Fortunately, the Hunter Association had no shortage of weirdos.
Kite was long used to strange people, so he didn't press further. He simply asked,"Interested in joining the Hunter Association?"
The Association welcomed all, regardless of origin. Chairman Netero even tolerated dissenters.
They wouldn't care if someone's background was unknown.
"Does the Association provide cultivation resources?" Hiroshi asked calmly.
As he spoke, the glazed look in his eyes faded. Focus returned, and the cold, aloof pressure that had hung over him vanished.
He had exited First-Stage Gene Lock.
Then came the backlash.
A brutal tide surged through his body—organs cramping violently, muscles flaring with sharp pain.
Agony that would cause a normal person to pass out from sheer overload.
But Hiroshi's expression didn't so much as flinch.
He was used to this.
And yet…
With a thought, he drew all of his aura inward—none left exposed.
Zetsu.
—Cut off all aura flow to rapidly recover physical and mental energy.
"Just as I thought."
His eyes flickered with sharp insight.
With all aura retracted, a refreshing sensation flowed through him, easing the backlash.
"At this rate, I'll be fully recovered in three hours."
Back in the slice-of-life world, opening a single Gene Lock would leave him bedridden for a week.
That was the price of lacking supernatural reinforcement.
But once paired with a supernatural system like Nen, the backlash could be mitigated—and that meant more frequent lock activations.
Which meant faster evolution.
Across from him, Kite had no idea what was going on internally. He simply felt… that the danger had faded.
That suffocating, blade-against-your-back pressure was gone.
"He retracted his killing intent and aura…?" Kite speculated, finally breathing easier.
He had to admit, that aura had nearly overwhelmed him.
His instincts had screamed: run.
"The Association's more of a platform," Kite explained. "We teach Nen theory. If you want resources, you'll have to complete missions—for pay or contribution points."
He paused, glancing toward Neferpitou's mangled corpse.
"You just took down a Chimera Ant. A Royal Guard, at that."
"That alone is a massive contribution."
"If you hand her body over, you'll likely receive a generous reward."
Hiroshi nodded.
He had no use for the corpse.
The current timeline was still early in the Chimera Ant arc. The Association was desperate for samples to study.
"Gon, come here," Kite called.
Turning back to Hiroshi, he added,"That's my master's son. He's assisting me in investigating the Chimera Ants."
"You just fought one—the cat-type Ant you killed."
"They're a dangerous invasive species from the Dark Continent. Now that they've learned Nen… they're even worse."
Kite's expression darkened at the thought.
If not for Hiroshi, he'd be dead by now. Torn apart by that creature.
Hiroshi quietly listened, saying nothing.
Truthfully, Chimera Ants weren't that big a threat. A team of top-tier Nen users armed with high-powered weapons could wipe them out completely.
But of course, the lower levels of the world didn't know that.
Even in canon, Kite had been killed by Pitou—surviving only due to his unique Nen ability.
"Kite!"
Gon came bounding over with eager energy, waving.
He greeted Kite first, then turned to Hiroshi.
"I'm Gon Freecss. You can call me Gon! What's your name?"
"Aoki Hiroshi," he replied with a light smile.
He actually liked Gon.
Wait…
Suddenly, a strange sensation surged through him.
Something intangible had… changed.
It was something Hiroshi had always possessed. Something inherent, unchanging.
Yet now—after defeating Neferpitou—it had increased.
[Luck +1]
A new message flashed in his mind.
Just like the mysterious prompt he'd seen when first crossing worlds.
As if his soul was tethered to some higher dimension… receiving data. But his current level was too low to fully comprehend it.
"Luck?"
His expression stayed still, but inwardly, Hiroshi was stunned.
According to the lore of the Infinite Worlds System—
Gene Locks could only be awakened through great fortune.
"Those with strong Luck can trigger locks more easily—and endure the backlash."
"Those with weak fate? Opening a lock is a death sentence."
"Either they never find the chance… or they die trying."
His thoughts sharpened.
It appeared that crossing into new worlds—altering their stories—could "borrow" fortune.
Or perhaps… earn it.
"So that's it."
In that moment, Hiroshi understood the purpose of multiverse traversal.
And his heart burned with excitement.
"Normally, reaching Fourth-Stage Gene Lock is already legendary."
"But the Heart Demon trial is a nearly insurmountable wall."
"Still… if I can accumulate enough Luck… I might be able to awaken the Light of the Mind."
"Or even reach… Fifth-Stage: Sacred Throne!"
The thought alone thrilled him.
The Sacred Throne was a transcendent state—immortal, indestructible.
A being whose essence was engraved across the multiverse, whose avatar walked the world while the true self dwelled in higher dimensions.
Even if destroyed, it could be recreated instantly.
Its power? Beyond comprehension.
It could hurl planets like baseballs. A single strike rivaled a supernova.
Within the reach of its cone of light, all distance was irrelevant.
Its mass and energy… comparable to an entire single-body universe.
"Someday… I'll stand at that peak."
He exhaled slowly, calming his pulse. The time for that would come.
Right now, his priority was to develop his own, personal Nen ability.
All those thoughts passed in less than a second.
"Man, you're crazy strong, Hiroshi-oniichan!" Gon said excitedly."That Ant was terrifying—and you still beat her!"
"Plus, you only just awakened your aura!"
"Even Biscuit-sensei would call you a once-in-a-million genius!"
~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!