[100]: One Star Hunter

The airship had been flying for a long time before finally reaching the marked location on the map—Antarctica.

It was said that Whitefire fish only lived in the deep polar seas, meaning either the Arctic or the Antarctic.

But…

The moment they arrived, an overwhelming flood of indescribable information and images poured into Cyr's mind all at once.

Massive ships had once passed through here, traveling toward distant lands.

There had been storms. Colossal magical beasts had appeared, bringing disaster after disaster.

He couldn't make out their exact forms. He couldn't see the details of what had happened.

His head throbbed, a sharp, stabbing pain pulsing through his skull. His mind felt unbearably heavy, like it was swelling and about to burst. A dizzy, foggy sensation clouded his thoughts.

Did I just see something I wasn't supposed to?

Cyr collapsed onto the sofa, clutching his nose as blood poured out.

Getting bombarded with too much information and nearly losing his mind… this reaction felt suspiciously like encountering some kind of eldritch god.

…Actually, now that he thought about it, Gojo Satoru's Domain, Unlimited Void, was very eldritch.

Overloading someone with information until they lost their ability to think or move—what kind of forbidden-to-behold cosmic horror was that?

If he ever got the chance, he had to cosplay as an Unseeable Six-Eyed Eldritch God Gojo Satoru.

Anyone who dared to make eye contact would instantly get hit with Unlimited Void.

His mind drifted with these absurd thoughts, trying to distract himself from the relentless headache. It took nearly ten minutes before the ringing in his ears finally subsided.

"Urgh…"

Curled up on the couch from the pain, Cyr gasped for breath as he turned over. One hand covered his eyes, while the other clutched his chest, feeling the wild pounding of his heart.

The last time he'd felt this messed up was back in the Mirror Maze, after staying up for days straight trying to beat that damn thing.

"Master?"

"Master! Are you okay?!"

"Awoo!"

As his hearing fully returned, so did his vision—along with Maro and the tiger cub's worried voices.

"Ah, just an old issue. It's nothing." The white-haired boy sat up and glanced down at his shirt, which was now stained red with blood. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

When his brain short-circuited like that, he ended up just as paralyzed as anyone caught in Unlimited Void—meaning he couldn't even wipe the blood off himself.

As for the flood of useful and useless information that had flashed through his mind… it was probably about the Dark Continent.

In the Hunter world, if there was anything people avoided talking about, it was that place.

Even though he hadn't read the later parts of the manga, he knew about that terrifying land.

"…Make me some tea." He reached into Storage Curse's mouth, pulled out a packet of medicine, and handed it to Maro.

It was just some blood loss—no big deal.

As long as he hadn't cried, it was fine.

Real men bleed, but they don't cry!

If he had broken down sobbing, that would've been truly embarrassing.

After standing up, he went to take a shower and change his clothes. He spent a good while staring in the mirror, making sure he still looked like a stylish, aesthetically-conscious young man. Once satisfied, he stepped out of the bathroom.

Maro was already waiting outside the door, holding a cup of freshly brewed medicine. Cyr took the cup and downed it in one go.

"Master, you…" Maro hesitated, his eyes full of concern.

But before he could say anything—

Cyr turned and opened the airship's hatch mid-flight.

"Let's go." He didn't give Maro a chance to react. With a single kick, he sent him flying out of the airship.

Then, without hesitation, he grabbed the tiger cub and jumped after him.

"Woohoo—!"

What did it feel like to freefall from two thousand meters up without a parachute or any protective gear?

It felt fun.

Thrilling enough to make him forget all the pain from earlier.

Especially watching Maro plummet while screaming—that was absolutely hilarious.

At least the guy was smart enough to use Nen to shield himself.

Just before hitting the ocean, he even froze himself into an ice statue, crashing into the water like a massive iceberg.

The impact shattered the ice, but thanks to his layered defenses, Maro remained unharmed.

