Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

Germain had every reason to stay out of this, and no one would blame him if he did.

However, out of respect for Ging and a faint sense of pity, Germain began trying to contact Kite, hoping to convince him not to get involved in this mess.

Germain had a decent impression of Kite. He was steady, reliable, and competent.

In the original timeline, Kite completed a three-year investigation mission in the Kakin Empire.

Afterward, he and his team learned about the Chimera Ants from Kakin Empire officials and headed to NGL to investigate.

Before this, Kite encountered his mentor's son, Gon, and his friend Killua, and temporarily added them to his team.

For Kite, heading to NGL marked the beginning of misfortune. For Gon, it was the start of his descent into darkness.

This gave rise to one of the conspiracy theories: Kite learning about the Chimera Ant invasion—especially from Kakin Empire sources—was that really just a coincidence?

At the time, before Kite arrived, professional Hunter Pokkle had acted on his own. He dragged rookie Hunter Ponzu into NGL with him.

One of them was captured by Chimera Ants, and the other was eaten.

Pokkle was an unexpected variable. He just happened to be nearby and decided to check things out, pulling Ponzu along, only for both to meet a grim fate.

Pokkle ended up bringing critical information about Nen abilities to the Chimera Ants, greatly raising their overall combat power.

But even without Pokkle, someone else with Nen abilities would have eventually delivered the same intel—namely, Kite himself, had he been captured.

Without Pokkle, the Royal Guard Neferpitou might not have killed Kite on their first meeting. Instead, they could have captured, tortured, and controlled him to extract every piece of useful information.

Kite wouldn't have had any way to resist.

Even with Pokkle's intervention, Kite's death still turned him into Neferpitou's puppet—a training tool for the Chimera Ant army to improve their combat techniques.

So, returning to the beginning: was Kite really just "lucky" to receive the Chimera Ant intel from the Kakin Empire?

Even if Kite and Pokkle had never gone to NGL, there were still ways to send one or two Nen users there.

The Review Bureau and Specialist Hunters were responsible for coordinating such matters.

After all, in the original timeline, the Zodiac member "Rat" Pariston Hill became Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association in 1998 (this very year).

During his three-year term until 2000, the number of professional Hunters who disappeared reached an all-time high.

No matter what, Germain had to remind Kite not to get involved. He couldn't just stand by and watch Kite die, even if there was a chance of his eventual rebirth.

As for Chairman Netero, Germain decided to let things take their natural course.

After all, from the moment Netero and V5 resolved to use the "Poor Man's Rose," the countdown to the death of the Ant King, Meruem, had already begun.

Fortunately, Germain finally managed to get in touch with Kite, who had been unreachable for some time.

Kite explained that he and his team, including Sheila, had been deep in the forests of the Kakin Empire, where there was no signal. They had only recently arrived in a nearby town to rest.

Their investigation in the Kakin Empire was still ongoing, so they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

Germain felt a wave of relief. He then informed Kite that the Chimera Ant situation might be connected to Beyond's faction and warned him not to get involved.

Kite agreed and asked about Ging's current situation. He also congratulated them on their achievements in the Dark Continent and mentioned that he'd visit Greed Island when he had the time.

With that, the communication with Kite came to an end, though the shadows lingering over NGL had not been entirely dispelled.

Many people had noticed Germain's unusual attitude toward the Chimera Ant extermination mission.

He seemed overly cautious—some thought too much so, as if he doubted the extermination team's ability to fully control the situation.

"Maybe he's just been in the Dark Continent for too long," they thought, "and it's made him overly suspicious."

Germain continued to monitor the Chimera Ant situation closely. When people asked for his opinion, he remained silent.

It wasn't until Abengane was preparing to lift a curse for Germain that he spoke about the extermination mission.

"I'm afraid it will be very difficult… but the extermination team should be able to secure the final victory," Germain said.

"After all, Chairman Netero is there," Abengane replied with a smile as he prepared himself for Nen Exorcism.

Like many professional Hunters, Abengane had a blind faith in Netero.

This unwavering belief from the younger generation placed an enormous burden on Isaac Netero, a man over a hundred years old.

It was as though everyone simply assumed he was ageless and undefeated in every battle.

Germain neither confirmed nor denied this assumption.

Abengane noticed many emotions in Germain's eyes at that moment.

Worry was understandable. After all, the Chimera Ants weren't weak opponents. But why was there sadness?

Could it be that Mr. Germain believed someone from the Chimera Ant extermination team might die?

Maybe Morel?

Or Knov?

I heard that their disciples—Knuckle, Shoot, and Palm—were also nearby. Perhaps they would join the battle too.

