Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The cracks on the ground were fine and dense, like a spiderweb, covering an area of over ten meters. However, the ground didn't collapse, indicating that the person's control over their strength had reached a very high level.

Gel silently watched Law, thinking that if Law knew how to use Nen, his strength would likely grow at an astonishing rate.

By shattering the floor, Law had given the members of Desert Hawks a clear demonstration of his power. After that, he casually released Ali's arm.

Ali retreated to his companions as if fleeing from a plague, only stopping once he was among them.

"Now, can we talk properly?"

Law glanced around at the members of Desert Hawks and smiled… though on that face, it looked utterly sleazy.

The others all turned to Ali, who gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."

An hour later, when William and Buhara arrived at Desert Hawks' base, they saw Law drinking merrily with the members, arms slung over shoulders, chatting as if they were old friends.

Yaya and Gel sat atop a stack of chests about a meter high, watching in disbelief as Law partied with Desert Hawks.

Who would've thought that just an hour ago, the two sides had nearly come to blows?

"You're here."

Law released Ali's shoulder and turned to look at William and Buhara standing at the entrance. Both of them were wearing human skin masks, but their bodies were enveloped in steady Aura, allowing Gel to recognize them as Nen Users.

"Come and sit."

Law beckoned them over, while the rest of Desert Hawks observed the two so-called 'reliable partners' Law had mentioned.

The Desert Hawks had 109 members, 105 of whom were preparing to head into the Forbidden Zone. The chests and sand sleds piled in the house were all supplies they had painstakingly gathered.

By now, they were fully prepared.

Had they met Law a couple of years earlier, they wouldn't have had to wait so long. That said, the pile of gold pearls Law had provided this time could still be used to upgrade their equipment further.

Buhara and William sat on the chests, and in a short time, they blended into Desert Hawks' group.

As a prince, William had social skills as part of his essential training, while Buhara was content as long as there was food.

Just like that, a partnership was settled over a meal.

The original departure date was set for two days later, but with Law's generous sponsorship, Desert Hawks needed a few extra days to upgrade their equipment.

Neither Law nor William had any objections to this.

The reason why most Desert Hawks' members wanted to enter the Forbidden Zone to obtain wealth that would let them live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

In their eyes, the Forbidden Zone was overflowing with riches, and there was no fear of it running out.

With at least five or six days left before departure, Law, having just arrived and lacking a place to stay, accepted Ali's invitation without hesitation and settled in at Desert Hawks' base.

Buhara stayed with him, while William went to stay with an old friend to keep an eye on Fatima.

Law had already visited the antique market and cleaned out all the available 'stock', so he had no reason to return.

Two days later, he went to Fatima to ask for twenty human skin masks.

"Why don't you just fly to the sky while you're at it?"

Fatima shot him a glare in response to his request.

"Is it really that troublesome?" Law asked.

"Obviously! Do you think such finely crafted masks can be created in a few minutes?" Fatima scowled. Being under house arrest had put her in a foul mood.

"Fine, forget it then." Law sighed regretfully.

Fatima thought Law was giving up, but she heard him say, "How about fifteen? They don't need to be too handsome, just not as ugly as the one I'm wearing now."

"No." Fatima turned her head away and refused decisively.

"Then teach me how to make them."

"Dream on."

"If you make the masks for me, I'll owe you a favor."

"Not interested."

"One hundred million per mask."

"I'm not short of money."

Seeing Fatima's stubbornness, Law took a deep breath and said seriously, "If you help me make the mask, I can teach you something fun."

As soon as he finished speaking, Law used his Nen Ability, God Hand, on a table in the room.

From a distance, he sliced the table into over a dozen pieces, then instantly reassembled them into a knockoff Transformer.

"Think about it carefully." Law grinned, though with his current sleazy face, it looked anything but charming.

Fatima's eyes sparkled with excitement.

…

Seven days later, a hundred-strong team set out from Goro in a grand procession.

From time to time, large merchant caravans of over a hundred armored oxen would come and go from Goro, so Desert Hawks' imposing lineup didn't draw much attention.

Desert Hawks had 105 members, plus Law's group of three, bringing the total to 108… including Gel.

Law knew that Gel is a Poison Hunter. From Desert Hawks' members, he learned that she made a special trip to the Kandhia Desert every year to search for plant and animal toxins.

