Return X Melting

Jin held onto the vine rope with one hand and carried the cage covered in black fur with the other.

They walked forward in silence.

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks.

Frowning as he looked around, he quickly pinpointed the source of the feeling.

Hidden among the leaves and grass of a tree is a flower, and in the center of that flower is an eye.

Seemingly sensing Jin's gaze, a glint flashed in his eyes, and a very clear mark appeared.

Upon seeing this mark, Jin immediately understood.

Those are the ethnic patterns of the Kurta Clan.

"Call----"

He let out a sigh of relief.

He slung the rope over his shoulder and waved in the direction the gaze was coming from.

Then Jin dragged the raft to the base of a large tree and sat down heavily.

Leaning against the base of a tree stump, gazing at the sky.

He looked like a sculpture.

And so it went, until dusk.

The commotion came from afar, and with a swish, several figures landed beside Jin.

Rukira had already taken to the skies and was surveying the surrounding area from high above.

Gon Jie's voice arrived before he did.

"Gold!"

His voice carried a hint of worry.

Jin, who had been gazing at the sky, seemed to only then come to his senses and look at the approaching group.

He stood up from the ground.

"Thank you all so much, I'm exhausted these past few days."

Jin sighed, his exhaustion barely concealed.

Biscuit looked at King, then at the cage wrapped in black cloth next to King, and then at the raft being towed behind King.

Four people were lying on the raft.

Add gold.

So inside the cage----

Biscuit was starting to hesitate, almost afraid to think any further.

"Let's go back first."

"That's when Bianluoke spoke up."

As he spoke, he launched bubbles, enveloping the four people behind the raft. In any case, using bubbles to isolate and enclose them should not be a problem.

This is why Kevin sent Bianluoke over.

Jin did not refuse, and even handed over the black cloth carrying the cage.

Bianluoke did not remove the black cloth, but instead wrapped it in bubbles, and the group, dragging the two bubbles, returned to the camp in a somewhat silent manner.

Night.

No one rested in the camp; instead, they waited in the central open space.

"You're back."

"That's what Pairo said."

Sure enough, Biscuit and the others returned to the camp shortly afterward.

Men Qi took a plate and a bottle of water and handed them to the exhausted Jin.

Thanks.

Jin thanked him profusely, didn't stand on ceremony, took a sip of water, and began to eat heartily.

I paused for a moment after taking just two bites.

"This tastes so good!"

Moreover, the nutrients in these foods are easily digested, and that warm feeling instantly flows through the whole body.

With the addition of a liquid that seemed to have been mixed with something, the fatigue in my body began to subside in just a short moment.

No one disturbed them.

However, Jin ate very quickly, finishing in just a few bites.

"It seems you've gained far more than we have during this period."

Sitting on the recliner next to him, Jin spoke with a sense of comfort in his voice.

"Go ahead and tell me, but first tell me about Tewashi and his group."

Kevin said directly.

Qiduo was already observing from the sidelines, and Illumi was with her as well.

One person was observing the current condition of the four people who resembled golden statues, while another was checking if they had been poisoned.

"It's a disaster. Papu the Nurturing Beast, you should have seen their information, right?"

Jin asked casually.

Everyone nodded. After all, they were coming to the Dark Continent, so they would naturally want to know the specifics of each disaster.

This includes the experience at the time and subsequent analysis.

"Once we entered the Unmanned Stone Range, we were clearly being watched, and everyone except me sprouted Flesh Bud on their heads."

These words immediately made everyone frown.

Because it's very simple.

Why didn't Jin grow, while others did?

Based on the above speculation, gold is actually the one that should grow the longest.

Because he made no secret of his desire to explore the Dark Continent and consistently put it into action.

It's impossible for him to say that he has no goals or hope.

"Although we have different opinions, I still strongly insisted on starting the withdrawal. But as you have seen the data, withdrawal is not necessarily safe."

"So after the flowers grew on their heads, I used my trump card on them, the Greed Island card."

"Freeze their bodies; in two days, they will be able to recover from their golden state."

