Humans are humans, magical beasts are magical beasts... each has its own territory.
Land cities belong to humans; jungles and swamps belong to magical beasts. But, at some point, humans started to multiply rapidly and began encroaching on magical beasts' territories, hunting them for meat to quench hunger, skinning for clothes, and beheading them for collections... forcing the magical beasts into a corner with increasingly limited space to survive.
The fierce fox, a humanoid magical beast capable of transforming into a human, once fantasized that with its unique "half-human, half-fox" identity, it might mediate conflicts between the two sides and fight for more living space for magical beasts—even if it was just a caged habitat...
But, reality is often cruel... in the eyes of humans, "half-human" is no different from a magical beast. Worse still, efforts to "mediate" end in disaster, leading to massive massacres, nearly driving them to extinction.
Thankfully, "Biological Protection Hunters" stepped in to speak up for them, allowing them to live well under the protection of the Hunter Association, securing some habitats while doing some jobs for the association and earning some extra income.
At the peak, under the giant cedar tree piercing the clouds.
The fierce fox family is rehearsing a "script" in the wooden house under the cedar tree for the annual Hunter Exam.
The fierce fox's daughter plays the vanguard, monitoring the examinees' movements,
while the fierce fox father acts as the magical beast, the son plays the abducted human, the mother ambushes in the mountains and forests to attract attention... quietly waiting for the examinees to arrive.
Testing their "observational skills," "character," "improvisational ability," and "combat skills"....
"Since that guy named Ging recognized us, years have passed, and there are still no interesting examinees showing up..." the fierce fox son, head wrapped in a bandage, sat by the fire, sharpening a knife.
Thinking of the boy with the tattered hood on his head and a fishing rod on his shoulder, who instantly recognized their identity, not to mention his strength... any hit landed on him would immediately be mimicked and counterattacked back, utterly undefendable.
"Stop complaining." The fierce fox mother was simmering a pot of curry in the kitchen, instructing the fierce fox dad to add some wood to the stove. The dad quietly stood up, adding wood as he said, "Ging was the only examinee who passed the test in that session."
"He has the capability; it's no surprise. But where is Nanny... she's been gone so long, why isn't she back?"
"Son, go and check..."
"Okay, mom."
The fierce fox son grabbed the knife, opened the door, and a mountain breeze carrying a burnt scent hit him in the face, the knife in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang."
"What happened?"
"Fire... it's on fire..."
"?!"
The fierce fox dad poked his head out, followed by the fierce fox mom... the family stood dumbfounded at the doorway, watching the forest not far away blaze in a towering inferno, faintly tinting half the sky red... forgetting about the curry, they transformed back to their original forms, and frantically dashed towards the forest....
"Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh..."
Branches swayed as they were stepped on, soon, the foxes' nostrils twitched, catching their daughter's scent, slightly relieved, they flashed to her side, standing one fox, one tree, peering into the distance... their narrow, slit-like fox eyes narrowed sharply in shock, their mouths agape!
"What is that thing?"
"Looks like... a bird? But it's too big!"
The giant gilded bird spread its wings, stirring up a storm... in a blink, it soared into the sky, its wings engulfed in golden flames, tearing through the wind and burning through clouds until it merged with the blazing sun overhead....
It then swooped down, heading straight for the boy in the middle of the lake!
"Daughter, what on earth happened?" the fierce fox dad scrutinized for a while, his expression grave, tilting his head to ask the fierce fox daughter: "Don't tell me, the boy in the lake is today's test examinee."
"If... it is." The fierce fox daughter swallowed hard, almost crying, "I don't know what happened, that guy sensed me spying, captured me, asked some things... I escaped by jumping into the lake when he wasn't looking... then he got angry...."
The fierce fox family: "...."
Suddenly a sense of impending doom arose, even... the usually calm fierce fox dad began considering whether to call the Hunter Association, pack up, and leave....
The giant bird, surrounded by golden flames, spread its wings, shading the sky... that guy is terrifying enough. Just how dreadful must its master be?
The fierce fox family couldn't imagine.
"Crack....." In the woods, a hidden camera finally gave in, burned out.
Aboard an airship emblazoned with the gigantic "Hunter Association" logo.
