Hello everyone, I'm Gon Freecss, 11 years old, waiting for the boss at the edge of the swamp.
It's been six years since I first became aware of this world, and I've finally taken my first steps into the original story. Though those six years were rather intense, in the end all I did was train, so in a way, it was a monotonous daily routine.
As for the results of my training... to be honest, I achieved more than double what I had expected. In terms of raw combat power, I believe I've reached a level where I wouldn't lose to the Phantom Troupe unless they attacked me as a group. However, I realized that even this wouldn't be enough to survive the Chimera Ant arc, so I decided to focus even more intensely on my training.
In terms of training content, thanks to the Fox Bear who served as an excellent training partner for developing proper nen, and Kite, who stayed with me for a long time and provided guidance, my training was far more fulfilling than I had anticipated. The Fox Bear utilized not only offensive and defensive abilities but also movement and even stealth techniques driven by its wild instincts, while Kite, who had balanced and highly developed all branches of nen, as evidenced by his ability to materialize weapons with multiple capabilities, provided guidance that became fully integrated into my body.
And the most crucial aspect: the creation of abilities. I ultimately developed three abilities.
I'll omit the details, but the first is the foundational ability for aiming to become the strongest, the second is a boost ability for close-range battles, and the third assists in aura manipulation. The first ability received criticism from Kite, but I decided to proceed with it for the sake of creating the strongest version of Gon I envisioned. The ability itself was completed just before Kite departed, and he confirmed its effectiveness by testing it against me, though he praised it by saying we would never be able to fight fairly again.
Now, all that's left is to keep improving my basic abilities and devise a training plan for my best friends.
Incidentally, perhaps due to the effects of reincarnation, my nen type is Manipulation.
As Gon's mind filled with thoughts of the past and future, he easily reeled in the fish that had taken the bait with one hand. Even this small achievement made him feel that his efforts were paying off, and with his expectations for the upcoming Hunter Exam high, he headed home with the excitement of a child his age.
***
Gon returned home carrying the swamp boss, ignoring the commotion around him, and insisted that Mito sign the application form for the Hunter Exam.
Like in the original story, Mito had demanded that Gon catch the swamp boss as the final condition for taking the Hunter Exam. The reason was simple: she believed that catching the cautious swamp boss would be more challenging and thus more likely to prove Gon's true strength than simply seeking raw power.
However, Mito wasn't as opposed to Gon taking the Hunter Exam as she had been in the original story. This was largely because Kite, a legitimate professional Hunter, had trained Gon for roughly half a year and had given his stamp of approval for Gon's success. Additionally, Gon had earned high school-equivalent credits through correspondence courses and had convinced Mito of the potential for a Hunter career, leading her to shift her stance to one of support.
After obtaining Mito's signature as his guardian and confirming there were no errors on the application form, Gon immediately headed to the post office to submit it. Mito and the neighborhood onlookers watched his unusually focused behavior with smiles, so different from his usual carefree attitude.
After successfully applying for the Hunter Exam, Gon headed straight to the training ground deep in the forest. There, he found representatives of various animals, and most importantly, the Fox Bear who had trained with him for the past six years.
Before turning 11, the age at which he enters the original story, Gon had already explained that he would one day leave the island and rarely return to the forest, and he had expressed his gratitude for everything they had done for him.
After expressing his gratitude, he had prioritized finishing his correspondence courses, so this was his first visit in a while. However, Gon immediately noticed that something was off about the animals. In particular, the young Fox Bear that used nen, the one called Kon in the original story—was standing motionless with a body that was significantly larger than usual, which made Gon chuckle.
"I came because I thought everyone was calling me, but did the master's child do something? As I said before, I'm no longer involved with the forest, so I won't interfere."
Noticing that the master of the forest wasn't moving, Gon urged him, and the master, who had been lying silently, slowly stood up. He had no name, but since learning to use nen, his body had gradually become more toned, now resembling that of a muscular adult man.
Gon had realized just a few months ago that this phenomenon was caused by the master's ability to compress and strengthen his original body.
As the master moved toward Gon, he let out a single cry and turned to look at the animals behind him. In response, the Fox Bear stepped forward ahead of the other animals, swelling its large body and beginning to threaten both Gon and the forest master. The other animals echoed this behavior, each desperately trying to drive the two away.
The forest master looked at the animals with satisfaction, snorted, and stood beside Gon as if that were his natural place.
"Sorry, can you wait a moment? I understand that the master wants to come along, but it's just too much. I even refrained from giving him a name to avoid getting too attached."
While this was pleasing to Gon, the master was not yet a Hunter and was not someone who could be taken along by a minor. Though he possessed high combat prowess and the intelligence to control it, and could be trusted not to cause trouble, he was simply too conspicuous. If Gon took him home, Mito would faint.
"If you were just a newborn, I could take you with me, but there's no way you can get that small. I'm sorry, but could you just stay here in the forest?"
The master growled in dissatisfaction at Gon's words, but after staying still for a while, he began to shrink at an incredible speed, accompanied by an indescribable sound. Eventually, he became small enough to fit on Gon's head and shoulders, and he let out a high-pitched cry like a baby.
Gon was amazed that he could compress his body to such an extent, but realizing that this was the first time he had shown this ability, he concluded that he was weakened like Biscuit and smiled wryly.
"Alright, if you'll go to such lengths, I'll take you with me. From now on, I'll call you Gin. I hope you'll stay calm most of the time. Nice to meet you, Gin. Oh, and I'll call the new master Kon. I'll leave the forest in your care."
While petting the master, now renamed Gin, who had climbed onto his shoulder, he turned his back on the animals that had stopped threatening him and were now waving at him. Leaving the place where he had spent most of his life since becoming conscious was sad, but he was more excited about what lay ahead.
He didn't know what kind of changes would occur now that he had gained a partner named Gin, who didn't exist in the original story, but in the world of HUNTER×HUNTER, most troubles could be resolved with fists.
"Bye! Stay safe!"
"Kyuun!"
Laughing at Kon's oddly human-like salute in response to Gin's cry, he began preparing for his departure and headed back.
By the way, even though Gin had compressed his body to become small, Gon's shoulder was bearing the weight of hundreds of kilograms, yet his footsteps and core remained completely steady.
———
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