Threats (
Synopsis[]
Steiner seeing the basement
The IPA Director and the newly assigned Deputy Secretary, Steiner, who are both associated with the V5, walk through a heavily secured hallway and discuss the role of their organization in accordance with the upcoming journey to the Dark Continent. As they enter an elevator, the Director mentions that the "Gatekeeper of the New World" hates ill-mannered visitors. Should the negotiations with the Kakin Empire break down, the older executive talks about "Pandora's Box" being opened, which Steiner questions as metaphorical. However, the Director opens a door to the International Permit Agency basement that's filled with various atrocities and corpses resulting from the last entry into the Dark Continent, who are revealed to all be human.
The Director hands over a book called Journey to the New World to Steiner, explaining that it was once considered fiction but is now a legendary text that contains travels from hundreds of years ago. The Director further explains that all of the wrung corpses in the basement were discovered in the known world, and none of them had ever traveled to the Dark Continent. He instructs Steiner to memorize every detail of the book and identify the risks of traveling to the "New World".
As they walk along through the basement, one creature slams against the glass, which takes Steiner by surprise. The Director explains that the creature is the lone survivor in their facility, but it is no longer human. The creature does not need sustenance like humans do, and has already lived for 50 years. Every attempt humanity has made at exploring the Dark Continent has resulted in them fleeing home and bringing a calamity with them. The Director continues that the creature was once a Hunter who was exposed to a virus that renders him immune to death. Steiner returns to his home and resumes his research.
Beyond making a deal with the Zodiacs
Meanwhile, the Zodiacs watch the second DVD where former chairman Netero explains that his son Beyond Netero once traveled to the Dark Continent and brought back new threats, so he forbade further attempts by Beyond and the Hunter Association until after his death. Netero declares that he wants the Hunter Association to explore the Dark Continent before his son, though emphasizing that it is a request rather than an order. Cheadle accepts the mission but states that no other Hunters should join them. Saiyu and Kanzai assert their opposition to Beyond's hunt, stating that it makes the race to the New World unfair, and the other Zodiacs debate its merits. The discussion mentions that Ging is the only one they know who has the ambition to go to the Dark Continent. Gel says that if Ging will help, the race will be fair, otherwise, Kakin will have a big head start. As the Zodiacs argue over their next course of action, Beans receives a call from Beyond Netero himself. He appears before the Zodiacs and instructs them to call the V5, telling them that they have "captured" Beyond Netero.
Elsewhere, Steiner begins to read the book that he is supposed to memorize but gets fearful after reading about the "Five Threats" that were brought back from the Dark Continent by humanity.
Chapter Notes[]
- Kakin bypassed the screening process from the voyage agencies, since they have not signed the treaty.
- Kakin's trip isn't filed under "sightseeing" but "business: colonization".
- A book titled Journey to the New World was published several centuries ago, thought to be a lunatic's ramblings, and was categorized as fiction at the time, now its very existence is legendary.
- The book has records of people who went to the Dark Continent and were wrung to death.
- The corpses of the wrung-out people in the IPA basement are discovered however in the known world.
- The book has records of people who went to the Dark Continent and were wrung to death.
- The lone survivor in the IPA basement is no longer human after being infected by Zobae Disease. It's been self-sustaining for almost fifty years, unable to die.
- Beyond Netero's report has more details on this subject.
- Every time V5 traveled to the Dark Continent and returned, they brought back a new extinction-level threat.
- The second DVD Netero left the Zodiacs reveals:
- He had been to the Dark Continent two times.
- In one of his expeditions, Beyond ignored Netero's warnings and took an unexplored route which leads to many causalities and brought back new threats.
- Netero forbade his son and the Hunter Association for traveling to the Dark Continent until his death.
- Netero asks the Zodiacs to travel to the Dark Continent before Beyond. For the reason he wants the Hunter Association to be the pioneer.
- He had been to the Dark Continent two times.
- Cheadle decides to accept Netero's request, but refuses to let anyone other than the Zodiacs be involved in the voyage.
- Beyond appears before the Zodiacs and instructs them to inform V5 they've "captured" him.
- The Five Threats brought back from the Dark Continent are:
- Brion, the botanical weapon: a sphere that protects mysterious ancient ruins.
- Ai: a gaseous life-form. Described as the co-dependence of desire.
- Hellbell, the twin snake: a monster that infects its prey with a homicidal desire.
- Pap: a beast that keeps people as pets. Described as a trade-off between life and pleasure.
- Zobae: the immortality disease. Described as endless despair disguised as hope.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- IPA Director (Debut)
- Steiner (Debut)
- V5 (Mentioned)
- Isaac Netero (Video)
- Saiyu
- Cluck
- Cheadle Yorkshire
- Mizaistom Nana
- Kanzai
- Pyon
- Botobai Gigante
- Gel
- Saccho Kobayakawa
- Ginta
- Beans
- Ging Freecss
- Beyond Netero
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