CHAPTER 210: ULTRA-LONG-DISTANCE TELEPORTATION

In a quiet courtyard somewhere,

Netero lay leisurely on a recliner, basking in the warm sunlight, exuding an air of utter nonchalant.

Since resigning from his position as chairman, he had found himself with much more free time.

Now, his days were spent simply enjoying life, with nothing else to occupy him.

Having lived for over a century, he had weathered countless storms and witnessed all manner of events—his life was now completely without regrets.

Being able to live so leisurely at this stage was nothing short of a blessing.

Ding!

A text message arrived.

Raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, Netero squinted slightly as he read the message on his phone.

Akira: "We’re off."

Attached was a photo—an endless expanse of boundless ocean.

"Hohohoho, the Dark Continent, huh... How nostalgic~"

"If it’s you, I’m certain you’ll go even farther than I ever did."

"Perhaps even..."

Netero stroked his long beard, chuckling softly to himself, though a hint of reminiscence flickered in his eyes.

The Dark Continent—

It was a truly extraordinary place.

Because people’s perceptions of it were entirely inconsistent.

Some saw it as the [Forbidden Zone of Humanity], believing it too dangerous to explore, a risk not worth taking.

Others viewed it as a [Natural Treasure Trove], filled with inexhaustible riches, making the journey absolutely necessary.

And then there were those who considered it [Unclaimed Land], dreaming of conquering it entirely and making it their own domain.

The Dark Continent was dangerous, hopeful, unknown, and mysterious.

It was a kaleidoscope, reflecting the deepest desires in every person’s heart.

Because it was unknown, everyone could boldly imagine it— As whatever they wished it to be.

Especially for many hunters, the Dark Continent is an enigma that constantly exudes an alluring aura.

Waiting for them to unravel.

"So what does the Dark Continent mean to you?"

"Akira..."

*****

At the harbor.

Following Akira’s command, the team members boarded the ship, ready to set sail.

Among them, the ones primarily responsible for navigation were Usaman, dressed as a fisherman, and several members of the Stone Wall mercenary unit.

Akira did not board the ship with them but chose another method of travel.

With a flash of white light, a blue figure suddenly appeared on the water beside the ship.

Its slender neck and ocean-like coloration gave it an elegant appearance.

"Woo~" Lapras lowered its head slightly and let out a long, melodious cry, as if inviting Akira aboard.

For sailing across the vast ocean, naturally, he choose to ride Lapras.

Akira had already decided—he would travel on Lapras’s back most of the time to experience its unique charm.

When he needed rest, he could simply return to the ship.

The crew members were surprised at first, but then they remembered that their leader was someone known as a ’Nen beast master’.

Soon, they understood.

Thus, Akira and Meowth advanced on Lapras, while the rest of the team remained on the ship.

Both the modified top-tier vessel and Lapras moved at impressive speeds.

As they sped forward, the once-calm sea surface was split by two long ripples, continuously expanding outward.

The team quickly left the harbor behind, soon vanishing from sight.

"Wow, is this the ocean? It looks so beautiful, meow!"

Meowth looked left and right, its feline eyes filled with the endless blue of the sea.

Seeing Meowth so excited, Akira decided not to dampen its enthusiasm for now.

He just hoped Meowth wouldn’t get tired of the monotonous ocean view later.

According to estimates, their journey across the sea would take about a month.

And this was only possible because their ship had been fully modified for extreme speed.

If they had used the typical wooden sailing ships from the Six Continents, it would have been impossible.

Even without considering the various dangers lurking in the ocean, reaching the Dark Continent would have been nearly unthinkable.

After all, judging by the maps provided by V5 and even the [Gatekeeper], Mobius Lake was incredibly vast.

Merely reaching the edge of the Dark Continent required a long voyage.

Logically, the biggest concern during such a long journey would be food and water, as humans couldn’t survive without sustenance for extended periods.

For now, they were still within the waters of the Six Continents, but in a few days, they would leave this region.

