Early Morning
The sky was just beginning to brighten, the sun not yet risen above the mountain.
Leaves in the forest still held morning dew, and a faint white mist permeated the dense, lush woods.
Even in the heat of summer, it made one feel a chill.
Kevin shook the dew off his raincoat, sat cross-legged on a mat of weeds, and looked ahead.
"Little runt, don't run, let me check you."
Jin laughed and caught a small wolf pup that had run off from his leg. After rubbing it a few times, he began to pull at its fur, even tugging its tongue, seemingly checking the health of these wolf pups.
Even though such checks made these wolf pups whimper, the Double-Headed Wolf couple seemed not to mind, simply lying quietly beside Jin.
This scene made Kevin purse his lips.
Damn it, you two weren't like this last night.
"Grumble~"
A sudden sound made Jin and all the creatures present look at Kevin.
Kevin was not embarrassed, simply nodding faintly, "It seems I must be hungry."
"It's time to eat. Let's go back then." Jin stood up and clapped his hands.
"Woof woof."
The Double-Headed Wolf couple seemed to sense Jin's impending departure and whined around him.
How human-like, Kevin couldn't help but think.
However, seeing their two heads, one of which had a sharp horn on top, it no longer seemed strange.
"Haha, I'll be back to see you all again in a while."
Just as they were about to leave.
The larger Double-Headed Wolf came to Kevin, carrying a pitch-black horn in its mouth, and placed the object at his feet.
"For me?" Kevin pointed to himself in confusion.
The horned head of the Double-Headed Wolf nodded.
Picking up the black horn and holding it in his hand, the object was very light. He could see the Spiral patterns on it, and the cross-section was very smooth and hollow inside.
Holding it in his hand, it felt strange, as if he truly needed this item. A slight craving surged through his body.
This couldn't be…
"That's right, these are the horns from their heads, but they're not broken; rather, they're shed horns as they grow.
A Double-Headed Wolf will undergo four to five shedding cycles in its lifetime, with each interval lasting approximately fifteen to twenty years."
Jin explained from the side, seemingly sensing Kevin's confusion, and added, "Take it, this is his gift to you."
After speaking, his expression couldn't help but become a little smug, "This is something you can only get by coming with me, so don't underestimate its value. At large auctions, a Double-Headed Wolf's shed horn is worth about fifty million jenny.
If it's a whole horn cut off, its value can increase by more than ten times, which is why they are almost extinct."
As he spoke, Jin looked towards the few people tied up next to the large tree outside the cave.
They were the poachers from last night. Jin hadn't killed them; at this moment, they were tied hand and foot, their mouths stuffed with socks.
Although Kevin didn't quite understand the purchasing power of tens of millions, such an amount and Jin's reaction clearly indicated a considerable fortune.
But the reason he kept staring at the horn in his hand was not this; the moment he picked it up, he felt something from this horn.
Was it some kind of… muscle memory? Kevin couldn't tell, but when he picked up the item, he indeed felt a certain craving.
Why would he feel this way?
"It seems you're very satisfied with this gift. Let's go."
Coming back to his senses, Kevin only saw Jin's retreating back and silently followed behind him.
Dragging the four poachers, they returned to the camp.
An off-road vehicle, which had not been there when they left earlier, appeared.
A muscular man in a camouflage vest, camouflage military pants, and military boots leaned against the car, smoking.
His unkempt appearance, scars on his face, and the sharp aura about him.
"Did you go see them?"
The man asked.
Jin nodded, patted the man in front of him on the arm, and casually kicked the poacher at his feet, "They're yours. You must have been following them, right?"
The man merely nodded, his attention falling on Kevin.
His gaze was sharp, with a very obvious scrutiny.
Then he looked at Jin, his eyes clearly questioning.
And Jin simply gave a slight nod.
"Begel Laghord, a Conservation Hunter."
Begel gave a simple introduction like that, nodded to Kevin, and without waiting for Kevin to say anything, he dragged the four poachers into the car.
As these four poachers were dragged away, they stared wide-eyed at Kevin, whimpering, as if trying to say something.
It wasn't until the car's taillights disappeared that Jin turned to look at Kevin, who was lost in thought.
"It seems you have many questions. Let's talk while we eat. Yesterday's deal is still valid; you can ask me anything you want."
Soon, simple self-heating food was laid out on the portable table.
Kevin ate, filling his stomach, while pondering and deliberating.
Finally, he asked, "What was that power during yesterday's battle? I vaguely saw something emanating from you and the leader, very blurry, but I don't think I was mistaken."
He still asked the question he wanted to know most, the extraordinary power that was clearly different in this world.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "I have some fragmented memories in my mind, but… they're incomplete, something is missing."
Jin ate his canned food and explained, "What you saw should be 'Nen'. This is energy that dissipates from life; every living being possesses such power."
Then why did he only vaguely see it from Jin and the leader last night?
"Ordinary people, or rather, ordinary life forms, cannot sense the dissipation of Nen. They naturally overflow and lose it.
Nen Users, or those in training, can sense and control it. In battle, it will violently erupt in amounts far exceeding the slow overflow of ordinary people, making it easier to detect."
Life energy? Nen? Nen User?
These terms converged in his mind, as if activating some remaining memories in Kevin's mind. Fragmented information flowed out in his consciousness.
He suddenly had a certain understanding of Nen, but it wasn't systematic; it was more like a summary of experience.
"It seems you've recalled some things. Look carefully at my palm, do you see anything?"
Jin suddenly opened his palm and asked.
Kevin looked over at his words, frowning as he observed closely and carefully.
He vaguely saw it, but it was still blurry, though much clearer than last night, as if the memories in his mind had triggered some kind of muscle memory.
He was very good at such observation.
He could sense something surging from his body, was this the Nen Jin spoke of?
This Nen flowed to his eyes.
He saw it more clearly.
"5?"
"That's right, it's the number five. You've already learned to use 'Gyo'."
What kind of strange term was this again?
This word did not trigger any of his remaining memories.