Hunter: I became stronger even after I died.

Chapter 213 Soul Contract
Moro and his group spent a few days sightseeing in the Kingdom of Ryuo.

Although their visas still had most of their validity remaining, they did not intend to stay any longer.

Before leaving the Kingdom of Ryuo, Moro wanted to see Chimera.

So, Menchi led Moro and his group to the famous Demon Realm of the Ryuo Kingdom—

Forest of Blazing Fire.

This magical realm is famous for its abundant forest resources, but because it is located in a volcanic area, there are many active volcanoes scattered in the forest.

Forests and volcanoes, life and destruction.

The strange harmony has remained unchanged for many years.

"Chimera should be waking up soon."

Menqi led everyone to the outskirts of the Fiery Forest and pointed to the forest shrouded in hot mist in the distance, saying, "After each meal, it sleeps in the volcanic lava for a whole week."

"Sleeping in lava... I've never heard of such a thing."

This was the first time Moro had heard Mencius mention this, and he was immediately surprised.

A glint of excitement flashed in Menchi's eyes: "I also found it incredible at first, but our understanding of mythical beasts is really limited. Maybe this is a talent that chimeras are born with."

"Too."

Moro thought about it again. Even the World Tree of the Dark Continent could take root and grow in magma, so it was not surprising that the Chimera was sleeping in magma.

Mythical beasts are different from ordinary creatures.

In his view, mythical beasts are more like life forms born from fantasy and cannot be understood by conventional reasoning.

With Menchi leading the way, the group quickly entered the Forest of Blazing Fire.

This is the Demon Realm, under the jurisdiction of the Liuying Kingdom, which has established a rule prohibiting entry into the forest.

However, Menchi is a professional hunter, and with her hunter license and special status as a gourmet hunter, she easily obtained permission to pass.

The group entered the forest and continued their journey.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the temperature gradually rose, and several active volcanoes in the distance continuously spewed grayish-white smoke, enveloping the entire forest in a hazy sulfurous odor.

Moro arrived at a large open space at the foot of the mountain, where he could faintly feel the warmth emanating from the soles of his feet.

He looked up and could already see the crater of one of the volcanoes faintly glowing with a dark red light.

Menchi stopped in front of the group, pointed to the towering volcano ahead, and said, "This is it. I'll go and call Chime to come down. You all wait for me here."

Everyone had no objections and watched as Menqi walked towards the volcano.

Just then, two figures suddenly rushed out of the woods on the other side of the clearing.

They were surrounded by spiritual energy, their expressions panicked, as if they were hiding from something.

Moro's gaze swept over them like lightning, and in an instant, he recognized the other person as one of the passengers who had disembarked with them a few days earlier, and one of only two Nen users among that group of passengers.

I don't know what happened, but they seemed so flustered and disheveled.

Moro's gaze swept over the two men's panicked faces, and he suddenly noticed a little blood slowly seeping from the bottom of the backpack slung over one of them's waists.

The two Nen users also spotted Moro and his group, but after only a brief exchange of glances, they hurriedly looked away and continued their escape.

However, after they had only rushed a few dozen meters, a sudden change occurred—

"Whizzing!"

Two black shadows, like venomous snakes, shot out from the forest, drawing deadly arcs in the air, heading straight for the two Nen users.

Moro looked closely and saw that they were two chains with kunai tied to their ends, wrapped in Nen energy, and moving at a very fast speed.

The next instant, the chains precisely wrapped around the calves of the two Nen users, and the powerful impact caused them to lose their balance and fall heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Almost simultaneously, three figures leaped out from the forest and landed steadily dozens of meters away.

The newcomers were all dressed in standard ninja attire, and two of them were holding the chains that had just tripped their target.

Seeing this, Moro calmly observed the three ninjas, while also keenly sensing that there were at least a dozen other auras lurking in the forest, though he couldn't determine for the time being whether any of them were Ninja users.

Menchi, who spends his life in the deep mountains and forests, has a very keen sense of perception and, like Moro, has noticed many auras hidden in the forest.

