Chapter 22: The Lake Monster Egg Acquired
On the other side of the lake, nestled beneath the roots of an exposed tree, lay a hollow the size of a millstone—half submerged in water, half above it. Deep within the quiet, shadowy hole rested several lake monster eggs.
The creature resembled a serpent, and this season happened to be the prime time for snakes to lay their eggs. Based on the nesting habits of water snakes and pythons, Osren had made a bold deduction—and now, his relentless searching had paid off.
To his surprise, he really had found it: a lake monster at least ten meters long, and its eggs, without a doubt, were more valuable than even the Longan Fruit.
"Could cook these—maybe monster egg custard… or stir-fried with orange greens," Osren mused.
Orange greens were a vegetable he'd once eaten at Aunt Mito's place. They tasted a bit like celery, though their appearance was quite different.
Unfortunately, vegetables had to be kept fresh, so he hadn't packed any in Gon's backpack.
Splash—
The sudden sound of water striking the boat snapped Osren out of his culinary daydream. The boat was already moving fast, and they didn't have time to waste. They had one chance.
Gon, ever efficient, acted immediately. Just as Osren finished speaking, he flicked the fishing line—whizz—and it hooked one of the monster eggs perfectly.
With a swift tug, the volleyball-sized egg landed squarely in Osren's hands.
Success.
Leorio hadn't let him down either. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken Gon and Kurapika about half an hour to row to shore. But after being startled by the lake monster, Leorio tapped into 100% of his potential. He single-handedly powered the boat to shore in just ten minutes. The lake monster didn't even come close to chasing them; they couldn't even see it in the rearview.
Bang!
The small boat crashed into a sandbar and came to a halt on the shore—they had made it, safe and sound. Judging by the way Leorio gritted his teeth and flexed every muscle, it clearly hadn't been easy.
"Leorio, we've arrived." After carefully stowing the lake monster egg in his backpack, Osren called out to the still-rowing Leorio.
Gon picked up the suitcase and handed it over. The group disembarked from the boat.
"This vast lake… conquered by my full-powered rowing!" Leorio accepted the case, adjusted his clothes, and quickly returned to his usual "elite" appearance.
"Hey, there's a stone tablet here—with writing! Come check it out!" Osren called excitedly, completely ignoring Leorio's theatrical posturing.
"A ruin?" Gon perked up and stepped closer.
"Looks like something left behind by the ancient Sumi people," Kurapika observed, squinting at the worn inscriptions.
"Definitely Sumi tribe," Osren confirmed. "It's very old."
"Osren, Kurapika—can either of you read it?" Gon looked at the text, but couldn't make any sense of it.
"I know a bit," Osren replied.
"The weathering's pretty severe—lots of the characters are faded. From what I can tell, it records some kind of ritual involving a saintess offering prayers to a god. Not totally clear, but whoever built this had a pretty advanced civilization," Kurapika added, clearly intrigued.
While Osren had knowledge from watching the original story, Kurapika's understanding came from actual study and accumulated knowledge.
"Osren, I didn't know you liked historical ruins so much. You sure know a lot."
"Kurapika knows a lot too—he's really amazing," Gon said with a big smile, sounding almost proud of himself for being around such smart friends.
"More important than the ruins is what that old woman said about the one-way path. Which way is it?" Leorio asked.
Compared to ancient relics, Leorio felt finding the guide lady was top priority.
"It should be that one." Osren pointed to a winding trail that curled around the lake.
The path was a dirt road—dry and dusty, probably because it hadn't rained recently. It wound its way around more than half of the lake, twisting and turning, with no clear end in sight. The distance ahead was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to tell where it led.
"What a winding path. Didn't that old lady say it was a one-way road?" Leorio frowned, skepticism written all over his face.
"Even if it's a one-way route, that doesn't mean it'll be straightforward," Kurapika replied calmly.
"Thanks for the clarification," Leorio muttered, lips twitching with sarcasm before falling silent.
Osren said, "This is the only path we've got. Whether it's right or wrong, we have to take it."
"Yeah." Gon nodded quickly.
Whenever Osren spoke, Gon was always the first to nod in agreement—his trust in his unwavering, always looking confident and optimistic.
Kurapika didn't say much either. Instead, he just started walking in the direction Osren had indicated—his silence an expression of trust.
"Let's go too, Osren." Gon gave his fishing rod a quick shake and pulled his along, catching up to Kurapika.
Seeing the rest move forward, Leorio followed as well. After all, just like Osren had said, there weren't any other choices.
They walked the narrow trail for about twenty minutes before reaching a dense forest. In Osren's eyes, it was nearly the size of a primeval forest from the modern world—perhaps even larger than the one on Whale Island. Towering trees stretched skyward, tangled with vines and underbrush, ancient and untouched.
"Once we get through the forest, we should be close," Osren said, leading the group into the woods.
What none of them noticed, however, was a large creature crouching silently high atop one of the distant trees—about four or five meters tall, with blood-red eyes, long limbs, and pointed ears, bearing a faint resemblance to a fox.
Unfortunately, it vanished quickly after only a few seconds, soaring silently away without drawing their attention.
Originally, Osren had planned to secretly scout out the "Feral Fox" ahead of time. In the original story, the creature had also quietly observed Gon and the others before returning to its treehouse.
He'd hoped to find it early—maybe even impress the others—but the creature that was supposed to appear never showed up.
Chirp chirp. Rustle rustle.
The forest at night was lively despite the absence of large beasts or magical creatures. Insects chirped and birds called, filling the silence with life. Occasionally, birds startled by their footsteps took flight and disappeared into the trees, adding to the sense of motion.
After walking for about an hour, the group came across another warning sign.
"Look, another notice about magical beasts. Are we really heading toward the venue?" Leorio asked, growing more doubtful the longer they walked. All he could see was green—trees everywhere—like they were venturing deeper into the wilderness.
Gon, on the other hand, was practically glowing with excitement. He had always loved the forest back on Whale Island, where he spent hours making friends with animals. Now, in this vast, sprawling forest, he felt right at home.
"Gon, you look full of confidence, but remember—don't always go meddling in everything," Leorio said, unable to hold back as he watched Gon beaming with enthusiasm.