Two days have passed since my reincarnation, and I've finally begun to get a handle on my surroundings.
Apparently, the mental exhaustion of the transition was too much for my new body; I was hit with a high fever and spent forty-eight hours wandering through a haze of nightmares. It served as a harsh self-reproach—a reminder that while I might curse God for this hand, I have to be incredibly cautious moving forward.
Now, regarding this new body: Calm Anderson, age four. He's essentially the equivalent of an American from my previous world. My parents are still around, and while I don't know exactly what they do for a living, they seem quite wealthy. You'd have to be to keep a child in a private hospital room indefinitely.
The best part about being a toddler is that I can gather information under the guise of "innocence." My mind is (mostly) that of an adult, while my body is that of a child. I feel a bit like a certain famous pint-sized detective.
"Huh? That's weird…"
I'm not quite as theatrical as he is, of course, but I can naturally steer conversations with the nurses toward the state of the world. My cover story is that of a child whose memories are a bit muddled due to the high fever.
When I asked where we were, the nurse told me we were at St. Bernard Hospital, located in Yorknew City within the Saherta United States.
…Do you realize what that means?
Yorknew City. (Yes, I said it twice.)
Jackpot.
Could it be? Is "Yorknew" that Yorknew? The one where the world's greatest auction takes place, where the Phantom Troupe goes on a rampage, and where people fight to get their hands on Greed Island?
If it is… then that means Nen exists in this world!
God! I'm sorry! You're the best! Forgive me for calling you a spiteful jerk!
My internal monologue was getting a bit vulgar, but I had to stop and catch my breath. It wasn't time to panic yet. If it turned out I was wrong, the shock would probably send me into another week-long coma. I had to stay calm. My sudden freeze had clearly worried the nurse, who was looking at me with a pained expression, whispering, "Maybe that was too difficult for him to understand..."
Time to act.
"I know that! This is on a big island, right? What's the island called?"
"Oh, you're so smart!" she chirped. "But it's not an island—it's a continent. This is the Yorubian Continent."
BINGO.
"Thank you! Tell me more later, okay?"
"Hehe, you're very welcome."
The Yorubian Continent. That seals it. This is the world of Hunter x Hunter. I couldn't suppress my joy, and I'm sure I was wearing a goofy, lopsided grin. The nurse, assuming I was just happy to be praised, watched over me with a warm, maternal smile.
Wait, I still needed to know when I was.
"Hey, what's today's date?"
"Let's see... it's August 4th."
"What year?"
"It's 1746. My, you're quite interested in the calendar, aren't you?"
"..."
The nurse praised me again, but I didn't hear a word.
If I remember correctly, Gon and his friends took the 287th Hunter Exam in January 1999.
That means I'm more than 250 years before the start of the story! Chairman Netero hasn't even been born yet! No wonder the room looks so antique!
I hope you can forgive my foul mood. Is God playing some kind of elaborate joke on me? My opinion of the Almighty is fluctuating more than the stock market.
That night, predictably, I got too excited, ran another fever, and spent the evening bedridden.
***
After cooling off and thinking it over rationally, I reached a conclusion: Nen exists, so who cares what year it is?
Sorry again, God. But since I still don't quite trust you, I'll keep my final judgment on hold.
I can't do anything about the era. Even though it's 250 years before the original series, civilization is surprisingly advanced. It feels similar to late 19th-century New York. I can see tall buildings from my window. It's the era of steam and early machinery, right before the rise of the mafia and Prohibition. Horse-drawn carriages are the primary mode of transport on the streets, though I occasionally spot an early automobile.
The world of Hunter x Hunter has always been an unbalanced mix of hyper-advanced tech and uncharted wilderness, so it's clearly developing differently than my old world.
Regardless, daily life doesn't seem too inconvenient—except for the medicine. The medical technology here is honestly pathetic. Sterilization? Might as well be magic to them. It's a miracle this body hasn't died yet. If I don't do something, I'll likely catch a lethal disease and kick the bucket even faster than I did in my last life. There's no guarantee I'll get a third chance.
Time to set some goals.
My primary objective in this world is Survival. I need to learn Nen and train it to the limit to build a body that won't fail me.
My secondary objective is to Enjoy the World. This is the world of Hunter x Hunter, after all. It's a shame I won't be able to interact with the original cast, but I want to see the world for myself—partly for the sake of my past self. Since the Hunter Exam already exists, I'll aim to become a Hunter.
First, I need to assess my "specs." This is a world where the harder you train, the stronger you become. However, I can't ignore the "curse" of my sickly constitution. Overconfidence is a death sentence.
As for my appearance: I looked in the mirror and saw a cute boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. My eyes look a bit sleepy, but I have the feeling I'll grow up to be quite handsome. If I had to compare myself to a canon character, I'd look a bit like a younger, sleepier version of Pariston Hill. I'd rather not have his suspicious personality, though. Because of my illness, I'm much scrawnier than other kids my age. My ribs stick out, and my arms are like twigs.
This is why my absolute priority is overcoming this weakness.
Mastering Nen is non-negotiable. I can't exactly go out and run marathons with this body. My plan is simple: learn Nen, use my aura to bolster my physical frame, and then gradually begin physical training as my aura strengthens. Depending on my Nen type, I might even be able to develop a Hatsu specifically designed to cure my illness.
I'll start with Ten. To sense my aura, I'll go back to my specialty: meditation.
I need to open my nodes and learn to feel the energy flowing within. Unlike my previous life, knowing for a fact that this power exists is an incredible motivator. I'm naturally inclined toward meditation, so I have the edge.
However, even though I'm hospitalized, I can't meditate 24/7. I'll have to find gaps in the day—early morning, during naps, and after lights out—totalling about six hours a day. Once I'm discharged and school eventually starts, I'll have to work harder to carve out time.
In the original series, they said Gon and Killua were "one in ten million" talents. They were able to awaken their Nen in about a week. I don't expect to be that gifted. I wonder how long it will take me?
***
Half a year has passed since I began my meditation. I've been meditating for at least six hours every day, but I still haven't grasped even a hint of it. I figured I wasn't a natural genius, so I'm prepared for a long war of attrition. I refuse to give up; my life literally depends on it. Fortunately, I've always enjoyed meditation, so I haven't felt discouraged.
The real enemies were the occasional bouts of illness. There were several times where I legitimately thought I was going to die again.
My first year of meditation is coming to a close. I am now five years old. I still haven't caught a glimpse of my aura.
But I know it's there. I decided I needed to change my approach.
Instead of trying to grasp the aura as a vague concept, I began to meditate while focusing on my cells individually. I imagined every single cell pulsing, connecting, and vibrating with life. I expanded my consciousness to visualize the roughly thirty-seven trillion cells in my body, searching for the "nodes." When I dive that deep, time disappears.
My parents have expressed concern more than once, but I managed to brush them off by saying, "I feel like my illness is stabilizing when I do this."
Surprisingly, it's the truth. I haven't been getting sick as often lately. Because there were actual results, my parents stopped pestering me. In fact, when I stopped meditating for a while because they were worried, I immediately caught a cold that nearly killed me.
About six months after I changed my visualization technique, I finally completed the mental image of opening the nodes in every single cell of my body.
Simultaneously, I felt a sensation as if my entire body was being wrapped in something warm.
This is Ten.
It looks like I made it in time.