Hunter x hunter: I’m interested in Nen abilities

Chapter 39: He Fooled Us

"Ging is your teacher?"

Haru quickly did the math. It was January 1995, four years before Ging's son Gon would take the Hunter Exam at age 12. That meant Ging himself was in his late twenties, maybe not even thirty yet.

But this guy? Looking at Allantril, he seemed closer to forty.

"Why, is there a problem?" Allantril asked, noticing Haru's curious look.

"No problem," Haru replied, "just that you seem older than Ging Freecss."

Allantril raised an eyebrow in surprise, studying Haru. "You know Ging?"

Haru shrugged. "I know him; he doesn't know me."

Allantril chuckled and nodded, while Menchi felt like Haru's words sounded oddly familiar.

"Let's keep moving," Allantril said, turning away. "By the way, since we're all part of the Association, you can just call me Allan."

Shizuku was about to press the Nen inscription marking the exit but stopped when she saw Allantril heading toward another direction.

The white fox doll leapt ahead, leading the way into a side chamber. It stood upright on its hind legs, raised a paw, and slapped a section of the stone wall. The wall shuddered before sliding open, revealing a two-meter-tall corridor. Allantril gestured. "This passage can only be opened by Little White."

"Where does it lead?" Shizuku asked curiously.

"Where else?" Haru smirked. "The amusement park, probably straight to the office."

Menchi shot him a look. "Your company's people insisted they didn't know anything about a tomb or ruins here…"

"They truly don't," Allantril replied simply.

Haru nodded, understanding. "The team managing the reserve, the amusement park division, and those overseeing this tomb belong to the same company but operate as completely separate departments, right?"

Allantril smiled faintly. "Exactly. Now, let's go."

Haru, Menchi, and Shizuku followed Allantril into the corridor. Behind them, the stone wall rumbled shut. The faint white figure of Little White followed closely behind. The fox doll swayed its tail as if it were a living creature, drawing Shizuku's fascinated gaze.

Haru absentmindedly petted the fox doll, deep in thought.

The name Naste Hui Guo Rou resembled the current King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's name too much to be a coincidence.

If his guesses were correct, Little White was once Naste Hui Guo Rou—a prince who lost in a brutal succession battle over two decades ago. His fusion with a parasitic Nen beast created during the succession ritual had turned into something monstrous. His hatred led to strange phenomena like this island's displacement from Kakin to its current location.

One possibility? Naste's rage-fueled Nen had moved the island.

Another? The Hui Guo Rou royal family, terrified by the residual malice, performed some kind of ritual or technique to exile the threat.

Space-altering Nen abilities were rare but not unheard of.

Knov's Hide and seek (Four-Dimensional Mansion) was one example, and teleportation-like abilities like "Indoor Fish" or "Teleportation" were also relatively common uses among emission-type Nen users.

But to relocate an entire island? That was on another level.

Still, knowing the Hui Guo Rou family's penchant for the bizarre, Haru couldn't entirely rule it out.

Yet what truly nagged at Haru wasn't the island or its ghostly prince but his own origins.

The body he'd inherited through his reincarnation—could it carry Hui Guo Rou blood? If so, could that explain the assassination attempts tied to his supposed adoptive mother?

But if Little White bore him no ill will, maybe he was overthinking it.

Little White suddenly looked up at him, its pale ghostly form flickering above the doll. Its empty eyes stared directly at Haru.

"What are you looking at?" Haru chuckled, ruffling the doll's fur.

Still, another possibility loomed: his adoptive mother might indeed have been a royal concubine or queen, but Haru's current body could lack Hui Guo Rou blood altogether.

Wasn't that plausible too?

If so, his adoptive mother must've lived a wild life.

Her actions might explain the relentless assassins.

Haru shook his head. None of this mattered. He was a reincarnator with no ties to this world's political mess. Once he was done here, he'd leave this continent for the more "story-dense" areas of the world map.

"What people don't realize," Allantril began, interrupting Haru's thoughts, "is that I should've been Ging's teacher."

Menchi stumbled, nearly tripping in surprise. Even Shizuku blinked in confusion.

"What?" Haru asked, snapping back to reality.

Allantril chuckled, then turned to Menchi and Haru. "When you earned your Hunter Licenses, the Association likely assigned a senior Hunter to teach you Nen. Correct?"

The corridor ended at an elevator. Allantril pressed a button, and the doors opened.

"Yeah," Menchi replied, stepping into the elevator. "I got mine last year, and soon after, a pro-Hunter came to teach me."

"And you, Haru?"

Haru smirked. "I didn't need a teacher. I'm naturally gifted."

Menchi rolled her eyes, while Haru grinned smugly.

The elevator ascended rapidly as Allantril continued, "In 1979—about 16 years ago—Ging Freecss passed the 267th Hunter Exam. At 12 years old, he was the only candidate that year to earn a license. And I was the one assigned to teach him Nen afterward."

"Twelve?" Menchi exclaimed.

Haru's thoughts wandered to the young Ging, wondering how he'd dealt with the infamous Tonpa and his poisoned drinks.

Shizuku asked, "Did you end up becoming his student because he learned too quickly?"

"Not exactly." Allantril laughed.

"No," Haru interjected. "You're saying Ging already knew Nen when you met him. And he was stronger than you."

Allantril sighed. "Exactly."

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened.

"Far stronger," Allantril admitted, stepping out into a spacious office.

The room was split between a work area with a desk and shelves, and a cozy living space with a sofa and kitchenette. The walls were mostly glass, providing a clear view of the amusement park below.

Morning had broken, and the park was empty except for a few cleaning staff and guards.

Little White immediately darted toward the sofa, where a small pile of toys lay scattered. It looked entirely at home.

"That doesn't make sense," Menchi said, turning from the glass view. "If Ging already knew Nen, why did the Association assign someone to teach him?"

Shizuku chimed in, "Probably because Ging didn't use Nen during the exam."

"Damn it," Haru muttered, smirking. "He fooled everyone."

Shizuku tilted her head, confused by his words.

"Even Chairman Netero said it himself—Ging is truly remarkable to have deceived even him," Allantril said.

Haru grinned. "If at 12 years old he could impress someone like you, that's no surprise."

"I wasn't much of a master back then," Allantril said humbly.

Menchi frowned, looking around. "What about the others who left before us? Where did the inscription send them?"

"Oh, right." Allantril walked over to his desk and pressed a button. Screens descended from the walls, flickering on to display security footage.

The cameras showed various angles of the amusement park's Ferris wheel, specifically the cabins marked with Nen inscriptions. Onscreen, Babimyna, Dago, and the others were visible.

Haru and Shizuku exchanged a look, then turned to glance out the glass windows, spotting the Ferris wheel in the distance.

(End of Chapter)