Hunter: I'm Really Not a Nen Exorcist - Chapter 17

Every hunter has something they pursue.

Dreams, status, fame, money, power…

Light is a blacklist hunter with a strong utilitarian mindset. Driven by a relentless desire for higher status and fame, he never considered stopping halfway.

Moving forward without hesitation…

That’s what he’s always been doing.

Capturing the notorious Phantom Troupe is an incredibly important milestone for him before reaching the end of his journey.

To this end, he’s left a long-term commission in the ‘Information Network’ to investigate the whereabouts of the Phantom Troupe.

Now, there’s news!

“I got it. Send the information to my mailbox. Once I confirm it, I will transfer the corresponding reward.”

Having said this, Light promptly hung up the phone.

Moyu swallowed a piece of meat, glancing at Light.

Hearing the words ‘information’ and ‘reward’, he realized what was happening.

Light waved his phone, grinning, “Hey, we’ve got work.”

“Is it urgent?” Moyu asked, setting down his chopsticks, voicing his primary concern.

Light replied, “Every second counts.”

Information is often time-sensitive, especially when it relates to someone’s whereabouts. That means they needed to act immediately.

Understanding the urgency, Moyu nodded, then gestured towards the table full of food, “I can’t eat all this meat by myself.”

“Haha, don’t worry, I’ll finish it and then go.”

Light laughed heartily, grabbing a large pork leg from the bowl.

Without any more words, Moyu picked up his chopsticks again.

Both dove into their food.

Soon, Moyu noticed that Light’s eating speed had clearly doubled. He had deliberately slowed down earlier, and the reason was clear.

Watching Light devour his food, Moyu could clearly sense how significant this job was to him.

“I’ve gained a lot during this time. It’s enough.”

Moyu thought to himself.

Even though there was one more day left for their sparring agreement, under these circumstances, he wouldn’t hold Light to their contract.

A moment later, Light finished his portion.

“I’m sorry.”

Getting up after eating, Light said apologetically to Moyu, “This came up suddenly. I’ll owe you that last day of sparring.”

“It’s okay. We can make up for it once you’re done.”

Moyu also stood up.

Over this period, he had understood from Light what the tenacity of an Enhancer meant. Thus, he tactfully kept the thought of “let’s forget about the last day of sparring” to himself.

After all, bringing it up would only waste time.

“I’m off. I’ll contact you later,” Light said, leaving promptly without any hesitation.

“Safe travels,” Moyu nodded slightly in response.

With his back to Moyu, Light waved and briskly walked away.

Their farewell was short and efficient.

Upon leaving the monastery, Light descended along the mountain path, pulling out his phone to check flight details.

“It’s 20:35 now, and the nearest flight is… 20:50.”

Light mumbled to himself while looking at the phone screen, “This is going to be tight.”

He pocketed the phone and stretched briefly in place.

“I was planning to have a showdown with Moyu tonight, but plans always change…”

As his words trailed off, Light propelled himself forward, speeding away like an arrow from a bow, quickly disappearing into the night.

The monastery remained as tranquil as ever.

Moyu finished the remaining food and quickly cleaned the table.

Once done, he walked to the scarred courtyard and began releasing his aura at its maximum capacity.

To increase the total potential aura and extend the duration of training, there were essentially no shortcuts.

Release the aura until it’s entirely consumed, recover, then release again.

That’s the cycle to gradually enhance the total potential aura.

Two minutes later.

Exhausted, Moyu laid on the ground, catching his breath.

After a while, he mustered enough energy to sit up.

“It feels different all of a sudden…”

Slowly opening his eyes, Moyu picked up a fragment of a broken brick from beside him.

Night deepened.

At the top of the mountain, the old monastery stood in solitude.

The next day.

Dawn broke.

Moyu woke up early, had a quick meal, and began his daily training regimen.

Without Light to spar with, all he could do now was to solidify the foundation of the Four Major Principles.

Release, recover, release, recover…

Training was monotonous and tedious, and so the morning passed.

By midday, the sun was high.

After lunch, Moyu was about to start another round of training when he was interrupted by noises outside the monastery.

A group of workers, equipped with various tools and materials, arrived at the entrance, calling loudly.

Hearing the noise, Moyu crossed the courtyard and opened the old wooden doors.

Seeing the fully-equipped workers outside, he was initially surprised but soon realized they must’ve been called by Light.

“Hello, Mr. Light commissioned us. He mentioned there’s a courtyard here in need of repairs,” the lead worker greeted Moyu with respect.

