Hello everyone, it's Gon Freecss, 8 years old.
I can't hide my confusion over this unexpected situation that's suddenly unfolded.
"Eating such delicious home-cooked meals every day—it's no wonder Gon is growing up so well."
"Young people these days are so good at flattery. It's almost embarrassing."
"Flattery? No way! I mean every word. Um, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind if I stayed here a while longer?"
Kite, are you after Mito-san? That person isn't exactly your type, being a rootless hunter influenced by Ging, right?
This was a scene not in the original story, where Kite, having just met Gon, paid a visit to his home. It all started a few hours earlier.
Whale Island—a small, remote island with few inhabitants and hardly any tourists—was visited by a rare visitor who wasn't a fisherman.
His name was Kite. Trained by Gon's father, Ging Freecss, he was a professional Hunter with the experience and skills to call himself a veteran.
On this day, Kite had come to Whale Island, Ging's birthplace, to complete his final task from his master: "Find Ging."
However, Kite himself didn't think he'd find any useful clues here. He couldn't imagine that the cunning Ging would give him such an easy task as tracking him down just by visiting his hometown—especially since there was no sign that Ging had returned in recent years.
Still, he had come to Whale Island because he happened to be nearby during his journey, and out of a fanboy's curiosity to see the hometown of the man he admired. However, the desolate atmosphere of the island quickly made him regret his decision.
"Well, I'll just look around for a bit and then kill time in the forest."
Kite said this while putting on his favorite hat, convinced that his trip was a complete waste of time. Little did he know that his expectations would be pleasantly shattered.
Having given up on finding any clues about Ging, Kite found himself deep in the forest—a place even the islanders rarely ventured into. The dense forest seemed to reject human intrusion, and it was a dangerous realm where even experienced Hunters could easily lose their lives if they made a mistake, due to the presence of fierce beasts and poisonous insects.
Kite walked through the forest as if taking a leisurely stroll, moving further and further into its depths.
As a professional Hunter and a Magical Beast Hunter whose livelihood depended on hunting rare plants and animals, Kite had extensive experience staying in danger zones far more perilous than Whale Island. From his perspective, the forest of Whale Island—which lacked deadly poisons or curses and had no dangerous poachers who were his business rivals—was a place where he could stroll around without any issues.
However, it was precisely because of his extensive experience that Kite sensed something amiss in this forest.
This is odd. An ecosystem similar to this one can be found anywhere. There are no notable creatures, and there should be no abnormal environmental conditions.
To Kite, the forest was a picture of peace, and as a Magical Beast Hunter, he was even moved by its natural beauty.
That's why it's strange. Most of the creatures are familiar, but each one possesses abilities that surpass those of their original species.
Faster species were more agile, stronger species were more resilient, and timid species were more cunning—each had elevated their species' natural abilities to the next level.
If there's such a significant difference, there must be a cause. It's likely something that accelerated their growth. If it's a mutated wild animal, that's not a problem, but if it's a human with malicious intent, that's trouble.
Changes in the environment and other factors can alter an ecosystem, which is a fairly common occurrence in nature. This isn't necessarily something to be avoided, but in Kite's experience, when it's caused by human intervention, it rarely ends well.
Well, if it seems like it could have a negative impact on the island, I'll deal with it. For now, let's focus on finding the cause.
What was supposed to be simple pastime had turned into an unexpected duty as a Magical Beast Hunter, leading him deeper and deeper into the forest.
Still unable to find any environmental abnormalities, he reached what was likely the deepest part of the forest.
What Kite witnessed there was a sight that would astonish even a professional Hunter.
Two shadows collided with a tremendous, low rumble, each determined to defeat the other. They were surrounded by many beasts cheering them on, each raising their own cries of excitement.
The two combatants were a fox bear with a more compact build than usual—likely the apex predator of Whale Island—and a teenager with a similarly well-trained physique.
The two clashed repeatedly, astonishingly performing one of the Four Major Principles of Nen. The aura emanating from them was so powerful that even an inexperienced Nen user could be knocked out with a single blow.
The aura that serves as the source of Nen is the life energy possessed by all living beings, and no living thing is exempt from it. Generally, wild beasts are better at instinctively understanding how to handle aura than humans. This is likely because humans don't typically control their life energy in daily life—such as by concealing their presence—and because they live in an environment devoid of natural life energy manipulation. However, ordinary beasts rarely reach the level of the Four Major Principles of Nen, so the boy must have either been taught by someone else or learned by imitation.
In that case, the real mystery was the boy who could use Nen.
Kite had already confirmed that there were no Nen users among the islanders when he'd arrived. This meant that the boy had either trained himself to reach his current level or was taught by a third party whose abilities Kite couldn't detect.
It was a mystery, but at least the boy's aura was incredibly pure, and it was clear that not only the surrounding beasts but even the fox bear he was fighting were drawn to him.
A good Hunter is liked by animals.
For Kite, who had been a Magical Beast Hunter for a long time, the scene before him was an ideal that must never be destroyed.
That said, I should at least hear his story.
As the beasts grew more agitated after the boy defeated the fox bear, Kite approached the boy—who clearly appeared to be Ging's relative—wondering where to begin.