HunterxHunter: I Became Stronger After Death

Within the stone chamber, the intense harp melody gradually came to a halt.

What followed was the snapping sound of one harp string after another breaking.

The ink-black strings of the harp snapped one by one in front of Morena—or rather, her true name, Eve.

As the final string broke and scattered into the air, silence descended upon the stone chamber.

At the same time, the dark Nen that had enveloped the harp slowly receded until it vanished completely.

Eve's eyes were filled with confusion, unable to grasp the reason for her presence here. Yet faint memories of her encounter with death lingered, just out of reach.

In silence, she turned her gaze to the harp with its broken strings. On the harp's pillar was a sheet of music, its surface tarnished and filthy, contrasting sharply with the harp's pristine, jade-like body.

The Dark Sonata—a solo piece for harp.

The term surfaced in her mind, emerging from the fog clouding her thoughts.

Eve stared at the sheet music fixed to the harp, and hazy fragments of her memory pierced the fog like sunlight, suddenly becoming clear.

"I'm still alive," she murmured, her voice echoing in the stone chamber.

The confusion in her eyes faded, replaced by an unusual calmness.

She raised her hand and gently stroked the harp's body. Her fingers shimmered with a starlike glow—an expression of Nen.

Reconstructing her body through the melody, Eve, the Third Princess of the ancient Kingdom of Guganyu, awakened her Nen powers as naturally as breathing.

Memories of the harp and the sheet music, which had been locked away, resurfaced in her mind.

Yet, before her return to the living, she had no understanding of the harp's or the music's true abilities.

She held no fear of death, nor did she care about its arrival.

In her eyes, humanity's journey to resist the forces around them inherently came with the risk of death.

That was normal. That was how it should be.

Ironically, the passengers who clung most desperately to life, unable to face death, had perished like dust in the wind.

And yet, Eve, who regarded death with composure and indifference, now breathed the air of life once more.

"So, this is the power of Nen..."

Eve's fingers brushed the harp's column and slid beneath the pegbox. A starlike glow emanated from her fingertips, weaving an ethereal string in the air.

Just like that, she restrung a string on the harp.

Perhaps it was her Nen awakening, but a rare glint of excitement appeared in her usually tranquil eyes.

A Dense Forest

This lush, dense forest lay on the border of the Republic of Minpo, across the sea from the Kingdom of Guganyu.

Moro was falling from high in the sky.

When he saw the dense forest below, his heart, which had been tightly clenched, finally relaxed.

A freefall from thousands of meters…

Nen could certainly be used to ensure survival, but before reaching the ground safely, many uncontrollable factors could still come into play.

Fortunately, the airship was still over the Republic of Minpo's borders, rather than the ocean.

Moro gazed down at the ground, which was illuminated by the silvery light of the moon, revealing an endless expanse of forest.

As the ground approached, Moro used a rebounding Nen projectile to counteract his downward momentum.

Even so, he still plummeted the final hundred meters straight to the ground.

Boom!

Moro hit the forest like a cannonball, the impact resounding through the otherwise silent night.

Crash!

A flock of birds scattered in panic, and nocturnal beasts on the ground fled in all directions.

A centuries-old tree, unlucky enough to be Moro's landing point, was felled by the immense force.

Moments later, Moro emerged from the thick canopy of leaves and surveyed his surroundings.

He saw towering ancient trees, their tops obscured by mist, illuminated faintly by moonlight filtering through the branches. Beneath the mist lay shrubs and moss-covered stones and wood.

In the distance, a winding stream snaked through a cluster of rocks, disappearing into the darkness beyond.

After a brief glance at his environment, Moro thought of checking on Kanzai. He pulled out his phone, only to find it cracked and already powered off.

"Kanzai should be fine," Moro muttered, putting the broken phone away. If he could land safely, Kanzai surely could as well—unless he was unlucky enough to fall into a swamp or sinkhole.

"This should still be in the Republic of Minpo…"

Moro walked toward the nearby stream.

The Republic of Minpo, one of the five great nations, was two countries away from Sky Arena. Judging by the airship's route, Moro guessed he had landed within Minpo's vast territory, though the exact location was unclear.

Getting out of this unfamiliar forest wouldn't be easy.

With an intact phone, it would have been a different story.

Sighing, Moro followed the stream.

After some time, Moro emerged from the forest and found himself on a plain. Ahead lay a mist-covered lake, its surface reflecting faint starlight.

By the lake's edge were various wild animals.

Scanning the area, Moro's gaze fell on the most striking of them all: several giant white deer with massive antlers.

Their antlers intertwined like coral and glowed faintly under the moonlight, their snowy-white bodies shining brilliantly.

Moro had no intention of disturbing the animals as they drank from the lake. He instead searched the nearby area for a suitable place to rest.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, gunshots rang out from the far side of the lake.

Startled by the noise, the animals scattered in a panic.

Moro turned toward the sound and saw the giant white deer collapsing to the ground. Moments later, a group of armed men emerged from the forest, carrying rifles.

Seeing this, Moro stepped behind a large tree. He could faintly hear the men's excited laughter and their discussion about a loud noise they had heard earlier.

They must mean the sound I made when I landed, Moro thought.

He also overheard them talking about striking it rich, which likely referred to the value of the giant white deer they had just killed.

After some thought, Moro stepped out from behind the tree. He decided to approach the men and ask for information.

Elsewhere in the Forest

About ten kilometers away, a massive spherical object made of entangled human bodies crashed into a lake, sending towering waves into the air.

As the water settled, human corpses began to float to the surface.

Splash!

Suddenly, the water erupted again as Gel emerged, gasping for air. He glanced toward the dense forest on the lake's shore.

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