointed toward a waist-high ice rock nearby.
Immediately, Nen bullets flew out in rapid succession, blasting honeycomb-like craters into the stone.
“My name is Franklin.
My Nen ability is called ‘Double Machine Gun.’ Simply put, I fire Nen bullets rapidly from my fingers.”
“Hmm…
I’m currently planning to set a Restriction and Covenant to cut off my fingers in exchange for even greater power.”
Who uses their real name when roaming the world?
So, he simply stole the name of Franklin from the “Phantom Troupe,” using his Finger Gun technique to disguise his Nen ability.
“A truly fine ability.
It seems I’ve invited an excellent helper,” Sluke said with a smile, clapping his hands.
The others didn’t speak, but their thoughts were mostly the same—
The Nen bullets looked swift and dense, but in reality, they seemed hollow and weak.
From the impact, they were only slightly stronger than a standard pistol; he was nothing to worry about.
“Thank you for the compliment.
This is my pet reindeer.
I caught him to serve as emergency food,” Lynn said with a slight curl of his lips, patting Chopper’s small head.
Chopper pretended not to understand, revealing an innocent and clueless smile.
No matter how one looked at him, he appeared to be a useless little pet that offered nothing but cuteness.
Tch…
The blonde youth curled his lip.
This team was getting weirder and weirder.
A pair of perverted creep twins, a pair of siblings with opposite heights and personalities, and now a weakling with a reindeer.
He wanted to finish the treasure hunt and leave as soon as possible; he didn’t want to spend another moment with these people.
The group headed deeper into the labyrinth.
The journey was very quiet; aside from the rustling of footsteps, there were only the blonde’s occasional complaints and the topics Sluke brought up every now and then.
Through Sluke’s introductions, Lynn gained a general understanding of his teammates.
The eyesore twins were the brothers Maggio and Magis.
In the sibling pair with the height difference, the older brother was Eugene and the younger sister was Delian.
Supposedly, all four were Enhancers, specializing in simple and crude combat…
whether that was true or not remained to be seen.
The blonde was named Shado, a Transmuter.
Sluke was a Conjurer.
Including Lynn, the “Emitter,” the team composition was relatively complete on the surface, covering four of the six Nen categories.
As they went deeper, Lynn secretly frowned.
The path they were taking was indeed almost identical to the one on his treasure map.
It was a good thing he had been cautious; it looked very likely that they were heading to the same spot.
This gave him a bit more confidence in Sluke’s Nen ability; the man seemed to have genuine skill.
“These people look weird,” Chopper communicated telepathically with Lynn while his gaze landed on the twins.
Card characters could communicate with him telepathically regardless of distance, which was very convenient when outsiders were present.
Seeing Chopper look over, Maggio and Magis turned their heads almost in sync, striking a flamboyant dance pose.
It seemed that as long as someone was watching them, they felt compelled to maintain their “elegance.” This display caused indelible psychological damage to the innocent-hearted Chopper.
“They are indeed a bit strange.
Hmm…
stay on high alert,” Lynn said to Chopper.
Lynn knew Chopper was referring to their attire and behavior, but beyond that, they had to be wary of other threats.
In this world, the weirder someone looked, the more they deserved attention.
Inside the ice cavern, everything was a world of icy blue.
Normally, being underground without surface openings, the cave should have been pitch black.
However, the ice in the Ice and Snow Labyrinth was special; it emitted a faint blue glow.
Gathered together, it created an environment with ample light, occasionally even shimmering with rainbow-like halos.
The beautiful space could easily entrance people, causing them to wander deeper until they unconsciously became lost.
Furthermore, there were countless unpredictable dangers within the labyrinth.
Suddenly, Sluke halted his steps.
The abrupt stop put everyone on high alert.
A few breaths later, the distinct sound of vibrating wings echoed through the air.
A massive swarm of glowing blue insects flew toward them.
Each one was the size of a human head, their eyes glowing with an eerie green light.
They possessed long, thin, needle-like proboscises, resembling mosquitoes in appearance.
They had clearly marked Lynn and the others as prey.
“Everyone, it’s a swarm,” Sluke said calmly as he put away his compass, gathering his Aura to prepare for battle.
“Heh!
We’ve been walking in this hellhole for half a day.
Finally, a chance to stretch my limbs.”
The triangular-eyed Eugene chuckled, bumping his fists together.
At the point where his fists met, a rolling wave of air erupted, followed by a surge of pure Nen.
He strode forward, passing Sluke to stand at the front of the line.
After a brief power-up, he threw a right hook enveloped in thick Nen.
Boom!
In an instant, over a dozen giant mosquitoes were pulverized.
The resulting wind pressure also knocked down a large patch of insects with impressive effect.
Many Enhancers believed that the best weapon was the physical body itself.
The number of unknown mosquitoes was surprisingly high.
As soon as one batch died, another took its place; the dark cloud of an army was extremely threatening.
An ordinary person would be sucked dry the moment they were stung.
But they were facing Nen users.
Suddenly, the team’s techniques bloomed like a hundred flowers.
Some attacked directly with fists and kicks.
Others simply waved a hand to release roaring flames.
Lynn played the part of a slacker, occasionally using his finger gun to shoot down a few mosquitoes, maintaining his persona of having mediocre strength.