A Run-In with a Madman from the Start

A Run-In with a Madman from the Start

"Moritonio, let's go!"

"We still have a performance to prepare for."

"He... seems to still be breathing..."

In the north of the Yorbian Continent, northeast of Yorknew, on the road leading to Glam Galans, the City of Pleasure.

A bloodied boy lying on the ground brought the Circus caravan to a stop.

Neo, the troupe leader, crouched down and ignored his members' attempts to stop him as he approached the boy to check his condition. "Kid... can you still speak?"

"There's still some distance to Glam Galans. I heard the area around here is pretty chaotic too. Could this kid have been attacked by bandits or mountain brigands?"

"..."

In response to the old man's question, the boy lying in the pool of blood twitched a finger.

Seeing that, the troupe leader softly said, "My name is Moritonio, a traveling performer... What about you?"

The red-haired boy in the blood stiffly turned his neck, revealing a sharply defined face with somewhat bewitching features. In a voice too quiet to hear clearly, he murmured, "Hi... soka..."

"Hisoka, I understand."

The troupe leader nodded and reached out to pick up the injured boy.

The members inside the caravan were all dissatisfied with the leader's decision... Some even looked at Hisoka with open hostility.

Only... one person was an exception.

He was a boy who looked about the same age as Hisoka, with a short black crew cut and scattered freckles across his cheeks... He stared at Hisoka in the leader's arms with terrified eyes, as though he had seen some venomous beast.

"It's actually him!"

Qin Feng's throat bobbed involuntarily as the scene before him caused memories to flood into his mind like a tide.

Qin Feng had been his name in his previous life. In this life, he was called Oboro.

He was a transmigrator...

He had only arrived in this body less than half a month ago.

The moment he opened his eyes, he had already been in this Circus... And after learning more over the past few days, he had realized... he had come to the world of Hunter x Hunter!

A classic anime he had loved deeply in his previous life.

Still, he had not thought too much about it. Being reborn was a good thing, after all... Besides, as a transmigrator, he was extremely familiar with the plot of Hunter x Hunter.

This world was incredibly dangerous!

But for ordinary people, living out a peaceful life was not all that difficult.

Although he was currently only a member of a Circus, living a wandering life, he could at least use his foreknowledge of the plot to achieve more than ordinary people in the future.

What he needed to do now was... train hard and become a Hunter as soon as possible!

Yet the unforeseen scene before him made Oboro uncomfortable. With Hisoka's arrival, sealed memories had also been unlocked... The Circus he belonged to was no ordinary group of entertainers! Nor were they a common band of artists... They were... the breeding ground that had created Hisoka, that pervert and madman.

This story had not come from that old thief's pen. It had been specially drawn for Hisoka by the author of another highly famous anime from his previous life, Tokyo Ghoul... and had also received the old thief Yoshihiro Togashi's stamp of approval and recognition.

Since this part of the plot did not belong to the original Hunter x Hunter manga, Qin Feng had never paid it much attention.

But now... Hisoka's appearance made him realize that the problem was a little serious!

"To think I'd end up with him..."

Oboro's emotions were a tangled mess.

The only comforting thing... was that Hisoka was not yet a Nen user.

He was nowhere near as terrifying as he would become later! "Oboro, take care of him for a while."

As if fate were mocking him, the troupe leader carried Hisoka over and gave him the order.

"Yes."

Though unwilling, Oboro could only comply.

He took Hisoka and carried him into the carriage.

Picking someone up off the roadside... was merely a minor interruption to everyone else. At most, they argued with the troupe leader for a few words before the caravan continued toward its destination.

"This Circus... If I remember correctly... the troupe leader seems to be a Nen user too, and a serial killer famous across the Yorbian Continent. He was ultimately killed by Hisoka. Hisoka's Nen ability, Texture Surprise, was also something he learned from Moritonio..."

Inside the carriage, Oboro dipped a towel in water, removed Hisoka's bloodstained clothes, and began wiping down his body.

But his thoughts were focused on the troupe leader...

I originally thought it was just an ordinary Circus. Once I had saved enough money and built up a foundation, I could find an excuse to leave... Who would have thought... Oboro narrowed his eyes. As he remembered, the troupe leader seemed to teach every member how to cultivate Nen. Unfortunately, only one girl, Abachi, managed to learn it. The others lacked the talent.

