Doli Island, after disembarking....
Roy and his group of three walked under the sunlight...
The boy gazed at the distant mountain peak, spotting the tall cedar tree, his nose twitched as he vaguely heard the sounds of magical beasts.
It should be the fierce foxes...
Wutong followed behind Roy, surveying the surroundings, always ensuring the young master's safety.
Kurajing was evidently not as professional, her beautiful eyes wandered around aimlessly...
She watched as Roy passed through the bus stop and headed into the nearby woods, hurriedly calling out to him, "Young master, it seems you've taken a wrong turn."
"The direction to Saba City is over there!"
"We should be taking the bus."
Kurajing pointed at the bus stop sign, where Bandage Man, Snakekeeper, Sakamato Days, and others were quietly waiting for the bus... next to them was a person dressed as a "guide" holding a small flag, with a hearty appearance, introducing the route to everyone.
Roy glanced at him, feeling a sense of familiarity, thought for a moment, then recognized him, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Without turning his head, he said, "If you want to sit, go ahead."
"Wutong, let's go."
Kurajing: "..."
Momentarily awkward, left at a loss.
Fortunately, that "guide" noticed and ran a few steps to block Roy's path, "What he said is right."
"The bus to Saba City is about to leave, the express bus stop is over there~"
"Who are you?" Wutong, alongside Roy, halted, adjusted the glasses on his nose, and coldly scrutinized the man.
The man put on a smile and enthusiastically said, "My name is Tonpa, like you, I'm also a candidate for the Hunter Exam."
"Pleased to meet you."
As he spoke, he reached out a "friendly" small hand.
Roy looked at him with interest; the legendary "Tonpa Master" who, counting the future exam of Gon and Killua, participated in the Hunter Exam thirty-five times, finding joy in misleading newcomers, having scammed numerous examinees.
The fact that he was still alive was nothing short of miraculous!
Roy used Gyo to discern at a glance that he was just an ordinary man. Tonpa, for some reason, shivered suddenly, looked up again...
This was when he saw the boy ignore him, brushing shoulders as he passed by,
Tonpa: "....."
A cross vein appeared on his forehead as he squinted, watching Roy and Wutong leave... Kurajing bit her lip, nodded to Tonpa, and stepped forward to follow them...
"Ignore them, I'll go with you to the bus." The bald Ninja Yuusuke at this moment threw an arm around Tonpa's shoulder, thinking him to be a decent fellow... despite their competitive relationship, he was still willing to help others, genuinely kind-hearted.
'Idiot, who the hell wants to take the bus with you; after I send you all away, I'll settle accounts with that guy.'
Tonpa watched Roy, Wutong, and Kurajing disappear into the forest, took a deep breath, put on a smile once again, and walked toward the bus stop with Yuusuke arm in arm.
"Creak... creak...." A strange man staggered past him, then... noticing Roy's actions, Kate pressed down the brim of her hat... grabbed the samurai sword and followed.
"Hey... there are many fierce beasts in the mountains; if you're not careful, you'll encounter danger. Why bother taking a detour, might as well take the bus." Tonpa turned his head and shouted.
The strange man and Kate continued without looking back as if he were farting, quickly disappearing...
'One... two... none of you care about me huh... and that guy spouting proverbs... better hope I don't catch you!' Tonpa noted down Illumi and Kate leaving in his mental notebook....
...
"Thump... thump... thump"....
The sky was blue, the clouds were white, the trees were green. Passing through the forest... Kurajing followed Roy, standing at the entrance of a small town, strangely discovering the town was deserted.
"Young master, there's something odd about this town."
The dilapidated town was visibly empty,
before their eyes, all there were——
mottled walls... weed-covered stone paths... creaking under the wind, ready to fall apart at any time broken windows....
The eerie atmosphere was rather unsettling...
Kurajing felt a chill running from her feet to the top of her head, disregarding Wutong's glaring eyes, and quietly moved closer to Roy...
Wutong's brows were visibly twitching with a few fierce veins, he nudged her, and whispered to Roy, "Young master, someone is here."
Roy leaned on his staff blade with a blank expression, casually glancing at a certain corner...
On a blimp bearing the huge logo of the Hunter Association, Netero, served by the Mamen Beans, was eating chocolate cake, watching TV. He caught sight of a corner of the screen, offering a glance... chuckled, and turned to Zeno standing with his arms crossed at the window, saying: "Your boss has arrived, aren't you going to take a look?"
Zeno was unmoved, his eyes seemingly only focused on the scenery.
Netero scooped some chocolate into his mouth, smacked his lips, and said, "It seems he even brought a little girlfriend..."
"Swish——"
A gust of wind blew, Zeno flashed to the monitor, scrutinized Kurajing up and down... prompting a snicker from Netero...
"So young and already knows about love; Zeno ah... your boss's restraint needs improvement...."
Zeno opened his mouth, uttered just two words "Bi.. Yang...."
The word "De" had yet to be uttered,
immediately shut up by Netero eating crow.
The strongest human seemed like a child, grumbling at the monitor.
In the desolate town...
A whispering noise suddenly emerged from all directions, murmuring something mysterious.....
"Dawge... Dawge....."
"Which is heavier, a ton of iron or a ton of cotton?"
"It's iron."
"Wrong, they're the same weight, both a ton."
"Which is older, brother or brother?"
"The correct answer is unknown. Because they are twins."
"..."
"Woosh~"
A cold wind blew past...
Kurajing was startled by the sudden voice, disregarded Wutong's murderous glare, and grabbed Roy's arm as if she had forgotten how she was nudged away earlier....
"You've overstepped!" Just before the young butler was about to erupt.
Suddenly Roy tapped his staff blade on the ground, "Come out."
From the shadows, a toothless old woman with only two teeth left exposed met the boy's gaze, frowning as she didn't expect her position to be seen through with Zetsu, her dim eyes lingered on the staff blade in the boy's grasp, recalling what Maxim mentioned about letting him go...
The cane tapped, leading the "children" out...
"Dawge~ Dawge~"
The street suddenly echoed with dense footsteps that became increasingly synchronized, from rare to many... Kurajing watched wide-eyed.....
Fifty or sixty children dressed in white coats, masked, with their hair dyed various bright colors, came out, forming a line blocking their path.
They didn't seem like ordinary humans!
Instead, resembling a concept the detestable butler had recently taught him——
Called "Nen Beasts"!