"Water Breathing... is this another technique I don't know about?"
Razor looked at Roy tentatively. Elena looked at him, then followed his gaze toward Roy. This so-called "Water Breathing" clearly came from the boy's hand.
The woman adjusted her blue-light glasses, mentally listing the abilities Roy had shown since they met. She couldn't count them all—not even close. He was like a glacier spanning across the ocean; every time Elena felt certain she knew what his Nen ability was, Roy would reveal something else from another angle, leaving her speechless.
"Haha, that's good then." Ging's eyes moved between Razor and Gotoh for a moment before he took a deep look at Roy.
He said nothing and asked nothing. Soon after, the group finished breakfast, packed their gear, and boarded the yacht Elena had rented in advance to head toward the target sea area.
The engine roared, driving the vessel to cut through the waves as it left the shore.
Roy and Ging each held a fishing rod, sitting cross-legged at the bow, and began to fish.
The sea breeze blew back a corner of his hood. Ging pressed down on the brim of his hat and flicked his wrist. A red bead led the fishing line in a graceful arc into the sea. The man then turned his head to see the boy using his staff-sword Lunar Wane as a rod, extending Nen threads as fishing lines. Just like in the past, he was using the Hookless Fishing technique learned from his grandfather Zigg's notes to temper his Nen. Though the boy was only ten years old, he already displayed a superhuman maturity beyond his years.
"Roy, I'm finding it harder and harder to see through you."
In the cabin, Elena held the blue screen as a compass, directing the helmsman to adjust the course.
On the deck, Razor used his palm as a blade, practicing Water Breathing move by move according to the thin booklet.
Behind Roy, Gotoh held a square cloth, carefully wiping the Infinite Pistol.
Occasionally, a seabird let out a soft cry. Ging's Feichuo's Parrot glanced at the boy.
"Ga-oh!" The Golden Crow spread its wings, emerging from the top of Roy's head. Like a fat chicken, it found the usual spot where the boy's dark hair swirled and plopped down. "Chirp—"
Feichuo's Parrot fluttered over and landed right next to Xiao Jin on Roy's head. Its two beady eyes squinted as it affectionately rubbed against Xiao Jin's chubby face. Ging's mouth twitched imperceptibly at the sight.
"What's there to not see through? Aren't you the same?" They had been together for two days. Aside from using Feichuo's Parrot to steal Razor's Nen bullet and trade a blow with him, Ging hadn't used any other means, let alone his Nen ability.
However, since his surname was Freecss, and his ancestor Don had personally explored the Dark Continent and left behind the "Journey to the New World" that the Voyage Bureau treated as a sacred guide... coupled with the Feichuo's Parrot on his head, and the fact that Ging never lacked magical or phantom beasts by his side—more exaggeratedly, he had once ridden on a dragon's back while playing a game of stack-up with other creatures as large as mountains—Roy secretly guessed that the man's ability might be related to "Magical Beasts" and "Phantom Beasts." His path as a Ruins Hunter exploring prehistoric civilizations likely stemmed from this consideration.
"No, we're different." Ging held his fishing rod, watching the sunlight dance on the sea. He said distractedly, "Your path is harder than mine."
"The things you have to control are 'people,' while I..." The man flicked his arm, the red bead moved, and the hook pulled out a pike. It struggled as it flew onto the deck, where a sailor knocked it unconscious with a club, making it a candidate for their lunch.
Ging turned to the boy and smiled. "I only need to get along with animals."
"Is the human heart too complicated for you to handle?"
"I can't handle it." Ging scratched his head. "I hate those petty calculations and intrigues... I prefer staying with animals."
"Sakura." Ging reached out, and Feichuo's Parrot reluctantly flew back, landing on the man's shoulder and affectionately rubbing his palm. Seeing him so in tune with animals, Roy couldn't help but think of Kite. Back then, Kite was taken in as a disciple precisely because of how well he got along with the animals around him.
As Ging told Kite at the time: "A person who is deeply loved by animals cannot be a bad person."
Looking at it now... Roy lifted his staff-sword, also catching a pike and tossing it onto the deck, where a sailor knocked it out.
The boy agreed, "It seems your Nen ability really is related to animals."
