Chapter 17: Surfing the World
"The world is composed of six major continents... The international order is led by the V5: the Saheltan Allied States, the Ochima Federation, the Begerose Union, the Minbo Republic, and the Gukan'yu Kingdom..."
World Map Layout:
Yorubian Continent (Saheltan), Azian Continent (Kakin Kingdom)
South Ames Continent (Gukan'yu), North Ames Continent (Ochima)
Yorbian Continent (Begerose), Oseania Continent (Minbo)
Translator's Note: The source text seems to have a slightly different/confused mapping of V5 to continents than HxH canon, but the continents themselves are correct.
...
Kai stared at the Hunter x Hunter world map on the screen. He studied it for a long time. This map is just an inverted version of my old world... If that's the case, then Yorknew City, on the Yorubian continent... is basically New York?
On his shoulder, Rock Sparrow tilted its head, confused by his sudden good mood.
Thanks to the Hunter License, the internet cafe manager hadn't said a word about the bird. In fact, the bird was quiet and well-behaved, which only impressed the manager. No wonder they're called Hunters. If you can't even handle one animal, what kind of Hunter are you?
Kai, using his memory of the plot, mentally rewrote the world map with what really mattered:
Zoldyck Estate + Heaven's Arena (Azian Continent)
Kite's Chimera Ant Survey (NGL, on the Yorubian Continent)
Hunter HQ + Exam Sites (South Ames Continent)
[NO PLOT] (North Ames Continent / Ochima)
Yorknew + Meteor City + Chimera Ants (Yorubian Continent)
[NO PLOT] (Oseania Continent)
"..."
Kai felt a profound sense of disappointment. He was in Ochima (North Ames), a place with zero plot relevance. He was on an archipelago northwest of the main continent, across the sea from the Kakin Kingdom.
The right side of this map is completely boring. I'll level up for a few days, get prepared, and then head straight for the continents on the left, where the action is.
He had a plan. He glanced at the date and time in the corner of the screen.
[December 26, 1994, 3:44 PM]
Okay, that makes sense. The newspaper on the ship was almost a month old.
His "godmother" must have been on the run from Kakin for a long time. They'd probably stolen that boat. He never imagined they'd be chased all the way to this remote island in the Ochima Federation, only to die here.
"Revenge? A crime of passion? Or just a simple gang war?" Kai mused. "But her bodyguard was a Pro Hunter... that's not simple. Damn it. Don't tell me I landed, day one, in the middle of the Kakin Royal Family's psycho succession war? Am I that unlucky?"
Nen users were strong, but compared to a national military, they were nothing.
The Ant King, Meruem, was the strongest being on the planet. The world's strongest human, Netero, had hit him with everything he had, and it was like a massage. Meruem was a god. And yet... a single "Poor Man's Rose" bomb had blasted him to near-death.
The "Poor Man's Rose"—a cheap, mass-produced, and highly toxic miniature nuke, affordable even for third-world dictators and terrorist groups.
The Chimera Ants had been so arrogant they hadn't even bothered to look at the human weapons in the Gorteau military. If they had, 100 Meruems wouldn't have been enough to...
And Kakin?
A quick search showed that Kakin was a superpower on par with any of the V5. Their king, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou, was world-famous. It was no wonder that in the "future," Kakin would be powerful enough to try and turn the V5 into the V6.
How many nukes does a country like that have? How many Roses?
Taking on a whole country... that's a pipe dream. The Phantom Troupe is tough, but you don't see them trying to raid a V5 capital.
...Okay, stop scaring myself. It's not definitely the Kakin royals.
Besides, the assassins had been chasing a woman and a newborn baby.
I'm a five-year-old kid who can walk, talk, hit on Hunter-chicks, and use Nen. Unless the mastermind has a reality-bending imagination, who would ever connect me to that missing baby?
Kai rubbed Rock Sparrow's head, closing his eyes. His two bird-scouts at the shipwreck hadn't pinged him.
Okay. One month, max. I'll level up here and see what happens. If I can find out what really happened to my 'godmother,' I'll have a lead for the future. If not, I'm gone.
His mind made up, Kai opened his eyes, tossed Rock Sparrow onto the keyboard, and went back to surfing.
He'd been thinking about the Phantom Troupe, so he typed them in. The first result was a bloody one.
"...On June 6, 1993, investigators discovered the reclusive Kurta Clan... unfortunately, the entire tribe had been annihilated..."
"...At the gruesome scene, a single message was left: 'We reject no one, so, take nothing from us'..."
"...This massacre is undoubtedly the work of the infamous 'Meteor City'..."
"...The Kurta's 'Fire-Red Eyes,' one of the Seven Great Beauties of the world, are believed to be the motive..."
"...Investigation over the last year points to the 'Phantom Troupe' as the perpetrators. This group of A-Class bounties is rumored to hail from Meteor City..."
Kai silently read the old news.
Kurapika... the sole survivor... he's probably 12 or 13 right now, somewhere in the world, reading these same articles.
Thinking of Kurapika made him think of the Hunter Association. He searched for it.
They had a public website.
He clicked on it. The most prominent feature was a profile on Chairman Isaac Netero. It was all "Muggle-facing" official language, with no mention of Nen.
He searched for "Vice-Chairman." The position didn't exist.
So, Pariston isn't in the picture yet.
He then found a list of all successful examinees, year by year. He quickly found the most recent list: 282nd Hunter Exam (1994). And there she was. A smiling photo of the green-haired girl, Menchi.
"Chirp!" Rock Sparrow suddenly pecked the keyboard.
Kai looked up. The real Menchi, humming a tune, was walking right into his partitioned cubicle.
"Are you stalking me?" Kai said, deadpan. "How did you find me?"
Menchi leaned on the desk, looking down at him. "I'm a Hunter! Tracking you was easy," she said, proud. "Especially after the scene you made in the street. You stick out."
Kai pointed at her picture on the screen. "You're one to talk. It's been almost a year since you passed the exam, and you still haven't even figured out your Hatsu?"
Menchi's face flushed. "I told you, I had a reason! I took a few months off to compete in a Gourmet Competition! A chef's work is—"
"Why is this place called Ghost Soul Island?" Kai cut her off, typing the name into the search bar.
Menchi rolled her eyes. "It's 'Ghost Soul Island.' Why do you think? Because of all the ghost stories, duh." She leaned over his shoulder to look at the screen.
(End of Chapter)