Standing in front of the still unconscious—but almost fully healed—Kite, Auren stares at Ging, who is standing a few steps away, looking amused.
I used En. I checked if there was anybody nearby.How could he be here?!He… saw my Hatsu.How did he do it?! I paid close attention!
"…"
Ging smiles. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"How did you evade my En?" Auren asks, immediately getting to the point.
Ging shrugs, casual as ever. "Maybe I was lucky? I was just outside your En's radius. You almost caught me, really impressive range."
Right…
"What do you want?" Auren continues, not relaxing for even a second.
Ging's smile doesn't change. "Nothing. I was just close by and learned by chance that my student was going to attend a certain meeting to cause some trouble. Not that I like to interfere in his business."
He glances at Kite briefly, like he's checking his condition without making it obvious.
"You are full of shit! The man in charge said he was introduced by a legendary figure. You didn't learn it by chance, you referred him."
Ging shrugs, "maybe I did, I don't remember. Anyway, he seems to have found some students of his own and is doing alright. It's really interesting what happened to the street rat I picked up all those years ago."
"You were worried about him," Auren says, watching Ging closely. "He doesn't seem to like poachers… and anyone selling a certain kind of goods, huh? So you followed after him."
Auren's expression shifts as something clicks into place.
"Wait…" he says, then his eyes harden. "So why didn't you interfere in our fight?"
His voice turns sharper, the shock pushing through. "He could have died. If I didn't hold back or heal him… he would have died!"
"First of all," Ging says, not bothered in the least, "this wasn't a fight where I could interfere."
He raises a finger, like he's listing facts.
"There wasn't a right and wrong in the first place. Both of you fought for your own beliefs, ambitions, and goals. Who am I to interfere? You fought as equals, as hunters. Even if you had killed Kite, it was not my place to interfere. A Hunter does not interfere! Not that I thought I needed to do that in the first place."
Ging's eyes narrow slightly before he grins.
"To be honest, I didn't consider that Kite would struggle against you… much less lose in such a decisive fashion. Not only is he a terrible matchup against someone like you, but it also looks like you've grown to a terrifying degree and acquired even more impressive treasures."
He laughs. "I was just going to help whoever lost. Or at least offer a proper burial."
Then he tilts his head, studying Auren again.
"However, I must say this outcome pleases me greatly. You're quite the kind Hunter, aren't you?"
"I am not," Auren states simply.
"I'm a little sad you haven't actually played my game yet," Ging says, looking almost dejected. "Are you not interested at all? I heard you acquired a copy... along with a small fortune."
How did he hear that?! This guy. Almost as annoying as Pariston.
"I'm not too sure about that," Auren replies. "It felt like the game was created for a special purpose. I might be able to clear it in a few years, but would that satisfy you? Don't you have something planned for that game?"
"Why would you think that?" Ging asks. "I just wanted to create a game. If you can complete it, go ahead. Now that the game is finished, I don't care about it anymore... I just like to show off, if I have the opportunity."
Right....
"I think I'll wait a while longer," Auren says. "It's not like I'm giving up. I'm quite interested in the rewards. I just want to let it play out the way you envisioned it. Until I found out what you were after, I can wait."
I have nothing to talk about with this guy.He seems bored and just likes to screw around.He not only reminds me of Pariston.They try to act differently, but they're basically two sides of the same coin.Neither one is good nor bad.They're both complex, and I can't get a full read on either of them. The more I talk with him, the less I know.
"I expect you don't like to spread gossip," Auren says, drawing Eternity, his eyes growing cold. "Say… talking about certain Hatsus."
He keeps his gaze on Ging, not blinking.
"You might have seen me fight Kite—where I held back because I didn't want to kill my opponent. You haven't seen me fight seriously yet."
"Aren't you a scary guy?" Ging asks, laughing lightly, then raising his hands defensively.
Auren doesn't laugh. He activates Ren, the pressure rising around him as he stares Ging down.
"I get it, I get it," Ging says, rubbing his head. "In return… tell me about your fight with the old man. I heard you actually challenged him? He loves to talk about it. By now, half of the Association knows, because he keeps bringing it up on every occasion, talking down everybody. I hear so many complaints from my acquaintances, hundreds of messages talking about you."
Ging's smile turns a little sharper, like he's enjoying the topic more than he should.
"Despite his praise for you, in reality, he's pointing out the declining standards of the current Association. He's criticising the current exam and the politics. People like Pariston—who you seem to get along with surprisingly well—want to lower standards for new Hunters, allowing the Association to grow even more rapidly by accepting a far greater number of Hunters. It looks like the old man wants the exam to become even bloodier, more dangerous, and stricter, which would, in reality, lower the number of Hunters even more."
"These politics don't interest me much," Auren states. "Pariston is going to slowly but surely control the Association anyway. Give it a few years, and things will run how he sees fit."
"Except if Netero wants to get rid of him and finally does something before he grows more powerful from the shadows. Netero is not a politician, nor someone interested in working behind the scenes. Pariston will always go against him on every turn, just to annoy him and derail all of his plans. Surely you realise that?"
He pauses for a moment, then adds, "As for the fight… what can I say? I got destroyed. If you want to know more, ask him yourself. You are a Zodiac after all."
Auren then leaves, walking past Ging, resheathing Eternity. "Take care of your student. He's fine."
"Nah," Ging says, sounding annoyed. "He would feel bad… also, it would be a drag…"
He waves a hand like the problem solves itself.
"I'll just leave him here, I think. You said he's fine, right? I'll stay a little while longer, though, so feel free to return to your meeting. To the winner go the spoils—he won't bother you or the others anymore, that much I can tell you. His pride would not permit it."
Then he adds, almost casually, "Enjoy the rest of the meeting… I have a feeling it will be a unique one. Also… I owe you something extra."
What does he mean by that?
Auren turns around, staring at him again.
Ging meets his eyes, and then—without warning—he activates Ren. He puts his hand into his pocket, pulls out a piece of parchment, and applies a little Aura to it. The paper goes stiff and sharp, flattened almost appearing like a large knife.
Then he throws it toward Auren.
Hmm?!
Auren catches it between two fingers and looks down, staring at it.
It's a map, with coordinates marked on it. He doesn't recognise the landmass at all. In the top right corner is a smaller map—one that shows landmasses he does recognise. The entire 'known' world is there, and a small part is outlined with a square.
"A map?" Auren asks. "What's that supposed to be…"
He takes a closer look. "On the world map, there is nothing here… but this map shows that there is an island there? Not really interesting… but…"
Auren's gaze narrows as he focuses on the exact location.
Not Greed Island… this is way off.This is… south-east of the Federation of Ochima… where I took the Hunter Exam.
The island is far from any coast. Even with an airship, it would take days to reach.
The map shows only ocean beyond it—but Auren knows what lies further out.
This is not Dark Continent.... It's an island halfway there.
"This is…" Auren mutters. "It's not the Dark Continent, right? This is an island… but it's really far off the coast!"
"This is what I owe you," Ging says. "You gave me the snake you caught during the Hunter Exam, didn't you?"
"The fake Hellbell… the one you skinned right in front of me?" Auren asks, no longer hiding his interest.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Auren wonders.
Could it be that...?
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