Both within the Hunter Association and outside, the cause of Pariston's death had been settled within half a day.
However, it is impossible for the members of Beyond's team to accept this explanation.
Odom and Pariston killed each other in mutual destruction?
What kind of joke was that?!
…
"It was done by the pro-Chairman faction, right?"
In a tatami-floored room with traditional Japanese decor, a group of people had gathered.
Most of them were Temp Hunters from the Hunter Association.
But they have another identity, that is, members of Beyond's team.
Temp Hunters have always been looked down upon, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are a bunch of useless weaklings.
But that didn't apply to this group.
How could anyone who dared to set out to explore the Dark Continent be a coward who was unwilling to take a high risk?
And how could the members who were recognized by someone like Beyond be a ragtag team of amateurs?
To be precise-
They hadn't become Pro Hunters first and then developed an interest in exploring the Dark Continent.
They had become Pro Hunters specifically to explore the Dark Continent.
For this long-held goal, each of them had honed specialized skills necessary to survive various unknown environments.
In addition to their refined techniques and abilities, they also possessed the unshakable resolve required to explore the Dark Continent.
Odom and Pariston had been crucial members of their team.
The sudden death of these two people was like a boulder crashing into a still lake.
First, there was shock, then unwillingness to accept.
"But...why did they have to kill Pariston and Odom?"
Inside the room, a man with a sushi chef headband around his forehead and a face like Popeye, had a puzzled look on his face.
Sitting cross-legged next to the man was a fat man with a bowl-cut haircut and freckles scattered across his nose.
Hearing the headband man's question, the freckled bowl-cut man frowned and said, "You haven't been paying attention to the incident where Chairman Netero was attacked by Nen Curse, have you? And it was a Nen Curse activated at the cost of the user's life."
"Huh? When did that happen?"
The headband man suddenly showed a look of surprise.
A Nen Curse wasn't something one encountered casually. It was as rare as a four-leaf clover.
Not to mention Post-Mortem Nen Curse-
Seeing the headband man's reaction, freckled bowl-cut guy shook his head. He didn't waste his energy to answer the question. Instead, he frowned and said:
"So... the person who killed Pariston and Odom… could they have assumed that we were behind the Nen Curse on Chairman Netero?"
"That's certainly a possibility."
A bespectacled man with neatly coiled, spiral-like hair lowered his head slightly and spoke in a measured tone:
"If we assume that's the case, then the perpetrator must have known about the relationship between Chairman Netero and Captain Beyond."
"What kind of prehistoric joke is this...? Just because of that connection, they jumped to the conclusion that we were responsible?"
"Wait... Even if the culprit was someone in the know, how does did they figure out Pariston's ties to Captain Beyond?"
"Yeah, how the hell did the culprit know?"
"Rather than the unsolved mystery, what I want to know is, what gave that bastard the right to pin this on us?"
"That's enough. Why are we even fixating on this?"
"I'm fixating on the truth, you idiot."
"Hey... Are you all out of your minds? Right now, we should be figuring out-"
The room descended into chaos, but soon, a soft, feminine voice cut through the noise.
"No matter how much you argue, the truth of this matter might no longer be relevant."
The female voice came from outside the sliding paper door, and the voice seemed to have magical power, as the noisy people in the room suddenly quiet down.
Click-
The paper door slid open, and the bottom slide rail hit the frame with a quiet tap.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a slim woman in a kimono walking in.
"Lord Beyond has already issued a challenge to Isaac Netero."
Facing everyone's gazes, the woman said calmly.
Hearing this, the room suddenly fell into deathly silence.
'Captain Beyond issued a challenge to Chairman Netero...'
They all knew exactly what that meant!
"Even so... I want to know the truth!"
The bespectacled man had a solemn expression on his face.
Just because their voyage was imminent, did that mean they could ignore the truth?
Could they just overlook Pariston and Odom's deaths?
The bespectacled man refused to accept that.
The opportunity to set sail for the Dark Continent is indeed precious, but that didn't mean they could abandon justice for Pariston and Odom.
"Whoever killed Pariston and Odom must pay the price!"
The bespectacled man looked extremely serious.
Everyone looked at the bespectacled man and remained silent for a moment.
…
The Hunter Association's exclusive hospital.
Without the erosion of the Post-Mortem Nen Curse, Netero's mind and body were recovering at an astonishing rate.
Judging by his progress, he wouldn't need the full three months, and just over a month would restore Netero to about 80% of his former strength.
Given the severity of the damage, it is basically impossible for him to return to his 100% state.
But even just 80% is already something to be happy about.
The good recovery progress made the atmosphere in the ward much more relaxed.
But with the arrival of a letter of challenge, the relaxed atmosphere suddenly disappeared.
"This surname..."
Cheadle' looked at the name of the challenger and a strange look flashed across her eyes.
Netero's eyes were calm and he remained silent.
Beside the bed, Beans fidgeted, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.
Cheadle noticed Beans's strange behavior and couldn't help but shot him a questioning look.
Facing the inquiring look from Cheadle, Beans hesitated before murmuring, "Beyond Netero is Chairman's son..."
"What?! Chairman has a son?!"
Cheadle was shocked when she heard this.
Beans nodded slowly.
Cheadle frowned, then turned her head to look at Netero on the bed, and asked in confusion: "Chairman... What is the meaning of this?"
"Oh? Isn't it written plainly in the letter of challenge?"
Netero's eyes crinkled with amusement.
Cheadle was slightly startled, then looked at the contents of the letter of challenge again.
The duel was set for forty days from now, which is almost perfectly timed to Netero's projected recovery.
The terms were simple: a fight to the death... or the lifting of a limitation.
'Limitation?'
'What limitation...?'
'But more importantly-'
'A son challenges his dad?'
'And it's a life-and-death battle!?'