Chapter 2: Water Divination
Hearing the wolf howls from all directions, the wild wolf controlled by Orson bristled all over.
Will this ever end? Is fate determined to leave me no way out?!
Orson struggled to pull a black suit off a corpse. He managed to roll onto the back of the wolf he controlled and draped the oversized suit over himself.
He hugged the wolf's body tightly, burying his head under the black suit. After blocking his own vision, he focused on the sight from the wolf he controlled.
"Orson-wolf" bolted, its four legs flying, nimbly leaping through the piles of corpses like a black arrow parting the tall, dense weeds.
Swish!
The wolf's shadow flitted through the dim twilight. It soon leaped out of the tall grass, but its green-glowing wolf eyes suddenly contracted.
Thud. "Orson-wolf" landed on all fours, letting out a low growl as it slowly decelerated. Orson, tossed about on the wolf's back until he was dizzy, looked through his controlled wolf's perspective at the pack of wolves approaching from the left and right flanks.
Pairs of wolf eyes glowed with an eerie green light, like a cluster of approaching will-o'-the-wisps… Damn it, a pack of wild oversized dogs actually attempting an encirclement? Are they using military tactics now?
"Orson-wolf" growled, slowly retreating under the murderous, tense atmosphere of the approaching pack.
I must delay for more time…
If my main body can recover more stamina, perhaps I can use that strange pentagram-marking superpower a few more times…
If I can successfully control a few more wolves, I might still have a chance to survive…
Orson felt truly exhausted. He had inexplicably transmigrated and become a helpless little kid, which was one thing, but to wake up in a pile of corpses and be hunted by a pack of wild wolves to this extent—what kind of situation was this? Couldn't they even let him stop and catch his breath? He really didn't want to die a confused ghost.
At this moment, the wolf pack probably ran out of patience. Howling at each other, they lunged towards Orson and the wolf he was on…
Orson took a deep breath and decisively made "Orson-wolf" jolt its back.
The wolf's hind legs kicked up, pushing Orson, who was slipping from its back, into the messy grass behind them.
"Orson-wolf" then shrieked sharply and collided with the attacking pack.
For a moment, it felt as if countless sharp claws were striking its body, countless sharp teeth gnawing, biting, or gouging at its legs, head, and back…
Projecting his consciousness into that wolf meant truly feeling the pain of being torn apart by the pack. Orson, lying at the edge of the tall grassy patch, quickly withdrew his consciousness from the wolf's body, no longer paying attention to the nearby厮杀 of the wolves. Utterly exhausted and his mind numb, Orson pulled a soft strand of downy hair from his head. Whether it was useful or not, he couldn't just close his eyes and let these wretched dogs eat him. He had to struggle, at least.
But soon, the sounds of tearing and fighting disappeared, replaced by uneasy howls in the dead silence. The wolf pack seemed to have encountered something dangerous…
Orson managed to turn over and carefully parted the grass, then stared, dumbfounded.
The wolf he had just been controlling lay on the ground, covered in blood. Around it, the wolf pack was slowly retreating, all looking in the same direction—towards the beast on the high slope that Orson had first spotted.
The faint moonlight made this approaching creature look like a celestial beast.
Only when it came closer did he see that this beast was over a meter tall and powerfully built. Its originally solid-colored fur, reflecting the pale moonlight, actually emitted a dazzling, mesmerizing jade-like blue-green glow. Particularly its forehead, where a marking resembling the character "王" (King) shone with the same brilliance, like blue jade.
"Roar…" The tiger, its fur patterns emitting a strange jade-like light, growled lowly at the wolf pack.
With every step it took forward, the wolves fearfully scattered backward. When the distance was great enough, they turned tail and fled in all directions.
Isn't it just one tiger? There are so many of you wolves, what the hell are you afraid of!
Orson was incredibly frustrated with their cowardice, wishing he could personally control those fleeing wolves to swarm forward and at least fight the strange tiger until both sides were injured!
