Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The book's title contained the words 'Sunbathing', but the sun of the Khandia Desert was far from gentle enough for anyone to enjoy. It was a brutal environment where survival alone was an immense challenge.

Over thousands of years, humans had established countless nations in the Khandia Desert, creating prosperous and powerful civilizations.

Even now, human nations still existed atop the shifting sands, though they are no longer as prosperous as before.

Humans are highly adaptable creatures. But in the Hunter x Hunter World, there were far more creatures with even greater adaptability, far beyond counting.

As the underground rivers dried up and the oases dwindled, the living environment becomes increasingly difficult.

However, certain dangerous creatures continued to thrive. While the human population steadily declined, their numbers only increased.

The world was vast, and there were many places one could go, but it is hard to leave one's hometown. Those who had lived in the Khandia Desert for generations had never once considered leaving.

Now, the Khandia Desert stood as the largest desert in the world. It's one of the most inhospitable places for life, but it also held the highest number of nations and people among all deserts.

Golden sands stretched endlessly, and crimson rock formations stood solitary against the dunes. When the wind rose, the desert became a swirling storm of dust.

An Armored Bull, which was massive in size, was running across the sands, kicking up a long trail of dust in its wake.

The Armored Bull is a desert-dwelling creature renowned for its endurance, resistant to thirst, heat, and cold alike.

They are very different from ordinary cows. It has five stomachs in its body, four of which were used to store vast amounts of water. They didn't have horns, but from their foreheads to the back of their necks, they were covered in thick, armor-like hide… hence their name.

The Armored Bull were domesticated by people living in the Khandia Desert and are indispensable companions for traveling in the desert.

Law and his group rode atop a sand sled pulled by an Armored Bull, heading towards a vast expanse of land that had no end in sight.

They had been in the desert for three days now. So far, they had encountered scorpions the size of three-story houses, ten-meter-long sandworms, walking cacti, and sandstorms so dense they blotted out the sky… but they hadn't seen a single trace of human habitation.

"Linne, how much longer until we reach Elba Oasis?"

Law sat on the broad back of the Armored Bull. He first glanced at Buhara, who was lying listlessly on the sand sled, and then looked at Linne, who was resting with her eyes closed.

Hearing Law's words, Linne opened her eyes a little and said, "If nothing goes wrong, we'll arrive by dusk the day after tomorrow."

Hearing this, Law nodded and turned his gaze forward.

There was a wooden half-roof on the sand sled, which was transformed by him with God hand before they set out. It could somewhat block the scorching sun, but it did nothing to mitigate the heat.

The water they brought before setting off was nearly depleted, which was why Buhara was so lethargic. As for Linne, despite her age, she endured the hardship without complaint… unlike Buhara, who showed his exhaustion plainly.

"Two more days, huh…?"

Law stared at the distant dunes and scattered rock formations. With their current water supply, there was no way they'd last until then.

There was one thing that Law was very clear about, that is, on the way to Elba Oasis, they wouldn't encounter a single other oasis.

Today, only three large oases remain in the Khandia Desert, as well as a smaller oasis located within the Red Rock Canyon.

Each of the three major oases supported a nation, and Elba Oasis was one of them. As for the small oasis in Red Rock Canyon, it is occupied by ruthless, bloodthirsty sand bandits.

Oases were the lifeblood of the desert, but the Khandia Desert, which is the largest desert in the world, only four oases remaining. This is a very cruel reality.

That is to say, until they reached Elba Oasis, there would be no chance to replenish their water.

Generally speaking, for a small group of three like Law's, traveling required at least two Armored Bulls. If they only bring one, their resources will not be enough to support them to the end.

And indeed, the resources carried by one Armored Bull were indeed not enough for them to use, but the reason why they only brought one armored cow was because of Linne had insisted, perhaps to increase the difficulty.

'It would be great if I could find a Dancing Cactus. If not, any creature would do.'

Law thought silently, picked up the leather water pouch hanging at his waist, and threw it towards Buhala.

The half-flat pouch landed on Buhara's stomach, bounced a few times, and sloshed with a tantalizing sound.

Buhara's eyes snapped open. He snatched the pouch, yanked out the stopper with lightning speed, and downed the last of the water in one go before letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Revived!"

Buhara straightened his upper body slightly and suddenly became energetic.

"You can't touch Linne's water. The bag just now was our last remaining water." Law turned around and glanced at Buhara, who now looked like he had energy to spare.

"After drinking Boss's water, I feel like I can last at least three more hours!" Buhara declared solemnly.

Law chuckled and said, "That's good to hear."

One hour later, Buhara was flat on his back again.

'So much for three hours.'

Law rubbed his temples and kept an eye on his surroundings. The moment any living creature appeared in his field of vision, he'd jumped from the sled to capture it immediately. If luck wasn't on their side, things could turn dire.

He glanced back at Linne, who remained still with her eyes closed, seemingly unbothered. But even the strongest Nen User wouldn't last long in this environment without water.

Time passed, and after half an hour, dehydration began creeping into Law's body.

The time now is 2:30 in the afternoon, and the sun wouldn't set for another four hours.

"So troublesome."

Law frowned slightly. The only remaining water was the half-filled pouch beside Linne, but it was the last reserve neither he nor Buhara could touch.

According to what Linne wrote in her book, the best way to replenish water in the Khandia Desert was by finding the Dancing Cactus. But their luck had been abysmal, as aside from one encounter shortly after departure, they hadn't seen another since.

Just then, a dust cloud billowed ahead.

Law stared intently at the place where the dust was raised, and a hint of joy flashed across his eyes. That kind of dust could only be kicked up by the Armored Bulls on the move.

"Finally, people."

After a while, the dust cloud drew nearer, Law could see the person coming clearly.

There were five Armored Bulls in total, each carrying a rider. The men were wrapped in yellow headscarves, their faces framed by thick black beards, skin darkened by the sun. Each of them held a broadsword more than two meters long in their hands.

Law touched a spot on the back of the Armored Bull's neck, signaling it to slow to a stop.

But the five approaching riders showed no intention of slowing, and they kept pace with each other with great momentum.

When the distance between the two sides was less than 300 meters, the five men suddenly drew stone crossbows from their backs and fired five bolts straight at Law's position.

The arrows sliced through the air… the attack was launched without even saying hello.

A hint of coldness flashed in Law's eyes. With a surge of Nen, he effortlessly halted the five well-aimed bolts midair.

Upon closer inspection, the stone arrowheads were coated in poison.

This discovery made Law's eyes even colder.

At the same time, Linne, who was still resting on the sled, opened her eyes slightly.