Hunter: I became stronger even after I died.

Chapter 279 The Power of Transformation
For almost a year, Morrow's hair hadn't been styled and had become fluffy and messy.

If it were gold, it would probably just be a headscarf to wrap it up, saving the trouble of tidying it up.

Moro wasn't as casual as Jin, but considering he might need to disguise himself later, he didn't plan to go to the barbershop.

He focused his spiritual energy on his fingertips, neatly trimmed his sideburns, then gathered his disheveled hair back and tied it up with a dried plant root he found on the ground.

After doing all that, Moro leaped onto the chimera's back.

"Let's go."

Moro crouched down and gently patted the chimera's back with his hand, then straightened up and looked at the endless forest in front of him.

"Roar!"

The chimera cried out, flapped its wings, and took flight, creating a powerful gust of air.

Its rather bulky and enormous body took off and flew rapidly forward.

It will take about two days.

Moro arrived at a town and found a tree hole pawnshop nearby.

If a disguise is needed later, items like the Abyss Sheath, which would reveal one's identity, definitely cannot be carried on one's person.

So he planned to store the Abyss Sheath in the tree hole first.

Upon entering the pawn shop, Moro confidently walked to the counter, which was blocked by bulletproof glass, and spent 100 million to exchange for a tree hole gold coin. He then entered through the iron door on the side of the counter.

After passing through an enclosed corridor, there is an iron gate at the end.

As soon as Morrow reached the iron gate, it opened automatically, revealing a dimly lit staircase leading down below.

Tree hole pawnshops are found all over the world, but their architectural structure is surprisingly consistent, as if they were printed from the same mold.

Morrow descended the stairs and came to a basement with candles lit.

By the flickering candlelight, one can see numerous cabinets placed against the wall, as well as a conspicuous, rustic long table.

Even the basement where they stored their belongings was exactly the same as another tree hole pawnshop they had visited before.

But what surprised Moro even more was...

He looked at an elderly man wearing reading glasses behind the long table.

"It's him again?"

His gaze swept over the old man's aura, which was as steady as a viscous swamp.

Moro remembered this state of mind, which further confirmed the old man's identity; he was definitely the person who had received him last time.

The tree hole pawnshop I visited last time is on a completely different continent from this pawnshop.

Could it be that he was transferred to another position and that's how he happened to run into him?

Moro was surprised but didn't think much of it. He walked straight to the long table and placed the tree hole gold coins and the Abyss Sheath on the table.

The old man looked up at Moro.

Despite the vicissitudes of life, his eyes still possessed excellent vision, and he quickly noticed some changes in Moro, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Moro calmly replied, "Store it."

"it is good."

The old man slowly stood up, put away the gold coin engraved with a tree pattern, and then picked up the Abyss Sheath to examine it.

After checking the status of the stored items, the old man turned and walked to the cabinets placed against the wall, putting the Abyss Sheath into one of them.

Throughout the entire process, Moro kept his eyes on the old man, and took the initiative to start a conversation:
"The pawnshop I visited last time was on a completely different continent from here. I never expected to see you here."

"..."

After putting his things away, the old man slowly turned back to the chair in front of the long table, without replying or trying to satisfy the curiosity in Moro's words.

The business that Tree Hole does is inherently somewhat unique.

The high price also means that the tree hole service is guaranteed, at least in terms of safety and timeliness.

This confidence stems from the fact that the tree hole uses "thought" to construct a channel that allows items to be transferred between various pawnshops at any time.

of course.

Under certain conditions, such a channel can also transport a person to another pawnshop.

This is the fundamental reason why Moreau was able to meet the old man again at this pawn shop.

The old man didn't reply, which didn't surprise Moro at all. He continued, to himself:

“Some time ago, I met someone who voluntarily accepted the invitation from the ‘Eye of Truth’. She used that card and was able to create a space with its own set of rules at will.”

The person being mentioned was none other than Eve, the third princess of the ancient Ganyu Kingdom.

Upon hearing Moro mention the Eye of Truth, the old man reacted, raising his eyes to look directly at Moro's face.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten the boy in front of him.

He also remembered that the boy had pressed him about the Eye of Truth.

He also warned the boy not to delve too deeply into the Eye of Truth.

"I already said that……"

The old man understood Moro's intentions and said coldly, "I only know how to keep things safe for people."

"What will it take for you to tell me more about the Eye of Truth?"

Moro pressed for an answer.

