Fate Clan

The preparations required to travel to the Dark Continent are quite comprehensive, and naturally, they take a long time.

Because there are too many factors to consider.

Before we knew it, it was almost 2002.

The initial preparations alone took nearly half a year for V5 and Oboro's team, including the Fills Family.

His appearance caused a butterfly effect that pushed the timeline forward.

In the original story, both the announcement of Kakin's departure for the Dark Continent and the departure of the Black Whale occurred around August 2001.

Without Oboro, the Black Whale would already be sailing on the sea.

The delays in the election episode and the arrangements made by V5 are missing, including the process of the Zodiacs restraining Beyond, etc.

Most importantly, fearing his existence, Beyond and Kakin wanted to advance their plan and complete the 'Imaginary Land' project first, forcing V5 to compromise.

So, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou and Beyond couldn't wait to start a self-destructive global live broadcast...

The past six months have been very peaceful.

As Long had imagined, the shock that the Dark Continent had brought to humanity had been largely forgotten... Now that he and V5 were in cahoots, and with the Fills Family's interference in various countries, the authorities easily quelled the potential threat of this matter.

Long no longer needs to worry about the management of the Fills Family. Everything is on track at the Association, and the Zodiacs have gotten used to him being a hands-off manager.

V5 couldn't escape the influence of Oboro either, and had given up resisting.

They're about the same.

The next day, Oboro sat cross-legged on the World Tree, gazing down at the earth, and murmured, "It's time..."

The cold wind high in the sky whipped his black suit, which was then bathed in golden sunlight.

Before leaving the human world, Oboro wanted to stand at the highest point in the human world and take a good look down at this world.

Who knows when I'll be back?

Of course, it is also possible that they will soon suffer a defeat.

A beastly cry echoed from the distant horizon.

It is a Magical Beasts.

Following the sound, Long saw that the Magical Beasts was similar in shape to a flying dragon, extremely large, and had a beak and feathers unique to birds.

After gliding through the air for a while, it landed in the shade of a tree.

Two people jumped off the back of the Magical Beasts.

One is high and one is low, one is big and one is small.

Ging Freecss and his son, Gon.

"Mr. Oboro." When Gon saw Oboro, he raised his bright smile and waved.

After calling him that, he scratched his head and said, "Ah... no, I should call him president."

"Heh... He hasn't completely lost his humanity after all. He finally remembered that he's a father?" Oboro joked, hands in his pockets, glancing at Kin who had patted the Magical Beasts and sent it flying.

Ging Freecss's expression was very unnatural.

Oboro actually caught a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.

In the original story, King Pariston withdrew from the Zodiacs, but they haven't; King remains one of the Zodiacs.

As for the rat, it's not Kurapika... but Biscuit.

Although it doesn't quite fit her image, it was something Biscuit volunteered for after Oboro was elected president.

The reason... is self-evident.

"This guy wanted to see you one last time after he knew you were leaving." Jin coughed and gave a thumbs-up to Gon beside him.

His tone made it seem as if Gon wasn't his son, but a complete stranger.

"The last time we meet, that sounds very unlucky," Long smiled.

"Hahaha... Mr. Long, don't mind him, Jin isn't frank at all! He's been talking about you a lot lately... He clearly also..." Gon also called Jin by his name directly. This father and son are really too similar in some ways.

Jin blushed and immediately covered Gon's mouth.

Jin had always known about Oboro's goals and ambitions. All the things that had happened over the years were simply Oboro's desire to travel freely to the Dark Continent... to be unaffected by external things. Although some unpleasant things and various other events had occurred, Jin understood Oboro's intentions.

This man... just wanted to achieve his vision and fulfill his own will.

What are you trying to say?

Long smiled at Gon, "You barely escaped death... Do you want to come with me?"

Oboro could tell at a glance that Gon could no longer sense Nen... his flesh and blood were extremely weak.

Because the soul within him was frighteningly thin.

The soul and thoughts are closely related. At present, Gon's soul fire can barely maintain his daily activities, which is already quite good.

"Hmm... I really want to go, but I know... I can't do it anymore." Gin let go of his hand, Gon said with relief, "I've experienced what it's like to be a Hunter x Hunter, and I've had wonderful experiences with everyone. That's enough for me. Now... I should go back to my ordinary life."

"Oh?"

Long raised an eyebrow.

Gon's thinking seems to have changed.

It must be thanks to Jin.

Otherwise, given Gon's previous mindset... suddenly becoming an ordinary person, or even a cripple, would undoubtedly be a rather painful blow.

It seems that returning to Whale Island and living with Mito again has given Gon a lot of insights.

"Oh, right."

As he spoke, Gon seemed to remember something, turned around and picked up the package he had just placed on the ground.

"This is from Aunt Mito, she asked me to give it to you. It's a bento box she made herself."

Gon handed the items over.

Back when Oboro was on Whale Island, he ate a lot of Mito's delicious food.

"Thank her for me."

Long took it, opened it immediately, and warmly invited, "Want to join us? We haven't eaten yet..."

"Um."

Gon nodded.

Then, the two Fuza on the ground and began to eat.

Jin, standing to the side, watched this scene with a strange expression.

Because he seemed like an outsider... and since Oboro hadn't invited him, he could only stand awkwardly to the side, watching the two of them eat.

"So beautiful..."

Gon opened his lunchbox, picked up his chopsticks, and looked at the vast landscape, unable to help but sigh.

Dining while seated on the World Tree is certainly a unique experience.