Netero and Zeno remained silent, watching a portion of the surveillance screen snow out, becoming static for a while... then finally spoke not a word.
When they thought of saying something, they simultaneously turned to each other and asked: "Have you seen it before?"
"What species is that?"
The two old men were stunned, not expecting to overlap, each silent for a while, desperately dredging their memories, trying to find any information on that "giant gilded bird"... In vain, they couldn't even find a feather of it.
"It could only be a product of the Dark Continent." Finally, Netero concluded, with his experience, if a corresponding species couldn't be found in the real world, it can only reside in the Dark Continent or some unexplored ruins.
Zeno frowned: "Impossible, let alone going... just thinking about it, if the old man knew, he'd break his legs."
Thanks to father Jager, the "Dark Continent" has become a taboo topic within the Zoldyck Family.
Unless...
Zeno suddenly thought of a possibility, and his tone gradually weakened...
"Unless the 'game' this child is playing is not the same 'version' as the 'game' Silva and I played..."
Netero raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of some inside information, and asked calmly, "Did the old man let him contact Jager?"
Zeno remained silent.
Netero thought to himself, "As expected," and looked again at that unknown giant "Nen Beast" bird, and things made sense.
With the remaining cameras, Netero watched as the giant bird merged into the top of the boy's head, and in the blink of an eye, shrank into a chubby crow with a tuft of golden silly hair on its forehead. Squinting his eyes, he said, "The [re: King's Game] is far more than just a game. Whether Jager is truly dead or not, I fear the old man is unclear himself."
"Roy is probably favored by Jager, and it's not surprising that the version he played is different from yours and Silva's, after all..."
In a tone laden with infinite memories, the strongest human sighed softly and said, "He's such a whimsical person."
"Screech——" The surveillance screen completely disappeared.
Losing sight of the boy, the training room fell into a long silence once again...
Beside the sofa, the Mamen Beans nervously tapped his toes on the ground, caught in the middle, not daring to speak loudly. He wanted to step out for a breath of air but was afraid to "disturb" the two in deep thought. For a moment, neither going nor staying seemed right, so he simply pretended to be a fixture, standing there motionlessly.
"Buzz~" The propellers shredded the air, pushing the airship gradually closer to the venue.
The residence of the Vixen family.
In the heart of the lake.
The gilded giant bird blinked and shrank into a silly crow, perched atop Roy's head. At the boy's command, he retracted his "Nen"...
The tide of red "Nen" receded accordingly...
Revealing a mountain forest charred by raging flames within a ten-mile radius, and... the dried-up lakebed.
"Young Master..." Wutong's concerned voice came from the shore at this moment.
The young butler adjusted the glasses perched on his nose and swiftly came to his side, with Kurajing behind them, still unable to hide her shock.
'So this is "Nen"... This is a "Nen user".....'
If she possessed such power, even if the Kurta Race were active in the world, perhaps no one would dare to covet them!
The girl couldn't help but think, becoming all the more determined to catch up with Wutong's pace.
"Whoosh~" With the free-flowing "Nen" returning to his body, Roy suddenly felt as if his body was emptied in an instant. His legs wobbled, and he quickly grabbed Wutong's shoulder for support.
At that moment, the panel popped out, reminding him—
[Note: "Nen" has been excessively consumed and urgently needs replenishment]
[Note: "Nen Beast" panel has been activated]
[Three-legged Golden Crow (Awaiting Naming)]
[Status: Young Stage (100/100000)]
[Rank: S+]
[Manifested Nen Amount: D+ (964/10000)]
[Potential Qi Amount: ?]
[Racial Talent: Chasing the Sun (Pending Activation)... Mastering Solar Flame: Level 1 (25/1000)... Driving Force (Pending Activation)]
[Evaluation: Growing Nen Beast, limitless potential]
What does this count as, because of "limitless"...
Almost sucked him dry?
Roy, leaning against Wutong, took a deep breath and reached out to pat the little crow's head: "From now on, let's call you 'Jinx', okay?"
The golden-feathered chubby crow bit his finger, as if expressing dissatisfaction....
Roy insisted, "We'll call you 'Jinx'."
His head immediately hurt, pecked again by the chubby crow... making Kurajing secretly cover her mouth and giggle nearby....