An Outlier Among Special Species

As Kite ventured deeper into the Chimera Ant's territory, she discovered a fact.

That is, the ants' territory is extremely large, but in the outermost areas, there are very few signs of ant activity... In other words, all the Hunter x Hunter teams that come to investigate will unknowingly enter the core of the ant colony, mistakenly believing they have arrived at the edge of the ant hunting grounds... In reality, it is because of the actions of Oboro and his team that some situation has occurred, forcing the ants to shrink their activity area and adopt a defensive posture.

This is so shocking...

He instilled fear in the entire ant colony with his own power.

"Nen based on the soul..."

Kite then thought of the information that Ging Freecss had mentioned.

This ability... let alone ants, even fellow Nen user would find it difficult to defend against.

The Soul system has its own unique characteristics, which is naturally proportional to the difficulty of its development.

However, perseverance pays off. Kite began to follow the clues and found the ant team that went out hunting.

He analyzed that even if the Chimera Ant acted cautiously, they could not possibly cut off their food source.

"There are twenty in total... I'll take care of the ones in the middle. You two clear out the ones on the left and right. Be quick, because the Chimera Ant can transmit signals to each other... which we can't detect." The three of them activated their 'Absolute' state and hid under a shady tree. After Kite gave them a few instructions, they suddenly sprang into action.

Killua and Gon followed, charging towards the ant from different directions.

The twenty-odd Chimera Ant posed no threat to the trio...

Compared to the two kids, Kite didn't use Nen, relying solely on his hands and feet to attack. However, his movements were extremely sharp and graceful... punches, bends, knees, and sweeps—almost every strike that hit the Chimera Ant was fatal, causing it to fall to the ground instantly.

In contrast Killua and Gon each unleashed their Nen, with Killua's hands crackling with electricity... as fast as lightning.

Gon's fist was filled with Nen power.

The two little guys looked formidable, but they were much slower than Kite in taking down enemies.

Gon almost let an ant fly away; if Kite hadn't intervened in time, it might have attracted even more ants from the vicinity.

A few minutes later, the battle ended.

Kite glanced at Gon, who had an awkward smile on his face, and instead of criticizing him, she summarized like an elder or teacher, "These humanoid Chimera Ant have extraordinary physical strength. To kill them in a short time, you must use Nen power and aim at their vulnerable parts... Although their body structures are different, they still have some weaknesses. The best part... is their head. Don't give them a chance to breathe or fight back."

"Yes."

Gon responded seriously.

"That's a bit odd..." Then Kite reached out and pressed down on the brim of her hat.

"What's wrong?"

Killua asked.

"It's certain that person hasn't been to this area. They most likely deliberately let the ants out to find food..."

That person.

Without being explicitly told, Killua knew it was Oboro.

"I submitted the report to the Association some time ago. They've been able to get here faster than Association have... which means some of our fellow Hunter x Hunter have already arrived before us." Kite stared ahead. "Because the ants have shrunk their territory, outsiders could easily mistake this place for the edge of their colony's territory. The actual danger is greater than we anticipated... and most importantly, there are no markers!"

A seasoned Hunter x Hunter considers all aspects when carrying out a mission.

Given the Association's assessment of the level of danger involved in this investigation, all participants were aware that other companions would subsequently arrive.

The Hunter x Hunter who came here first to carry out their missions would definitely have made some marks during their explorations to provide information for future generations.

"They might not necessarily take the same route as us, right?" Gon asked doubtfully.

With such a large territory, it's impossible for everyone to explore in one direction.

"No, Gon."

At this moment, Killua and said seriously.

"On the contrary, even without markings, everyone would choose this route without prior agreement... because there are no signs of ant activity in other areas, and our task is only to investigate, so... everyone's primary goal is to find the area where ants are present. Other areas are just dead ants that Oboro has killed, not living objects for observation... Although it seems harmless, this situation is actually more worrying. The other people's thinking is the same as ours, to gradually delve deeper from the edge, rather than rushing directly towards the ant nest, which would be suicidal... What everyone is pursuing is not speed, but data."

Killua truly lives up to his Zoldyck Family; in this aspect, he has demonstrated a level of competence far surpassing Gon's.

"But no matter how many people came before us... the key point is that none of them have any markings."

After saying that, Killua looked at Kite.

"Continue."

Kite looked at Killua with admiring eyes, like a teacher giving an exam.

"There are two possibilities. First, the ants have already sensed our intentions and erased the markings to prevent us from going deeper and getting close to the anthill. Second, those who came before us were all killed... They died before they had a chance to familiarize themselves with this area, find a 'safe house' to hide in, and mark it... This means that there must be some kind of very dangerous force nearby."

"Regardless of the possibility..."

Killua took a deep breath, his expression one of shock. "They all say that the people the Association sent... have already been killed."

Kite nodded. "Good analysis... Chimera Ant have a hierarchical structure, which is far more complex than that of ordinary ants. The ones we've killed so far are just the most common Soldier Ant. There should be even stronger threats than Soldier Ant."

"So, you two must be extremely vigilant. If you encounter danger and become a burden, I might not choose to save you..."

Kite's voice was heavy. "I'll ask you one more time, are you sure you want to continue? It's not too late to quit now."

Killua and Gon exchanged a glance but remained silent.

But the resolute look in his eyes undoubtedly gave the answer.

Kite smiled with satisfaction.

Move on...

