Author's Note:
I've decided to rewrite the earlier chapters that were made with AI assistance. I realized I'm more capable as a writer than I initially thought, and I want to tell this story in my own voice. It'll be a gradual process since I'll still be releasing new chapters, but I'll continue striving to deliver high-quality HxH content. And some new feedback would be appreciated, amigos
Peace out.
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While Tsubone and Illumi were busy with training, Jons continued taking care of Serik. He watered the plants, made space in case the forest grew further, and occasionally sat beside Serik in his signature rocking chair, keeping him company. He did this every day, for weeks.
However, something strange began happening along the forest's outer periphery. The plants there started to wilt. At the beginning of the week it was difficult to notice, but by the end it was unmistakable. The situation confused Jons. He had an idea of what might be happening, but he could not be sure, so he called Tsubone over.
Within five minutes, Tsubone arrived together with Illumi. Seeing her, Jons skipped all pleasantries and explained the situation.
Tsubone immediately began studying the plants and soon voiced her hypothesis.
"I believe his Nen must have been leaking into the ground. That's why this forest emerged. But now… he may be recalling his Nen back. That would explain why the forest is drying up."
Jons nodded. "What if we give him more nutrients? Would that speed up his awakening?"
At first, Tsubone shook her head. "We don't know what kind of nutrients he needs. Maybe Nen. Or, like a plant, water and sunlight. Or special soil. I don't know."
"Why not try all of them?" Jons replied calmly. "We can buy the best soil available. I'll open a channel from a nearby river, lake, or water pipe. And if you bring me strong poisons, I can even provide the Nen."
At first, Tsubone looked amused, thinking Jons was simply trying to do something—anything—so he wouldn't feel helpless. Then she remembered who she was talking to.
This might actually work.
While they were talking, Illumi examined the dying plants. He poked and tugged at them until his curiosity was satisfied, then pulled one free from the ground. The root, which should have been only a few centimeters long, stretched out—at least a meter.
Illumi pulled harder. More root emerged.
Eventually, he decided to cut it. He sharpened his hand and sliced cleanly through the root.
Swish.
The section of root still connected to the flower immediately turned black. The severed portion, however, did not die. After a few seconds, it suddenly jumped toward the plant, as if trying to reconnect.
Illumi dropped the flower and backed away.
The root did not pursue him. It simply reattached itself, then burrowed back into the ground.
Neither Jons nor Tsubone missed this.
An intelligent forest.
The thought crossed both their minds simultaneously—and it was terrifying.
They wasted no more time.
Tsubone grabbed Illumi and transformed into a vehicle, racing off to acquire poisons and nutrient-rich soil. Jons immediately went to work, running north toward a massive lake he remembered, just a kilometer away from the house.
He began digging a waterway toward Serik's forest. The channel was two meters wide and one and a half meters deep. He started at the point closest to the forest.
What was surprising was that he didn't use a shovel.
Instead, two enormous Nen-formed hands appeared, each as large as Jons himself. Working together with his own hands, he began digging.
Tsubone did not fare as smoothly.
They traveled to Swandani City, the closest urban center. Finding nutrient-rich soil was easy—several stores sold it in bulk. To be safe, Tsubone purchased ten thousand bags, totaling one hundred pallets, scheduled to be delivered daily at noon over the next three days.
The store manager was horrified. He protested tearfully, explaining that he had other customers and deliveries. Tsubone kicked him aside and told him to provide at least a thousand bags immediately and find the rest elsewhere.
The manager became ecstatic. He promised to personally oversee the delivery and rushed off to prepare the order.
Poisons, however, were far more difficult to obtain.
Tsubone first tried the black market. She found some decent options—various plant- and animal-based toxins—but nothing strong enough to satisfy her. After failing to secure anything worthwhile at the auction house, she turned her attention to amateur Hunters.
Swandani City was known as the headquarters of the Hunter Association, but what few people realized was that the Association could not handle most of the jobs it received. The lack of manpower was severe, so many contracts were outsourced to amateur Hunters who set up shop throughout the city.
They were not to be underestimated.
Though not professional Hunters, they were experienced—experienced enough to handle dangerous contracts. The number of amateurs was staggering, reaching over two thousand in this single city alone, more than four times the number of professional Hunters in the Association.
Tsubone went hunting.
She visited shop after shop, but nothing stood out. Everything was too weak. Too crude.
Finally, one shop owner spoke up. "If you want the best poisons, you should either go to Jappon… or seek out Gel. A Zodiac-level poison expert."
Tsubone considered this. Then she posted a job request: one hundred million for a week's work, seeking a poison specialist.
She didn't care about the cost. Jons would be paying.
For someone like Gel—handpicked by Isaac Netero himself, widely regarded as the strongest Nen user alive—this was the bare minimum.
After doing all they could, Tsubone and Illumi headed back.
At that same moment, Jons reached the river. Only five meters remained.
If one were to look down from above at the channel Jons had opened, it would immediately be clear that no tools had been used. The earth along its sides was unevenly displaced, piled in irregular mounds rather than clean rows, as if two massive hands had reached down and torn the ground apart.
Jons himself, of course, did not have a speck of dirt on him. He looked as pristine as he had before he began digging, as if the soil had consciously chosen to avoid him.
Rush.
The final five meters were completed in a minute. The water wasted no time, surging forward and flowing toward the forest.
Seeing his work finished, Jons ran back toward the house as fast as he could.
One minute after he arrived, Tsubone and Illumi returned as well.
Tsubone spoke first. "The soil will arrive soon. We couldn't find any truly strong poisons—only decent ones. I placed a request with the Hunter Association. Hopefully, someone responds quickly."
Jons nodded.
"Excellent work," Jons said. "I've finished the channel. Let's do what we can in the meantime. Give me the bottles."
Tsubone handed over everything she had: twenty bottles, each containing 250 milliliters of poison.
Illumi watched for a moment, then turned away. There was nothing more he could do. Neither Jons nor Tsubone stopped him.
Jons walked to where Serik lay and sat cross-legged beside him. He steadied his breathing and calmed his mind. Then, one by one, he drank the poisons.
30 minutes later, every bottle was empty.
Jons did not look fine.
His skin shifted from pale white to deep purple, the color darkening as time passed—clear evidence of the sheer amount of poison coursing through him. An hour later, he raised his hand above Serik's head, extending only his pinky finger.
The purple hue withdrew from the rest of his body, flowing toward that finger. His skin returned to normal, but his pinky turned nearly black.
How wonderful, too bad the price is too heavy or he would be one of the strongest.
Slowly, even the blackness faded. A single green droplet formed at the tip of Jons's pinky.
Even someone without Nen could feel the life energy within it—so dense, so overwhelming was its presence.
Maestro of life and death.