Resentment

"Finally..."

In the quiet, dim room, Moyu looked down at his palms, his pupils reflecting a soft glow.

A stream of white light flickered over his hands, appearing extremely unstable.

This white light was the life energy naturally leaking from the human body, also known as "Qi" or "Nen."

Ordinary people find it difficult to sense the existence of Qi, so they can only let it leak away naturally.

Sensing Qi, releasing Qi, retaining Qi.

This process has never been an easy task.

Moyu had been feeling his way across the river, and it took him nearly a year to barely gain control over his Qi.

This stage signified that he had officially crossed the threshold known as "Nen."

Yet, compared to this meaningful first step, what made him even happier was—

"Mastering 'Ten' preliminarily was within expectations, but the most important thing is... my soul has finally synchronized."

Moyu let out a long, slow breath, his mood suddenly becoming somewhat complex as he whispered to himself: "It's already been a year; time flies so fast..."

A year ago, he was driving back to his hometown.

As he passed through a highway tunnel, a massive, eerily dense fog with extremely low visibility suddenly appeared ahead.

His reaction hadn't been slow; he tapped the brakes and turned on the fog lights simultaneously.

But the moment he and his car plunged into the thick fog, his vision suddenly spun, and when he came to his senses, his soul had already attached itself to this body named Moyu Isaac.

At the same time, his head was filled with various fragmented memories.

At that time, Moyu was nothing but bewildered, having absolutely no idea what had happened.

Moreover, these memory fragments in his head not only failed to help him quickly understand his situation, but instead caused various minor ailments in his mind and body afterward.

What was even more troublesome was that everything felt foreign to him at first.

Fortunately, the original owner of the body seemed to have fallen into a coma due to a head injury...

This gave him an excuse of amnesia, allowing him to slowly familiarize himself with the environment.

In the year that followed, Moyu stayed behind closed doors, overcoming the various ailments of his body while studying, reading, and exercising.

Then, through various books and by digesting parts of the memory fragments, he learned that he had transmigrated into the world of Hunter x Hunter, and he began to try to sense the existence of "Qi."

Until today, his efforts had finally borne fruit.

Now, he felt completely light, as if he had been reborn.

"But there is still a long way to go..."

Moyu focused his mind, imagining the life energy leaking from his body wrapping around him.

Upon realizing this was the world of Hunter x Hunter, his first thought had been to learn Nen.

To him, this was a vital backing and safeguard, so he had to master this power better.

In the dark room, a cluster of white light floated, undulating like waves.

As time passed—

That undulating white light slowly tended toward stability at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This indicated that Moyu had preliminarily mastered Ten, able to steadily wrap his Qi around his body.

"The progress is so fast."

Moyu looked down at the Qi flowing smoothly over his body, quite surprised.

From undulating to flowing smoothly, he had thought this process would take a lot of time, but it had taken less than ten minutes.

Was it because the body's rejection reaction had disappeared that the cultivation efficiency was so high?

There was no way to know the answer.

Moyu didn't dwell on this question either.

As the state of Ten stabilized, his next goal was to make this state an instinct.

Once he reached that level, it would be equivalent to wearing a transparent, omnidirectional armor without any blind spots at all times.

At the same time, retaining the "Qi" that should have leaked away and wrapping it around his body day and night was equivalent to suppressing the consumption of "life energy," so living a long life would be no problem at all.

Thinking of this, Moyu raised his eyes to look at the night outside the window, his heart filled with motivation.

Now, it was time to embrace this new world.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Moyu's gaze was drawn to a wisp of foreign matter on the window sill.

"That is..."

He stared intently.

That strange object was a wisp of black aura, floating above the window sill like a willow catkin.

"Black aura, very faint."

Moyu stared intently at that wisp of black aura.

He recognized at a glance that this black aura was the aura left behind after a human died; it could be considered the lingering Nen, death aura, obsession, spirit, or even Grudge left behind after death.

In this world, Nen left behind after death was a fairly common existence.

However, the "Nen" left behind by ordinary people after death was usually extremely weak, its presence nearly zero, and it would not cause any impact on reality.

Only "Nen" that had been saturated with "intense emotions" before death possessed a certain degree of strength and the power to influence phenomena.

However, even if the "Nen" left behind by ordinary people was saturated with intense emotions, it usually could not pose a threat to a Nen user.

Interestingly, in this world where anyone could learn "Nen" as long as they followed a step-by-step process...

The vast majority of Nen users did not possess the ability to eradicate "Grudge," even if it posed no threat at all.