That way, he could take the opportunity to slip away in the chaos…
The tiger looked over towards Orson.
Its eyes were like precious gems, complementing the literally glowing "King" marking on its forehead—truly beautiful… Of course, it would be even more perfect if it would stop damn well walking towards him.
The tiger's furry, yet terrifyingly large head, slowly approached Orson… The faint, jade-like glow from the marking on its forehead reflected in Orson's pupils, getting closer and closer… Finally, the tiger tilted its head and gently nuzzled Orson's head. Orson froze. Was this fluorescent mega-tiger expressing goodwill?
Do I possess some kind of conqueror's aura? Or is it because of my name? (A play on names, though Orson's current name wouldn't have this effect).
Although Orson found it baffling, he figured he wasn't losing anything, so his anxious heart readily settled back into his chest.
The tiger nuzzled for a while, then extended its furry tail, curled it around Orson, and lifted him onto its broad back.
"Clothes," Orson reminded it subconsciously.
The fluorescent mega-tiger picked up the scattered suit from the ground with its mouth, turned its head, and Orson, stunned, reached out to take the clothes, then threaded his thin arms into the sleeves one by one.
Orson looked at his bloodstained fingers, hesitating whether to take the chance to draw a pentagram on the tiger's back…
A cool night breeze blew past. Orson clutched the suit tighter and abandoned the idea.
What if the ability fails to activate and instead angers my Tiger Bro? If this inexplicably established friendship sours, the consequences might be just a tad unfavorable…
Propping himself up on the tiger's back, Orson looked up at the jarring pile of weeds, like a nail house in this desolate plain. Thinking about the corpses strewn within, he knew that before he understood the situation, this place was not somewhere he should linger.
Let's get out of here first!
Orson gently patted the tiger's back and pointed in a direction where the night wind seemed to carry the sound of water.
The fluorescent tiger headed in the direction he indicated, moving unhurriedly. Along the way, Orson noticed a sneaky shadow—it seemed to be the wolf he had controlled earlier. This guy didn't get killed by the pack?
He had withdrawn control earlier because he feared the pain, not expecting this injured wolf to actually flee when he loosened his grip.
That wild wolf clearly also spotted the approaching fluorescent mega-tiger and the human youth on its back. It tensed and turned to run.
But an idea struck Orson. Staring at the wolf's retreating back, he shouted, "Come here!"
As his voice fell, Orson vaguely felt a warmth, invisible to the naked eye, ignite where the rose-gold pentagram mark was inside the wolf's ear, then sweep through its entire body… The wolf stopped fleeing and, without hesitation, turned back and ran to Orson's side, wagging its tail and pacing.
Indeed, after this ability is successfully applied, its use consumes the controlled target's own energy… Orson once again confirmed this characteristic of his superpower.
In that case, let's do a simple test on the way.
So, while riding the tiger, he vigorously put the controlled wolf through its paces, eventually summarizing his preliminary conclusions.
The rose-gold pentagram marking had three methods of control:
Orson completely immersed himself, as if in a first-person game perspective. Perhaps because the consciousness, when possessing the target, used the target's own brain as a vessel, Orson could easily "multitask"; his own body's actions and the controlled wolf's actions didn't interfere with each other at all.
Orson, from an observer's perspective, could freely control the pentagram-marked wolf as if commanding a game character.
Orson could command the target using verbal orders…
"Roll over first, then hop forward twice," Orson, riding the tiger, ordered the wolf running ahead.
The latter immediately rolled over on the spot, then hopped forward twice, before resuming its previous action, following Orson's earlier command: "Scout ahead, check the situation, and don't leave my sight," scouting not too far ahead.
Orson nodded with satisfaction. "It seems even if a new verbal command is given, it doesn't override a previous, uncompleted, or uncancelled command…"
This ability is too convenient! Am I not invincible with this, buddy?
Orson didn't know if his superpower worked on humans as well…
Speaking of humans… where exactly had he transmigrated to? Was this still Earth?
