Ging Freecss's Curiosity

Doesn't Long want to join the Zodiacs?

No, of course he wanted to.

But not now...

Once they become one of the Zodiacs, they can use their administrative power to do many things.

It can reach some official levels.

The Fills Family is currently making plans, which may take a long time to show results.

A complex network of connections alone is not enough; as the leader of the Fills Family, Oboro's personal influence must also be increased.

What he wants is not just the Zodiacs, but even... the position of chairman.

The increase in his status and position will allow him to act more freely in the future... without being bound by V5.

To put it bluntly, it's all about power.

Putting down her phone, Menchi glanced over. She had overheard Oboro's conversation with the president... She was a little shocked that Oboro had the opportunity to join the Zodiacs, but she understood.

Although Oboro had only completed two missions in the few years since he joined the Association, his reputation had truly spread to every Hunter x Hunter in the Association, given his abilities.

Why did you refuse?

Menchi couldn't help but ask.

Their mission this time is to protect a very important museum, because news has come that a powerful gang is preparing to sabotage it.

This opened the curtain on a power grab by the country's top brass... involving the regime.

Of course, none of this concerns them; their only responsibility is to prevent the venue from being damaged.

Long selects tasks, but doesn't initially choose those with stars in the profession; suitable difficulty is rare and requires waiting.

Oboro was unwilling to wait...

For now, the focus is on developing the skills of a few teammates.

Fortunately, completing the task adds something to one's resume, though it doesn't necessarily translate into professional credit.

So far, with Oboro around, the mission is progressing smoothly.

"The fact that the chairman called me means the time isn't right yet... Otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn't have bothered to notify me and would have just made the decision directly." Long stood on the museum's rooftop, watching the surrounding movements as she spoke softly.

"Um?"

Menchi looked puzzled.

"I'm definitely not the only candidate for the Zodiacs ... If I'm not mistaken, Kanzai must be among them. Compared to him, my advantages are not obvious. If I join the Zodiacs, I will definitely be met with hostility from others, which will affect the cooperative atmosphere of the Zodiacs."

Long continued, "Of course, none of these are the most important things. The president and I don't care much about them... But once the news gets out, people from the Specialist Division and some people with factional stances will definitely jump out. Even if I can pretend to be nonchalant, I will still be 'pointed at by everyone' and my situation within the Association will become extremely bad. I might even become universally disliked."

Menchi seemed to understand but not quite, "Since you don't care... why are you worried about these things?"

Having known each other for a while, she has come to understand Long's personality to some extent; he doesn't care about other people's opinions.

Are you familiar with Pariston?

Long smiled slightly.

"I've seen it..."

Menchi.

"I guess... he'll choose me."

"Do you have a bad relationship with him?"

Menchi was taken aback, realizing that there was something more to Long's words.

"His aura disgusts me... If this meeting were a vote, I would most likely win by a large margin among the current Zodiacs, thanks in no small part to Pariston's methods. Once I successfully become the Tiger, my position within the Association will become unfavorable. No matter how high my future achievements are, it will be difficult to change the 'established impression' that I got the position through back channels. The position of Zodiacs is just a small piece of cake. Once I've taken it... I won't be able to gather my own people and factions within the Association, and I won't be able to win people's hearts."

Long's words sent a chill down Menchi's spine.

"Unable to go any further, he may end up stuck at the Zodiacs level in the Association for the rest of his life... still just a 'nominal name'."

"The guild leader is just using this incident as a warm-up... as a shield, so that... when the opportunity comes next time, the other Zodiacs won't say anything. And by then, with my star level increased and abundant mission achievements, the situation will be different."

"This is a delicious trap... Do you understand?"

Long looked at the woman, raising his eyebrows.

The chill in Menchi's heart came from two sources: Pariston and the Lonely figure before him.

Judging from Oboro's seemingly serious statement, he appeared to have foreseen the situation at the Association headquarters, as if he had some kind of premonition. Moreover, his exchange with Netero was brief, revealing only a few words... How did Oboro deduce the whole story?

Pariston! The thought of him darkened Long's expression.

We must be wary! He's too perceptive... He actually deduced from his gangster background that he was different from Ging Freecss and had designs on the Association's power.

Because... the Association is the next Fills Family!

Through Oboro's journey of growth, Pariston saw through his plan.

"Find an opportunity to kill this man."

Long thought to himself.

Menchi regained her composure and glanced at Long again.

Sure enough, those who can reach that level are all superhuman beings.

Only monsters are qualified to engage in a battle of wits, including using their intellect.

If it were her, she would probably have already fallen into Pariston's trap and was even counting money for him... She might even be thanking the vice president for his vote.

"But... once the Zodiacs are determined, they won't be easily replaced unless something unexpected happens. When will we have another chance?" Menchi pondered for a moment.

"It doesn't matter... I don't care if I don't work for a few years. All I care about is the result, not the process."

Lonely replied.

Several years?

Menchi frowned.

Why does it seem like Long is quite certain that the Zodiacs will undergo a change in a few years?...

Time passed slowly, and nearly a year later, Long had been leading his team of five to frantically complete missions to earn merit points... They would take on missions with stars if they had them, and choose missions that matched their skills if they didn't.

To outsiders, Long and his friends are complete workaholics.

However, thanks to his dedication, the number of commissions entrusted to the Association surged this year, and the reputation and word-of-mouth of the Association headquarters also became excellent.

This is something that everyone can see.

Most importantly, Menchi and the others have undergone a transformation in their abilities.

With such high-intensity missions, plus the guidance and leadership of a great captain like Oboro, it would be difficult for them not to 'level up'.

As a result, Oboro and Menchi were promoted to One-Star Hunter.

