Hunter x Hunter: Limitless Ascension

Dark Continent.

That was the explanation Ging gave for the strange phenomenon of the man in front of him coming back to life — only it seemed that another soul had taken over the body.

That's the world beyond the world — a place people like him dream of reaching.

The place of ultimate dreams.

A land where things that don't exist here may well exist. As for other possibilities, when he personally witnessed the resurrection, he had already ruled them out one by one based on the conditions at the time.

He yearned for the Dark Continent, hungered for the unknown that lay within it.

Naturally, he also wanted to understand the man in front of him — someone who might even possess a soul from that place.

This world is vast, and the world as known now is perhaps just an island in the middle of a lake — there may be other 'islands' out there.

Yes, the world most people know, the world seen by ordinary eyes, is merely the lake, and civilization exists on islands within it.

Beyond that known world, outside of what's been charted, lies the true continent — the real world.

Compared to it, the current human world is almost insignificant. From the lake's perspective, humanity is stranded far from the shores of reality.

It sounds like just a small distance between lake and land, but on a world scale, that short stretch is unimaginably vast, effectively unreachable.

Beyond the boundless ocean that humans can see lies a land swallowed in mystery.

It is called the Dark Continent.

Humans have landed there before, and objects from that land have reached here across the sea.

In fact, based on ruins, intel, and fragments of information Ging had dug up, mankind's ancestors may have once been exiled from there to here.

He had always wanted to go, but due to special circumstances, he couldn't go just yet.

Still, his preparations were already underway — and the man in front of him might become a part of that. Even if his guess turned out wrong, turning the unknown into the known was itself a step forward.

Ging looked at him, smiled, and said confidently, "You can pick which things you want to tell me. Even if there are some lies mixed in, I don't mind."

'But you'll catch me anyway, using your so-called 'mind reading' that's really just observation,' Kevin thought. He nodded silently, beginning to sort through his thoughts.

Deception wasn't an option. The only choice was to say something. The man had already told him his best move.

Even if he couldn't avoid revealing information the other side wanted, doing nothing would be worse.

"Well… this body isn't originally mine. In my last memory, I died in a car accident. I was hit head-on by a truck. Pretty sure it was fatal."

Ging had sat down cross-legged in front of Kevin at some point, one hand resting on his knee, the other under his chin.

Car accident. Truck. He plucked out those words, parsing the meaning.

"Your speech, your words — they seem to awaken this body's memories. The other fragments… It's like amnesia. It needs a stimulus to recall."

"Mmh." Ging nodded. It made logical sense. Suddenly, he asked, "Where did you come from originally?"

"Originally? I… maybe another world. I'm not sure." Kevin's voice was stiff.

Ging looked at him for a moment. "Got it. So that's how it is. Seems we don't have enough trust between us yet."

He stood up and dusted off his pants. He'd already gotten the most important information. Even if he verified the truth of Kevin's words later, it wouldn't matter. A lot of things can't be judged in black and white.

Jumping to conclusions too early only clouds future judgment. This was enough. More would come gradually.

He picked up a special-looking laptop from the nearby table and handed it to Kevin. "You probably have a lot of questions. Can you use a computer?"

Kevin nodded and accepted the device.

Ging sat back in a nearby chair and pulled a magazine from his backpack, flipping it open.

Without looking up, he added, "If there's anything you don't understand, ask. Consider it a reward."

Kevin didn't refuse. He did need information, urgently. He turned on the computer.

The rugged laptop looked like something made for field use. Structurally, it was similar to the ones he knew, though the language on it was different.

Soon, he figured out how to operate it and began searching for what he needed to know.

First, he checked the map. This world had five continents, and its borders hadn't been fully explored — no complete circumnavigation had ever been recorded.

The more he learned, the more differences he found between this world and the one he'd come from. But oddly, the current era mirrored his own former world.

1994.

Even the level of technology was strangely similar.

"…Why did you kill me?" Kevin asked suddenly. "I mean, the original body?"

Without looking up, Ging replied: "Because you were a poacher. This area used to be a special species protection zone that my companions and I established."

So I was a criminal. Kevin's face darkened. He quickly asked, "Then… am I a criminal now? I mean, is this identity wanted?!"

Ging finally looked up, examining Kevin for a second, as though weighing something.

"That's not quite the case. You were a poacher, yes — but you were smart. You kept your hands clean, used money more than muscle. Publicly, you're known as a famous pharmacist."

"Oh… oh." Kevin nodded. That was a relief.

He really couldn't accept the idea of waking up in a new world, in someone else's body, only to find himself a wanted man.

That would've made an already terrible situation even worse.

"Then where are we now?"

"Biscayne Forest Park. It's part of the Ancient Ganyu Kingdom — a nature reserve. We're likely at the border now. The reserve spans several countries and includes many ecological zones."

Ancient Ganyu Kingdom…

He'd seen that name earlier on the ID card. He'd even looked it up — it was one of the V5 nations.

The so-called V5 seemed like an equivalent to the United Nations — or more accurately, like permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The parallels were oddly specific. He was still within the nature reserve's boundaries. Relying on himself to escape… might not be possible.

He was confident in his skills, but not that confident.

Just then…

Ging pulled something like a mobile phone from his pocket.

Kevin noted it was a phone consistent with the era, not quite a brick phone, but bulky enough to match the image of the time.

Ging glanced at the screen and looked up at Kevin.

"Your accomplices are here. Want to meet them?"

"…What? Accomplices? Poachers?"

Ging nodded.

Kevin instinctively wanted to refuse, but before he could respond, Ging added: "Seeing them might help recover more memories. In any case, it could help you.

As for safety, don't underestimate me."

Since he put it like that — and since Kevin did want to learn more about the fragmented battle scenes in his broken memories…

"…Fine. But let me make one thing clear: I'm not really good at fighting or anything. At most, I can brawl like a street punk."

Then, a pistol was tossed into his hands.