Cyr also hit the sea hard, but quickly surfaced and swam back up.

"That was fun, right? No time to overthink things now, huh?" he said matter-of-factly, watching Maro gasp for breath as he recovered from the fall.

As if everything he did was for the other person's own good.

Definitely not because he was just in the mood for some fun.

"…What?" Maro's thoughts were still sluggish.

This was too intense. It was his first time experiencing something like this.

From that height… if he weren't a Nen user, he'd be dead for sure.

"You should get used to it."

"I don't like boring days."

Cyr casually found a floating tree branch, hung the tiger cub onto it, and then dove back underwater.

He was heading into the deep sea to search for Whitefire.

"…Interesting," Maro murmured as he calmed his breathing. He glanced at the tiger cub, who was flailing around and yowling.

Yes. This was the kind of life he wanted—he was absolutely certain of it.

—

December 30, 1998.

The 287th Hunter Exam—online registration closed.

It had been about eight or nine months since Cyr had gone deep-sea diving for Whitefire.

In that time, he had successfully found the fish, captured multiple wanted criminals, and raised his compatibility scores with both Gojo Satoru and Sukuna to 50.

Naturally, he had also become a One-Star Bounty Hunter.

He had started gaining some recognition in the industry—even to the point where people were willing to pay specifically to hire him.

For example, a wealthy man named Battara had sent another One-Star Bounty Hunter to negotiate with him.

One look with his Six Eyes was enough to analyze the guy—this George or whatever had clearly been living comfortably for a while. He probably hadn't fought with his full strength in a long time.

"My employer is looking for a Greed Island console," said the man—an imposing, broad-shouldered guy with thick black sideburns that made his eyebrows look like those of the White-Browed Hawk King. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, his deep voice carrying a certain weight.

"If you can help him clear the game, he's willing to pay 50 billion Jenny."

He studied the white-haired boy before him. Without the use of Nen, it was impossible to gauge Cyr's true strength.

But the fact remained—this kid had become a One-Star Hunter in an incredibly short amount of time.

And more importantly…

He had no records of capturing anyone alive.

Every single bounty target had been handed over to the authorities as a corpse.

That's why people called him the Bounty Devil—he never left anyone breathing.

"Fifty billion, huh…" Cyr tilted his chin slightly, his expression indifferent, as if this was nothing more than pocket change.

A sum that would make 95% of the world go crazy, yet he didn't seem remotely interested.

"Playing a game does sound a little appealing…" Cyr rested his chin on one hand, speaking slowly.

Greed Island. That name sounded weirdly familiar.

It was in the original story, wasn't it?

If even he, who had only read part of the original, could remember it, then it must have been a major plot point.

"But I recently accepted a job from the Examination Committee," he sighed, then chuckled lightly. "I'm going to be an examiner for this year's Hunter Exam. Your employer doesn't mind waiting for me, does he?"

Cyr had received the offer from the Examination Committee on December 20th.

They had asked him to be one of the examiners for the 287th Hunter Exam—and had specifically instructed him not to reveal the exam's location.

Of course, he had accepted immediately.

After all, the main character squad was taking the exam this year.

And he had the chance to be an examiner and tor— no, test them?

Who in their right mind would pass up an opportunity like that?

"A Hunter Exam examiner?" George looked surprised.

He had never heard of an examiner this young before.

Then again…

He had also never seen a One-Star Hunter this young, either.

What a freakishly strong monster.

"I don't think my employer will mind," George finally said. "He's in no rush—he hasn't even found a Greed Island console yet."

"Then let's talk after this year's exam ends," Cyr said lazily, nodding toward the blond-haired young man beside him.

"Leave your contact information."

Maro immediately handed George his phone.

As for giving this guy Master's direct contact info?

Not a chance.

He wasn't worthy.

Master didn't need to be bothered with something this trivial. Maro would handle it himself.

°°°

If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon

Link: Patreon/Moziel