Preparing to travel to the Dark Continent required comprehensive preparations and naturally took a long time.
There were too many factors to consider.
In the blink of an eye, it was almost 2002.
Just the preliminary preparations alone took nearly half a year for the V5, Oboro's team, and the Fels family.
Due to his appearance, the butterfly effect caused the timeline to advance.
In the original work, Kakin announced their departure for the Dark Continent, and the Black Whale set sail around August 2001.
Without Oboro, the Black Whale would have already been sailing the seas by now.
The delay from the election arc and the V5's arrangements, including the Zodiacs' efforts to contain Beyond, etc., were missing.
Most importantly, fearing his existence, Beyond and Kakin wanted to advance their plans and complete the 'Imaginary Homeland' project first, forcing the V5 to compromise.
Therefore, Nasubi Gray Pear and Beyond eagerly initiated a world-stage live broadcast that led to their own demise...
These six months were very peaceful.
As Oboro had predicted, the shock the Dark Continent had brought to humanity had mostly been forgotten... Now, he and the V5 were in cahoots, and with the Fels family's interference in various countries, the authorities easily quelled the hidden dangers of the matter.
Oboro didn't need to worry about the internal management of the Fels family. The Association was back on track, and the Twelve Zodiacs had grown accustomed to him being a hands-off leader.
The V5 couldn't escape Oboro's influence either and had given up resisting.
Everything was almost settled.
The next day, Oboro sat on the World Tree, overlooking the land, murmuring, "It's time..."
The cold wind at high altitudes ruffled his black suit, and golden sunlight dappled his skin.
Before leaving the human world, Oboro wanted to stand at the highest point of the human world and take a good look at this land.
Who knew when he would return.
Of course, it was also possible he would return defeated soon.
A beast's cry came from the distant horizon.
It was a magical beast.
Oboro looked in the direction of the sound. The beast resembled a dragon, enormous, with a beak and feathers characteristic of a bird.
After circling in the air for a while, it landed on the shade of the tree.
Two people jumped off the beast's back, one after the other.
One tall, one short. One big, one small.
Ging Freecss and his son, Gon.
"Mr. Oboro," Gon said, seeing Oboro, his face breaking into a bright smile as he waved.
After speaking, he scratched his head, "Ah... no, I should call you Chairman."
"Heh heh... You haven't completely lost your humanity, have you? Finally remembered you're a father?" Oboro said with a smile, hands in his pockets, looking at Ging, who patted the beast, making it fly away, as he joked.
Ging Freecss's expression was unnatural.
Oboro actually caught a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.
In the original work, Ging and Pariston had both left the Twelve Zodiacs together, but that wasn't the case now; he was still one of the Twelve Zodiacs.
As for the Rat, it wasn't Kurapika... but Bisky.
Although it didn't quite match her image, this was Bisky's voluntary request after Oboro was elected Chairman.
The reason, needless to say.
"It was this guy who wanted to see you one last time after knowing you were leaving," Ging coughed and pointed at Gon beside him with his thumb.
His tone made it sound as if Gon wasn't his son but a stranger.
"Last time? That sounds ominous," Oboro said with a smile.
"Hahaha... Mr. Oboro, please don't mind him. Ging is not honest at all! He's mentioned you quite a bit lately... He's actually..." Gon also called Ging by his name directly. These father and son were indeed very similar in some ways.
Ging's face flushed, and he immediately covered Gon's mouth.
Ging had always known about Oboro's goals and ambitions. All the events that had happened over the years were simply because Oboro wanted to go to the Dark Continent without restraint... without being influenced by external factors.
Although there had been some unpleasantness and various incidents, Ging understood Oboro's intentions.
This man... just wanted to achieve his vision and fulfill his own will.
"What do you want to say?"
Oboro asked with a smile, looking at Gon. "You barely escaped death... Are you trying to say you want to come with me?"
Oboro could tell at a glance that Gon could no longer sense Nen... his flesh and blood were incredibly weak.
Because the soul within him was terrifyingly thin.
The soul and Nen were closely related. Currently, Gon's soul fire could barely sustain his daily activities, which was already quite good.
"Mhm... Although I really want to go, I know... I can't anymore." Ging released his hand, and Gon said with relief, "I've already experienced what it's like to be a Hunter, and I've had wonderful experiences with everyone. That's enough for me. From now on... I should return to a normal life."
"Oh?"
Oboro raised an eyebrow.
Gon's mindset seemed to have changed.
It was likely Ging's doing.
Otherwise, with Gon's previous mindset... suddenly becoming a normal person, or even disabled, would undoubtedly be a tremendous blow.
It seemed that after returning to Whale Island and living with Mito again, Gon had gained many insights.
"Oh, right."
Saying this, Gon seemed to remember something and turned to pick up the package he had placed on the ground earlier.
"Aunt Mito asked me to give this to you. It's a bento she made herself."
Gon handed it over.
Oboro had eaten plenty of Mito's delicious food when he was on Whale Island back then.
"Please thank her for me."
Oboro took it, opened it directly, and warmly invited, "Shall we eat together? I haven't eaten yet..."
"Mhm."
Gon nodded.
Immediately, the two sat cross-legged on the ground and began to eat.
Ging, watching this scene, had a strange expression.
Because he seemed like an outsider... Oboro hadn't invited him, so he could only stand awkwardly to the side, watching the two eat.
"It's so beautiful..."
Gon opened the lunchbox, picked up his chopsticks, and looked at the vast landscape, exclaiming involuntarily.
Eating on the World Tree was indeed a unique experience.
