Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth

But Jin shook his head and then sat down on the spot.

These two-headed wolves, as rare animals capable of sensing good and evil and emotions, are fastidious about cleanliness, and their caves are dry, quiet, and almost odorless.

Jin reached out and gently stroked the male wolf lying on the ground, and the wolf let out a soft whimper.

"It's dying; its life has come to an end."

Upon hearing this, Kevin squatted down beside him and began to observe carefully.

To be honest, in his observation, the male wolf looked perfectly healthy.

Its fur was glossy and its body was robust, making it look nothing like an old wolf on the verge of death.

It's worth noting that Kevin has been eagerly learning about various plants, animals, and minerals lately, knowledge that will be frequently used in the future.

"They are not ordinary wolves. In modern times, people call them two-headed wolves, simply because of their appearance."

In ancient times, these two-headed wolves were revered as "Halaam," meaning messengers of good and evil.

Interestingly, traces and murals related to two-headed wolves can be found in different ruins on these continents.

In ancient times, two-headed wolves were widely distributed across continents and were revered by almost all ancient kingdoms. Isn't that interesting?

Kim's face was full of enthusiasm for sharing.

Kevin nodded. It was indeed very interesting, and at the same time, he found it somewhat ironic, since modern wolves had been hunted to near extinction.

"These two-headed wolves do not die gradually due to old age and physical decline like ordinary creatures."

Even in their final moments, they retained the vigor and vitality of youth. What perhaps drove them to their deaths was their deep-seated, intrinsic willpower.

As Jin spoke, he looked at Kevin, "Or perhaps we could call it a soul?"

While stroking the wolf, Jin began to speak to himself: "In this forest park, there is a site of ruins, a sacrificial site of an ancient kingdom."

They regarded the two-headed wolf as a sacred beast, and as can be seen from the murals and carvings, in that kingdom, the two-headed wolf was also a messenger guiding souls back to the right path.

Only those who were kind and honorable in life will be taken to the afterlife by the two-headed wolf.

Kevin looked at the two-headed wolf and thought to himself that it was no wonder the ancients had such a perception. At the moment of death, only the pointed horn emitted a dreamlike fluorescent light, as if the soul was following that horn to the place of rebirth.

"From the relics I have excavated and protected, we can learn that long, long ago, when humans first landed on this land, the two-headed wolf came here with our ancestors."

That's why the same image appears in ancient ruins across different continents. "Jin inexplicably switched to popular science mode.

Kevin was also quite interested in this content, so he listened quietly.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'landing'?" Kevin keenly sensed something was amiss.

Although at first glance, it sounds like people from an ancient kingdom came to this land to live and multiply.

But Jin used the word "human," and from his words, it seems that they came from a more distant place, from a more ancient homeland.

The "landing" mentioned here probably does not refer to the world as currently known to humankind.

"It means exactly what it says. Our ancestors came here, to this known world, to multiply and develop technology." Jin said, making a gesture of hugging.

Kevin looked at him and slowly said, "Are you saying that beyond the ocean, in places yet to be explored, is where the true ancestors of humankind were born?"

Upon hearing Kevin's words, Jin revealed a bright smile, gazing out of the cave as if looking at a more distant place.

"That's right, that's the real place of birth."

Chapter 42 Jade Bone X Outside

“Let’s go outside and give them some time to say goodbye,” Jin said, getting up and walking out of the cave.

Kevin looked at the two-headed wolf that was about to die and gently stroked its head.

Seemingly sensing Kevin's touch, the horned head bent slightly, rubbed against the back of Kevin's hand, and even stuck out its tongue to lick it twice. Then it slumped down listlessly, quietly awaiting death.

"They really are intelligent." Kevin silently stood up and walked out of the cave, leaving the two-headed wolf family some quiet space.

At the cave entrance, Jin leaned against the stone wall.

Kevin stood at the cave entrance, looking into the distance. Several large trees had holes in them, but even so, these trees still stood stubbornly upright and did not fall.

"You must have been researching all sorts of information about strange beasts, rare beasts, and magical beasts online recently because of your own needs, right?" Jin asked.

Upon hearing this question, Kevin nodded: "Yes, because of my Nen ability, I am particularly interested in these things."

"So what's your opinion on these creatures?"

There's nothing to hide here, Kevin said frankly: "It's amazing that I can still learn about these creatures that seem to have stepped out of a story in modern society."

After all, for the past twenty years or so, he had lived in an ordinary world, without these fantastical and dreamlike things.

"Hmm, I see." Jin muttered softly, and after a while, he suddenly threw something at Kevin.

Kevin reached out and caught it.

The object was about the length of his forearm and quite heavy in his hand. It was tightly wrapped in oilcloth and bandaged.

What's even more interesting is that on this bandage, you can see some extremely complex yet orderly patterns. With his control over Nen, Kevin can clearly perceive the presence of a trace of "ki" from these patterns.

"That's the 'god' syllable,' something created through learning, using special script patterns, and combining appropriate Nen abilities with superb Nen manipulation skills," Jin explained.

Upon hearing this, Kevin immediately lost all interest; it was clear that this was not something an ordinary person could learn.

"Hey, don't be so downcast. Although there are very few people who have mastered this skill, if you try hard, you might actually be able to learn it," Jin suddenly said with a smile, his expression looking like he was trying to scam someone.

How long did it take you to learn this?

"I'm still learning."

"Heh." Kevin couldn't help but complain, "Then what's the point of me learning this?"

However, you can give it a try if you have the chance.

Kevin wanted to see and try anything fantastical or extraordinary.

How interesting.

With that thought in mind, Kevin slowly unwrapped the bandages, and a faint breath began to emanate from the oilcloth, causing him to frown slightly.

