Late at night, torrential rain poured down.
Yorknew City, Downwater Street.
Sheets of rain flowed like beaded curtains, tracing the city's gutters and alleys. The streetlights flickered dimly, but one antique shop shone brightly against the night.
Above it hung a digital sign with scrolling red text:
[Buying antiques, curios, and handmade artwork — June 22, 1997]
Inside, along the wall, a glass display cabinet glowed under warm orange light. Antique pieces stood in quiet elegance, their value difficult to judge at a glance.
At the back of the shop, a solid wooden table sat near the wall. A small desk lamp cast its beam downward, illuminating a red wooden figurine about fifty centimeters tall.
Suddenly, a pair of hands reached into the light and grasped the figure.
They belonged to a handsome young man with sharp features and short black hair, dressed in casual clothes.
Crack.
With a slight twist of his fingers, fractures spidered across the figure's surface. From the cracks seeped a soft white light—different from the lamp's glow.
The outer wooden shell shattered and fell away, revealing a delicate jade figurine radiating subtle Nen light. Pale green fish-scale-like patterns glimmered beneath the lamp, betraying its high value.
From worthless shell to priceless treasure.
This entire process was silently observed by a muscular man wearing a canine mask, standing by the shop's entrance.
He didn't seem surprised by the youth's skill. With arms crossed and voice firm, he said, "Moro, why did you reject the gift Melena prepared for you?"
"Gift?"
Moro looked up with a helpless smile. "Dog Bro, you call ordering me to kill twenty-one complete strangers a gift...?"
"Of course. If you kill them, you'll reach Level 21 immediately. That boost should be enough for you to awaken a new Nen ability tailored to your nature. Even if it doesn't align perfectly, you'll still grow significantly stronger."
The man's voice remained steady. After a short pause, he continued:
"Melena needs quick results from her Nen. Don't disappoint her. And really, just killing a few people to gain strength—how could that be a bad deal for you?"
Moro fell silent.
Just killing a few people...
That's the gangster way of thinking. Or rather, in this world—the world of Hunter x Hunter—life is cheap, and individual existence holds little meaning.
Moro had experienced this truth firsthand a year ago when he first arrived in this world.
He studied the man in the dog mask.
As a transmigrator, he knew the plot and characters of Hunter x Hunter. The man before him—Dog Bro—and Melena, the woman who saved him a year ago, were minor characters from the Succession War arc in the Kakin Empire.
Melena wasn't just any mafia heiress—she was a secret daughter of royalty. But what struck Moro most was her Nen ability as shown in the original story: a terrifying power that allowed others to grow stronger through murder.
"Kill to level up—sounds easy, right?" Moro said softly, a strange smile curling his lips though his gaze remained calm. "But Nen isn't that simple. With vows and restrictions in the mix… I don't know how Melena developed this power, but I do know one thing."
He looked down at the jade figurine and said quietly, "There's a risk—massive and unknown."
Dog Bro didn't respond immediately. His silence, however, was telling.
Eventually, he spoke. "So you're saying no?"
"How could I? This pathetic life of mine… Melena gave it to me."
Moro lowered his gaze and smiled bitterly. The image of Melena's deep, black eyes flickered through his mind.
After a moment's pause, he looked back up. "Give me one day."
"Alright. I'll tell her."
Dog Bro nodded, then turned to leave. As he reached the door, he paused suddenly.
"Oh, right—Melena said she hasn't picked a name for her Nen yet. She wants your help choosing one."
"…"
Moro froze. Scenes from the original manga surfaced in his mind.
"Love Training Song."
That was the name of Melena's Nen in the source material. A romantic name for such a destructive ability… He never did understand it.
Without hesitation, he gave his answer: "Call it Love Training Song… if she doesn't mind."
"Huh." Dog Bro blinked, surprised at the name. But he said nothing more and stepped into the night rain.
Moro quietly watched him leave.
Creak—
The door shut behind him.
A few minutes later, Moro looked away and turned his attention to the jade figure still resting amid splinters of wood.
"…Guess I'm running."