A tiger with glowing patterns like some fantastical creature, his own strange superpower…
As Orson was lost in these wild thoughts on the tiger's back, the wolf up ahead made a noise. It was sniffing the ground, apparently having found something.
As for what it was, the sky was already very dark, and Orson didn't have night vision… Huh?
An idea struck Orson. He directly switched to control method 1, immediately possessing the wolf's body up ahead, gaining its vision. He clearly saw a series of dark, dried bloodstains on the ground right before him.
He sniffed with the wolf's nose. These bloodstains… there were more further ahead! Incidentally, the wolf's sense of smell also picked up the strong, moist scent of the sea breeze in the night air.
Is the seaside up ahead?
And these bloodstains… Orson imagined a scenario of a gang landing on the shore, one side fleeing, the other pursuing…
The night grew deeper, the moonlight more intense. The tiger Orson rode, its fur patterns glowing like blue jade, became even more captivatingly beautiful. As it galloped towards the sea in the night, its graceful form and beautiful spirit made the wolf ahead look like a clumsy mutt.
Before long, Orson arrived at the seaside, riding the tiger.
From the direction of the dark, deep sea, a cool sea breeze blew with the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. Using the wolf's night vision, Orson soon discovered a small, half-sunken cruise ship that had hit a reef. The outer wall of a cabin on its side was completely smashed, and a large amount of seawater had poured in…
"Hope there's no one on board," Orson patted the fluorescent mega-tiger. This creature's markings were too flashy; it would be spotted from far away.
Orson signaled the tiger to carry him back temporarily. Then, he continued using method 1, controlling the wolf from a first-person perspective. It very easily jumped onto the bow of the cruise ship, which was almost embedded in the shore from the crash.
"Orson-wolf" landed on all fours, treading the wet deck. It slipped all the way to the cabin entrance, easily pushed open the main door, and rushed inside. The door hadn't even been locked…
First, he needed to check if there was anyone in the ship; second, he needed to find some food. Orson himself was starving… He urgently needed to find something to eat to replenish his energy.
The interior of the ship showed signs of chaos. Various items were scattered messily in the corridors. Most of the rooms had their doors open; the empty rooms had beds and tables in varying states of disarray. There were bloodstains in some places; clearly, there had been fighting inside the ship as well… "Orson-wolf" searched for the ship's kitchen while carefully observing the situation. Suddenly, there was a crunch underfoot. He looked down sharply. It was a newspaper.
By the faint moonlight slanting into the cabin and the wolf's excellent night vision, he clearly saw the text and photos on the newspaper.
He couldn't recognize a single word.
However, the strange, dense script on the newspaper, resembling tadpoles or perhaps unknown totems, gave Orson a very familiar feeling…
Damn it! Isn't this the exclusive script from that endlessly unfinished manga, Hunter x Hunter?!
Did I, your buddy, transmigrate into the world of Hunter x Hunter?!
It felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck the back of his head. All the strange experiences he had encountered since transmigrating flashed before Orson's eyes…
That weightless, water-like substance he always felt enveloping his body, was it actually the life energy called "Aura"?
The rose-gold pentagram he used to control the wild wolf, was it his awakened "Nen ability"?!
The mist cleared, and everything became suddenly clear. Orson, on the shore outside, looked up at the moon, then glanced left and right. He slid off the tiger, picked up a leaf, and then coaxed his fluorescent Tiger Bro to carry him back onto the ship.
Verifying whether this was indeed the Hunter x Hunter world was actually easy.
Nen users in the Hunter x Hunter world each have a natural Nen category they belong to, and this can be quickly and visually identified through a method called "Water Divination," which only requires a glass of water and a leaf.
If he could successfully perform the identification, then it was almost certain…
The fluorescent mega-tiger stepped heavily into the empty cabin. Orson slid off its back, clutching the leaf tightly in his hand, and sprinted towards his destination.
By the sink, "Orson-wolf" was already waiting, holding a glass with half a cup of clear water in its mouth.
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