By the time I turned four, my daily routine had already become a quiet habit.
Morning movement.
Observation during the day.
Questions whenever an opportunity appeared.
It didn't look like training to most people. To them it was simply a child playing outside, climbing trees, balancing on logs, or hanging from low branches. But every movement had a purpose.
Flexibility first.
Then balance.
Then control.
Only after those foundations felt natural did I begin increasing the intensity.
More repetitions.
Longer runs through the forest paths.
Climbing higher branches.
My body responded quickly. Children adapted faster than adults, and the constant activity of the settlement meant no one questioned it. Many of the other children were active anyway.
But while my body trained, my mind focused on something else entirely.
Information.
If my memories of Hunter × Hunter were correct, the Kurta clan massacre happened before the main story began. Kurapika, the lone survivor, had been around twelve at the time.
Which meant if he hadn't been born yet…
The timeline might still be far away from that event.
But I needed confirmation.
And the only way to confirm it was by learning more about the outside world.
The opportunity arrived one evening while Dad was preparing to leave the settlement.
Travel wasn't common here, but sometimes the clan traded with nearby towns. Usually it involved exchanging carved tools, medicinal herbs, or animal pelts for things the forest couldn't provide.
That evening Dad packed several items into a leather bag near the door.
I watched him carefully.
(Dad)
He glanced up.
(Yes?)
I hesitated slightly before speaking again.
(Where are you going?)
(A trade town near the southern road.) he replied. (I'll be back in a few days.)
A road.
That meant more than just a small village.
It meant travel routes.
Civilization.
My curiosity immediately sharpened.
(Are there many people there?)
He shrugged while tying the bag closed.
(More than here. Traders, guards, travelers.)
Mom glanced over from the hearth.
(Why so many questions today?)
I thought for a moment before answering.
(I want to know what the world is like.)
Dad chuckled quietly.
(The world is big, Kaelo. You'll see it someday.)
That wasn't enough.
I needed something more specific.
My mind searched through memories of the story again.
Hunters.
Licenses.
Heaven's Arena.
Famous fighters.
Even rumors could help.
(Do people fight there?)
Dad paused slightly.
(Fight?)
I nodded.
(Like… strong fighters.)
He leaned against the table, thinking.
(Yes. Some towns have arenas where people compete. Others hire fighters as guards.)
Arenas.
That detail again.
Another small confirmation.
My excitement stayed hidden, but internally the puzzle pieces continued locking together.
This world was starting to resemble the one I remembered more and more.
But there was still one problem.
Knowledge.
Most of what I knew came from fragments of memory. If I wanted to confirm the timeline properly, I needed information from this world itself.
Which meant learning to read.
I looked back at Dad.
(Can you bring me something?)
He raised an eyebrow.
(What kind of thing?)
(Books.)
Both of my parents stared at me.
Mom laughed softly.
(Books?)
(Yes.)
Dad crossed his arms.
(You can barely read yet.)
(Then I'll learn.)
Mom shook her head with a small smile.
(Where did you even get that idea?)
I pointed toward the wooden board near the shelf.
Dad sometimes used it to record trade numbers or messages for the elders.
(Those symbols… I want to understand them.)
For a moment the two of them exchanged a look.
Then Dad sighed.
(You really are a strange kid.)
But there was amusement in his voice.
(Fine. If I find something simple, I'll bring it back.)
That was all I needed.
Books meant information.
Information meant answers.
And answers meant preparation.
A year passed.
By the time I turned five, several things had changed.
My training had evolved.
What started as simple stretching and balance exercises had slowly grown into a more structured routine.
Morning flexibility work remained the same.
But now I added controlled strength training.
Push-ups.
Squats.
Hanging exercises from tree branches.
Nothing extreme. Just steady progress.
I also adjusted my diet whenever possible.
Protein from hunted animals.
Vegetables and herbs Mom prepared.
Plenty of water.
Not a perfect system, but enough to support growth.
Dad noticed the difference.
One morning he watched me doing push-ups near the cabin.
(You're training seriously now.)
I finished the set before standing.
(I want to get stronger.)
He nodded slowly.
(Strength is useful. But don't forget balance and control.)
I smiled slightly.
(I started with those.)
He chuckled.
(Good.)
Meanwhile, the books he had promised finally arrived.
They weren't large or complicated.
Simple learning texts.
Basic reading.
Basic writing.
But to me they were priceless.
Every evening I sat beside the hearth slowly studying the symbols of this world.
Learning the writing system.
Learning new words.
Learning how the outside world was described.
And with every page I read, one thing became clearer.
The world beyond the forest was far larger than the clan believed.
Trade routes.
Cities.
Mercenaries.
Arenas.
Travelers.
Everything matched the fragments of memory I carried from my previous life.
Which meant my earlier conclusion was becoming more certain.
This was the Hunter × Hunter world.
And somewhere out there—
Far beyond the forest—
Nen existed.
The real training would begin when I found it.
But until then…
I would keep building the foundations.