"Mr. Kite ..."

On the way, Gon couldn't help but speak up.

"Um?"

"Could Mr. Oboro and his companions have already found the ant nest?"

"To the best of my knowledge, they have not received any commission or appointment from the Association..."

Kite said calmly.

"..."

Gon.

Time slowly passed.

Half a day later, the three encountered several more Chimera Ant squads and witnessed the ants piling up human corpses together, a horrific and inhumane scene.

NGL's situation is rather unique; it's not a formal country, which makes its governance extremely lax and unregulated... more like a private armed force recruited by Gyro. The lack of modern facilities and outdated communication means that, to this day, the people within its borders are completely unaware that ants are preying on humans.

Moreover, it was clear that the Chimera Ant had traveled a long distance to hunt, and the pile of corpses the three saw was merely a food transfer point.

Gon was furious...

He could not accept the practice of Chimera Ant.

Kite noticed Gon's expression but didn't offer any comfort or say anything more.

These are all things that one must go through to become an excellent Hunter x Hunter. In the future, there will be more and more challenging things to encounter.

That evening, Kite led the two to a hilltop.

The three of them stood at the foot of a steep cliff.

Once you cross this mountain, you leave the forest and enter a different landscape.

Judging from the number of times they've encountered ants in recent days, they are very likely approaching the boundary of the ant colony's main camp.

Normally, it wouldn't be this fast... but the ants themselves narrowed down the area, and Kite's experience and ability also came into play.

Whoosh! Just as Gon and Killua were about to climb, Kite suddenly raised her hand to stop them, her face expressionless.

Kite then took a few steps forward on her own, bent down, and picked up a bloodstained shoe from the ground.

The Association's victims...

Kite's focus was not on this relic.

Instead, on the ground, someone had drawn the word "death" with their finger!

This is undoubtedly a reminder and warning given by the dead Hunter x Hunter to his companions who will come after him.

Tell the Association members to stop advancing! Then, without warning, Kite unleashed her Nen, Crazy Slots.

The clown opened his mouth and let out a mocking laugh at Kite, then the roulette wheel in his mouth began to spin...

At the same time, Gon and Killua were suddenly startled, sensing a certain aura. They looked up and saw a long row of dark shadows densely packed on the mountaintop above the cliff.

It's Chimera Ant!

However, these ants looked completely different from the Soldier Ant they had encountered before. Not only did they resemble humans more closely, but their limbs also had more obvious animal characteristics.

Most importantly... these ants can talk...

The leader was a toad wearing glasses and a guy with an octopus head.

Gon and Killua were on high alert! They knew... the higher-order ants that Kite had mentioned had appeared!

"Hmm... three special types... oh no, according to human terminology, they should be called Nen user..."

The Toad Squadron Leader looked down at Kite and the other two and calmly said, "Judging from the aura, the one in the greatest danger... is that you?"

As he spoke, the toad set its sights on Kite.

"Oh?"

Kite looked up at the ants standing on top of them and smiled slightly. "Incredible, they even know about thought now..."

That's terrifying, that kind of learning ability.

Kite has realized that almost all of these ants have learned to read.

He appeared relaxed, but his heart instantly felt heavy.

The Association's assessment of the ants' danger was wrong...

Things have taken a turn for the worse.

"I also want to thank you humans Nen user... Oh, no, I should say thank you to that person. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't know about the existence of Nen. Although you humans are a lower species, you still amaze me in some ways." The toad pushed up his glasses and said softly.

Standing beside it, another Squadron Leader chimed in, "It's a pity that you humans are limited by your bodies, and you have a natural difference in capacity compared to us... This also means that you will always be at the bottom of the food chain."

"Mmm... mmm... mmm..."

Kite gave a perfunctory reply.

At this moment, the Crazy Slots had moved to number 2, and as the smoke rose, he now held an extremely exaggerated and enormous scythe-shaped weapon.

Then, the ants' eyes went blank.

The white-haired man, who had just been standing at the bottom of the cliff, suddenly leaped several times, like a black Inazuma, and flew over their heads. His speed was so fast that it seemed as if he had climbed dozens of meters in the blink of an eye and landed in front of them.

Kite lowered the brim of her hat, then lifted it slightly, revealing a cold eye.

He glanced at the two Squadron Leader who involuntarily retreated.

"If I'm not mistaken... the person you're talking about hasn't shown up for a long time, right? That's why... you dared to show yourselves, isn't it?"

"You thought he had already left..."

"Hasn't his appearance made you realize a problem yet?"

"That is, Nen user among humans... There might be more than one special being like him..."

Oh no!

I'm going to die...

After saying that, Kite suddenly raised her scythe.

The two Squadron Leader suddenly realized what was happening.

During this period, the Chimera Ant hunted many Nen user... but none of them could instill fear in them like that man. This made their division Squadron Leader gradually feel at ease, because they discovered that even without learning Nen, they seemed to be able to kill some special species of humans with their pure physical abilities... let alone after awakening Nen.

That man disappeared; he can't be found.

With the new power they gained, their inner ferocity was also unleashed.

Neither the frog nor the octopus had encountered the man described by Kourudo... but from his words, the human seemed unimaginably terrifying.

But after all, it was just a verbal account, not a firsthand account.

However... now, the white-haired man wielding a scythe before them suddenly made them understand... Kourudo meant.

This is a trial!

It was a will that they simply could not resist...