Post-Mortem Entity

Cheadle never hid her disgust for Hawk.

It was because Hawk had once been a "grave robber" who wandered through ruins and tombs across the land.

And also because this "grave robber," whom she loathed with every fiber of her being, had stolen away her most cherished "close friend."

If that were all, it might have been bearable, but this damned bastard hadn't given her "close friend" happiness—instead, he'd made her pay with her life, bearing consequences she never should have faced.

Cheadle could never understand why her "close friend" would fall for a man like Hawk.

So ever since that "incident" ended, she often felt her "close friend" deserved far better.

Now—

After just one formal encounter, the urge to take Moyu away surged within Cheadle, impossible to suppress.

And the memories churning in her mind only fueled her emotions further.

This caused her to lose control, blurting out the thought in her heart.

"Uh."

Moyu was startled by Cheadle's words, momentarily at a loss for what to say.

He could vaguely sense—

That Hawk, Cheadle, and his predecessor's mother—who left behind no memories—had some history together.

However, Regardless of Cheadle's motives for wanting to take him away, he had no intention of leaving the Temple for now.

Because this place was remote and quiet enough, making it an ideal environment for training.

And his current plan was to quickly solidify the foundation of the "Four Major Principles," then master the advanced application techniques of "Gyo" and "Ken."

Only after reaching that level would he consider leaving the Temple.

Even if he left, he probably wouldn't choose to go with Cheadle.

Who knew how many enemies a "Two-Star" professional Hunter had?

More importantly, the Heavens Arena, where he could gain combat experience, was where he truly wanted to go.

On that note—

He'd already planned it out: once his Nen techniques were proficient enough, he'd fight the floor masters of the Heavens Arena using only Nen techniques, without relying on his "Hatsu."

Not using "Hatsu" was to avoid exposing his abilities pointlessly in public; using only Nen techniques was to accumulate strength faster.

Cheadle, of course, had no idea what Moyu was thinking.

She looked at the silent Moyu, wanting to further explain that she wasn't joking.

But her returning reason held her back.

The top priority now wasn't taking Moyu away from here—it was completely eradicating the "Power of Price" that threatened his life.

"What I meant was—"

Cheadle calmed down, speaking softly in a tone like an elder: "The city I live in is very bustling and lively. If you have time later, you can come back with me, stay a few days there, and then return."

"Sure, I've never seen a 'big city' in all my life."

With the help of his predecessor's fragmented memories, Moyu showed just the right amount of anticipation and excitement.

Cheadle smiled faintly, then raised her index finger. "One more thing."

"Hm?"

Moyu looked at Cheadle with confusion.

Cheadle emphasized, "Don't use honorifics with me from now on."

"..."

Moyu felt something was off, but he chose to go along with it.

Afterward—

Cheadle took the initiative to start a conversation with Moyu.

Calling it a chat was generous—it was more like Cheadle's one-sided interrogation.

Questions like...

Has Hawk ever hit you? What does Hawk usually feed you? Does Hawk make you work odd jobs to help with expenses?

Moyu had no idea how Cheadle came up with so many questions, but she kept at it from morning until noon, asking about every tiny detail...

Moyu barely held his ground, and seeing it was already noon, he quickly used making lunch as an excuse to escape Cheadle's relentless "care."

But the moment he stood up, she pushed him back into his seat.

"Sit still. I'll handle it."

Cheadle took over, her tone leaving no room for argument.

That assertive, confident attitude made Moyu obediently comply once again, sitting still in the chair without moving.

Cheadle, meanwhile, headed straight for the kitchen.

"..."

Stepping into the kitchen, Cheadle lowered her head slightly.

The gleam reflected off her glasses concealed her eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, Cheadle raised a hand and lightly pushed up the frame of her glasses, then began cooking.

Half an hour later.

Thick black smoke billowed from the chimney on the kitchen roof, accompanied by a heavy burnt smell.

"?"

Moyu watched the black smoke mixed with the scent of burning wafting out from the kitchen, and his mind involuntarily recalled the confident look Cheadle had shown when she pressed him back into the chair.

A Two-Star specialist in solving all kinds of tricky problems, a Hunter of rare diseases, and she can't cook?

A classic trope, right?

Moyu couldn't be bothered to complain. He walked through the black smoke into the kitchen and immediately spotted an unrecognizable black mass in the iron pot—whatever ingredients had been in there were now indistinguishable.

Looking down, he saw the stove crammed with firewood, the roaring flames struggling to break free from the hearth, surging endlessly out of the opening.

Cheadle stood by the stove, spatula in hand, looking somewhat at a loss.

"Let me do it."

Moyu glanced at Cheadle and offered.

"O-okay."

Cheadle slunk out of the kitchen.

Soon after.

Moyu cooked a pot of noodles. He couldn't guarantee the taste was great, but there was plenty to go around.

