Chapter 37: The Ruin Hunter
"Hah, 'give me some respect'? You think just saying that makes it so?"
Seeing the message left by Gon's unreliable father, Haru almost burst into laughter. "Respect? Sure, take it!"
"Leaving a message like this with such advanced methods—this Ging Freecss guy must be a pretty powerful Nen user, right?" Menchi asked. "Haru, Shizuku, have you heard of him?"
Shizuku shook her head. "No."
Dago and the others were equally clueless.
Information on Ging Freecss was classified to such an extent that even within Hunter-specific databases, it was often reduced to a pile of question marks. Without a Hunter License, amateurs like them had no chance of accessing it.
"How about you, Haru?" Shizuku asked, looking up slightly. Her glasses slid down her nose, and Haru had to resist the urge to push them back into place for her.
"My grandma even knows who he is," Haru replied dryly. "This man was once hailed by a very important figure as one of the world's top five Nen users."
"Top five in the world?!" Menchi gasped.
"The world's top five…" Dago and his group were stunned. To be ranked among the world's greatest fighters was beyond their comprehension.
In addition to that, Ging was one of the Twelve Zodiacs of the Hunter Association, holding the "Boar" position.
Known as the drifter of the Twelve Zodiacs, Ging was infamous for constantly wandering the world, difficult to track, and generally unreliable. The hallmark of a true eccentric.
But Haru didn't bother revealing all this. Information wasn't free, after all.
Haru said, "I'm not keen on crossing someone like this. Whatever you all decide to do is your business."
He turned and ventured further down the corridor, with Menchi and Shizuku following him without hesitation.
Dago and his team stood frozen for a moment before one asked, "Wait, if you don't want to cross him, why are you still going in? Hey, wait up…"
They hurried to catch up.
"I'd love to leave," Haru muttered. "But if you know how to get out, feel free to share."
"We might as well explore, right? It's not like we're messing with anything. That doesn't count as disrespect," Dago rationalized.
"Menchi, Shizuku, got your phones? Let's record some vlogs while we're here—at least then we can say we've done something…" Haru's voice echoed through the ancient halls.
---
Outside, the night had grown darker, and the moonlight dimmed as a cool breeze swept through the forest.
Babimyna stood tense, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he faced the monstrous skeletal dragon. Its oppressive aura and twisted malice kept him on edge.
The bone dragon loomed close, examining Babimyna as if sniffing out a scent.
"Come on, attack already…" Haru thought impatiently, watching the scene through Toru's eyes.
Ever since the pale ghost transformed into this grotesque creature after sending him and the others into the tomb, the dragon had exuded an aura of imminent danger. But it hadn't actually attacked.
Babimyna hesitated. He suspected the creature might be a Nen beast or an ability with reactive triggers.
If he made the wrong move, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Just as Babimyna steeled himself to test the waters, he heard muffled sounds of bodies hitting the ground behind him. He turned sharply, his eyes narrowing.
Someone had incapacitated his men.
He leapt back and caught sight of a middle-aged man with neatly combed blond hair, sunglasses, and a well-tailored suit that seemed out of place in the forest.
"Relax. I'm not your enemy," the man said casually. He adjusted the unconscious soldiers on the ground, then looked at Babimyna with a calm smile. "Don't worry. The ghost already said it—'Hui Guo Rou must die.' You're not Hui Guo Rou, so it won't attack you."
"…Who are you?" Babimyna asked, his guard still up.
"I'm Allantril Blanchett, a one-star Ruin Hunter," the man replied, extending a hand.
"Founder of Blanchett Corporation?"
Babimyna quickly understood the significance. Technically, he was still on this man's turf.
He reached out and shook Allantril's hand. "Babimyna."
Allantril released his grip and smiled. "I know. You're part of Prince Benjamin's private army."
"Who's your teacher?" Babimyna asked.
"That, I can't disclose," Allantril said.
"And the dragon?"
"Also can't disclose."
Babimyna frowned. "When did you discover this place? Did you seal the entrance to the royal tomb?"
Allantril raised an eyebrow. "Would the Hui Guo Rou royal family really want this thing returning to them? That'd be a nightmare."
"That's not for me to decide," Babimyna replied evenly. "No comment."
The conversation felt like a series of riddles to Haru, who silently observed through Toru.
---
Inside the tomb, the group moved cautiously through the corridors. Menchi recorded their surroundings with her phone, while Haru was lost in thought.
The ghost's repeated chant of "Hui Guo Rou must die" lingered in his mind.
Babimyna wasn't Hui Guo Rou, which was why the ghost hadn't attacked him. But as a subordinate of Prince Benjamin, he might have carried the royal family's "scent."
What is this, a tracking dog? Haru thought, amused.
"Ah!"
At the front of the group, Dago's flashlight revealed something in the darkness.
---
(End of Chapter)