The gemstones varied in size and color.
The largest were the size of cart wheels, while the smallest were the size of fists.
They pushed up the parts embedded in the ground, revealing numerous thin, black legs as fine as mosquito legs.
The number of legs varied… some had twelve or even more slender legs, while others had only three or four.
These thin black legs pressed against the ground, lifting the iridescent gemstone bodies. They avoided the lit areas, retreating into the darkness.
"They move?"
Law reached out and placed a hand on Biscuit's shoulder, somewhat suppressing her excitement.
If they were just ordinary gemstones, it would be one thing.
But this was the Dark Continent. Once gemstones started moving, they couldn't afford to be careless.
Biscuit glanced sideways at Law, brushed his hand off, and said, "Precisely because I'm a Gem Hunter, I won't lose my cool over gemstones."
Hunting something, pursuing something… that was what a Hunter did. So, a true Pro Hunter, when facing their desired prey, was patient and calm.
Even if the desired object was almost within reach, they wouldn't lose their composure.
Only at the moment of truly obtaining it could the hunt be considered truly over.
Law nodded, took out his own flashlight, and shone it into the cave.
The beam swept over the gemstones, acting like oil dripped onto a fire, startling the black-legged gems into scurrying around chaotically.
Sufficient light flooded the cave, allowing the group to see more details.
These gemstones were clearly high-quality, premium goods at first glance.
However, aside from the black legs, they also had small, delicate heads.
"Are they... rats?!"
Tonpa's jaw dropped.
He had used his Nen Ability to scan the cave, simulating the specific contours of the gemstones, and had thus scanned the rat heads on the gemstone bodies.
Although seeing is believing, even after saying it, he was reluctant to believe it.
'Those seemingly luxurious, precious, and valuable gemstones were actually part of a rodent.'
The combination of the two was an absolutely discordant mismatch.
Law also saw the rat heads flash by under the light. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he instinctively glanced at Biscuit.
"Just as I thought…"
He saw Biscuit's previously excited expression turn stormy, almost darkening.
Trying to empathize, Law made a comparison: it was like finding a plate of the world's most delicious delicacy, only to lift the lid and discover the food inside was covered in green mold.
"Stay calm."
Law reached out again to place a hand on Biscuit's shoulder.
He had reason to believe Biscuit could maintain a calm mindset even when encountering many high-quality gemstones, but this current situation might be hard to guarantee.
Biscuit took a deep breath, steadying her terrible mood.
There's a saying about a rat dropping ruining a whole pot of porridge… Right now, it perfectly described her feelings.
She didn't have any severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, but the combination of gemstones and rats still struck her as hard to accept.
"I'm going to have a good, long 'appreciation' of this!"
Biscuit's eyebrows shot up as she stared into the cave, enunciating each word.
Law gave a dry laugh, as if he could see flames burning fiercely around Biscuit.
'Moving gemstone rats... let's just call them Gem Rats for short.' Law thought, 'Those Gem Rats were probably in for trouble.'
He shot Tonpa a look, signaling him to stay alert with his detection.
Biscuit stepped over the cave entrance and walked inside.
The many Gem Rats they had seen earlier had now scattered, hiding who knows where.
Law followed behind Biscuit, took out several pieces of luminescent algae, channeled Aura into them, and after they glowed, tossed them toward the surroundings and the ceiling.
The luminescent algae stuck to the rock walls and ceiling, illuminating most of the cave like light bulbs.
Law could utilize 100% of the characteristics and power of every Nen Category. Using Emission-type traits with the luminescent algae meant he didn't necessarily need physical contact with them.
However, the Aura infused into the luminescent algae was limited and would be depleted after about ten minutes.
The cave lit up.
At a glance, the rock walls and ground were quite rugged, as if carved by flowing water over many years.
The cave wasn't large, only about a thousand square meters, easily scannable with a few glances.
But those Gem Rats were nowhere to be seen.
Logically, the gemstones should have been dazzlingly brilliant under the light, but now, not a single shimmer of iridescence could be found.
"Where did they go?"
Biscuit's eyes darted around the cave rapidly. They had only paused at the entrance for a moment.
'Those things hadn't been moving very fast earlier, so how could they have slipped away so quickly?'
She moved, searching the cave, checking nooks and crannies, and also seeing if there were other exits.
Biscuit didn't ask Law and the others to help search, but they were quite conscientious and also began moving around the cave.
The cave rocks were mostly gray and pale yellow, without overly complex structures. However, there were many protruding rocks on the ground, making it easy to trip while walking.
Soon, thanks to his Nen Ability, Tonpa didn't detect anything moving but instead found a hidden entrance.
"Over here."
Tonpa pointed in a direction where disorderly rocks were piled.
Law and Biscuit followed, while Bruna floated in the air.
They arrived before the pile of disorderly rocks. After taking a closer look, they saw many fairly large gaps between the rocks. It was a poorly disguised entrance, or perhaps this setup wasn't meant for disguise at all.
Biscuit casually removed some of the piled rocks, revealing a low entrance less than a meter high.
A gentle breeze blew out from inside.
Looking in, the tunnel was narrow but remarkably straight, stretching beyond sight.
There's a saying that rats will squeeze through any gap.
Perhaps the Gem Rats they saw earlier had all escaped into this tunnel.
Biscuit intended to investigate further. She looked Tonpa up and down, assessing his physique.
Tonpa was taken aback for a moment, then quickly understood. Muttering, he said, "I can fit through."
"Hmm, I thought so too," Biscuit said.
"Don't worry. Even if his build doesn't fit, I can always cut him into two pieces first." Law said seriously.
'There's an operation like that?' Biscuit thought.
Tonpa's cheek twitched. He instinctively touched the fat on his stomach.
'After training hard for so many years, I haven't grown taller, and the fat on my body hasn't decreased. Do I have some kind of illness that prevents weight loss?'
Having decided to explore the tunnel, Law had Bruna retrieve the luminescent algae. Then, along with the others, he entered the tunnel.
With a height of less than a meter, they could only move forward bent over.
Moreover, the tunnel seemed long, so they'd probably have to walk in this awkward posture for a while.
They had only gone about a hundred meters when Tonpa suddenly said, "Wait."
Law and Biscuit immediately stopped upon hearing this.
"Those gemstones... they're still outside." Tonpa said. He had detected movement back in the cave.
"Still there?" Biscuit's eyes showed confusion. She had searched the cave very carefully and hadn't found any Gem Rats.
"Yes, still there!" Tonpa's tone was certain, and also rather strange.
The movement he detected... earlier, they seemed like just ordinary protruding rocks on the ground.
But now, their appearance was similar to the images initially simulated by his detection.