Chapter 1: Encounter with a Madman at the Beginning
" Moritonio, let's go!"
"We still have to get ready for the performance."
"He's still breathing, it seems…"
The northern part of the Ubian continent, located in the far northeast of Youxin, lies on the route toward Gramgarans known as the City of Pleasure.
A young man lay bleeding on the ground, forcing the circus caravan to stop.
Neo, the leader of the troupe, crouched down despite his companions' protests. He approached the youth and checked his condition.
"Young man… can you still speak?"
"This place is still far from Gram, and I've heard there's been chaos nearby. Could he have been attacked by bandits?"
The old man's question was met with silence.
The bloodied youth twitched his fingers.
Seeing this, the leader whispered, "My name is Moritonio. I'm a traveling performer… and you are?"
The red-haired boy, drenched in blood, turned his stiff neck slightly. His sharp yet striking face came into view as he whispered faintly, "…Hisoka."
"Hisoka, I see."
The leader nodded, extending a hand to lift the injured boy.
The other members of the troupe were clearly dissatisfied with the decision and some even looked at Hisoka with hostility.
But there was one exception.
A boy about Hisoka's age, with a shaved head and a few freckles, stared at the scene in fear, as though seeing a venomous snake or a feral beast.
"It's him!"
Haze's throat tightened. The scene before him triggered a flood of memories.
Haze that had been his name in his previous life. Now, he was Haze.
A transmigrator.
It had been less than two weeks since his soul had crossed over.
When he first opened his eyes, he was already part of this circus. After learning about the world during that time, he realized… he had arrived in the world of Hunter x Hunter.
The classic anime he had loved so deeply in his past life.
At first, he hadn't thought much of it. Being reborn was a blessing, and as a transmigrator, he knew the storyline well.
But this world… was extremely dangerous.
Still, for ordinary people, living safely wasn't too hard.
Even as a circus member living a wandering life, using the knowledge from the "plot prophet" gave him a great advantage he could achieve far more than any common person.
All he needed to do now was… train diligently and strive to become a Hunter!
However, the sight before him deeply unsettled Haze. With Hisoka's arrival, forgotten memories resurfaced this circus wasn't some ordinary troupe. It was the perfect breeding ground for a perverted, insane mind like Hisoka's.
This storyline wasn't written by "the Old Thief" (Togashi). It was originally created by the author of Tokyo Ghoul in another life a side story centered around Hisoka, later acknowledged and supported by Togashi himself.
Since it wasn't part of the original manga, Haze hadn't taken it seriously.
But Hisoka's sudden appearance… meant something was very wrong.
"With him here…"
Haze's emotions were a mess.
The only comfort was that Hisoka didn't use Nen yet not as terrifying as he would later become.
"Haze, take care of him," the captain said, holding Hisoka in his arms.
"Yes," Haze (Haze) replied reluctantly, taking Hisoka and loading him into the wagon.
To everyone else, picking up a half-dead stranger on the road was just a small incident. After a few complaints, the convoy continued its journey.
"This circus… I remember now," Haze thought. "The leader is actually a Nen user a notorious serial killer across the Ubian continent. He eventually died at Hisoka's hands. Hisoka likely learned his tricks and false charm from Moritonio…"
Inside the carriage, Haze wiped Hisoka's bloodied body with a damp towel, his thoughts lingering on the leader.
"I thought this was a simple circus. If I saved enough money, I could leave one day… But now…" He narrowed his eyes. He remembered Moritonio taught every member how to cultivate Nen. Only one girl, Abaki, succeeded. The rest lacked talent.
A hint of unease stirred in Haze's chest. Could he even awaken Nen himself?
Nen was the key to true power only Nen users could step into the realm of Hunters.
His predecessor had joined the circus just months earlier around the same time as Hisoka.
A vagrant, picked up from the roadside… just like him.
So far, the leader hadn't shown any intent to teach him mental training techniques.
Hisoka…
A dangerous thought crossed Haze's mind as he glanced at the unconscious boy.
What if… I killed him now? Wouldn't that erase countless future problems?
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
"No, he's one of the main characters. If he dies, the plot collapses and my only advantage disappears. Besides, we're strangers. There's no reason to kill him."
Then
"Congratulations, Host, for officially interacting with a key plot character! Your path of growth has begun!"
"Please strive to become the supreme will of this world!"
"The Host template has been created. Auxiliary functions are now loading…"
A mechanical voice echoed in his mind, startling him.
A virtual screen materialized before his eyes, displaying a status panel his physical attributes, growth direction, and more.
"Eh?" His eyes widened with joy.
His personal stats allowed him to clearly gauge his strength.
But the most useful part was the system's assistance function, which detailed the best training methods and growth paths for his current state essentially, a personalized guide.
It was like having an online mentor.
For now, as an ordinary human, the system advised him to focus on physical training and combat experience. It even generated a complete practice schedule.
"Traditional Chinese martial arts, huh… The database seems to draw from my past life's knowledge," Haze realized.
He decided to trust the system after all, intelligent assistance was better than groping in the dark.
"Hm?"
A soft laugh pulled him out of his thoughts.
Looking down, Haze saw Hisoka lying there, awake. In those narrow eyes danced a dangerous, unpredictable light.
Haze froze, worried Hisoka might have seen the system panel but quickly relaxed when he noticed Hisoka's blank gaze. He couldn't see it.
"Isn't it rude to keep staring like that?" Hisoka said, voice tinged with amusement.
Haze realized the misunderstanding he'd been staring at the panel, but from Hisoka's view, it looked like he'd been silently staring at him the whole time.
"As the one who took care of you, shouldn't you at least say thank you?"
Under Hisoka's gaze, Haze calmed down and replied with the same quiet sarcasm.
"How exactly do you want me to thank you?"
Hisoka's lips curved into a faint smile, his eyes glinting with meaning.
"I'll remember this for now. We'll talk later."
Haze threw him the towel without pity.
"Since you're awake, clean yourself up."
Then he turned, ready to jump off the wagon.
Facing the troupe members outside, he said casually,
"I'll remind you all our circus isn't doing well. The leader picking up a stray from the road only adds more burden. If you want to stay in the troupe, you'd better get aHaze with him."
"You really are… heartless," Hisoka muttered softly as Haze walked away.
"Tch."
Haze clicked his tongue in annoyance. He already disliked Hisoka he could see faint traces of the future madman even now.
With that, he jumped off the carriage.
Inside, Hisoka propped himself up, wiping his body with the towel.
Then, with a hand under his chin, he peered out of the wagon his sharp eyes scanning the people outside one by one, as if sizing them up… memorizing them.
(End of Chapter 1)