In short, there's no need to worry about Tewashi and the others for now. Be prepared and check on them after they've recovered.

"And then, it's Moxi's turn."

Jin's expression was noticeably silent. He reached into the bubbles beside him and took out the cage covered with a black cloth, then lifted the black cloth.

Everyone's expression changed.

Kevin looked at the creature in the cage.

It was a lump-like object, a monster shaped like a ball of flesh, its body somewhat melted like clay, but human-like structures could still be seen on it.

You can see two legs, one long and one short, but they are only one segment long and have no joints to move them.

One arm was completely retracted into the fleshy mass, with only two fingers visible moving.

The only limb with an elbow is the left hand.

There is only one eye, located above the growth point of the left hand. The nose is not visible, but the mouth is crooked.

His tongue was hanging out, and he was drooling.

It also has hair growing at the tail.

He is human, but he is no longer human at all.

This scene was incredibly impactful and shocked everyone.

Because these are humans, humans who were talking to each other just a few months ago.

A human who loves to travel the world and shares their experiences and photos with others on the ship.

He's still alive, but his appearance has changed.

Jin said seriously.

Moxi, inside the cage, patted the edge of the cage and made a "ah-ah" sound.

Why did he become like this the only one?

Biscuit asked.

"Because he always believed that he wouldn't have Flesh Bud on his head, he wanted to know the regrets in his heart, or the unfulfilled dreams, because in the end, aren't those remnants all expressions of happiness, relief, and perfection?"

"Another reason is intelligence gathering. If we don't confront the Papu the Nurturing Beast, we'll never gather enough intelligence. Someone has to face it."

"So that's what happened to you?" Kevin asked.

Jin nodded.

"They appeared in the darkness, and their appearance was completely obscured; all that could be seen was a hairy creature roughly the size of a human head."

"Their fur must be some kind of camouflage that can blend completely into the darkness, so that the night cannot reveal their bodies, making them appear as if they were pure black."

"Of course, they also have a pair of blood-red eyes, which are very noticeable in the darkness."

As Jin spoke, she began to recall that night.

At the campsite at night.

Kim was chatting with Moxi.

Suddenly, Moxi exclaimed in surprise.

Jin turned his head very warily and saw that Moxi, who had just been speaking, had closed his eyes and was smiling.

A creature was already perched on top of the other's head.

Jin launched an attack without hesitation.

Then the black object vanished, and Papu the Nurturing Beast was gone.

The flower on Moxi's head had already formed fruit, and then the fruit fell down.

And Moxi laughed like that, his body beginning to wither.

Jin tried to stop the process, but there was nothing he could do; he didn't even know why Moxi was starting to shrink and melt.

The only thing to do was to stuff the fallen fruit into the other person's arms.

This method seems to have really worked; the melted portion adhered to the fruit and was then enclosed within it.

The atrophy of the body has disappeared, but the act of melting will not.

So it turned out like this.

"So, did they run away, or were they killed by you?"

Men Qi asked from the side.

Jin shook his head. "There's too little information to make a judgment, but in any case, the Papu the Nurturing Beast seems to pose no threat to someone like me who doesn't have Flesh Bud growing on their head."

"Furthermore, Tewashi and his group haven't been targeted; their status is maintained."

Kim remained vigilant, but he was not attacked again until daylight.

On his way back, what caused him trouble were the wild beasts that occasionally appeared along the way.

These beasts made it impossible for Jin to avoid them, given that he needed to protect others.

This is why Jin looked somewhat disheveled upon his return, after all, he hadn't rested at night and had been traveling day and night.

Otherwise, there would be no way to return within nine days.

As everyone listened to Jin's story, they analyzed it in conjunction with the information they had about the Papu the Nurturing Beast.

Kurapika then said, "Sometimes I wonder, what exactly is the so-called regret in life?"

Is intense desire truly one of the chosen targets?

The example of gold perfectly illustrates this.

"Perhaps we should consider the similarities between Kim and the seven who returned; perhaps that's the only reason they wouldn't be considered targets."

"After all, the so-called strong desires and regrets in life are only experienced by highly Sapient Life forms with self-awareness, aren't they?"