From then on, the creatures they encountered wouldn’t be so simple—no one knew what would happen if they consumed them.

So Beyond had already stocked the ship with ample food and fresh water.

He had prepared extensively for this expedition to the Dark Continent and wouldn’t overlook such details.

Moreover, after inviting Akira, they had gained an incredibly powerful ally.

This ally was not only immensely strong but also possessed spatial storage abilities.

Not to mention Porygon-Z, even Gengar’s stomach contained a vast supply of ingredients.

If all else fails, Akira could always rely on Porygon-Z to return to the Six Continents for food supplies.

With the internet still available, he could use Porygon-Z to travel freely to most places across the Six Continents.

However, once they ventured further, especially upon reaching the Dark Continent, things wouldn’t be so easy.

Those areas had no internet, so to return swiftly to the Six Continents, they’d need to rely on Porygon-Z’s ability to create networks.

Porygon-Z’s network creation came in two types.

The first was a permanent network.

This method consumed a significant amount of aura, but once established, it would remain forever.

The second was a temporary network.

This was the one Porygon-Z used most frequently, requiring less aura but lasting only for a limited time.

Normally, to freely traverse the digital world, both the starting point and the destination needed an existing network.

The principle behind Porygon-Z’s ability to travel through the real world via the digital realm relied on opening pathways.

First, it would open a spatial gateway at the starting point, consuming a portion of aura.

Once inside the digital world, it could move freely to any corner, leveraging the digital world’s unique properties.

With Porygon-Z’s deep understanding of the digital world, it could pinpoint the corresponding real-world location.

After moving to the desired spot within the digital world, it would then open another spatial gateway.

Stepping through would bring them to their real-world destination.

Both the starting point, the destination, and the space in between needed an internet connection.

Otherwise, Porygon-Z would have to create a network.

The starting point and destination weren’t much of an issue—since they were just small areas, creating a network there wouldn’t consume much aura.

The real problem lay in the distance in between!

Most places across the Six Continents already had internet, so this wasn’t a concern.

Even if some areas lacked coverage, the Six Continents weren’t vast enough to require excessive aura.

But things would be different once they reached the Dark Continent.

The distance between the Dark Continent and the Six Continents was countless times greater than the span from the northernmost to the southernmost point of the Six Continents!

The amount of aura required for that would be astronomical!

The consumption wasn’t tied to the number of people—only the distance between the two locations.

The farther apart they were, the more digital space Porygon-Z would need to create.

To minimize the expenditure, Porygon-Z had to reduce the duration of the network’s existence as much as possible.

Establishing a permanent network between the Six Continents and the Dark Continent was impossible—only a temporary one would suffice.

A temporary network meant continuous aura consumption to sustain it.

Thus, Porygon-Z could only create a fleeting network between the Dark Continent and the Six Continents in an instant.

Then, using the digital world’s properties, it could teleport people into the digital realm of the Six Continents.

Though strenuous, Porygon-Z was capable of this feat.

It would just consume the majority of its aura.

Nevertheless, this still provided them with an escape route.

If things took a turn for the worse, Porygon-Z could create a small permanent network on the spot.

After entering, it could establish a temporary network back to the Six Continents and return.

After recuperating, they could swiftly return to the original location—since a permanent network had been left there.

A permanent network was like an island, while a temporary one served as the bridge connecting two islands.

However, this bridge constantly consumes Porygon-Z’s aura.

As the ship and lapras swiftly sailed across the sea, time passed bit by bit, and soon it was time for lunch.

"Time to eat!"

Chef Sammy, the one wearing striped chef’s attire who greatly admired Akira, was busy serving dish after dish.

Inside the ship’s grand dining hall, three large tables were laden with plates of food.

A few logistics personnel from the ’Stone Wall’ mercenary unit were also helping Sammy serve.

Logically, they should have rationed their food.

But Beyond considered that today was their first day of departure, and this was their first meal on the journey.

No matter what, they couldn’t skimp—it was about the team’s morale for the upcoming mission.