He didn't necessarily need to get information about the Eye of Truth from the old man, but since he had encountered him here, he could try again and see if he could get more information.

The old man stared into Moro's eyes but did not see the expected persistence.

Then, remembering that Moro had left a card of the Eye of Truth in the tree hollow, he remained silent for a while before slowly speaking: "Equivalent exchange is the truth... Don't use that card lightly if you want to live a little longer."

"That card..."

"Walk slowly without sending."

The old man interrupted Moro.

Moro paused slightly, sensing the determination in the old man's words, and immediately stopped pressing the matter.

"Thanks for letting me know."

After saying thank you, Moro turned and left.

Only after Moro's figure disappeared at the top of the stairs did the old man look up, a hint of doubt slowly appearing in his eyes.

He was puzzled by the unusual change in Moreau.

It's incredible that they were able to hone their "spirit energy" to that level in such a short time.

This was the part that puzzled and surprised the old man the most.

Outside of pawnshops.

Moro glanced back at the tightly closed iron door on the side of the counter, thinking about what the old man had just said.

From this perspective, the cost of using that Eye of Truth card was indeed quite high.

It's very likely that we'll have to pay a price, such as our lifespan...

Moro withdrew his gaze, but did not think much of it.

Ever since he confirmed the card's abilities, he has been cautious about using it and has not used it lightly.

But since I ran into that old man again today, I thought I might as well try to pry out more information.

"Perhaps we could consider selling this card to that princess."

Moro was inclined to believe the old man's words, and after learning that the price of using the card might be shortening his lifespan, his desire to keep the card weakened even further.

Rather than letting it gather dust in a tree hollow, it would be better to sell it at a high price to the princess of the ancient Ganyu Kingdom.

If the princess is still willing to buy it at a high price, then it can settle Kangzai's debts and alleviate Kurapika's financial pressure.

"Let's scout out Biscayne Park and Shimeile Wetlands first. After that, we need to prepare some disguises. Oh, and what about Kim... I wonder if he's helped me find a 'job' yet."

Moro temporarily put aside the idea of ​​selling the Eye of Truth card to Eve and instead considered what to do next.

Reconnaissance and disguise preparations are both necessary tasks.

In addition, before the sparring session ended, he asked Kim for a favor, asking Kim to help him find some services to help him get rid of the thoughts of death.

However, only two days have passed, so it shouldn't be that easy to find a request to remove negative thoughts.

What he was more worried about was that Kim would simply forget about it.

After all, this guy disappeared without a trace after the sparring session ended, and even turned off his phone. "There's still about a month until the Hunter Test starts, let's just wait patiently."

Moro glanced at the ring tattoo on the back of his hand.

The energy of the third ring reached about 93%, and the level also reached Lv.72.

It took him almost a year to level up from Lv.71 to Lv.72.

Moreover, he devoted a lot of time to rigorous training every day, and even ate medicinal cuisine for a year, but he only barely improved by one level.

The process was arduous.

As for the enhancement of the annual ring energy, it was because Jin received a request from a colleague, who then took him to a tomb that was being excavated. There, they absorbed a lot of the resentment of the people who were buried alive, which increased the annual ring energy to 93%.

If Jin can find him a job to rid him of his post-death thoughts before the Hunter Exams begin, he might be able to collect the third ring of energy in one go.
-
12 month 9 number.

Moro and Chimera arrived at the Shimeile Wetlands.

This wetland is also known as the nest of con artists, and as its name suggests, every creature here has evolved a unique deceptive hunting method.

In such a perilous environment, even Nen users cannot be too careless.

After all, displaying one's aura can only help the ability user defend against attacks from ferocious beasts, but it is difficult to guard against those invisible threats.

For example, deadly poison gas, or pollen or scales that have hypnotic or anesthetic effects.

of course.

For those who possess Nen abilities, as long as they are careful enough, there shouldn't be any major problems.

However, we must always maintain a sense of awe towards nature.

This is what Moro learned from King.

Pah.

Moro stepped onto the damp ground, splashing up a trail of mud.

All around, thick fog, like a heavy white curtain, enveloped every visible corner.

The damp air was filled with a smell that was a mixture of rotting plants and the stench of animals.

Moro had already sent the chimera to find food on its own, and immediately ventured alone into the depths of the wetlands.

He needed to familiarize himself with the route from here to Biscayne Park as much as possible within the limited time available.