Only a small handful of Nen users known as "Nen Exorcists" possessed the ability to eradicate "Nen."

The jet-black energy before his eyes was precisely Nen that had been dyed black by intense emotions.

It had always been there; it was just that Moyu hadn't been able to see it before.

But now that Moyu could open his "Aura Nodes" and had already mastered "Ten," he could use the "aura" gathered on his body to see the "Grudge" that ordinary people could not.

"Why would there be Grudge in the Temple? Could it be..."

Moyu raised a finger to his chin, his eyes showing a look of contemplation.

The home of his predecessor was a Temple built on a mountain in a scenic area, and besides that, there was a monk father who didn't abstain from wine or meat.

If one had to say what was special about the Temple—

Aside from drawing lots, burning incense, and throwing coins into the Release Pond in front of the main hall to make wishes, it was the placement of relics.

Placing the relics of the deceased along with their dying wishes on the offering table could be considered one of the features of this Temple.

So.

This wisp of Grudge was very likely derived from that pile of relics.

Moyu stood up and walked slowly to the window to observe the black Grudge at close range.

The intensity was very weak, giving the impression that it would dissipate at a touch.

To an ordinary person, it was basically no threat, let alone to him, who had just stepped into the threshold of being a Nen user.

"Huh?"

Moyu lowered his head to look at the base of the Grudge.

He discovered that this wisp of Grudge was not a rootless duckweed; at its base, it was actually connected to an even thinner thread of black aura.

"A thread?"

Moyu narrowed his eyes, subconsciously following the black thread of aura to look at the courtyard outside the window.

From his angle, he could see the courtyard paved with blue bricks in front of the main hall. In the very center of the courtyard was a Release Pond about the size of half a basketball court.

Although it was called a Release Pond, there were actually no living creatures inside, only water and coins covering the entire bottom of the pond.

At this moment.

Moyu's attention was firmly gripped by the Release Pond.

Reflected in the moonlight, the calm water surface of the Release Pond was covered at some unknown time with a thick, swamp-like black Grudge, emitting a soul-stirring aura.

Cold, irritable.

Filled with extreme malice!

The moment this scene was captured in his eyes, Moyu felt a great threat.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

This scene that broke into his field of vision made Moyu widen his eyes.

A chill surged up from his spine, instantly spreading to every part of his body.

Why would such an astonishing amount of Grudge be accumulated in his own unremarkable Temple?

This was definitely not something that could be spawned by a pile of relics!

With this kind of intensity, if an ordinary person were touched by it even slightly, they would likely die on the spot.

Yet he had transmigrated here for a year, and he hadn't noticed the large mass of Grudge gathered in the Release Pond at all?

And those tourists who came to the Temple to visit and burn incense were completely fine when they threw coins into the Release Pond to make wishes.

Numerous doubts flashed quickly through Moyu's mind.

At the same time, hindered by the dangerous aura emitted by this mass of Grudge, Moyu retreated rapidly, wanting only to stay away from this extremely dangerous mass of Grudge.

Whether it was because Moyu's gaze or his retreating movement had stimulated the Grudge in the Release Pond, or perhaps it was attracted by the aura on Moyu's body.

He saw that the thick mass of Grudge seemed to have gained consciousness; it quickly contracted its form and then lunged through the air toward Moyu.

The speed was incredible; in just a single breath, it crossed dozens of meters to arrive before Moyu.

Moyu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He only had enough time to release his Aura to its maximum to form a defense before being struck by the mass of Grudge, losing consciousness on the spot.

Yet, that mass of black Grudge did not continue to attack Moyu, instead hovering silently in mid-air.

The room was so quiet that the fall of a needle could be heard. The moonlight outside the window vanished quietly, and the night turned as thick as ink, filling everything in sight with a sense of oppression.

This small Temple standing atop the mountain seemed to hide secrets unknown to others.

About three seconds passed.

The black Grudge hovering in mid-air once again revealed an aggressive posture.

But just as the black Grudge lunged toward Moyu, a circular hole suddenly expanded on the surface of the Release Pond, resembling a sewer opening with its cover removed.

In the center of this circular hole, a Go Straight Marker glowing with a red luster emerged.

The moment this sewer-like hole appeared on the surface of the Release Pond, the black Grudge that had been lunging at Moyu suddenly froze in mid-air.

Immediately following, as if an invisible suction force were pulling at the black Grudge, it was dragged toward the circular hole on the surface of the Release Pond.

The black Grudge struggled frantically, yet it was to no avail.