"Where 'Killua?" The two sat facing each other, and the feeling was as if they had been transported back to the forests of Whale Island many years ago, when Oboro taught Gon the breathing technique. The wind on the World Tree was strong, and Gon could barely hold his chopsticks, but Oboro noticed that he was still trying to pick up food with a smile on his face.

This made Long's eyes flash. This child... had only let go of part of it; deep down, he still hadn't given up.

"I haven't been in contact with Killua since we parted ways... I guess he's still traveling somewhere, or he's already back home."

Gon laughed.

"It still tastes familiar..."

Long took a few bites by herself and said, "It's delicious."

"Hahaha... I already told Aunt Mito before I came that Mr. Oboro would be very happy after eating it." Gon laughed.

"So... what do you want to say to me?"

"Long asked softly."

Upon hearing this, Gon put down his lunchbox.

Under Jin's watchful gaze, he stood up and bowed deeply to Long, saying, "Thank you for taking care of me all this time."

He survived because Oboro intervened first, and then Alluka. In that state, if Oboro hadn't stopped him, his soul would have been annihilated, and he would have certainly died.

Even relying on that unknown power won't work.

Seeing Gon's serious expression, Long glanced at Jin and shook his head.

Ging Freecss is such a cunning guy!

Even though he won against the gold once, he had to admire the other party's intelligence... Moreover, his becoming the chairman was more about leveraging existing power.

Both Pariston and Ging Freecss are geniuses, but the difference is that King has seen through 'life,' while Pariston still thinks about complex factors such as the situation and human nature.

Gon came to see me sincerely, intending to express my gratitude and say goodbye.

But Ging Freecss had other ideas. If there was anyone in this world who could restore Gon's power... besides Oboro, there was no one else.

Are you really willing to accept this?

Long stared at Gon and suddenly said in a deep voice.

Gon looked up at Long's face and suddenly smiled, "What can I do if I'm not willing to accept it... Jin also said that I'm lucky to have survived, and I shouldn't have any more unrealistic fantasies."

"Becoming Hunter x Hunter for an ordinary person can be seen as going from 0 to 100, requiring gradual improvement, just like you were before. However, back then, although your starting point was 0, there were hidden attributes that had not yet been allocated beneath that 0, which is your potential. Others may only allocate 1 point to an attribute each time they become stronger, but you have 10 points... So, when you were a newbie, what seemed like 0 might actually be 100."

Oboro gave an analogy. "Right now, you are also 0. The difference is that you not only no longer have hidden attributes, but you also owe... If you want to start over, you must first fill in the attributes you owe. In addition, when you pay off your debts and start from 0 again, you may not have any potential values to allocate... If you want to become Hunter x Hunter again, it will be ten or a hundred times more difficult than for the most ordinary person."

"You... still have the potential to become Hunter x Hunter. Do you want to continue?"

"Long said."

Gon hesitated.

If it weren't for Aunt Mito, and the warmth of family life he experienced on Whale Island, he might have agreed without hesitation.

"Well."

Long sighed softly.

"Qi... is a kind of life energy that originates from our body. The reason you can't perceive it is simply because your Qi is too weak... Your body is currently just a withered, empty shell, without a single drop of moisture."

"Your latent spiritual power has been exhausted due to your overdraft... causing your perception to be even worse than that of an ordinary person."

"But the breath... always exists. It hasn't disappeared. The fact that you're still alive is the best proof."

He said in a low voice.

"To perceive it, one way is to stimulate your flesh and blood to increase its concentration, and another is to amplify your five senses... The Breath Control Technique I taught you before is just the simplest one. The higher the level of breathing, the deeper the resonance between your mind and body will be. In addition, there is Qi... It is not limited to the internal body, but also exists externally. The human world... the entire natural world is a natural Qi field. You can also nourish yourself by absorbing the cleanest and purest Qi in nature... But all of this is based on the premise that your body has recovered to a certain extent."

"You're too fragile right now. Even if I teach you the breathing techniques, you'll have a hard time handling them... If I'm not mistaken, you've probably secretly tried practicing breathing exercises, haven't you?"

"Long asked."

"Um."

Gon nodded.

"It must be very painful, right?"

Long said bluntly, "Right now... any slightly forceful breathing could kill you."

"Do you... still want to try?"

Long resumed eating. "My abilities aren't omnipotent. The soul can do many things, but there are also many things... it can't do. My abilities are mixed with negative energy, so... I can't use them for the purpose of 'healing'."

He said this to Kim.

The choice is yours.

"Your destiny is in your own hands."

After saying that, Long stopped bothering Gon.

The only method he could think of was breathing exercises... but given Gon's condition, breathing exercises might reopen the door to Hunter x Hunter, but they could also be a poison that would kill him.

Some losses cannot be compensated for by external forces.

He can only rely on his inner self... but with Gon's current body, there is very little room for self-development.

More often than not, it is about slowly replenishing the last bit of potential, which is accompanied by deadly danger, through external energy.

Of course, there is another way.

That is... the Dark Continent.

The life energy of that world is strange and vast... and contains all sorts of unknown things.

There might be a treasure that can restore Gon, but right now... Oboro himself hasn't even set off yet, the future is unknown, who can guarantee anything? Moreover, the most crucial thing in this matter is Gon's 'heart'.

Whether his thoughts can be rekindled depends on his heart.

An hour later, Jin took Gon and left on Magical Beasts.

Gazing at the receding black dot on the horizon, he murmured, "In the end, he's still Freecss bloodline..."