There were some things he simply couldn't do. And if there was no room to negotiate, then Moro had made his decision—leave Melena's circle for good.
It wasn't that he was afraid of killing. But among the twenty-one targets Melena had chosen… were infants and children.
That crossed a line.
He also knew better than anyone what Melena's true goal was.
Destroy the Kakin Empire. Destroy humanity. Destroy the world. Destroy everything.
That's what she really wanted.
So Moro had always planned to leave—he just didn't expect the day to come so soon.
For over half a year, the antique shop had made her a steady profit. In return, he had hoped it would be enough to repay her kindness in saving him.
It should be enough now.
Moro stared at his right hand.
Etched on the back was a strange tattoo—concentric, hollow rings like tree rings, each a different color: white, green, blue, purple, red, gold.
At the center was a tiny black infinity symbol.
He didn't know what it was or how it worked. The ring tattoo had appeared a few days after he arrived in this world, gradually becoming more distinct.
So far, he had confirmed two things:
No one else could see the tattoo.
The area it covered was seemingly indestructible—perhaps a Nen-based vow.
He had also discovered he could absorb weak Nen energy from antiques to fill in the hollow parts of the rings.
That was why he chose to run an antique shop in Yorknew City.
After more than six months, he had collected enough weak Nen energy to nearly fill the innermost white ring.
He turned his focus to the jade figurine.
If he could absorb its Nen, he might just finish filling the white ring.
And even if not, his employees were due to return with other items tonight—hopefully ones with Nen residue.
Silently, Moro placed his hand on the jade figure.
No light. No surge. But slowly, visible threads of Nen flowed into the back of his hand.
The last gaps in the white ring began to close.
Guess I don't need to wait for the others.
His eyes stayed on the ring as it neared completion. He couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.
Maybe this tattoo was his transmigration bonus—his "golden finger."
If it helped now, he'd have the confidence to break free from the Aiyi Family's grasp.
He waited patiently for a reaction.
But as time ticked by, nothing happened.
"The worst-case scenario," he muttered, shaking his head.
Three possibilities:
All six rings needed to be filled before the ability activated.
A hidden condition had to be met before activation.
The ring tattoo wasn't a cheat power at all.
Moro felt disappointed but not crushed.
A power boost now would've been a pleasant surprise—but it wasn't his only plan.
His real strength came from months of hard training in Emission-type Nen.
…
Elsewhere, the rain continued to pour.
Dog Bro trudged through the storm, approaching a black sedan parked on the roadside.
The rear window slid down, revealing a graceful, elegant woman.
Her eyebrows were shaped like willow leaves. Her eyes had a phoenix-like curve.
But across her delicate face were two deep, parallel scars—one slicing through her hairline and left eyelid, stretching all the way down to her cheek. They marred nearly half her face.
"Melena."
Dog Bro bent down to face her.
She raised her gaze. "Aken, what did he say?"
"He asked for one day."
Melena looked down as if sensing something deeper.
Dog Bro waited in the rain for her response.
After a moment, she reached up and gently touched the scar on her face.
"…Forget it," she whispered.
Dog Bro blinked.
Melena dropped her hand and stared in the direction of the antique shop.
"Aken, you know what I hate about little Moro?"
"What?"
He asked instinctively.
Her gaze darkened, voice growing cold.
"…A sense of morality."
"…"
He had no answer for that.
Melena's tone turned colder. "Anyone who follows me can't have that."
Aken understood immediately. He considered objecting—but stayed silent.
Melena looked away. "The Phantom Troupe's acting up again. Let's make… him part of the solution."
"…Understood."
Aken nodded. Before stepping away, he added: "By the way, Moro suggested a name for your Nen…"
"Love Training Song."
Hearing the name, a ripple passed through Melena's eyes.
Still not quite right…
Even if she could feel Moro's loyalty through a kiss, without shared purpose—it meant nothing.
"…Let's go."
She bowed her head slightly. No feedback. But the flaw in the ability had already become clear.
Aken glanced at her. He could hear a faint trace of melancholy in her voice.
—