However, neither of them looked much into the forest; instead, they focused on the three ninjas dressed as Ninja users.

"There are others."

One of the three ninjas looked at Moro and the others and spoke.

As soon as he finished speaking, another person said simply, "Let's control them first."

They were speaking in their native dialect, so Moro couldn't understand them.

However, judging from the changes in their Nen aura, Moro could easily sense their malice.

Kurapika and Kalmod also sensed the malicious intent of the ninjas, and immediately opened their energy pores, releasing their maximum energy output, and entered battle mode.

However, just as tensions were rising in the arena—

A muffled roar, like a thunderclap, suddenly exploded in the sky.

Everyone was startled and instinctively looked up at the sky.

A bizarrely shaped giant creature was seen swooping down from the sky.

The monster had a crimson bird head, a lizard-like bloated body, a pair of huge fleshy wings spread out from its back, and a thick tail that split open like a flower bud, revealing layers of spiral serrations that gleamed with a chilling light as it swung.

“What, what is this…?!”

The three ninjas who were about to attack Moro and the others suddenly changed their expressions. Ignoring the two Nen users who were bound by chains, they retreated rapidly and instantly created distance between themselves.

This strange beast, comparable in size to a heavy truck, is none other than the mythical beast Chimera.

"boom!"

With a heavy thud, the chimera's massive body kicked up a cloud of dust.

Its crimson vertical pupils were fixed on the three ninjas, its gaze revealing a naked predatory desire, as if it were examining several pieces of fresh meat.

"Chimera!"

Menchi rushed forward with delight, reaching out to stroke its thick, scaly legs. "Did you sense I was in danger, which is why you rushed over?"

However, Chimera showed no reaction to her affection and continued to stare intently in the direction of the ninjas.

Only when it sensed fear emanating from the ninjas did it slowly withdraw its gaze, turn its long neck, and lower its crimson bird head before Moro.

At that moment, the ferocity in its eyes vanished instantly, replaced by an almost fawning joy. It even gently rubbed its head, covered in red fur, against Moro, just like a pet trying to please its owner.

When Menqi saw this, her smile froze on her face, and she stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Kurapika and Kalmod looked at the Chimera, which was standing close by, with some curiosity.

Although Mencius had given me a general description of the chimera before I came, seeing it with my own eyes still filled me with a sense of wonder.

Even though Kurt's family also had a giant magical beast, it couldn't be considered a species on the same level as the Chimera in terms of appearance.

Moro reached out and gently stroked the chimera's head. After not seeing it for several months, he could actually feel a faint sense of blood connection with the chimera.

"It must be because of the 'growth ring energy' after all..."

Seeing the chimera's overjoyed reaction, Moro had already made up his mind.

The chimera absorbed 15% of his annual ring energy before it hatched from the egg.

Perhaps from that moment on, he established a relationship with the chimera that resembled a soul contract.

With this relationship in place, even though he had contact with Chimerahan during this time, they were able to maintain a strong bond.

but--

What exactly are mythical beasts? Why can they be born through the energy of tree rings...?

If we had to put it into words, the essence of annual ring energy should be the spiritual energy that is born from "thought".

So what is the connection between these two?

Moro couldn't understand it.

After seeing the chimera today, I can basically confirm this use of annual ring energy.

In other words, he truly is the chosen Beast Hunter.

Given enough annual energy and mythical beast eggs, he could create a large army of mythical beasts by manpower.

Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared on Moro's face.

Chimera seemed to sense Moro's feelings and became even more excited, its red bird head rubbing against Moro's body repeatedly.

Menchi, frozen in place, was too heartbroken to utter a single word after witnessing Chimera's reactions.

She had initially thought the Chimera might forget Moro, but...

Not only did he not forget her, but he also became so affectionate that he neglected his hardworking and meritorious mother.

Menqi was both sad and angry.

She kicked the chimera hard.

Chimera looked at her with a puzzled expression, then continued to rub her head against Moro.

"..."

Menqi opened her mouth, her eyes slightly red, looking like she was about to cry but couldn't.

