Dolle Island, after disembarking...
Roy's group of three walked forward, stepping into the sunlight...
The young man's gaze turned towards the distant mountain peak, finding that tall fir tree. His nostrils flared, and he could faintly hear the sounds of some magical beasts.
'It should be the Kiriko....'
Gotoh followed behind Roy, scanning left and right, constantly protecting the young master's safety.
Kurajing was clearly not as professional as him, her pretty eyes darting all around....
Seeing Roy walk past the bus stop and plunge straight into the woods beside it, she hurriedly called out to him: "Young Master, you seem to have gone the wrong way."
"The way to Zaban City is over there!"
"We should be going to take the bus."
Kurajing pointed to the bus stop sign. The Bandaged man, the Snake charmer, the Boy with the bow, and others were standing under it, quietly waiting for the bus. Beside them was a guy dressed as a "tour guide," holding a small flag, looking honest and kind, introducing the route to everyone.
Roy glanced at him, feeling he looked a bit familiar. After thinking carefully, he recognized him, and the corner of his mouth turned up slightly.
Without looking back, he said: "If you want to take it, go ahead."
"Gotoh, let's go."
Kurajing:
She was momentarily embarrassed, left standing there, not knowing what to do.
Fortunately, the "tour guide" looked over, trotted a few steps, and blocked Roy's path. "She's right."
"The bus to Zaban City is about to leave. The express bus stop is over there"
"Who are you?" Gotoh stopped with Roy, pushed up the glasses on his nose, and eyed the man coldly.
The man put on a smiling face and said enthusiastically: "My name is Tonpa. Like you, I'm an examinee for the Hunter Exam."
"Please to meet you."
As he spoke, he extended his "friendly" little hand.
Roy looked at him with great interest. The legendary "Great Tonpa"... including the future exam with Gon and Killua, he had participated in the Hunter Exam thirty-five consecutive times, specializing in taking pleasure from misleading rookies. Who knows how many examinees he had sabotaged.
It was a miracle he was still alive and well!
Roy used [Doubt], seeing with one glance that he was just an ordinary person. Tonpa, for some reason, suddenly shivered. When he looked up again...
He saw the young man walk right past him, ignoring him and brushing his shoulder.
Tonpa:
A cross-shaped vein popped on his forehead. He squinted as he watched Roy leave with Gotoh... Kurajing grit her teeth, nodded at him, and lifted her foot to follow...
"Don't worry about them. I'll go take the bus with you." The bald ninja Yusuke slung an arm around Tonpa's shoulder, thinking this guy was decent. In a situation where everyone was a competitor, he was still willing to help others. He had a great conscience.
'Idiot, who the f*ck wants to take the bus with you. Wait until I've seen all of you off, then I'll settle the score with that guy.'
Tonpa watched Roy, Gotoh, and Kurajing disappear into the mountain forest, took a deep breath, and put on a smiling face again, walking arm-in-arm with Yusuke towards the bus stop.
"Zhi ga... zhi ga...," a strange man ambled past him, followed by... Kite, who pressed down the brim of his hat. After noticing Roy's action, he didn't hesitate, grabbed his katana, and followed.
"Hey... the mountains are full of ferocious beasts. You could run into danger easily. Why do you insist on taking the long way around? It's better to just take the bus," Tonpa turned and shouted.
The strange man and Kite didn't look back, treating his words as farts. They greased their soles and vanished in an instant...
'One... two... none of them take me seriously, huh... And that guy who spouts nonsense... Just wait until I get my chance!' Tonpa watched Illumi and Kite leave, marking them down in his little black book....
"Thump... thump... thump"—
The sky was blue, the clouds were white, the trees were green. Kurajing followed Roy through the mountain forest and saw a small town come into view.
Getting closer, standing at the town's entrance, she looked up and strangely discovered the entire town was deserted.
"Young Master, there's something strange about this town."
In the dilapidated town, as far as the eye could see, there was not a single person.
What met the eye were mottled walls, stone-slab roads overgrown with weeds, and broken windows that creaked "ga zhi" in the wind, looking ready to fall off at any moment.
It was gloomy and quite unsettling...—
Kurajing felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head. Ignoring Gotoh's glare, she quietly leaned closer to Roy...
Several savage veins visibly popped on Gotoh's forehead. He pushed her away and whispered in Roy's ear: "Young Master, someone is here."
Roy leaned on his cane sword, his expression blank.
He casually glanced at a certain corner...
On the airship emblazoned with the giant Hunter Association logo, Netero was eating chocolate cake, served by Beanman, and watching television. He noticed a gaze directed at the corner of the screen... chuckled, and turned to Zeno, who was standing at the window with his hands behind his back: "Your eldest has arrived. Aren't you going to watch?"
Zeno was unmoved, his eyes seemingly fixed only on the scenery.
Netero scooped some chocolate into his mouth, smacked his lips, and said: "He seems to have brought a little girlfriend..."
"Swish—"
A breeze passed, and Zeno flashed in front of the monitoring screen. He looked Kurajing up and down, earning a snicker from Netero. "Knowing how to date at such a young age. Zeno... your eldest needs to work on his self-control..."
Zeno opened his mouth, only managing two words: "Be... yond..."
Before the "yond" part could come out,
Netero immediately shut his mouth, looking defeated.
The strongest human in the world, acting like a child, resentfully watched the monitor screen.
In the desolate town...
Rustling sounds... suddenly, incomprehensible whispers came from all directions, seeping in from everywhere, muttering something mysteriously...
"Dagge... dagge..."
"A ton of iron and a ton of cotton, which one is heavier?"
"It's iron."
"Wrong, they're the same weight. Both are a ton."
"Who is older, the older brother or the younger brother?"
"The correct answer is unknown. Because they are twin brothers."
"Whoola"
A cold wind blew past...
Kurajing was startled by the sudden voices. Ignoring Gotoh's murderous glare, she grabbed Roy's arm, seeming to forget how she had been pushed away earlier...
"You are overstepping!" The young butler looked like he was about to explode.
Suddenly, Roy, leaning on his cane sword, thumped it on the ground: "Come out."
In the shadows, an old woman, whose teeth were almost all gone, with only two remaining exposed, suddenly met the young man's gaze. Her brows furrowed. She hadn't expected to be spotted with a single glance even while using Zetsu. Her cloudy, yellowish eyes lingered on the cane sword the young man held, recalling what that kid Maxim had said to her... 'Let him pass.'...—
With a tap of her cane, she walked out with the "children"...
"Dagge dagge." Suddenly, the street filled with the dense sound of footsteps, starting sparse and chaotic, then becoming dense and numerous. Kurajing's eyes widened as she looked...
Fifty or sixty children wearing white coats, masks, and hair dyed in various bright colors walked out, lining up to block their path.
'They don't look like normal humans!'
'They're more like... that concept the detestable butler drilled into her these past few days, called "Nen Beasts"!'