In just a few breaths, it was pulled into the hole and vanished without a trace.

As the black Grudge disappeared, the circular hole suddenly shrank into a black dot and then vanished into thin air.

The room instantly became so quiet that the fall of a needle could be heard.

After a while.

On the wall near the window, a small black dot with edges radiating the luster of Nen appeared, subsequently expanding into a circular, pitch-black hole over a meter in diameter.

In the center of that hole, which was dark enough to hide one's fingers, a green Go Straight Marker hovered.

Silently, the green light on the Go Straight Marker grew increasingly hazy.

Then, two figures—one large and one small—emerged from the hazy green light.

The larger figure was a middle-aged man with a full beard, a bald head, and no eyebrows.

This bald middle-aged man was none other than Hawk, the father of Moyu's predecessor.

The smaller figure was a mouse with a rather peculiar appearance, roughly the size of a soccer ball.

The mouse had no nose or mouth on its face; a pair of large, round eyes occupied nearly half of its face, and its ears lacked pinnae, showing only a coil-like pattern resembling mosquito coils.

Atop the mouse's head sat a three-dimensional Go Straight Marker, while at the tip of its long, pointed tail, an angry face expression the size of an infant's fist, formed from "Aura," condensed.

Hawk, enveloped in a layer of bright Nen, stepped out of the green Go Straight passage and walked quickly to Moyu's side.

The peculiar-looking mouse followed closely behind Hawk, its footsteps silent.

Hawk crouched down to check Moyu's physical condition, and upon confirming that the injuries were not serious, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Moyu, you brat..."

Hawk stared at Moyu's face with a strange look in his eyes, muttering to himself:

"To have no knowledge of Nen, yet awaken it autonomously under the suppression of the 'God Script'... Was it a fluke? Or are you gifted?"

Pausing, Hawk sighed, a look of worry appearing on his face.

"Before we completely resolve the 'Price,' your awakening of Nen is not a good thing."

The next morning.

Soft morning light filtered through the window, filling every corner of the room.

Moyu opened his eyes abruptly, springing up from the bed by reflex.

"Bed..."

Realizing he was lying on a bed, Moyu still maintained his "Ten" state as a first priority.

He immediately jumped off the bed, backed against the window, and cautiously peered toward the Release Pond.

Thin mist permeated the courtyard, with morning light weaving through it like a dream.

The massive clump of Grudge seen last night was nowhere to be found, and he could not perceive any aura at all.

"It's gone..."

Moyu frowned, whispering to himself: "Was it a dream?"

He withdrew his gaze and carefully checked his body; there were no issues, and not a single speck of dirt.

But the intense pain from the moment he was attacked last night felt so real.

If he had truly been struck by that level of Grudge, it would have been impossible for him to be unscathed.

Sustaining injuries would have been the inevitable result.

Yet the fact remained that his body was intact, without a single injury; it was very strange...

"Maybe I was just too tired."

Moyu shook his head slightly. The root of that Grudge was connected to the Release Pond; if it had truly existed, it couldn't have vanished so thoroughly. Moreover, since his body was completely unharmed, he attributed last night's experience to a nightmare and walked toward the bathroom.

Splash—

He turned on the faucet, and water poured out.

Moyu cupped his hands to splash water on his face, then looked into the mirror.

The mirror, speckled with water droplets, reflected a youthful face with fair skin and delicate features.

Thirteen years old.

That was the age of this body.

Although he was a bit young, his looks were top-tier.

In his past life, Moyu also had a handsome face, which led to him being pursued by many girls.

But compared to his current appearance, there was still a significant gap.

Sometimes, when he stared into the mirror for too long, he couldn't help but suspect that he wasn't Hawk's biological son.

Just as Moyu was sighing to himself, a voice rang out in his head without any warning—

"Because your appearance is exceptionally outstanding, Perception is very satisfied with it. Your Nen Exorcism count +1."

"???"

Moyu froze.

The new book is out—! Please add to your library, recommend, and follow!

I felt so lost while I was inactive, as if I had lost my direction, not knowing what to do or what I was capable of...

One day, a buddy asked me when I would start a new book and what genre I would write...

I just blurted out a random answer: "Let's write Hunter, and the title will be I Am Really Not a Nen Exorcist."

I was really just making it up...

But I was truly feeling lost, so I just tapped my head and decided to start the book like this...

For this book, I will borrow some settings from Gourmet Hunter, and the concept of "Perception" is also an idea from the later stages of that book...

In short, I will work hard to write this book well so that you, the readers, will want to keep reading.