When they sat down to eat, Cheadle, perhaps feeling embarrassed, kept her head down and ate her noodles without pressing Moyu with many everyday questions.

That made things a lot easier for Moyu.

After a simple meal to fill their stomachs, Moyu went straight to the guest room to clean up, so Cheadle would be comfortable staying overnight.

"Half a day gone, and she asked me all those trivial little questions... but never once asked me about 'Nen.' What reason does she have for selectively ignoring it?"

Moyu swept the floor with a broom, head lowered in thought.

"Forget it, I'll wait until Hawk gets back."

Swish, swish—

The broom rustled, stirring up dust in the room.

Night fell.

After dinner, Moyu returned to his room to practice the Four Major Principles.

He usually trained in the courtyard, but now that the Temple had an extra person, he had to continue his cultivation in his own room.

The night deepened, silent and still.

Cheadle walked slowly out of her room and came to the Release Pond in the courtyard.

"So quiet."

Cheadle lowered her head, staring at the Release Pond.

Ordinary, nothing special about it.

If not for those "in the know," how would anyone realize—

Beneath this ordinary Release Pond was sealed a "Post-Mortem Entity" that even professional Hunters had to handle with caution.

Normally, items conjured by Nen users vanish without a trace when the user dies.

But this thing called Nen...

Under specific conditions, it can grow stronger through death, becoming an independent entity that lingers in the world.

What is called a "Post-Mortem Entity" is essentially a special remnant left behind when something conjured by Nen is watered by death.

It has another name: Nen Artifact.

Because it's created by Nen, the vast majority of Nen Artifacts possess at least one special ability.

But since the conditions for a Nen Artifact's birth are extremely harsh, the number of Nen users who can possess one is pitifully small.

It's worth noting—

In modern times, few new Nen Artifacts have been born.

The Nen Artifacts currently controlled by Nen users were mostly discovered in various ruins or royal tombs.

The "Post-Mortem Entity" sealed beneath the Release Pond was also something Hawk had stolen from some ruin.

But the "Post-Mortem Entity" Hawk brought out was the type with extremely poor controllability, and a risk and threat level that was sky-high.

What it could bring was not some ability that might have shone brilliantly hundreds or even thousands of years ago, but outright catastrophe...

"What should I do—"

Cheadle's gaze, as she looked down at the Release Pond, suddenly turned icy cold. She said in a low voice, "to completely eradicate you..."

As an "informed party," she had witnessed the terror of this "Post-Mortem Entity" firsthand, and had even unconsciously formed a guess—

Could such a terrifying existence have originated from the Dark Continent beyond the world map? Could it be some unverified disaster?

When Cheadle formed this guess, as a member of the Zodiacs of the Hunter Association, she should have reported all known information to Netero at the very beginning.

But she didn't.

Between her "admiration" for Netero and her own "selfishness,"

She chose "selfishness" without hesitation.

Because—

At that time, she didn't want to see a newborn baby hypothesized as some unknown disaster from the Dark Continent and thus taken into custody by international institutions.

Cheadle stood by the pond for a long time, then silently withdrew her gaze and headed out of the Temple.

Once outside the Temple, Cheadle, who already knew the terrain of this mountain like the back of her hand, took a casual glance and determined her direction.

She followed a steep slope, gradually stepping into the forest.

"Rip—"

Weaving through the trees, Cheadle's expression was calm. As she pulled her hands apart, she drew out a faintly glowing thread.

At first glance, it looked exactly like Machi of the Phantom Troupe's "Nen Thread Stitching" ability.

In theory, Nen abilities are not unique.

Under equal conditions, two different people have a chance of developing the same Nen ability.

However, the Nen threads Cheadle materialized were far inferior to Machi's in terms of function and extensibility.

The two were not on the same level.

Strictly speaking, whether in quality or strength, Cheadle's Nen threads were no different from ordinary sewing thread.

Why develop an ability that seemed so useless?

If someone asked Cheadle that, her answer would only be—I think it will come in handy.

Cheadle darted back and forth through the forest, laying down seemingly ordinary Nen threads in every corner.

She was setting up a warning net to guard against potential enemies.

The reason for such caution could largely be credited to Hawk.

"Buzz—"

The phone in her pocket vibrated lightly.

Cheadle took out her phone; the incoming call was from Hawk.

Meanwhile.

Inside the Temple room.

Moyu stared at his own shadow.

He was thinking—

Whether it was necessary to first develop the "Vision Sharing" ability.

The recommendation process has started, and it feels like it'll be on the shelves soon. So starting tomorrow, I have to increase my update word count, to keep the free period from being too short... In every book's recommendation PK period, without exception, I get crushed by my peers, especially with such a niche Hunter theme... But my mindset is pretty laid-back right now. Compared to the results of the recommendation period, I care more about the update count... I'll try my best to improve in the future. I want to be a pig that's absolutely diligent after going on the shelves!