When he removed the oilcloth, an even stronger life energy—or "qi"—rushed towards him.

Before me was a slender bone, emerald green in color, through which I could vaguely see a crystal-like, fine structure.

It must be said that, judging from its appearance alone, it is definitely a very interesting collectible.

However, the "qi" emanating from this bone should not be underestimated. This means that the owner of this bone was a creature with an extremely strong physique. Even after death, the bone still contains a strong life energy, which is why the slowly emanating "qi" can be detected.

In other words, the tarpaulin and the outer bandage were actually to prevent the "qi" on the material from dissipating completely, thus depleting its life energy and turning it into an ordinary item.

What shocked Kevin even more was the intense desire that surged through his body, stronger than ever before when he faced any material, far exceeding the desire he felt when he first saw that molting horn.

"Hoo..." Kevin took a deep breath for a while before he finally calmed down his inner desire.

Jin had been observing carefully from the side.

"The aura around you... never mind, we'll talk about that later. What do you think of this [material]?"

"It's incredibly strong; I can only describe it as powerful. So powerful that I simply cannot use it as a material in the short term."

Just like classifying medicines into grades, Kevin also classifies materials into grades.

Potions of the same grade do not necessarily have to be made entirely from materials of the same grade, but the main ingredient, which is equivalent to the key material placed on the balance scale, must match the grade of the potion.

Without a doubt, the material in my hand is not of the quality that a C-grade material should have.

Is it Grade A? No, although Kevin divided the materials into different grades, in his mind, Grade A should be even more exaggerated.

This should be Grade B, and it must be the highest grade material among Grade B materials.

Given his current potential, it is simply not permissible for him to carry out any related operations.

"Damn it, isn't this deliberately tempting people? They can see it but can't use it."

"Then I'll give it to you."

"Hmm?" Kevin looked up at Kim in confusion.

“This has no practical value to me anymore; it’s more for decoration, but I’m not interested in this kind of thing,” Jin explained simply. “Consider it a little gift from me.”

As he spoke, he clapped his hands, "Consider this a gift for you to use to gain the power to protect yourself."

"What? This reason is obviously made up on the spot."

"Alright, stop worrying about these details." Jin waved his hand, then his eyes became bright as he looked up at the distant sky. "As a relic hunter, for so many years I have been doing things based on my interests and hobbies."

In the process, I discovered many secrets, like this bone in your hand; it's actually a small finger bone from a baby creature.

"How big must this creature be?" Kevin murmured, looking at the re-wrapped, emerald-like bone in his hand.

“Most of the interesting creatures you’ve found have traveled across the ocean to get here over the last thousand years. They come from the real world outside of our current ‘cognitive world.’” Kim’s words made Kevin frown.

He probably already guessed that Kim was referring to a world beyond the world.

After all, there is no clear definition of the world's boundaries, and there are certainly unexplored new continents beyond.

For top hunters like Jin, they certainly have their own information channels to know about these situations.

Given the current level of technological development, the fact that the most advanced powers have not organized teams to colonize can only indicate that the so-called new continents carry enormous risks far exceeding the potential gains.

Otherwise, a habitable land or a blank continent would be too tempting for these forces to resist.

These are all judgments Kevin made based on his understanding of the world.

It seems that Jin is about to reveal the mystery to him.

Chapter 43 Small Island X Dark Continent

"The world as we know it today is actually only a small part of the world."

“A small part?” Kevin wondered if he had misheard, but he didn’t interrupt Kim’s explanation.

Although he had not specifically studied the data on world maps, the area of ​​this world was definitely not much smaller than the world he had lived in before.

Is it reasonable to call such a vast area a small part?

"In a certain era and in certain regions, some selected individuals left behind records about the outside world in their belongings."

Therefore, in the process of excavating and protecting relics, Jin deciphered these relics and thus learned about the so-called "outside" information.

Kevin listened while pondering to himself.

"In the [outside] world, the world we currently know is located on an island group in a lake called [Lake Möbius]."

"Huh?" Kevin couldn't help but interrupt this time. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that the information you're giving me is beyond my expectations."

You mean, the known world, comprised of these continents, is merely a small island group within a lake of the entire world?

I wouldn't believe it if it weren't for the fact that it's a brother, but these words are simply turning my worldview upside down.

How big must this world be? If we still have the concept of the universe, then this must be a giant planet.

Such a massive planet shouldn't have such strong gravity...

Well, now that I have Nen ability, I can understand the others.

Kim was not annoyed by Kevin's interruption.

You should know that when he first learned this information, his reaction was much more exaggerated than Kevin's; he practically danced around like a monkey.

"No one can be sure how big this world is. But information obtained from various ruins is enough to prove that the area we are in can only be called a lake."

It's important to understand that throughout history, countless ambitious individuals have attempted to venture beyond the cosmos, bringing back a wealth of information in the process.

As he spoke, Jin suddenly gave an example: "Three hundred years ago, a fantasy novel called 'Travels in the New Continent' was published. The book records the author's own experiences exploring the Infinite Coast, and this is only the 'Eastern' part of the book."

In fact, this work, which seems to be a fantasy novel, depicts a real world. Kevin could probably guess what would happen next.

"Later, people discovered that the contents of the book were true accounts. Soon, the great power sealed these books and deleted all remaining related information."

The book describes all sorts of terrifying phenomena and creatures, and also mentions many dreamlike and fantastical objects.

This description left Kevin full of doubts.

In his eyes, the current Hunter world is now empowered by Nen, and many things that were originally impossible have appeared, making it an extremely fantastical place.

In this situation, what exactly can be called a dream?

Kim seemed to notice Kevin's confusion and then gave an example: "For instance, there is something called 'Netromi,' which is also known as longevity rice."