HunterxHunter: I Became Stronger After Death

The night split the world in two.

One half was the lively Pritt Town, while the other was the quiet, eerie Shanni Village.

Hisoka walked into the laughter and revelry. Moro leaned into the reality of life, death, sickness, and decay.

Suddenly, Moro shivered as if something sinister were watching him. The feeling came out of nowhere, chilling and inexplicable.

Frowning slightly, Moro thought about the seemingly defenseless Nen user in the mud-brick house.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided against barging in.

"Focus is a good thing, but too much of it… People like you don't tend to live long," Moro muttered to himself.

With that, he quietly left, not disturbing so much as a single village dog.

Once out of Shanni Village, he found a spot suitable for observing.

The spot featured two large boulders with a human-sized gap between them. A long, narrow stone rested horizontally atop them, making the formation resemble a crude stone gate.

Moro leaned against the rocks, tilting his head slightly to peer through the gap. His gaze landed on the village in the distance, its faint light barely visible.

He intended to wait for the female Nen user to leave the village and approach her alone.

At Dawn

The grass was heavy with dew, and the air was thick with mist, close enough to touch.

As time passed, the mist began to dissipate.

Moro remained statue-like beside the stones, his Ten as steady and calm as a silent river.

But as he opened his eyes and shifted slightly, a ripple appeared in his steady Nen aura.

Training Ten to remain stable while still required complete focus.

Stillness breeds stability.

That part was relatively easy.

The real challenge lay in maintaining that stability while in motion.

Reaching this level required endless time and effort—a path without road signs or an endpoint in sight.

Nen users, including Moro, could only abandon thoughts of the destination and focus on each step of the journey, progressing one step at a time.

For Moro, the passage of time provided endless stamina but didn't make the path itself any smoother.

This left him, like all Nen users, grappling with how to walk the road efficiently and effectively.

Moro wasn't the type to take things for granted. He treated every spare moment seriously, ensuring he made progress with every step.

The Nen system itself, when broken down, revealed its true nature: If you're not advancing, you're falling behind.

Morning

The sunlight broke through, scattering the mist.

A figure emerged from the village, heading toward the forest.

Beside the boulders, Moro adjusted his hat slightly and followed.

It was the same location as the day before.

The woman, still dressed in heavy layers with only her eyes exposed, stopped at a large tree covered in vines and moss. She scraped something off its surface and stored it in a test tube.

Moro observed from a distance, waiting until she turned her back before stepping out from behind another tree.

"Are you a doctor?" he asked.

"!"

The sudden voice startled Sambika.

She immediately secured the test tube, then darted forward like a butterfly, skimming low across the ground. Before landing, she turned quickly to face Moro, her eyes filled with wariness.

At the same time, she released her Nen aura without reservation, like a pufferfish inflating its spikes in defense.

Her reflexes weren't as weak as they initially seemed.

From her aura, Moro estimated her level to be around Lv. 45–50.

Her reaction gave him some basic insights, which had been his intention when he deliberately startled her.

It also sent a message: I mean no harm—at least on the surface.

To reinforce this, he removed the gear he'd used to disguise himself.

"I was here yesterday," Moro began, pointing at the nearby tree. "I noticed you collecting something. Out of curiosity, I followed you and saw you preparing medicine for a child.

"You didn't seem to notice me, and I meant no offense. After leaving the village, I figured you might return here today, so I waited for you."

He left out the part about tailing her, though the result wasn't far from the truth.

Sambika listened, then suddenly recalled something her mentor had warned her about.

"Are you a voyeur?" she asked bluntly.

"…"

Moro froze for a moment before shaking his head. "No, no! Wait—how is that the focus here?!"

His voice lost some conviction toward the end.

Technically, she wasn't wrong. His actions could be described as voyeuristic.

But the addition of "pervert" to the term felt more like an insult—like calling him Hisoka.

As Moro processed this, Sambika's expression turned thoughtful. She recalled another warning from her mentor and took a step back.

"Are you a stalker?" she asked, her tone more cautious.

"?"

A question mark practically floated over Moro's head.

This woman… something's off.

Still, he couldn't argue.

Moro sighed, opting to change the subject. "Are you treating that child's illness?"

"Yes," Sambika replied, her wariness unchanged.

"I've never seen symptoms like that before," Moro said casually. "It's as if the cells' vitality is being drained. Is it caused by a virus?"

"Yes."

Though suspicious of Moro's intentions, Sambika answered truthfully. "It's an undocumented virus, but you don't need to worry. Its transmission rate is currently very low."

After explaining, she turned the questioning back on him.

"Were you really just curious? My mentor always said people who act like you are perverts."

"I…"

Moro opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.

After a moment of silence, he sighed as if resigning himself to fate. "You're not wrong. My behavior earlier was inappropriate. I didn't introduce myself properly—call me Hisoka. And yes, Hisoka is a pervert."

"Hmm."

Sambika nodded, thinking her mentor's warnings were spot on.

Moro felt slightly better, but just as he was about to ask more about the village, he sensed a malicious aura.

Sambika noticed it too.

Both turned toward the large tree from which the aura emanated.

"Impersonating others… how naughty."

From behind the tree, Hisoka stepped into view, half his body visible. A playing card rested between his fingers, pressed against his chin. His narrowed eyes fixed on Moro.

Seeing Hisoka emerge, surrounded by his signature pink aura, Moro tensed reflexively.

"See? He's the real stalker pervert!" Moro declared, releasing his aura in full and pointing at Hisoka. He was ready to fire Flying Star at a moment's notice.

Sambika also stared at Hisoka, her eyes trembling. Shaking her head, she murmured, "No, you two… you're both the same."

"…"

Moro's face fell.

Hisoka's grin widened in satisfaction. "Heh…"

"?"

Moro's lips twitched. "What are you laughing at, you—"

His sense of propriety cut him off just in time.

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