Hence, three full tables of food were prepared.

"This lavish? Isn’t it a bit excessive? Food is a critical issue, after all."

Pariston, however, didn’t move to eat.

Instead, he turned to Beyond beside him, his tone unreadable.

"Fufufufu, don’t worry. With Akira here, we don’t need to fret much about food."

Beyond laughed heartily, his words easing the concerns of others who were still anxious.

No one aboard this ship was a fool—they naturally paid attention to the food situation.

Though they didn’t know how Akira would solve the problem, if Beyond said so, it must be fine.

As those around them took their seats, Ging remained standing, arms crossed, and quietly asked Beyond.

"I’m curious about one thing."

"Our ship will eventually dock on the shores of the Dark Continent, right?"

"So how do we ensure the ship’s safety? If it’s damaged, we won’t have a way back."

Once the ship reached the Dark Continent, it would anchor by the shore, and they would proceed on foot to explore.

This was the method used in all previous V5 expeditions.

After all, there were few ways to carry a ship with them.

It was said that in over a hundred V5 expeditions, only once was there a Nen User capable of it.

His Nen ability allowed him to shrink any object he touched into a fist-sized crystal for easy transport.

Not only did transforming objects into crystals consume aura, but maintaining the crystal state also required a constant expenditure.

Thus, the ship was protected, and this individual was among the few who successfully returned from the Dark Continent—one of only five recorded survivors.

This suggested that many failed expeditions weren’t just due to annihilation-level threats.

Some might have simply lacked a way back.

After all, even if the ship docked by the shore, it was still the shore of the Dark Continent—a place teeming with danger at every turn.

Even with guards stationed, the vessel would likely be reduced to wreckage.

Those survivors who fought tooth and nail to escape, clinging to the faintest glimmer of hope—

Would find the ship they left behind shattered beyond recognition or vanished without a trace.

In that moment, their last flicker of hope would be extinguished, leaving only boundless despair.

They survived—but only temporarily.

Without a ship to return, stranded there, their fate was already sealed.

Each day was an extreme ordeal, spent in a state of fear and unease until being devoured by passing demonic beasts.

Or perhaps getting entangled in bizarre "disasters" each death more gruesome than the last.

By that point, even a swift death would be a luxury.

From this, it was clear that the failures of those hundred-plus expeditions might have been largely due to the damage to the ships.

"Exactly. We’ll need to dock the ship by the shore."

"But you don’t have to worry about that. Akira can still handle the return trip." Beyond spoke with absolute confidence.

Ging gave Beyond a deep look but said nothing more.

Naturally, he believed Akira could handle such matters.

Right now, Beyond considered handing over leadership of the team to Akira the best decision he’d ever made.

Back then, he had been agonizing over countless details for this journey.

For instance, the issue of food—though they had plenty, it would eventually run out.

Or the safety of the ship.

Beyond food and the ship, there were also problems like Death aura.

But none of these could be called problems anymore once Akira was involved!

When Beyond learned of Akira’s abilities, he was overjoyed.

Originally, he had estimated that at least half the team would die on this mission!

And that was a conservative estimate!

After all, V5 had sent 7,500 people, and only 28 returned—a telling statistic.

Even among those who made it back to the Six Continents, many died from exposure to certain things from the Dark Continent.

In the end, only three out of the original 7,500 emerged unscathed.

Those people had been elites too—there was no reason their own team would fare much better.

It wouldn’t even be unusual if the entire team, including himself, were wiped out.

His survival last time had been partly luck—if his luck ran out this time, it’d be normal not to return.

But after Akira joined, everything changed.

Food, ship safety, even Death aura and combat strength—Akira could handle it all alone.

He even had the ability to teleport over vast distances.

Akira’s strength wasn’t just in his power.

It was in his versatility!

Akira alone surpassed any team!

With Akira on board, Beyond’s confidence in the mission soared!

If even someone like him couldn’t lead them to success, then humanity truly stood no chance of exploring the Dark Continent.

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