Given their relatively weaker abilities, it wasn't impossible for them to fall victim to the Chimera Ants.

Was Mr. Germain mourning their potential deaths? Could he be such a compassionate person?

Before Abengane could think further about Chairman Netero, he was startled by something that appeared in the firelight—a crimson Nen beast emerging from Germain.

Why were there suddenly so many? And all at once?

There were six crimson Nen beasts in total, each representing a negative trait: "Gambling Addict," "Poor Aim," "Fear of Death," "Perfectionist," "Bloodthirsty," and "Killer."

Among them, "Killer" was a new negative trait acquired after returning from the Dark Continent.

"Killer" was the result of Germain's growing bloodlust. When combined with "Bloodthirsty," it made him even more obsessed with torture devices.

To put it simply, he had developed a liking for sadism. This was unacceptable and had to be dealt with.

In addition to the six crimson Nen beasts, there were nine golden Nen beasts.

These represented positive traits: "Beast Hunter," "Human Slayer," "Warrior of Light," "Night Owl," "Genius," "Resilient," "Robust," "Rejuvenated," and "Corruption Slayer."

Among these, "Corruption Slayer" was also a trait acquired during his return from the Dark Continent, but it was a positive one.

"Corruption Slayer" was part of the same series as "Beast Hunter" and "Human Slayer," all of which had similar effects but targeted different types of enemies.

Germain began deciding which trait to purge this time.

After considering the priority for purging negative traits, Germain ultimately chose "Fear of Death."

If the conditions for "Fear of Death" were triggered, it would lead to catastrophic consequences.

When Germain was severely injured, "Fear of Death" would increase his stress levels, and such a situation was absolutely unacceptable.

So, Germain asked Abengane to help him remove his "Fear of Death."

When Abengane first saw the fifteen beasts appear, he was shocked, but then he slowly calmed down.

It didn't matter anymore. When I decided to join Mr. Germain's team, I already expected something like this to happen.

To be honest, Abengane was quite satisfied with his current life.

He had become a member of the Greed Island Game Master. His authority wasn't high, but the pay was very good, which gave him everything he had dreamed of on Greed Island.

Abengane believed that if he worked harder, he could eventually rise to the core team, reaching the level of Dwun, List, Razor, Eta, and Elena twins.

So, who could determine all of this?

Was it the old and frail Granny Linne? No.

Was it the indifferent Ging? No.

It was Germain. He was the current leader of Greed Island. Only by showing his abilities in front of him would Abengane have a smoother path to promotion!

With this thought, Abengane, focused and determined, performed exceptionally well in this "cleaning" task.

Germain soon noticed that not only was the "Fear of Death" gone, but the "killer" tendency had also disappeared.

This was something that even Abengane himself was surprised by, and soon he was overjoyed.

The only explanation for this was that Abengane had made a breakthrough in his Nen ability.

Germain thanked Abengane, gave him a few words of encouragement, and then left.

He wanted to give Abengane some time and space to reflect on and summarize the experience of his extraordinary performance.

This was a good thing for both Abengane and Germain.

In the following time, Germain followed the events in NGL through the professional Hunter website.

From his analysis, the Chimera Ant incident could be divided into four stages.

The first stage began with the Queen Chimera Ant eating and mating to produce soldier ants, and ended with the birth of the three direct royal guards. During this period, Kite died, and Gon and Killua managed to escape.

The second stage began with the birth of the Ant King Meruem and the death of the Queen, and ended when Kite's body was retrieved. A large number of Chimera Ants invaded areas outside NGL.

The third phase begins with the invasion of the Republic of East Gorteau by the Ant King Meruem and his Royal Guards, and ends on the eve of the final battle.

During this phase, Knov's heart was broken, and Palm underwent chimera ant modification.

The fourth phase starts with the split actions for the final battle and ends when the Ant King dies from poisoning.

Chairman Netero falls in battle, but all other members of the Chimera Ant Extermination Team survive.

In the original timeline, the Chimera Ant Extermination War lasted at least four months.

After Kite's death, Gon and Killua spent a month training.

Gon also couldn't use his Nen abilities for a month because of his Nen ability, "Jajanken," which also took another month, so two months passed in total.

Before this, Killua participated in the Professional Hunter Exam at the beginning of the year and obtained his Hunter License. Then, he returned to Greed Island, where he and Gon, along with Biscuit, cleared Greed Island.

After that, the Hunter Association Chairman Election arc took place on August 8th of that year.

The several months between these events are when the Chimera Ant Extermination War took place.

Now, how far has the Chimera Ant invasion in the NGL progressed?

Germain could only find some fragmented information on the professional Hunter website. Just as he was about to give up on the matter, an unexpected event occurred.

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