Lichen was a precious resource. It could recover some injuries and instantly replenish Nen, its importance for exploring the Dark Continent was self-evident.
However, the amount of Lichen Law had processed and gathered from Whale Island was considerable.
Nevertheless, during this exploration of the Dark Continent, Law's principle was to avoid using Lichen unless absolutely necessary.
After all, the team had three powerful support-type abilities: Biscuit, Knov, and Shiro.
Because the stock was substantial, Law didn't hesitate long in weighing whether to use Lichen on Giles.
He summoned Kuro and had him take out some Lichen.
For convenience of consumption, the Lichen had been processed into pieces about the size of a ping-pong ball.
Law took the ping-pong ball-sized Lichen from Kuro and held it in his hand.
Around him, his teammates' eyes shifted between Law and Giles. Seeing Law take out the Lichen, they understood Law prioritized the timeliness of obtaining information over the tactical resource that was Lichen.
Law looked down at Giles, lying on the ground, covered in blood and unconscious. He paused, then broke the Lichen in his hand into two halves.
"..."
Everyone looked at Law speechlessly.
A moment ago, they thought Law was being somewhat generous. The next moment, Law showed them what being stingy meant.
"Feed him."
Law handed the broken half of the Lichen to Kuro.
Kuro took the Lichen, jumped in front of Giles, and rather roughly stuffed the Lichen into Giles's mouth, then slapped Giles's face to make the Lichen slide into his stomach faster.
Lichen's effect was quick. Soon after Giles consumed it, the bleeding from his numerous wounds was visibly suppressed, and the depleted Aura in his body was instantly replenished.
His injuries were still severe, but his Aura was restored.
Thus, within a few short minutes, Giles slowly opened his eyes.
From fainting to waking up, only a few minutes had passed.
This showed the importance of Aura to a Nen User.
"I...?"
Giles's half-open eyelids suddenly widened to their limit. The newly replenished Aura was released through his open Aura Nodes. Immediately, he agilely rolled to his feet, dragging his heavily injured body, instantly entering a combat stance.
No one was startled by Giles's sudden movement, but they at least gave him respect, all adopting postures where they could subdue Giles at any time.
Because the Aura Giles released was not to be underestimated, especially in his heavily injured state.
Seeing Giles's overreaction, Law understood how much of a shadow the perpetrator who had reduced Giles to this state had left in his mind.
"You risked coming in here for the purpose of escaping, right? That means you have pursuers behind you. And your current actions are practically shouting 'I'm here' to those pursuers."
Law's gaze swept over the strange staff gripped in Giles's hand. The Nen Waves continuously emitting like steam from the air holes were noted by him.
With his eyesight, he clearly saw the essence of those Nen Waves was transformed from Giles's Aura.
From this, he could preliminarily infer Giles was a Transmuter.
Hearing Law's words, Giles's expression changed slightly. Although he didn't understand why his injuries had improved or why his body, which had exhausted its Aura, had restored so much Aura.
He didn't understand the specifics, but he knew these changes must be related to the group before him.
Swish.
Giles swiftly retracted his Nen, instantly entering the state of Zetsu, to recover physical strength as quickly as possible, while his eyes looking at Law's group flickered with a strange light.
"Apologies, I was indisposed."
His voice was particularly low, consciously placing himself in a weaker position.
"Apologizing now is too late. Thanks to you, another batch of Brions has been attracted." Tonpa showed no mercy in his words, looking towards a certain direction as he spoke.
Within his detection circle, a group of Brions had emerged from within a walled building and were heading towards their location, clearly attracted by the Nen Giles had just released.
Tonpa's reminder made everyone enter a combat stance.
Giles, as an outsider, watched this scene and couldn't help but think more highly of the ordinary-looking Tonpa, thinking: 'A reconnaissance-type Nen User, huh...'
"I know of you."
Unlike the others present, Giles didn't pay attention to the approaching Brions.
"Oh?"
Shiro was somewhat surprised, about to ask: 'How do you know me?'
However, Giles's next sentence almost made Shiro choke on his own words.
"Law, who killed the Chimera Ant King, and... Ging, one of the world's top five Nen Users."
Giles stared at Law and Ging, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, "Although it's very inappropriate, currently the most dangerous thing isn't the Brions in the city, but the magical beasts that attacked our team!"
He didn't have extra time to deeply investigate why Law's team was here.
His words shifted everyone's attention to him.
"Magical beasts?" Law's eyelids lowered slightly, thinking of something.
"There were five magical beasts that attacked us. Not only do they use Nen, they are also very proficient in advanced Nen techniques. Our team..." Giles clenched his blood-stained teeth, his voice slightly hoarse: "In all likelihood, I'm probably the only survivor. And their target... is you!"
As he said this, Giles's gaze focused on Law.
He knew Law was the person in charge of this team.
And he particularly wanted to know why the attacking magical beasts' target was Law's group.
Hearing Giles's words, Ging and the others all showed surprise.
"Their target is us?"
Law raised an eyebrow, having a faint guess. A cold glint immediately flashed in his eyes. Then, meeting Giles's complex and unclear gaze, he said calmly, "Are you holding us accountable?"
"No, just wanting to remind you to flee this place as soon as possible. Because the magical beasts that attacked our team... are extremely powerful!"
Giles tightly gripped his staff, not minding if he used too much force, letting the blood on his arm flow freely.
He had been unconscious when he received treatment from Law and the others.
So, even though he really wanted to immediately flee this place, he would wait until Law's group moved first before he did.
"What kind of magical beasts?" Law suddenly asked.
Giles's eyes trembled slightly. Meeting Law's inquiring gaze, he said solemnly, "Talking about this now is meaningl..."
"Answer my question."
Law cut off Giles's next words.
Giles looked in surprise at the Aura Law exuded, opened his mouth, and replied, "The one who injured me was a gorilla-faced magical beast. His knuckle bones were very prominent, skilled in frontal attacks, probably an Enhancer. The other four..."
Then, Giles's words were interrupted by Law again.
"So it's an old acquaintance. No wonder they're coming for us."
Law gave a cold laugh, then picked up the broken half-piece of Lichen and half-held it in his mouth.
"Old acquaintance...?"
Giles was utterly bewildered.
"Law, is it that guy?" Tonpa asked gravely.
"Most likely."
Law chewed the Lichen and swallowed it, walking towards the edge of the building rooftop. A large amount of Aura surged around him, making his hair and clothes flutter without wind.
"As far as I know, the Gatekeeper Clan's magical beasts don't actively attack humans. At most, they can only use some Calamity to eliminate us. But now, it's clearly different."
"But it doesn't matter. On the necessary path to explore the Dark Continent, it's inevitable we'll have to kill him."
Law didn't pay any mind to Giles, who was shocked beyond measure. The others in the team were in the know. Through Law's words, they quickly thought of something.
At that moment, the roaming-type Brions attracted earlier by Giles shot up from the ground, entering everyone's field of vision.
This batch of attacking Brions numbered over a hundred, mostly humanoid.
"Could have set up an ambush. Never mind."
Law muttered to himself. White General conjured behind him. The long blade formed from Nen suddenly sliced through the sky, sweeping across like an army, striking the Brions ascending through the air.
Under Giles's rapidly constricting pupils, the attacking Brions were directly destroyed into dust by White General's slash.
Boom!
The remaining force of the slash, carrying the Brion dust, spread towards the distant sky.
"This is..." Giles.