"Contract." Ging cast his line again with a beautiful flick, watching the hook hit the water with a small splash. He said softly, "I can choose to form a contract with any magical, rare, or phantom beast. All those who contract with me are my partners. They can be commanded by me, and even... pass their innate Nen abilities to me."
Roy was stunned. This was somewhat similar to his Monster Encyclopedia. The difference was that Ging didn't need to kill the creatures to take their innate abilities.
On the contrary, Ging's method through Contract was gentler. As "partners" who shared faith, the backlash from Nature would also be relatively smaller.
"Since you're my friend and we're about to enter the secret realm... I wanted to tell you in advance. If we know each other's strengths, our cooperation and exploration will go more smoothly."
Ging noticed Roy's surprised expression and explained, "Razor is an Emitter, Elena... you probably found out last night."
The four Heartworms corresponded to Gotoh, Elena, Razor, and Ging. Roy had indeed had a "heart-to-heart" talk with Elena. He said noncommittally, "Conjuration... I am a Conjurer... You can understand it as..."
"Behind me stands a world."
The world of Demon Slayer!
On the deck, Razor, who was practicing Water Breathing, had just dispersed the whistling sea breeze with a "Drop Ripple Thrust." His ears twitched, and he looked toward the boy. The shock in his eyes was identical to Ging's!
"You sure are bold!" Ging stared blankly at Roy for a long time before squeezing out those words. "And you said you've never been to the Dark Continent..."
He had traveled far and wide for so many years, moving between ruins and lost civilizations. He believed that the things he had experienced and the breadth of his vision were second to none. But the talk of an entire world... Ging couldn't think of anything else besides that place he yearned for.
And a person... no matter how strong, really couldn't imagine something beyond their own perception without being told.
Roy didn't explain, nor would he explain to Ging. He just let him misunderstand. With a move of his hand, he plunged the staff-sword into the bow of the ship and lay back on the deck, letting the sunlight pour over him. He spread his arms wide and said, "It's not that I'm bold; it's that the sun is big."
Hunter has a sun... Demon Slayer has a sun... even in the steel and concrete jungle where he lived as a corporate slave in his past life, he still couldn't escape the sun's rays.
The boy covered his face with his hand, watching the great sun pour its light through the gaps in his fingers. After a moment of silence, Ging's low, suppressed laughter rang out. The laughter grew from a chuckle to a bright, hearty roar, startling the seabirds.
"Heh... now I believe it's not just that the Zoldycks are powerful, but that you... are too unexpected!"
Wasn't that the case? A completely unfamiliar world—could anything be more unexpected?
After finishing a set of Water Breathing, Razor let out a soft breath and sat down next to Roy. The three of them basked in the sun in their different positions. Soon, a voice called out from the captain's cabin as the woman leaned her head out. "We're here."
The engine immediately cut out. Momentum carried the boat forward a few more meters before it came to a stop, bobbing on the waves.
"Let's go." Ging retracted his fishing rod and shouldered it. He extended a hand, and Elena moved closer to grasp it. A blue glow emanated from both of them, and in the blink of an eye, a deep blue Nen water ball perfectly encased them.
Ging looked at the others. "Do you really not need my help?"
Roy said nothing. He simply reached out, using Magnetism: Attract to pull the staff-sword Lunar Wane into his hand. Then, he took a step forward, leaving trailing afterimages, and leaped. Like a sharp sword, he plunged into the sea, rapidly darting toward the seabed!
"Young Master, wait for me." With the Infinite Pistol in hand, Gotoh followed quickly. In a flash, he cleared the gunwale and dove straight into the water. The moment he touched the sea, he seemed to change species, turning from a human into a fish. He pressed his legs together and kicked, like a fish tail flicking, splashing water in a clean, decisive motion!
"What speed!" Elena relied on her Nen ability, Overview, to radiate En. She marked Ging, Roy, Gotoh, Razor, and herself on the small screen before her. With the naked eye, she could see...
The moment Roy and Gotoh entered the water, they swam faster and more fiercely than a sailfish. They plunged in a straight line toward the depths as if they really weren't bothered by water pressure or lack of oxygen!
'Thinking about it... that must be the power of that Water Breathing thing.'