"The Dark Continent certainly has such creatures, and of course, intelligent beasts, but they seem to be fundamentally different."

At this moment, Jin also said, "That's right, the main problem is that the mountains are very desolate, and the whole way is also very desolate, with not many creatures."

"In other words, the Unmanned Stone Range and their surroundings are a relatively desolate area compared to the overall condition of the Dark Continent."

There must be a reason why this place, the Dark Continent, is desolate; otherwise, it would be teeming with life.

"You can ask Jin himself this question. He's not someone who can't see himself clearly; he definitely knows where he and those seven people are communicating."

Kansai, standing nearby, directly stated that he highly respected Kin in this regard, or rather, someone who could become a strong Nen ability user couldn't be someone who couldn't see himself clearly.

"That's what they have in common!" Kiy remarked habitually from the side.

In some ways, he has taken over Qiduo's responsibilities.

It's already starting to become an instinctive reaction.

Jin nodded in agreement. "I've thought a lot along the way, and if I had to say what we have in common, it's probably that we understand ourselves."

"I wouldn't say I have unwavering resolve, but I could say I have virtually no weaknesses."

After speaking, Jin thought for a moment and then offered a more common explanation.

"It's probably about having a clear mind, existing in harmony with one's own heart."

When knowledge and action are in harmony, one's behavior and inner thoughts are aligned, there is no self-deception, and no insincerity.

Acknowledge your desires, acknowledge your shortcomings, and accept all the flaws within yourself.

No running away, no retreating.

The options are either to resolve the issue, coexist with it, or achieve complete understanding.

This is probably what Kim feels he has in common with other people.

Simply put, it means having no flaws in one's heart.

The so-called regret in my heart has long been resolved and accepted.

After Jin finished speaking, he looked at Moxi in the cage.

"Moxi may also think of himself as this kind of person, but clearly, he hasn't completely filled the gaps in his heart."

Jin's words silenced everyone, because at that moment, everyone couldn't help but look back at themselves.

Do I possess a Clear Mirror Heart?

Kevin also began to ask himself these questions.

He didn't even need to think back; he immediately sentenced himself to death.

He is absolutely incapable of being as unaffected as Kim.

The world he once knew was an irreparable void in his heart; no matter how he tried to coexist or understand it, it was all just self-deception.

Thinking of this, Kevin shook his head helplessly.

"I definitely can't do it."

He understood this very well.

"I can't either," Melusina sighed, standing next to Kevin.

It's very simple: can she truly reconcile with the people she once knew in the Village?

Doesn't she ever consider that if things had turned out differently back then, things would have been different?

No, that won't work.

At this point, everyone's self-examination led them to a conclusion.

They couldn't possibly survive.

Gon then spoke up, "I can't figure it out. It seems like there's nothing wrong with it."

Hearing this, Biscuit glanced at him.

"You might end up like Kim, your family is really something, is it hereditary?"

Gon possesses the same purity as Jin.

This purity, perhaps, is the key to the resistance.

"Ah! Doesn't this mean we won't get the Unmanned Stone? My darling!"

Qi suddenly let out a wail.

He was very interested in the Unmanned Stone, especially when combined with his Nen ability, which was no different from carrying a battery with him.

The only problem with his Nen ability is that he needs to recharge it.

Once you have a battery, the battery life is practically unlimited.

One battery lasted him a year without any problems, and he didn't need to worry about power for a whole year, replenishing it whenever needed during battle.

But if Kevin can't resist either, obtaining the Unmanned Stone will be difficult.

"Forget about that, let's check on Moxi first. I'll see if I can save him."

Upon hearing this, Jin immediately stood up.

Do you have a solution?

Jin's real idea was to bring Moxi back and then take him to human society to resolve the issue when it was time to return, because there were enough Nen ability there, and the chances of finding a solution might be greater.

"I'm not sure, but we have to try, right?"

Kevin felt that a crucial factor in his potential success was that, as King had just stated, the melting process stopped after the fruit merged with the other person's body.

This is a very important point.