Chapter 39: He Really Pulled It Off
Ging... is his teacher?
Kai's mind was racing, instantly calculating the timeline. Ging? Ging Freecss? "Ging is your teacher?" he asked, the name feeling strange on his tongue.
He did the math. It's January 1995. Gon's Hunter Exam is in four years, when he turns twelve... which means Ging himself... he can't be more than thirty. He's probably in his late twenties.
He glanced at Alan'tr'iel. The man was polished, carried himself with the confidence of a seasoned billionaire, and definitely looked older than that. And this guy? He's got to be pushing forty. At least.
"Is there a problem with that?" Alan'tr'iel asked, his smile unwavering as he caught Kai's appraising stare.
"No problem," Kai said, his tone casual. "It's just... you seem a lot older than him."
For the first time, Alan'tr'iel's polite corporate composure wavered, replaced by a look of genuine surprise. He studied the small boy in front of him, a boy who seemed to know far too much. "You know Ging?"
Kai just shrugged, repeating his previous, honest-to-god truth. "I know of him. He doesn't know me."
Alan'tr'iel nodded slowly, accepting this cryptic but somehow satisfying answer.
Menchi, meanwhile, had a strange sense of déjà vu. She swore she'd heard Kai say those exact words recently.
"We should walk and talk," Alan said, turning from the exit. "And please, since we're all colleagues in the Association, just call me Alan."
Shizuku, who had been about to press her hand to the God Script on the wall to leave, paused. She noticed Alan wasn't heading for the entrance they had used. He was walking toward a different, unmarked part of the tomb.
The stuffed white fox, 'Bai', suddenly sprang to life, bounding past them with an unnatural agility. It ran into a small, dark side-chamber and reared up on its plush hind legs, pressing its paw against a blank section of the stone wall. With a low, grinding rumble, the wall vibrated and then split open, revealing a dark, modern-looking tunnel.
"This passage," Alan explained, "can only be opened by Bai."
"Where does it go?" Shizuku asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Where do you think?" Kai said, already walking toward it. "Back to the amusement park. My bet is it's a private elevator, straight to the executive offices."
Menchi looked baffled. "But... your own director, the guy back at the reserve... he swore on his life that he knew nothing about a tomb."
"And he was telling the truth," Alan replied simply. "They don't."
Kai got it instantly. "Ah, compartmentalization. The team running the reserve, the team running the park, and the secret team managing this tomb... they're all Blanchett Company, but none of them know the others exist. Is that about right?"
Alan just smiled. "Let's go."
Kai, Menchi, and Shizuku followed him into the new, sleek tunnel. As they stepped through, the heavy stone door rumbled shut behind them. A flash of white darted in just before it sealed. It was 'Bai', the stuffed white fox, its plush tail swishing. Shizuku watched it, fascinated by its lifelike movements. Kai, however, was quietly studying it, his mind churning. So this... this is Nasti=Hui Guo Rou. Or what's left of him. A twisted, lingering, parasitic Nen...
'Bai' trotted along beside Kai as if it were a real, living animal. At Kai's current height, the fox was the perfect level for him to reach down and absentmindedly scratch its soft, stitched head. He did so, his fingers sinking into the plush, his mind racing to put all the pieces together.
If I've got this right, Kai thought, his expression hidden, this 'Nasti' kid was almost certainly one of the losers from the last Kakin succession war. He must have died filled with so much hatred that his Nen... fused with his guardian beast and became this... this 'curse'. And the island itself? It's possible the curse itself moved it. Or, more likely, the royal family got so terrified of this avenging spirit that they... they hired someone to move the entire landmass. Just to get rid of him.
Spatial Nen wasn't common, but it wasn't unheard of, either. There were abilities like Knov's "Hide and Seek" which were basically game-breaking. And for Emitters, teleporting by swapping places with an object or Nen beast was a relatively standard high-level technique.
Still, teleporting an entire island was on another level. It was terrifying. Then again, this was the Hui Guo Rou family. "Terrifying" and "unbelievably extra" was their entire brand. It almost made sense.
Kai wasn't really worried about that. He was worried about himself. He'd been operating under the assumption that his 'godmother' was a consort who had drawn the First Prince's wrath. That meant his own body... this body he'd inherited... might have Hui Guo Rou blood.
But... he looked down. The little white fox was happily trotting at his side, nuzzling his hand. It showed zero hostility. Guess I was just being paranoid.
