"Where is this place?"
Sheila glanced around in a hurry.
She couldn't spot any sign of him at all.
By that time, Ron had already returned to the outside world. A spherical object appeared in Ron's hand. With just a single thought, the sphere gradually merged into his arm and formed a round emblem-like mark.
"There are two ways to enter Sumas's space.
Ron extended his hand and made a slicing motion in midair. Immediately, a door appeared. He could decide which of the six areas it led to. With another thought, the door vanished.
"A door can be opened from the outside or the inside, but there's a fixed anchor point. Wherever you open it in the outside world, that spot becomes the anchor. If you go inside and make the door disappear, then reopen it from within, it'll lead back to where it was placed before.
"You can remove or set multiple anchors at will.
"The second way to enter Sumas's space is for me to directly envelop myself in Nen. It's faster, but it consumes more aura."
Ron withdrew his thoughts and surveyed the surroundings. All traces of Sumas had vanished from that area. Most of the outsider's bodies had been cleared away, leaving only the ruins of the Kurta Clan's settlement and the corpses of its people.
Many of them had died in terrible ways. Some had their eyes gouged out, while others lost their heads. By now, the smell of blood had mostly settled, and the stains on the ground had turned a dark red.
Ron couldn't help feeling a little somber.
"A whole clan, wiped out just like that."
Even if Kurapika was still alive out there, Ron remembered how the author once mentioned that on the Black Whale, Kurapika would likely die, along with some members of the Phantom Troupe. Back then, Kurapika was still fairly young, unmarried, with no children. If he died, then the Kurta bloodline would end for good.
"But according to the old man, the Scarlet Eyes aren't really a bloodline so much as a disease. If, in the future, someone else gets infected by it during a trip to the Dark Continent, a new group like the Kurta Clan could form, though they might not use that name anymore.
"They were called the Kurta Clan only because the first person infected by the illness was named Kurta."
Ron turned his attention to a crystal ball in front of him. Its progress indicator was now at ninety percent or so.
Suddenly, he heard a whistling sound from behind. Something flew toward him. Dark-red claws sprang up in front—"Eya!"—and met the metal projectile with a metallic clang, then sent it ricocheting away.
Ron looked in the direction of the attack. A young man emerged, sizing him up.
"I was told to stay here, never expected to catch anything… but look at that, I really did. You popped up out of nowhere. You never showed any such ability before.
"You're Ron, right? A contestant from Heaven's Arena. Hired by Lajin from the Heil-Ly Family. Back then, that old man took you and someone else away, then vanished. Now here you are, alive. Mind explaining?
"Tell me in detail what happened back then. And don't lie—my Nen ability can tell if you're telling the truth."
The young man shoved both hands into his pockets as though Ron was nothing to worry about. It could also be that his pockets were part of some vow-and-limitation tactic to boost his power. Ron had encountered someone like that before while taking an assassination contract, though that person relied on fists, not hidden weapons.
"These three days, where did you go?"
"It's been three days?"
Ron, having been inside Sumas, had lost track of time. He hadn't kept count.
"I never imagined three days would pass, and still the Kurta Clan corpses remain in this condition. They really are unlike ordinary humans. That's the power of a disease from the Dark Continent. Just one illness can create a whole clan and do all this. Who knows what other horrors or wonders are out there?"
Ron suddenly felt curious and eager about the Dark Continent. Before, he'd focused only on the human world, building up his own strength by gathering traits from different places, creating ever stronger Nen beasts, and working toward reaching A-level, then finding a personal path to become S-level. But seeing how the Scarlet Eyes worked, he realized how much more abundant the Dark Continent might be—both dangerous and rewarding.
"I wonder how powerful the Nen beasts I could make if I ever got there...."
The young man's face darkened.
"Are you ignoring me? Acting like I don't exist? You think that since you blocked one casual strike of mine, you can just dismiss me?"
He narrowed his eyes at Ron. "Listen, kid, tell me exactly what happened these three days. Where did that old man take you? What did you gain?"
"I don't know anything. I blacked out back then, and I've only just come to. Until you mentioned it, I didn't even realize three days had passed. I thought hardly any time had gone by. I wasn't ignoring you on purpose; I just couldn't process things right away."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"You don't believe me, so what do you want me to do?"
With a cold snort, the young man said, "Your disappearance was too strange, and your reappearance is just as suspicious. Either way, I'm taking you back to the Republic of Mingbo to be interrogated thoroughly. Surrender now, and I'll make things easier. Otherwise…"
He never got to finish the sentence. Natsu had already charged straight at him.
Two dark-red claws materialized behind Natsu, slashing at incredible speed. The young man darted aside at once.