Kevin opened the case. Inside, nestled on a bed of black velvet, lay a collection of peeled scales. Under the light, they shimmered with a faint, opalescent, rainbow-like sheen. Each scale was perfectly formed and uniform in size. A quick count revealed exactly twenty-three.
"Are these… fish scales?" Kevin asked.
Bisky nodded. "From a pest. A bizarre fish that specializes in eating gemstones. It lives near a Lulugem mine on the seabed. Who knows how many beautiful gems it's destroyed? A complete and utter pest!" As she spoke, she waved her fists in the air, her indignation palpable.
Eating gemstones, huh? For someone like you, that definitely qualifies as a pest, Kevin thought silently. He reached out and touched one of the scales.
Instantly, a potent wave of craving surged through him, intense and unmistakable. It was only slightly less powerful than the longing he'd felt for the Two-Headed Wolf's shed horn. But unlike that single, hollow horn, here he had a full twenty-three scales.
He quickly closed the case, his eyes wide as he looked at Bisky. Then, without hesitation, he threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around her leg in an exaggerated hug. "Thank you, Master! You're practically like a mother to me! I'll definitely treat you well from now on!"
Kevin knew how to show gratitude, and Bisky was inwardly pleased. However, the implied "mother" comment suggested she was old, which was utterly unacceptable.
Bisky deftly kicked him away, sending him tumbling into a nearby wall with a loud thump. It was a perfect application of force—loud and dramatic, but without causing any real pain. He got a scolding and learned a new technique.
"I am a beautiful girl who is only eighteen! I have no intention of being anyone's mother!" she declared.
The playful exchange made Mori break out in a cold sweat.
After the brief scuffle, Bisky's expression turned serious again. "Can you really discern a material's potential just by touching it?"
Kevin nodded. "The more advanced the material, and the higher-quality potion it can produce, the stronger the craving I feel when I touch it."
"Craving?" Bisky's expression grew more solemn. "Are you certain it's not another sensation? Obsession? Attraction?"
"It's craving," Kevin affirmed. "The feeling is very clear."
"I see…" Bisky murmured, as if she'd grasped a thread of understanding, though it was difficult to articulate fully in the moment.
They moved to the laptop in the room. Following Kevin's prompts, they began a more targeted search. This time, Bisky didn't need to operate it herself. Mori pushed his glasses up, produced his Hunter License, and logged into a specialized database website.
"You're a Hunter?!" Kevin exclaimed in surprise.
"Got it early this year."
"Darn it! I was planning to take the Hunter Exam next year and wanted to invite you along. I didn't expect you'd already gotten yours."
"I only learned Nen after I got my Hunter License…" Mori said, dragging out the last word meaningfully.
"Huh? After becoming a Hunter, you get a dedicated teacher?" Kevin asked, curious.
Bisky, who was flipping through a magazine nearby, nodded. "Correct. Every newly licensed Hunter is assigned a mentor—a more experienced Hunter—for guidance. While not every mentor is as skilled at teaching as I am," she added with a hint of pride, "it at least ensures the newbies don't learn in a completely haphazard way."
"Does that mean all Nen users with a Hunter License are very powerful?"
"Idiot!" Bisky rolled up her magazine and gave Kevin a light tap on the head. "Hunters are not necessarily combat specialists! They are experts in their respective fields. Don't always think about fighting. Combat is a means of self-preservation, not the ultimate goal of life." She stared at him seriously. "Don't become a slave to the desire for battle."
Kevin nodded solemnly, then offered a slight defense. "I just lack a sense of security. Actually, I'm not very interested in combat itself."
"That's good. I still trust both of you on that point." She glanced at Mori—sloppy and rigid—and then at Kevin—clever but a bit unreliable.
Kevin's attention returned to the computer screen. Soon, he found key information. "Wait a minute… what are these [Restricted Zones] and [Uncharted Territories]? They sound like something out of a game."
He had never encountered these terms during his previous online searches.
"Those are internal channels within the Hunter intelligence network," Mori explained, typing swiftly. "This information isn't publicly available."
"Although the Hunter Association is a civilian organization, we have deep cooperative ties with the V5 nations. As an organization that gathers top-tier talent, Hunters have access to a great deal of confidential information that ordinary people, and even some nations, cannot access."
"It's that powerful?" Kevin was genuinely surprised this time. He'd researched the Hunter Association online before and been impressed, but the reality was even more formidable than he'd imagined.
"Otherwise, why do you think so many people are desperate to join?" Mori said with a knowing smile.
Kevin nodded in admiration. "Hearing you say that makes me even more excited about the Hunter Exam."
As he continued searching the database, Mori offered a brief explanation: "The so-called [Restricted Zones] refer to designated areas, usually containing one or more rare materials. These materials are either extremely difficult to collect, have very specific acquisition conditions, or are accompanied by significant danger. Various specialized Hunters—Beast Hunters, Treasure Hunters, Ruin Hunters, Restricted Zone Hunters—are all interested in such places and will accept commissions to explore or collect within them."
"Oh! That sounds incredibly interesting!" Kevin's eyes lit up, his face alight with excitement.
Bisky chimed in from the side. "Those fish scales I gave you were actually obtained from a Restricted Zone in a certain sea area. That strange fish appears to be a mutated variant of its original species."
Kevin's interest burned even brighter.
Mori continued. "The [Uncharted Territories], however, are completely different. Most are areas that have been sealed off for various reasons and are fraught with danger. They may contain hazardous species, extreme environments, mysterious ruins, or even dangerous Nen constructs. The work of specialized Hunters like Monster Hunters, Ruin Hunters, Troubleshooters, and Poison Hunters often intersects with the Uncharted Territories."
That did sound dangerous, but it also held a unique kind of allure.
"Can I just enter these places freely once I have a Hunter License?"
Mori nodded. "Of course. In fact, most of these two types of areas are designated and managed by the Hunter Association Headquarters. Basically, all nature reserves and restricted zones are open to licensed Hunters. You really should get your license."
For the next while, Kevin stood behind Mori, watching as he pulled up information on various rare materials. This browsing session revealed a hidden world Kevin had never glimpsed online.
Monsters resembling dinosaurs. Claims of sightings of creatures as majestic and colossal as mountains. All manner of bizarre, fantastical beings that seemed ripped from myth emerged one after another. Giant birds nesting in trees over 1,700 meters tall, with bodies more than ten times the size of a human.
Wait. A 1,700-meter-tall tree? What kind of concept was that?
Oh, never mind. This was another world. He should be used to the strange by now.
After reviewing the materials, Kevin noted down a few that particularly piqued his interest and couldn't help but marvel, "This world is truly incredible. There are unknown lands beyond the charted seas. Just how big is this world, anyway?"
"Beyond the known world…" Mori also subconsciously stroked his chin. Exploring the unknown had always been the dream of many Explorer Hunters.
Watching the two young men express such wonder, Bisky, sitting behind them, had a thoughtful glint in her eye. Indeed, most Hunters ultimately found it difficult to suppress their curiosity about the world beyond the map—the Dark Continent.
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