"Where's Killua?" The two sat opposite each other, and it felt as if they had instantly returned to the forests of Whale Island, to the time many years ago when Oboro taught Gon the breathing techniques.
The wind on the World Tree was strong, and Gon could barely hold his chopsticks steady, yet Oboro noticed he was still smiling as he tried to pick up food.
This made Oboro's eyes flash. This child... had only let go of some things; deep down, he hadn't given up.
"I haven't been in contact with Killua since we parted ways... I guess he's still traveling somewhere, or maybe he's already returned home," Gon said with a smile.
"It's the familiar taste..."
Oboro ate a few bites to himself, "It's delicious."
"Hahaha... I told Aunt Mito before I came that Mr. Oboro would be very happy when he ate it," Gon said with a smile.
"So... what do you want to tell me?"
Oboro asked softly.
Hearing this, Gon put down the bento.
Under Ging's watchful eyes, he stood up and bowed deeply to Oboro, "Thank you for taking care of me all this time."
He was able to survive because Oboro had acted first, followed by Alluka. In that state, if Oboro hadn't intervened, his soul would have been annihilated, and he would have certainly died.
Even relying on that unknown power wouldn't have been enough.
Oboro looked at Gon's serious expression and then glanced at Ging, shaking his head.
Ging Freecss... was too cunning!
Even though he had beaten Ging once, he had to admire the man's intellect... And his becoming Chairman was more about leveraging the situation.
Pariston and Ging Freecss both had monstrous intellects. The difference was that Ging had seen through 'life,' while Pariston still considered factors like the situation, human nature, and other complex elements.
Gon had come sincerely to see him, to express his gratitude and bid farewell.
But Ging Freecss had other intentions. If there was anyone in this world who could restore Gon's power... besides Oboro, there was no one else.
"Are you truly resigned to this?"
Oboro gazed at Gon and suddenly said in a deep voice.
Gon looked up, met Oboro's gaze, and suddenly smiled, "What can I do if I'm not resigned... Ging also said that I'm lucky to be alive, and I shouldn't harbor any unrealistic fantasies."
"For an ordinary person to become a Hunter, it's like going from 0 to 100, requiring step-by-step progress. You were like that before. However, back then, although your starting point was 0, below that 0, there were hidden attributes yet to be allocated, which were your potential. Others might gain only 1 point for each increase in strength, but you gained 10 points... So, when you were a newcomer, although it seemed like 0, your actual value might have been 100."
Oboro used an analogy, "You are 0 now as well. The difference is, not only are there no hidden attributes, but you also have a debt... If you want to start over, you must first clear your debts. Moreover, after paying off your debts and starting from 0 again, you might not have any potential attribute points to allocate... The difficulty for you to become a Hunter again would be ten to a hundred times greater than for an ordinary person."
"You... still have a chance to become a Hunter. Do you want to continue?"
Oboro said.
Gon... hesitated.
If it weren't for Aunt Mito, and the warmth of returning to family life on Whale Island during this time, he might have agreed without hesitation.
"Sigh."
Oboro sighed softly.
"Aura... is a form of life energy that originates from our bodies. The reason you can't sense it is simply because your Aura is too weak... Your body is now like a shriveled husk, completely devoid of vitality."
"Your latent mental strength has also been depleted due to overexertion... causing your senses to be inferior to even an ordinary person."
"But Aura... always exists. It hasn't disappeared. The fact that you're still alive is the best proof."
Oboro said calmly.
"To sense it, one way is to stimulate your flesh and blood to increase its concentration. Another way is to amplify your five senses... The breathing technique I taught you before is just the simplest form. Higher-level breathing techniques will cause your mind and body to resonate deeply. Additionally, Aura... is not limited to the inside of the body; it also exists externally. The human world... the entire natural environment is a natural Aura field. You can also nourish yourself by absorbing the cleanest and purest Aura from nature... but all of this requires your body to recover to a certain extent."
"You are too fragile right now. Even if I taught you the breathing circulation method, you would find it difficult to endure... If I'm not mistaken, you must have secretly tried to circulate Aura through breathing exercises, haven't you?"
Oboro asked.
"Mhm."
Gon nodded.
"It was very painful, wasn't it?"
Oboro said directly, "Now... even a slightly strenuous breath could be fatal."
"Do you... still want to try?"
Oboro resumed eating, "My abilities are not omnipotent. The soul can do many things, but there are also many things it cannot do. My abilities are mixed with negative energy, so... I cannot use them for the purpose of 'healing'."
He said this to Ging.
"The choice is yours."
"Destiny is in your own hands."
With that, Oboro stopped bothering Gon.
The only method he could think of was breathing techniques... but given Gon's condition, breathing techniques might allow him to reopen the door to being a Hunter, but it might also be a poison that could cost him his life.
Some losses cannot be compensated by external abilities.
One can only rely on the internal... and with Gon's current body, there is little room for internal self-development.
More likely, it would involve squeezing out the last bit of potential that comes with mortal danger, and then slowly replenishing it with external energy.
Of course, there was one more option.
That was... the Dark Continent.
The life energy of that world was bizarre and immense... with all sorts of unknown things.
Perhaps there was a treasure that could restore Gon, but for now... Oboro hadn't even set off himself. The path ahead was unknown; who could guarantee anything?
Moreover, the most crucial factor in such matters was Gon's 'heart.'
Whether his Nen could be rekindled was inextricably linked to his 'heart.'
...
An hour later, Ging left with Gon on the magical beast.
Oboro looked at the black dots disappearing into the distance and said softly, "In the end, it's still the Freecss bloodline..."
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