In the clearing in front of the forest, the three ninjas and the two Nen users bound by chains all stared at the Chimera with suspicion and uncertainty.

Fear was evident on their faces without exception.

Even the dozen or so ninjas lurking in the forest held their breath, their eyes filled with horror.

What they feared so much was the chimera's thick tail.

More accurately, it's the grotesque, spiral-shaped mouthparts at the end of its tail.

It hovered in mid-air, seemingly possessing its own consciousness, always precisely aimed in their direction, its serrated edges opening and closing slightly, as if silently calculating the location of its prey.

Deep in the forest, a young, bald ninja slowly raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

"How could such a monster appear in the Forest of Blazing Fire?"

The bald ninja muttered under his breath, his voice revealing undisguised shock.

This bald ninja is none other than Hanzo, a Jonin of the Cloud Village.

At this moment, he stared intently at Chimera and Moro, his heart churning with disbelief.

On the one hand, he couldn't believe that such a ferocious and terrifying monster existed in the world; on the other hand, he was shocked that such a monster would submit to humankind.

Because of the Chimera's sudden entry, the disputes that had been taking place inside seemed to become the most insignificant things.

"withdraw!"

The leading ninja was relieved that Moro's group did not seem to have a strong desire to attack, and immediately gave the order to retreat.

The other two ninjas responded instantly upon hearing this.

However, when they retreated into the forest, they did not intend to throw the two Nen users down. Instead, they swung the chains to bind the two Nen users tightly before retreating into the forest.

"Save me, please, save me...!"

The Nen user carrying the blood-soaked satchel suddenly cried out for help to Moro in a hoarse voice.

Moro remained indifferent, ignoring the cries for help.

Seeing Moro's reaction, the person who had asked for help immediately looked desperate and was quickly dragged into the forest by the ninjas.

After the group's presence had faded into the distance, Moro turned to Menchi and asked, "Those two, could they be poachers?"

"Do not."

Menchi composed herself and shook her head: "They are gourmet hunters."

"So sure?"

Moro was slightly surprised.

Menchi looked at the trail of blood that stretched into the forest and said, "There's no mistake. I smelled a lot of seasonings and condiments on them. Only gourmet hunters would carry these things with them."

"So it seems they hunted some kind of creature and then provoked those ninjas."

Moro made this inference.

Menchi nodded in agreement, not feeling sorry for the two gourmet hunters.

This is a controlled restricted area. They may be able to obtain a permit by acting as gourmet hunters, but they should still abide by the local regulations.

One of the conditions that allowed them to enter was that they could not illegally hunt creatures in the forest.

Those two gourmet hunters clearly crossed the line...

Being punished by a group of local ninjas was something he deserved.

However, more than the fate of the two gourmet hunters, Menchi was more concerned about Chimera's affectionate attitude towards Moro.

"Damn it! All that careful preparation of delicious food for you every day!!!"

Menqi got angry again when she thought about this.

She kicked the chimera again.

However, Chimera completely ignored her, her eyes only on Moro.

"Ah, I'm pissed off!"

Mencius raised his hands and roared in utter helplessness!

Kurapika and Kalmod quietly moved away from Menchi, then began to examine Chimera.

Chimera is smart enough to discern the relationship between Kurapika and his friends and Moro, so it simply retracted its intimidating manta tail.

Moro noticed Chimera's little gesture.

He is perceptive and intelligent.

More importantly, it's about loyalty.

He was even more satisfied.

But he didn't intend to take Chimera with him.

Since the environment of the Fiery Forest allows the Chimera to grow to this size in just a few months, continuing to raise them here is undoubtedly the best option.

However, before leaving the Kingdom of Ryuo, he planned to leave a star mark on the Chimera.

And he was quite curious about something.

As a mythical beast, the Chimera possesses the innate ability to move freely in lava, so it's unknown whether it can awaken the power of "Nen".

Thinking of this, Moro looked at the chimera's thick tail and mouthparts.

if you can……

I'm afraid even the captain-level Chimera Ants from the original story would be easily defeated by Chimeras.

(End of this chapter)