The next morning, when Kevin woke up, Jin had already packed up and left.
The two had talked late into the night about various things.
"You're awake?"
Outside the tent stood Begel, whom Kevin had met twice before.
He was dressed much as he had been before, still looking like a field soldier as he leaned against a Jeep and smoked.
"Are you here to take me out? Sorry to keep you waiting." As Kevin spoke, he began packing his belongings.
Begel was in no hurry. Watching Kevin pack, he casually asked, "I heard you're very interested in unusual plants and animals?"
Kevin did not mind such small talk. As he washed up, he replied, "That's right. I'm indeed very interested in those things. If I come across Rare Beasts, Exotic Beasts, Demonic Beasts, Phantom Beasts, or anything like that, I'll be even more interested."
What Kevin really thought was that he was not merely interested in them. He had long coveted the special materials on their bodies.
"You're not a Hunter x Hunter yet, are you?" Begel asked again.
Kevin shook his head. "No, I only submitted my application not long ago."
"Oh, then there are still a few months until the Hunter Exam." Begel tossed his cigarette onto the ground and crushed it beneath his foot. "Interested in interning under me for a while?"
"An internship?" Kevin stopped what he was doing and looked at him in confusion.
Begel nodded. "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Beagle Raghor, a One-star Conservation Hunter and also Jin's disciple."
A One-star Hunter? And Jin's disciple?
Right, Jin seemed to be a Two-star Hunter. Kevin had browsed the Hunter Association's official website before and read up on such matters, including the Ten Hunter Commandments. He also understood what star-ranked Hunters meant.
A One-star Hunter was someone who had achieved exceptional accomplishments in a specific field and was awarded a one-star title. A Two-star Hunter was promoted from the rank of One-star Hunter once a junior they had trained earned star-ranked honors. A Three-star Hunter needed to build upon the foundation of a Two-star Hunter and establish immortal achievements across multiple fields.
Kevin remembered that Biscuit was also a Two-star Hunter. Every One-star Hunter was undoubtedly a master in their respective field.
As Kevin pondered this, Begel continued, "Since you've earned Jin's favor, you must have something exceptional about you. Your strength is surely nothing ordinary.
And since you're interested in unusual plants and animals, that couldn't be better. I've been stationed in this nature reserve for a long time, carrying out conservation work for endangered species. At the same time, I explore, gather information on new species, and compile records on them."
Kevin had not expected that this man, who looked like a soldier retired from the battlefield, was actually engaged in animal conservation.
"Recently, my team and I received a mission to explore Smiler Wetland, collect data on its new species, and carry out conservation efforts for the endangered species within it."
Kevin knew of Smiler Wetland.
He had looked up some information about it online. It belonged to the same nature reserve as the Forest Park where Kevin was staying and lay right beside it.
When Kevin had previously looked into the Forest Park, he had caught a glimpse of it. It was a dangerous zone that people were explicitly forbidden from entering, said to be filled with dangerous species capable of easily threatening human lives.
Every year, disobedient explorers entered it, only to vanish without a trace.
This immediately piqued Kevin's interest.
"If I intern, what exactly would I need to do?"
"There aren't many people who can use Nen ability, and Nen Ability Masters are even rarer.
Most of my team consists of ordinary people. You could even say they're utterly defenseless. You can temporarily serve as their bodyguard. Of course, you'll also be assigned some relatively dangerous tasks, though the danger I'm referring to is only dangerous to ordinary people.
We have a research base over there with every living facility you could need, as well as all kinds of experimental sites. As for compensation... I heard you're interested in some precious and rare materials from plants and animals?"
To be honest, Kevin was tempted.
After all, there were only two or three months left until the Hunter Exam. Most of the places he wanted to visit were off-limits, and the information he could gather online was extremely limited.
Only after obtaining a Hunter License would he be able to access more intelligence and enter those Forbidden Zones. Besides, Begel was Jin's disciple. Because of that connection, there was naturally a degree of trust between them.
After thinking for a moment, Kevin nodded.
Once he had finished packing, he got into the Jeep.
"Can you tell me about Smiler Wetland?" The information Kevin had gathered before was limited. He only knew that the place was extremely dangerous.
Begel, who was driving, nodded. "Smiler Wetland is also known as Cheater's Nest. Most of the plants and animals there prey through deception. The entire ecosystem is built around deception."
Just hearing that description, Kevin found it incredible. What kind of environment could have given birth to such a unique ecosystem?
"Precisely because of that unusual ecosystem, many species in Smiler Wetland exist almost nowhere else. There are countless creatures unique to those wetlands."
Such a special environment had led to an innumerable number of endangered species there.
The two chatted as they drove, and before long, they arrived at their destination.
It was a building beside a crude road. At first glance, it looked like a warehouse, with many sheds of varying sizes surrounding it.
Perhaps because transportation was inconvenient, a small Airship was parked in the spacious plaza.
At a glance, the conditions here were somewhat better than Kevin had expected.
Begel parked the car in the plaza and led Kevin inside.
Once they entered the largest main building, Kevin found it far more crowded than he had imagined.
The laboratory was filled with all kinds of equipment Kevin did not understand. Small individual rooms had been partitioned off, containing various greenhouses and potted plants.
There were not many Researchers moving about inside. After taking a quick look around, Kevin estimated there were only around ten to twenty people.
"Yo, boss, you're back." A woman in glasses and simple protective clothing greeted Begel. She had healthy dark skin.
Begel directly put on a spare set of simple protective clothing from nearby and entered the room. Kevin followed suit.
"How's the research progressing, Moagu?"
Moagu nodded. "More or less done. Everything that needed recording has been organized and filed away. Aside from the necessary specimens left for continued observation, the rest have all been released."
Kevin quietly observed from the side.
Against one wall of this small room was a breeding nest built entirely from transparent glass. It simulated the natural environment outside, complete with soil and plants.
Kevin watched for quite a while before finally spotting something moving.
It was a long, black, soft-bodied insect, only about ten centimeters in length.
If it had not just moved, Kevin would never have noticed it beneath the shadows of the grass leaves. In a sense, it was like a moving shadow.
Begel briefly flipped through the file, then handed it to Kevin.
Kevin looked at it curiously. It read:
[Name: Shadow Larva] [Number: K - B - 112] [Related Legend: A Shadow That Came to Life] [Individual Composition: A Semi-Material Nematode Colony] [Activity Area: Smiler Wetland - C - 12 - 5, around the acid pool] [Description: It specializes in parasitizing damp shadows and can manipulate shadows to move independently. When humans follow a "shadow that came to life" in an attempt to find a way out, they are actually being led toward the most corrosive acid pool. Its true body always remains hidden within the victim's visual blind spot.]
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