The scene shown on the monitor made his expression stiffen instantly.
"How... How could this be?!"
Pakunoda, who had been silently watching beside him, suddenly covered her mouth.
Her body went rigid, then began to tremble uncontrollably.
Even Chrollo, upon seeing the scene being displayed, felt his pupils sharply contract.
"There's actually... A place like that?!"
What they saw in that image, even to describe it in the mildest, most restrained way, was a ground littered with severed limbs and mangled remains.
The broken bodies of children, tossed aside like trash.
As for the parts of the scene that were too horrific to describe...
"Ugh!"
Pakunoda turned around abruptly, her throat convulsing violently.
She didn't actually vomit.
Being from Meteor City, she wasn't easily frightened by gruesome sights.
But the sheer impact of this sudden, horrific image was enough to trigger a powerful physical reaction.
Even the young Shalnark's lips were trembling; his face had gone pale white.
"So... This is what they really are."
A calm voice spoke behind them.
The three turned around almost at the same time.
"Luke..."
Shalnark managed to force out the words.
It was the first time he realized his voice could actually sound this hoarse.
Hell on earth is nothing more than this.
If one were to describe it simply, skulls were everywhere, bones like a forest.
Human hair was tangled into felt, and flesh and blood had rotted into dust.
It's no wonder that someone like Pakunoda, born in Meteor City, felt some physical discomfort.
This was no mere torture.
This was a perverted and twisted massacre.
And those being tortured and dismembered were all children.
Every piece of flesh came from children who had been abducted and brought here.
From the external limbs and facial features to the inner skin.
Every organ in the human body has been dissected.
In this place, one could find every kind of human fragment imaginable.
"He's human too..."
Shalnark muttered: "How could he do something like this..."
They were clearly creatures of the same species.
What's more, these were all young children. How could he have done such a thing...
"Based on the intelligence I have seen before..."
Chrollo's mind flashed back to the intelligence Luke had given him.
Among them was one piece of information that stuck in his mind: "Risnorth once had a son."
Chrollo spoke slowly: "It is said that his son was very intelligent, lively, cheerful, and sunny... A truly outstanding young man."
"Risnorth loved his son very much and truly poured his love into him."
"He truly put a lot of effort into cultivating him into an outstanding talent."
At this point, it would sound like a heartwarming story.
But... Stories like this often have… but.
"But..."
Chrollo continued: "An unexpected event struck."
"When Risnorth's son was eight years old, he took his son to a kingdom on the Azian Continent to do business."
"It was there that Risnorth was attacked."
"Not only was he seriously injured, but his beloved son also perished in the attack."
"There was a famous photo in the reports from that time..."
It showed Risnorth lying face down in blood, staring helplessly at his son, whose head and body had been severed.
To see his once bright, cheerful, excellent, and beloved son appear before his eyes in this state...
The blow to Risnorth was undoubtedly immense.
"In the end, Risnorth survived the attack."
"The kingdom's authorities expressed great regret over what happened."
"They also promised them that the culprit behind the attack would be found and brought to justice."
"But Risnorth's son will never return..."
Chrollo paused at this point.
"There was also a rumor in the report."
"Risnorth also suffered severe injuries after the attack."
"He almost lost his fertility..."
Watching his son die tragically before his eyes, and then suffering severe injuries himself and losing his fertility...
Even if he was a successful businessman, experiencing such a sudden and devastating blow would have been difficult to endure.
"Later reports said Risnorth eventually walked out of the shadow of his grief."
"Moved by his loss and in memory of his son."
"He established the Mom's Help Foundation, hoping to make life better for children everywhere."
"Because of his personal tragedy, he became well-liked and trusted in industries related to children."
"Many consumers sympathized with Risnorth's experience and believed that he truly wanted to do something for children."
"As a result, Risnorth's foundation flourished, growing into a behemoth in just a few years."
"It could be said that, through this tragedy, Risnorth's business empire reached even greater heights."
He lost his beloved son, nearly died himself, and suffered a wound that would never heal.
Yet instead of collapsing, he stood up again, challenged life anew, and dedicated himself to children's welfare. Such a story sounded so inspiring, so full of positive energy.
In other words... It's so politically correct, he's praised by the elite, loved and pitied by the common folk.
The world has kissed my Soul with its pain, asking for its return in Songs.
To ensure that no other child would suffer as his own did, he created a foundation dedicated to helping children, which is a noble, shining example of virtue.
Official support and public sympathy lifted Risnorth back to success.
But... Judging from what they now saw in this hidden passage, it seemed Risnorth was not quite the man he claimed to be, nor the saintly figure his foundation portrayed.
"When people undergo great change, especially pain or trauma."
Luke said slowly: "They are easily driven over the edge."
"Humans, with their complex minds and emotions, differ from other creatures in that way."
"Their psychology and thinking can shift in ways no one can predict."
"And once malice and restraint both cross the line, there's no telling what horrors they're capable of."
From Luke's perspective, anyone who could carve out an empire in the ruthless world of business was no saint to begin with.
Especially in this world, the world of hunters, a place far more dangerous, where people's minds turn darker and more twisted.
Anyone who could survive and make a name here… Luke is more inclined to believe that he is not a kind person.
So, after such a trauma... The possibility of falling into the dark abyss of hell might be even greater.
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