On the deck, besides the captain and sailors, two of the five were gone in an instant.
Ging shouted to Razor, "Come with me, you won't have to consume Nen."
Razor wore a white tank top, his sturdy muscles visible around his shoulder blades. He dove into the sea without looking back at Ging or Elena, simply saying, "I have no desire to be a landlubber."
Splash! He entered the water, chasing after Gotoh and Roy. Although his movements were slightly clumsy at first as he wasn't accustomed to being submerged, he forced himself to calm down. He tried to change his breathing rhythm to match Water Breathing. Gradually, Razor found the feeling of merging with the water.
Using his hands as fins and his legs as a tail, a gentle kick propelled him five meters down. Clearly, he was becoming increasingly adapted to underwater conditions.
On the blue screen in front of Elena, the three white dots representing Roy, Gotoh, and Razor shot down like arrows, threatening to move past the screen's boundary in the blink of an eye.
Ging adjusted his hat, pretending not to hear the sarcasm in Razor's words. He turned his head to Elena. "Let's go."
They shared a look and jumped into the sea after Razor. Enclosed in the blue water ball, they pushed aside the seawater. Relying on the ample oxygen within the sphere to overcome the lack of air, they chased after Razor, Gotoh, and Roy.
The five water trails were split between the front, middle, and back. After about half an hour, they finally reached the bottom. Before them stood a majestic Gothic church-like building. It was like a great mountain blocking their path, so tall they couldn't see the top even with their necks strained. They had only caught a fleeting glimpse during the descent, and the sight left them shaken with awe!
"Who could have imagined such a complex of buildings would exist at the bottom of the sea?" Gotoh stood beside Roy, slowly coming to a stop in front of the church.
Logically, sunlight shouldn't reach ten thousand meters below the sea; it should be a place of dark, dead silence. But this Gothic complex emitted a soft glow from its entirety. The tiles and walls were made of unknown materials—or perhaps they were inscribed with Lighting Divine Scripts. They not only illuminated the area but also pushed back the seawater, creating a spherical space filled with fresh air, nearly identical to the world above. It was astonishing.
"This is the place my ancestor mentioned, where the Elephant Baku once appeared."
Ging and Elena arrived just after Razor landed near Roy and Gotoh. The water ball surrounding them popped with a soft sound, revealing their figures.
"It wouldn't be easy to find without a specific location." Razor took off his tank top, revealing his muscles. He wrung it out to squeeze out the seawater and glanced at Ging.
Ging said nonchalantly, "That's why we explore. That is the meaning of adventure."
A Hunter must have a target, and Ging's target was ruins!
He walked past Razor's shoulder and stepped up to Roy's side. Standing shoulder to shoulder with him, he looked up at the church doors. They were inscribed with various reliefs: armored warriors holding broadswords, a woman with severed arms and a bare chest, a girl wearing a flower garland holding her mother's right hand, and a missionary holding a scripture, speaking loudly to a crowd. A thousand faces, each different... for a moment, it was captivating.
It pulled one back into an unknown epic of the past.
"You haven't been here?" Roy admired the reliefs on the door. For some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity.
He frowned in thought, carefully searching for where that sense of familiarity came from.
He heard Ging say, "No. I've only seen a glimpse in the ancestor's records."
Roy was thoughtful; the sense of familiarity in his heart grew stronger.
"Young Master, have you discovered something?" Gotoh pushed his glasses, keenly noticing Roy's abnormality.
Ging, Razor, and Elena all looked over. The boy said nothing for a moment, then spoke: "Perhaps we'll only know once we go inside."
His gaze circled around, meeting the eyes of Ging and Razor. The three of them moved to the door in unison. Each extended a hand, gathered their strength, and pushed hard.
Rumble! The main doors of the church, which had been sealed for who knows how long, suddenly cracked open, sucking the three of them inside.
At the same time, deep in the third basement level of the Voyage Bureau, in the laboratory where those twisted into monsters by Disasters were kept... in the furthest corner against the south wall...
A monster sealed in a jar, shaped like a bundle of hemp rope, split open an eye. That eye blinked.
Images were projected from deep within the pupil, giving the duty personnel a fright. They hurried to notify their superiors!
"This is bad... the Disaster is manifesting!"