As if sensing his thoughts, the doll's head tilted up. The pale-white aura of the child-ghost flickered over it, and its button eyes stared at him.
"What are you looking at?" Kai asked with a grin.
Of course, he thought, there is one other possibility. That my godmother was a consort... but this body doesn't have Hui Guo Rou blood. That's not a contradiction. A sly grin spread across his face. If that's the case... my 'godmother' was playing a very dangerous game. That would definitely explain the 'exterminate on sight' order...
In the end, it didn't matter. He wasn't from here. He had no real ties to this bloodline. His plan was still to level up and then head straight for the left side of the world map, where the real story was. Kakin was on the right. He'd just... never go there. What did he care about the Hui Guo Rou? It wasn't his problem.
"Actually, if you want to be precise about it," Alan said from the front of the group, his sudden statement pulling Kai from his thoughts, "I was supposed to be Ging's teacher."
Menchi, who was walking right behind him, stumbled in surprise, nearly falling over. Even Kai was snapped back to the present. Shizuku's head tilted.
Alan smiled. "Menchi, Kai, think about the year you got your licenses. The Association sent a senior Hunter to mentor you, to guide you to Nen, correct?"
The tunnel finally ended, opening up to... a modern, stainless steel elevator. Alan pressed the call button.
"Yeah," Menchi said. "I got my license last year, and not long after, a Pro Hunter showed up to teach me. What about you, Kai?"
Kai just scoffed. "Please. I'm a natural. Who needs a teacher for something as simple as Nen?"
Menchi bared her teeth at him. Kai pointedly ignored her.
The elevator doors dinged open, and they stepped inside. The car began to rise swiftly and silently.
"It was 1979," Alan continued, his voice nostalgic as the elevator climbed. "About 16 years ago. The 267th Hunter Exam. A 12-year-old boy named Ging Freecss was the sole candidate to pass that year. And I... I was the Hunter assigned to be his mentor. To teach him Nen."
"He was twelve?" Menchi said, shocked.
Kai was just wondering if Tonpa, the Rookie Crusher, had been active back then, and if so, how badly Ging had messed with him.
Shizuku, ever logical, asked, "So, did he just learn so fast that you... made him your teacher instead?"
"No, that's not how it works," Alan said, though he looked amused.
"Then there's only one other possibility," Kai said, his voice sharp. "When you went to go 'teach' him... he was already a Nen user. And... he was stronger than you."
Alan let out a long, heavy sigh. "Yeah..."
Ding. The elevator reached the top, and the doors slid open.
"So much stronger," Alan finished, stepping out of the elevator with one hand casually tucked in his pocket.
They had emerged into a spacious, luxurious penthouse. Half was a high-tech office, the other half a comfortable lounge area with a small kitchen, sofas, and bookshelves. Massive, floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides revealed they were at the absolute pinnacle of the amusement park's central tower. It was early morning, and the park below was quiet, with only a few cleaners and security guards moving in the distance.
'Bai', the stuffed fox, immediately bounded over to a plush sofa and started nudging a few toys that were scattered on the floor. It was clearly a regular visitor here.
"Hold on," Menchi said, looking at Alan. "If Ging was already a Nen user when he took the test, why would the Association send you to 'guide' him? Wouldn't they know?"
Shizuku answered for him, her voice simple. "Because he never used it. Not once during the entire exam."
Kai let out an exasperated sigh. "Damn. He really pulled it off, didn't he? What a flex."
Shizuku just tilted her head, not understanding the slang.
Alan chuckled. "Even Chairman Netero admitted it. He said Ging was the first person in decades to truly pull one over on him. He's a one-of-a-kind."
"Making a master like you concede defeat at 12..." Kai said. "Yeah, that's 'something,' alright."
"Oh, I was hardly a 'master' back then," Alan said with a self-deprecating wave.
Menchi scratched her head. "Oh, speaking of which, what happened to Dako's team? And Babimaina? When they used that God Script teleporter, where did they end up?"
"Ah, right. I almost forgot."
Alan walked behind his massive desk. He tapped a button on a console, and a wall of monitors descended from the ceiling, all flickering to life. They were all live surveillance feeds... from inside the Ferris wheel cabins. And in them, sitting alone, were Babimaina, Dako, and the rest of his team, all looking confused and slightly ill.
Kai and Shizuku locked eyes for a split second, then both turned to look out the panoramic window. Far below, they could see the dark, silent Ferris wheel—the very same one they had ridden just the night before.
(End of Chapter)