It's not that I'm worried about getting lost during the hunter test, but this environment is perfect for hands-on activities.

If Illumi were to participate in the Hunter Exams, this wetland, often shrouded in thick fog, would be the perfect place for him to strike.

Moro traveled through the wetlands, encountering various deadly plants and animals along the way.

It's no exaggeration to say that you can encounter one within a few dozen meters.

Such a perilous place is merely the first stage of the hunter's test, so it's no wonder the mortality rate is so high.

Moro wandered around the wetlands, avoiding fighting if possible when attacked, instead carefully observing the surrounding environment and the deceptive hunting methods of these predators.

During his wanderings, he even encountered a giant wolf that was clearly strong and had sharp claws and teeth, yet it insisted on mimicking the cries for help of humans.

This gave Moro a deeper understanding of the Shimeile Wetland.

Although somewhat perplexing, it can only be viewed as a phenomenon resulting from biological evolution.

After wandering along the route for several hours, Morrow found a flat spot to rest.

But he had only been sitting down for a short while when he heard rapid breathing coming from the thick fog.

It was the sound of a woman breathing.

Moro calmly looked in the direction of the sound and saw a ragged, rather short woman emerge from the thick fog.

The woman's face was covered with various scars, but they couldn't hide her terrified and panicked expression.

"Great, great! Finally... I can see people."

Upon seeing Moro, the woman's face immediately lit up with excitement.

Moro showed no reaction whatsoever, merely turning his head to look at the woman.

Killing intent.

He could easily sense the murderous intent emanating from the woman.

Besides the murderous intent, one could also faintly smell a fishy odor unique to animals.

"camouflage?"

Moro scrutinized the woman, and for a moment thought of creatures like the human-faced apes of the Lost Melody Wetlands, as well as the ferocious foxes that served as guides for hunters' tests.

Both of these creatures have the ability to transform into humans.

Thinking about the need for disguise later, Moro suddenly became very interested, and the way he looked at the woman gradually changed.

The ragged woman noticed the change in Moro's gaze, as if she had suddenly been transported to a frozen wasteland, and felt a chilling sense of crisis.

"This human...is extremely dangerous!"

The unidentified creature, which had transformed into a woman, suddenly trembled. All thoughts of hunting Moro vanished; only the word "escape" remained in its mind.

however……

Moreau would never let such a research subject slip by.

--------

In a city on the continent of Eurubian.

In the city center, inside a suite of a star-rated hotel.

On the living room sofa lay a corpse dressed in a bathrobe.

The surrounding area was littered with corpses, many of them dressed in black suits and carrying firearms.

In the center of these corpses, Illumi looked indifferently at a severely injured Nen user leaning against the door frame.

The Nen user was breathing heavily, but his expression was extremely fierce. He said in a harsh voice, "No matter who you are, you dare to lay a hand on one of the Ten Elders' important guests. You're dead...!"

Illumi didn't react to these meaningless harsh words, casually raising the pin held between his fingers.

The heavily injured ability user struggled to his feet, leaning against the doorframe, and then charged towards Illumi with a ferocious expression.

Just then, the lights in the suite suddenly went out.

Illumi remained unmoved and accurately pierced the head of the charging Devil Fruit user.

However, just as the beaded needle pierced the Devil Fruit user's head, a sharp figure swept in from outside the open door, circled behind Illumi, and thrust out with his bare hand.

puff!

The palm, brimming with psychic power, pierced directly through Illumi's chest, drawing out a large amount of blood and bits of flesh.

"Your meat smells terrible."

The person who made the move was a man with a pompadour hairstyle and dressed in black; he was none other than Lizard from the Ten Elders' Yin Beast Squad.

"It makes me lose all appetite."

The lizard slowly withdrew its arm, its eyes coldly fixed on the dying assailant before it.

suddenly,

He became alert and suddenly turned his head to look in the direction of the toilet.

Using the faint light streaming into the room from outside, I could see another Illumi standing at the bathroom door.

"The ability to create clones?!"

The lizard instantly went into battle mode, unaware that a figure stood silently by the open door.

That figure was also Illumi.

But this is the true essence.

The two Illumi in the room were merely his needle-wielding puppets.

"The accuracy is high enough, no problem."

Outside the door, Illumi rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

In a year, Moro wasn't the only one who wanted to climb to the summit.

Illumi, whose limbs have been regenerated, and Hisoka, who still longs for Moro, are both honing their abilities...

(End of this chapter)