She had interacted with Desert Hawks many times and had grown familiar with them over the years.

For this expedition into the Forbidden Zone, Gel is the key to. Crossing the sandstorm area required her expertise. As for how she would do it, Desert Hawks' members didn't elaborate further… perhaps they themselves didn't know. In any case, they would find out once they reached the outskirts of the Forbidden Zone.

Of the hundred-plus armored bulls, half were pulling sand sledges loaded with supplies for the journey.

If nothing unexpected happens, the trip from Goro to the Forbidden Zone at the center of the Kandhia Desert would take fifteen days.

However, Desert Hawks had brought enough supplies for a full month, along with top-notch weapons and equipment, which are necessary precautions against desert threats like sand bandits.

After seven days of swift travel, avoiding numerous dangers, the team had suffered no losses, which is a good sign.

The crossbow bolt Law had caught barehanded back at Desert Hawks' base turned out to be used for 'mine-clearing'. The cloth-wrapped tip wasn't a rock but gunpowder.

Desert Hawks used these bolts to shoot into the sand and detonate them, flushing out the giant sandworms lurking beneath. Beyond that, they had many other methods to preemptively avoid danger, showcasing the unique survival techniques of desert dwellers.

On this day, the sun remained scorching as ever.

The team split into two groups, advancing side by side.

Law had made a parasol for Buhara, and with ample water supplies, the latter wasn't reduced to a lifeless state this time.

The journey had been smooth so far, but Desert Hawks remained vigilant. The desert concealed too many hidden dangers, and even armored bulls couldn't avoid all of them.

The procession moved in an orderly fashion when suddenly, a section of the front ranks was cut off… a massive quicksand pit, roughly fifty meters in diameter, had appeared out of nowhere.

Thirty armored bulls were swallowed into the pit. Four or five riders, which are positioned farther away, used the bulls' backs as leverage to leap out of the quicksand's range.

The other twenty or so weren't as lucky, clinging tightly to their bulls' backs, not daring to move.

Quicksand was one of the desert's silent killers. In the history of the Kandhia Desert, two cities had been lost… after an earthquake, a third of each city was buried forever beneath the sands.

Those caught in the quicksand pit included Ali, Yaya, Gel… They had been at the very front. The pit appeared without warning, and with their proximity, the armored bulls were buried up to their necks in sand within seconds, leaving only their backs and heads barely visible.

"Ropes!"

Ali shouted to his companions outside the quicksand pit.

Those who hadn't been caught in the quicksand quickly backed their bulls away while hurling ropes toward the trapped.

At this time, as the sand rapidly drained downward, nearly a hundred black, foreign objects emerged from beneath… each over a meter tall and half a meter wide, rising from the sand like the mandibles of a rhinoceros beetle.

A few unlucky souls, whose armored bulls were thrashing violently, quickly sank deeper. Their lower bodies were sucked in, leaving them immobilized, waiting for the ropes to reach them.

But before the ropes could arrive, they saw the sharp, black protrusions emerging from the swirling sand and cried out in despair: "It's the Abyssal Maw! Save me, hurry! I don't want to die!"

The black mandibles stood erect, their razor-sharp edges aimed at those sliding down.

The unlucky few, along with their bulls, slid straight into those massive jaws… like planks fed into an automatic sawmill.

With a sickening squelch, their bodies were split in half. Their screams were cut short as blood and entrails splattered onto the sand, vanishing in an instant.

"Abyssal Maw!"

Ali's expression tightened. Those standing at the edge of the quicksand pit also paled with fear, but they didn't flee. Instead, they redoubled their efforts to throw the ropes.

However, the quicksand's movement threw off their aim. In the first round, only seven or eight people on the outer edge managed to grab the ropes.

Those deeper in, realizing this wasn't ordinary quicksand but the Abyssal Maw, were gripped by utter despair.

At this time, a figure rushed forward. He grabbed one of the ropes and leaping into the quicksand pit with a wooden board underfoot.

Everyone was shocked when they saw the figure rushing down the quicksand. It turned out to be Law, who had rushed from the middle of the procession to help.

"You…!"

The people standing at the edge of the pit were aghast.

Who in their right mind would jump straight into quicksand to rescue someone? After all, once their lower body got stuck, escape was nearly impossible.