Oboro felt a little uneasy... He did not know whether he himself would be able to learn Nen.

Nen was the key measure of whether a Hunter was powerful or not!

Only by becoming a Nen user could one truly be said to have crossed the threshold into the world of Hunters.

The previous owner of this body had only joined the Circus a few months ago, not much earlier than Hisoka.

He had been a drifter, picked up by the troupe, and his circumstances had been much the same as Hisoka's.

So far, the troupe leader had shown no intention of teaching him Nen...

Hisoka...

At that thought, Oboro lowered his head and looked at the unconscious boy beside him, an evil thought flashing through his heart.

If... if I killed Hisoka now, would that mean the famous fruit farmer would leave the stage early? Then there wouldn't be so much trouble later, would there?...

He quickly rejected the idea.

No. This guy is one of the protagonists. If he dies, the plotline will become chaotic and change. Then I'll lose my only advantage... Besides, we're strangers right now. There's neither reason nor need to kill him.

'Congratulations, Host. You have officially come into contact with a plot character. Your path of growth has begun!'

'Please strive to become the supreme will of this world!'

'Host template has been created. Auxiliary functions are loading...'

A mechanical voice suddenly rang out in Oboro's mind, making him freeze.

A virtual screen then materialized before his eyes.

It displayed a data panel.

It contained his personal physical attributes, along with directions for growth.

"Huh?" Oboro's expression lit up with delight.

Personal stats merely gave him a clear understanding of his own strength.

But the truly useful part was the system's auxiliary functions.

It provided detailed introductions and recommendations for training methods, techniques, and growth paths best suited to his current condition.

That would allow him to avoid many unnecessary detours.

It was a bit like having an online mentor.

For example... he was currently an ordinary person. The first thing he needed to do was strengthen his body, train his martial arts, and gain practical combat experience. The system had conveniently listed a training plan, along with methods he could practice.

"Most of these are Chinese Martial Arts... Is this system's database based on the knowledge stored from my previous life's experiences...?"

Oboro quickly realized that.

He chose to trust the data! After all, having an intelligent assistant was better than blindly feeling his way across the river alone.

"Heh."

At that moment, a laugh startled Oboro awake.

Looking down, he discovered that Hisoka, who had been lying in the carriage, had opened his eyes at some point. An unreadable gleam flickered within his narrow eyes.

The reason Oboro was startled was that he feared Hisoka had seen his system screen... But that concern was quickly dismissed when he realized Hisoka did not seem able to see the panel.

"You've been staring at me this whole time... Isn't that a little rude?"

Hisoka smiled without smiling, his tone carrying a trace of teasing amusement.

Oboro came to his senses and understood that the other boy had misunderstood... Because of the angle of his gaze, he had actually been looking at the system panel. But from Hisoka's perspective, ever since he woke up... this black-haired boy about his own age had been staring at him without saying a word.

"As the benefactor taking care of you... shouldn't you thank me first?"

Under Hisoka's gaze, Oboro steadied himself and returned the sarcasm in kind.

"How would you like me to thank you?"

Hisoka's lips curved upward, and the intent in his eyes beneath his bangs was unclear.

"I'll put this favor on your tab for now. I'll tell you when I think of something."

After saying that, Oboro mercilessly tossed the towel onto him. "Since you're awake, wipe yourself down..."

With that, he turned and prepared to jump out of the carriage.

Glancing at the people outside the carriage from the corner of his eye, he said flatly, "A word of advice. This Circus isn't doing well. To them, the troupe leader casually picking up another Wild Dog from the roadside only adds to the burden on the troupe... If you want to stay here, try to get along with them."

"You really are... heartless..."

Seeing Oboro abandon him the moment he said he would, Hisoka let out a soft sigh.

"Tch!"

Oboro clicked his tongue. Sure enough, he simply could not get along with someone like Hisoka... Nor did he have any favorable impression of him...

At such a young age, he already showed traces of the pervert he would become.

Then Oboro jumped out of the carriage.

Hisoka forced himself up with one arm and used the damp towel to clean himself.

Then, propping his chin up with one hand, he looked through the carriage door and swept his eyes over every member of the troupe, as if assessing them, observing them, or perhaps gathering something...