“Yes, come in.”

With an understanding nod, Moyu opened the gates, signaling the workers to enter.

They swiftly moved into the damaged courtyard with their tools and materials.

The lead worker confirmed the project details with Moyu.

Once confirmed, they immediately began working.

With incredible efficiency, the team finished Moyu’s request in just an hour.

It’s unknown where they sourced the weather-worn stones, but the renovated courtyard looked almost identical to its previous state.

Having seen the construction team off, Moyu closed the gates of the monastery. As he returned to the courtyard, he once again appreciated Light’s thoughtfulness.

“Speaking of which… It’s about time for Hawk to return, isn’t it?”

Gazing upon the restored courtyard, Moyu suddenly thought of his old man, Hawk.

Hawk had mentioned he’d be back in about ten days to half a month. Counting the days, it had already been eleven days. Perhaps in another two days, he would return.

Moyu contemplated giving Hawk a call to check in.

However, remembering Hawk’s warning before leaving – “Don’t call me, whether it’s urgent or not” – Moyu decided against it.

Time passed slowly.

As the sun set and night descended.

In a village located only a hundred kilometers away from the monastery,

Hawk was seated in a secluded bridge tunnel, pressing his hand against a wound on his abdomen, gasping for breath.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, merging with the pool of blood around him.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps interrupted the gentle flow of the nearby stream.

Hearing the footsteps, Hawk’s gaze sharpened momentarily before softening again.

“Looks like you’re severely injured, Hawk.”

Beneath the bridge, the stream glistened under the moonlight.

A frog leapt into the water, causing a ripple that momentarily distorted the reflected glow.

As the water calmed, a green silhouette appeared in the reflection.

The figure, clad in a green robe, stood by the shore, observing Hawk, who was resting inside the tunnel.

The individual was striking – with bright green hair and what appeared to be dog ears. However, upon closer examination, the ears were clearly decorative.

This person was Cheadle Yorkshire, a member of the Zodiacs from the Hunter Association, and a two-star Hunter renowned for both her medical and legal expertise.

“A minor injury?”

Approaching Hawk, Cheadle said calmly,

“That eager surge of killing intent when you heard my footsteps – it’s like a trapped animal hissing a futile threat.”

Hawk paused before replying with a hint of sarcasm, “Miss Legal Scholar, how many years does one get for pride and stubbornness in your law?”

“The law doesn’t cover that, and I was merely stating facts.”

Cheadle stepped closer, her eyes fixed on Hawk’s bleeding wound. She frowned, “I had a feeling something happened when you didn’t return. But… I didn’t expect it to be this severe. With your skills, if you really wanted to escape, even multiple Nen users couldn’t restrain you, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Hawk gave a bitter smile. Just as he was about to ask Cheadle for medical assistance, she interrupted:

“Yet, you’re grievously injured. Is it because your opponent possesses a ‘Haunting-type’ Nen ability? No, if that were the case, you’d likely be dead. It’s curious. Could it be…”

Cheadle’s expression became gravely serious as a thought crossed her mind. She inquired in a heavy tone,

“Has the Post-Mortem Nen at the monastery become so powerful that you had to leave ‘Rat Jewel’ behind?”

“Ah, exactly! If my left hand wasn’t so injured, I’d give you applause right now. But more importantly, could you please…”

Hawk looked quite feeble.

Cheadle’s face went through a range of emotions. She seemed to tune out Hawk’s last words, murmuring to herself with clenched teeth,

“Damn, it has escalated to this extent… I know of an Exorcist we can contact, and combined with the one in the Association, that makes two. However, neither are adept at removing Post-Mortem Nen.”

“That being said…”

Hawk, observing Cheadle’s deeply engrossed murmuring, weakly said, “If possible, could you first help stop my bleeding?”

Cheadle remained unresponsive, continuing her whispered monologue, “Even though we’ve announced a bounty to the public, the issue of rewards is an inevitable problem.”

“…”

Hawk’s eyes were growing dim.

Glancing at the extensive blood loss pooling around him, an anxiety surged within him, reminiscent of a rapidly depleting health bar in a game.

“Hey, Cheadle, I’m about to die. Can you at least look at me?”

“@#@…”

The incessant murmurs from a certain individual continued.

“…”

Hawk’s eyelids twitched multiple times. In a moment of desperation and to catch her attention, he ventured, “Cheadle, forever alone.”

“Hmm?”

Cheadle snapped her head up, her gaze piercingly focused on Hawk.