Afterwards, Oboro temporarily disbanded the team, sending the five members on individual missions to develop their independence... and to find teammates who could help each other through the Association's internal platform.

As for what Long needs to do next, it's just a matter of improving her professional scores...

With his qualifications, he could be promoted to two stars, but his achievements in his professional field are still lacking.

Another aspect is helping newcomers or Specialist Division in the Association grow, complete tasks, and earn "good guy" status.

It's important to understand that the Hunter Association is also a complex and interpersonal relationship system; sometimes, having strength alone is not enough.

The Ging Freecss has already illustrated the problem very well.

Some of the Nen user trained by the Fills Family were sent to Hero Island, while others passed the Hunter Exam and joined the Association.

These are all obscure layouts.

These two points alone are not enough; another crucial task is hunting Magical Beasts.

Oboro tried it, and killing Magical Beasts does indeed drop souls and black mist, but the drop rate is not as high as that of Nen user... and the improvement is not too obvious.

But with such a large quantity, it's definitely an untapped treasure trove.

Preliminary estimates suggest that it will take about a year to complete these three tasks.

Once he had set his goal, he got busy again...

Meanwhile, the eastern coastline of the Republic of Padokea borders the sea.

On a beach stood a scruffy, unkempt man...

In the distance, a large number of Mafia had brazenly sealed off a restricted area in broad daylight.

Everyone was armed and looked menacing.

One by one, gang leaders stepped out of luxury cars and, surrounded by their subordinates, boarded the luxurious ferries docked at the sea.

"I never imagined... that someone could create such a realistic Game World. Amazing."

As the sea breeze caressed his face, Ging Freecss sighed, adjusted his hat, and smiled.

He received a piece of news by chance.

A game called 'Hero Island' is being offered under the guise of 'internal testing' and is open to underground forces from Six Continents.

Those qualified to enter must have a triad background.

So he decided to sneak in and take a look.

He was curious... what was different about this so-called Hero Island compared to his Greed Island.

As for this game, it is clearly related to the underworld. The fact that it can generate this kind of hype... suggests that it must be someone like the Ten Dons.

The reason for initially classifying players as gangsters is that they are all on our side, so there won't be any problems.

And Ging Freecss knows who the creator behind the game is.

Hazy.

Apart from this person, the other members of the Ten Dons, even if they joined forces, could not do it.

As for Oboro, Jin hadn't met him yet, even though he had joined the Association a long time ago. But he hadn't been back much in recent years, and Oboro hadn't appeared in the Association much either... so they hadn't run into each other.

These are not the main reasons...

The real reason is that Kim isn't used to getting too close to other people, especially when it comes to building feelings and relationships.

Out of curiosity, he wanted to experience Hero Island.

He had long heard of Oboro's great reputation...

He knew the chairman well; the fact that the old man was paying so much attention to him meant that Long was no ordinary person.

After thinking it over, he stepped closer to the gang members.

A few hours later, the ship slowly sailed away from the port, and Kim, disguised as a Mafia, wandered around the cabin.

Upon arriving at the designated sea area, he discovered that the gang leaders hadn't disembarked; instead, Nen user from various families had boarded yachts one after another...

Kim analyzed some of the conversation content.

Like his Greed Island, participants must be Nen user ...

The game is played more like a gambling game, and there are also rules about the number of people in each family; each family must consist of five people.

Games can replace many gangsters' entertainment methods and are a better form of leisure.

The gang leaders gathered here only needed to wait for news of whether their subordinates had won or lost.

This transfer also led Jin to speculate that... the game's entry method, or rather its structural capabilities and rules, were not as advanced and complete as Greed Island, and were not complicated.

But he was still looking forward to it...

Then he disembarked from the ship...

As the distance closed, he had already determined the location of Hero Island.

After all, there are only two small islands in this sea area.

After a while, he rode the stolen inflatable raft past a small sea base station and witnessed the gangsters' Nen user being teleported away in a streak of light.

"So this is how you enter the game... not bad."

He gave a compliment.

They planned to pass by the base station and then illegally cross the border to reach the island.

Unfortunately, he didn't have access to the beta testing.

However, as the horizon in the distance began to reveal the outline of the islands and they arrived at the nearshore area, Jin suddenly stopped.

"This is troublesome... In that case, we'll have no choice but to force our way in..."

A large number of seagulls circled in the sky, and it seemed that even the fish in the water had increased in number.

These are not ordinary creatures, but are controlled by some kind of Nen.

It is obvious that these are constructed game barriers.

The number is staggering.

Note:... These Nen were specifically developed for the game, and there are quite a few people using them.

There were almost no blind spots... If he continued forward, he would definitely trigger an 'alarm'.

In addition to these "organizations" outside the island, there should also be corresponding precautions on the mainland.

"Well..."

Jin scratched his head.

He could exploit the loopholes in his Nen, but... given the meticulous defenses, the island must also be equipped with a large number of high-tech devices and personnel, which would be difficult for him to deal with.

Gangs have no shortage of money, people, weapons, and technological products.

The different entry method compared to Greed Island means that the game created by Oboro will be more impregnable in terms of 'defense,' leaving no chance for smuggling in at all.

These were measures that Jin could have foreseen. He had learned about Long from the sidelines, so there must be... more unexpected measures to come.

"Forget it, since it's a closed beta, the open beta probably won't be long... let's wait a bit longer."

After a moment's hesitation, Jin let out a soft sigh.

His figure looked somewhat forlorn as he slowly rowed away alone in his small boat.

What a wasted trip.

Then, not long after returning to port, sure enough... he encountered a gang's maritime patrol team.

This is a private sea area, which has been bought by the Fills Family and is not open to the public.

"This is... a bit troublesome."

Jin's lips twitched.

Keep writing.