Two days after my transmigration, I started to figure out my surroundings.
The exhaustion from the mental shock of the previous day led to a high fever and two days wandering through nightmares. This experience both made me curse God and warned me that I needed to be extremely cautious.
This new body, Kalm Anderson (age 4), is the equivalent of an American citizen in my previous life. Both parents are alive, and although I don't know what they do, they seem quite wealthy. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stay hospitalized for so long.
The great thing about being a toddler is the ability to gather information innocently. I'm an adult (more or less) in a child's body—I feel like Detective Conan. Huh? That's strange, isn't it?
I don't go overboard with the melodrama, but I can subtly ask the nurse who's caring for me during casual conversation. My cover story is that I'm a child whose memory is a little muddled from the fever. When I asked where I was, the nurse replied that the hospital I'm currently in is St. Bernard Hospital, located in Yorkshin City, in the Sahelta United States.
...Do you understand?
It's Yorkshin City. (I said it twice.)
...This is it!
Could Yorkshin be that Yorkshin? The place in Hunter x Hunter where the auction happens, where the Phantom Troupe clashes with the Hunters, and where the Greed Island game is acquired...
If so, then:
Nen can be used here!!!
God! I take it all back! You are the absolute best! I'm sorry I ever thought you were some spiteful jerk!
I let my language slip, but wait—it's not time to panic yet. It wouldn't be funny if I was wrong. I'd probably be so shocked that I'd be laid up with an even worse fever, so I need to stay calm. Look, the nurse I asked is confused because I froze up. She's giving me a troubled look and saying, "Was that too hard for you, dear?"
Time to act!
"I know! This is a big island, right? What's the name of the island?"
"Oh, you know quite a bit. It's not an island, it's called a Continent. This is the Yorbian Continent."
THERE IT IS!
"Thank you! Tell me more sometime!"
"Hehe, you're welcome."
The Yorbian Continent. This is confirmation. I am definitely in the world of Hunter x Hunter. I couldn't contain my joy, and the nurse just watched my grinning face with a heartwarming smile, assuming I was happy about being praised. Speaking of which, I still need to know when "now" is.
"Hey, what's today's date?"
"Well, today is August 4th."
"What year?"
"It's the year 1746. My, how do you even know to ask about the year?"
...
The praise didn't register. If Gon and his friends took the 287th Hunter Exam, which started in January 1999 from Whale Island...
I am over 250 years before the original storyline! Even Chairman Netero isn't born yet! No wonder the room felt antique!
Please forgive my foul language. Is God just toying with me? My evaluation of the divine is fluctuating wildly. That night, perhaps due to over-excitement, I came down with a fever again.
After calming down and thinking things over, I reached a conclusion: so what if I can use Nen? It doesn't matter. God, I apologize, but I still can't fully trust you, so my evaluation of you remains reserved.
The era can't be helped. However, despite being 250 years before the original plot, civilization seems surprisingly advanced. I'd say the level of technology is similar to New York in the late 1800s in my previous life. I can see skyscrapers. Does that mean it's right before the Prohibition era and the rise of the Mafia? Horse-drawn carriages are still the main mode of transport on the streets, but I see cars occasionally. The world of Hunter x Hunter is oddly unbalanced, with areas of extreme technological advancement coexisting with uncharted lands, so its development path is slightly different from Earth's.
In any case, daily life isn't terribly inconvenient, except for the medical care. The medical standards here are atrocious. Disinfectants? What are those? I'm honestly shocked this body has survived this long. It's a miracle I'm alive. If I do nothing, however, I risk succumbing to a virulent disease and dying even faster than in my previous life. I have no choice but to try and overcome this. There's no guarantee of another transmigration.
My first goal in this world is "Not to die." I must acquire and train my Nen to create a durable body.
My second goal is "To enjoy the world." Since I'm in the Hunter x Hunter world, even if I can't intervene in the main story, I want to travel the world, making up for the life I missed. The Hunter Exam has already begun (the 1st one, most likely), so I'll aim to become a Hunter.
First, I need to assess my specs. This is the HxH world, where you can grow stronger the more you train. However, this body still has that familiar cursed, sickly constitution. Overconfidence is forbidden.
My appearance: Looking in the mirror, I saw an adorable boy with blond hair and blue eyes. My eyes look a little sleepy, but I sense the potential for a handsome man. If I had to compare, I look most like Pariston Hill from the later chapters, only smaller, with a more sleepy, resigned expression. I'd rather not resemble such a shifty character. Still, because of my weak health, I'm scrawnier than other kids my age—my ribs stick out, and my arms are thin.
My absolute goal is to overcome this weak body.
To do that, awakening Nen is essential, as I can't push myself too hard with physical training right now. My plan is to first acquire Nen, then use my aura to make my body sturdy. I'll gradually build up my physical strength while training my Nen. Depending on my aura type, I might even be able to develop the Hatsu I designed in my previous life to overcome my sickness.
First up is Ten. I'll start with my specialty, meditation, to learn how to sense my aura. Training to open my Pores and feel my aura. The certainty that aura exists is a tremendous motivator, unlike in my previous life. I naturally feel energized, and I'm good at meditating anyway.
However, even though I'm hospitalized or recuperating at home, I can't meditate constantly. I decided to dedicate about six hours a day by snatching time in the early morning, during naps, and after lights out. I also need to manage my schedule carefully as schooling will soon start.
The Gons of the world are supposed to be once-in-ten-million geniuses. They had the potential to awaken in about a week. I don't expect to master it that fast, but I should prepare for the long haul. I won't give up, though, because my life depends on it. Fortunately, meditation has never been a chore for me, so I wasn't disheartened. My occasional illnesses were a much greater enemy; I almost died several times.
Six months into meditation. I'm still training a minimum of six hours a day, but I haven't grasped a single fragment of aura. I didn't expect to be a genius, but I must prepare for a long battle. I won't give up—my life is at stake. Fortunately, meditation has never been a chore for me, so I wasn't disheartened. My occasional illnesses were a much greater enemy; I almost died several times.
One year into meditation. I'm now five years old. I still haven't grasped a fragment of aura. But the aura is definitely here. Perhaps I should change my visualization technique.
Instead of vaguely trying to grasp the aura, I started meditating while consciously focusing on every single cell. I visualize each of my estimated 37 trillion cells pulsating, linking up, and actively moving, mentally expanding my awareness to seek out my Pores. Time flies when I'm doing this.
My parents worried about me countless times, but I managed to placate them by claiming, "It feels like it helps keep my sickness away." This actually had some basis in reality, as I had been getting sick less often recently. Since I had the results, my parents didn't press the issue. Once, when they worried too much and I stopped meditating for a while, I instantly caught a cold and nearly died.
About six months after I changed my visualization technique, the image of opening the pores of every cell in my body was finally complete. Simultaneously, I finally grasped the sensation of something enveloping my entire body.
Is this Ten?
It seems I made it just in time.