Reincarnated in Hunter x Hunter

For the next hour and half, I go through the contact list I have been making since leaving Gu Island, catching up with several of my associates:

—Kaito has been traveling the world in search of valuable artifacts. According to him, he has found several items of interest with the help of fellow Hunters, but he has failed to find anything as valuable as the orb he found when we worked together that time, joking that we should become partners and explore the world together in search of its hidden treasures.

—Hanzo is still in his home country, reinforcing the basic principles that his assigned Hunter has taught him. According to his words, he has already thought about what kind of ability he will employ in his Hatsu, but he does not yet have the power and skill to carry it out. If those words are true, that would mean that his raw talent and potential are greater than Nicholas's.

—Bodoro also continues his Nen training, and from what I can tell from his explanation, his talent is inferior to that of Hanzo or even Nicholas. I also discover to my surprise that he is a Conjurer, and that he is having trouble creating a Hatsu that can suit his interests.

In hopes of furthering our partnership, I bring up the possibility of coming to Gelsea to participate in Heavens Arena to improve his techniques and income, and offer my help in trying to guide him in the best direction to develop his Nen abilities. To my surprise, Bodoro declines the offer, saying that he prefers to follow the path he sets for himself rather than the ones set for him by others. Although I am a little disappointed, I respect his decision and wish him the best of luck.

—Satotz seems to have started to revisit some ancient symbols in the name of researching an ancient civilization since I left. Nonetheless, Satotz is glad that I called him, and when I tell him I am going to start teaching Nen he expresses great support and confidence in my abilities to do so, although he warns me very seriously and worriedly not to push my students beyond their limits, which bothers me a little.

Not all of my contacts responded on the first try, and unlike with Ponzu with whom I had a prior agreement, I decided to let them be and try to contact them another day, or wait for them to contact me instead.

While I'm handling these calls, Nicholas comes out of the bathroom to put on the clothes we had bought in the city, and seeing that I'm still going to take a while, I decide to ask him to search in his computer for various resources that we are going to need when we become mercenaries. He gladly accepts, and taking his laptop he sits down at the table to get to work.

During the breaks between calls, and after I have finished them, I discuss with Nicholas the things in which we have to invest for the future, such as weapons, real estate, stock market shares, hirings, etc. We continue researching through several websites until the lunchtime, and after filling our stomachs with what the hotel has prepared for us, I stand up and signal Nicholas to follow me in the direction of Heavens Arena.

We arrive at the place after a few minutes of walking, and once we enter as fighters and are called to fight above the 60th floor, our first matches go smoothly.

Mine is against a burly fighter who seems to rely on brute strength. He charges at me eagerly, fists swinging wildly. I dodge his attacks with ease, and counter him with swift and powerful kicks that target his legs, making him kneel down so I can finish him off with one on his head. Within seconds, he is down, unable to continue the fight as the crowd erupt in cheers.

Nicholas has a similar experience. His opponent, a lanky toned boxer with quick jabs as his specialty, tries to keep him at a distance with quick movements and backward jumps. However, Nicholas continues to apply the advices I gave him, trying to accustom his body to moving in combat and trying not to hesitate when dodging or attacking his opponent.

Little by little, his opponent begins to feel pressured, finding it more difficult to land his blows or block Nicholas's when he gets closer, and eventually Nicholas quickly closes the gap between them, and avoiding his direct punch strikes a kick with precision and power into his stomach.

The boxer stumbles back for a moment, and unable to keep himself up any longer, passes out from Nicholas's single attack, giving him the victory. Between this fight and those of yesterday, Nicholas seems to have found many fans among the spectators.

"You're still thinking about how you should move around the place, and even though you try not to hesitate, you attack carelessly and leave many vulnerable spots. You still need more practice applying these principles to real combat." I say to Nicholas after his fight to keep the crowd's praise from going to his head.

As we fight several more times during the afternoon, we also take to wandering around the giant tower between fights, inspecting the facilities and services offered to the public. In the shops in particular, I also find clothes and electronic devices like in the city, so I decide that once I reach the 100th floor and am gifted with my own private room, I will go shopping there with Nicholas.

Aside from that, we also watch other fights on the monitors so Nicholas can see more real-life combat and learn something more. Listening to the other spectators and fighters during these moments, I also discover that Kastro has already had his fight with Hisoka, shattering my hope of saving him and making him become my ally.

By the time it's dark and we have to return to the hotel, I've made it to the 90th floor and Nicholas to the 80th. 'It's a shame we can't choose when to have our fights until we reach the 200th floor. Anyway, this little delay was within my plans, so there won't be any problems with our objectives.' I think as I walk with Nicholas through the streets faintly illuminated by the lights of the buildings.

Once we get back to the hotel, we head straight to the dining room to have our dinner. However, when the waiter brings us our plates, my mind is unable to focus on the food in front of me because of the grief and discouragement preventing me from properly savoring.

'I couldn't save him. I couldn't save Kastro.' I sadly think as I shove the food into my mouth. 'His fight with Hisoka happened too early in this arc, and I didn't have enough time to get past the 200th floor and stop him from acting, so I can't blame myself for it.'

'But still, I really wanted to save him. If I could have made him see the incompatibility of his fighting style with his natural Nen category, I could have become his acquaintance and helped him develop more appropriate Nen abilities based on my knowledge.'

'I guess this just goes to show once again that I'm just a person, and no matter how hard I try, I can't always save everyone.'

"Boss, are you okay?" Nicholas asks me worriedly.

Staring at him, I take a couple of seconds before answering. "Yeah, it's okay. I was just too wrapped up in my own stuff. Don't worry about it." I reply, digging into my dish again.

Although not entirely convinced, Nicholas accepts my answer and also returns to his food. Watching him out of the corner of my eye as I eat, the heaviness weighing on my head lightens a little as a slightly smile appears on my face at remembering what his fate was in the original manga.

'Well, even if not everyone, I can at least try to save as many people as I can.' I think as I begin to eat more energetically.

After we finish dinner, we head to our room to change clothes and get ready for bed. After brushing my teeth, I walk out of the bathroom to see Nicholas tucking himself into bed. Following his example, I pull back the sheet and get into my own bed.

"Please remember that this is our last night at the hotel. Tomorrow we will receive our own private rooms at Heavens Arena, so make sure you don't forget anything in your luggage." I say covering myself with the blanket and getting comfortable on the mattress.

"Yes boss, as you tell me." Nicholas says sleepily before falling asleep.

"I can't blame him. I've put him through a very rigorous schedule that he's not used to, so it's obvious that he'd fall asleep the moment he got comfortable." I tell myself shortly before falling asleep as well.

Date: May 18th, 2011

At first, our morning routine was the same as the day before: breakfast, physical training, and Nen training. Nicholas still seems to have trouble controlling the flow of his aura, but he seems slightly better at it than yesterday.

After showering at the hotel, we start packing up all our things for our imminent departure, and when we finish, we spend the remaining 30 minutes before lunch continuing to browse websites on Nicholas laptop.

"What do you think about this apartment block? It's in a secluded area and has good reviews." Nicholas says signaling it with the mouse icon.

"We don't need a whole block at the moment. Our agency hasn't even started, and something that big and expensive won't do for us at the moment. For now, look for smaller, more affordable properties." I respond.

"Okay boss." Nicholas replies starting to type again. "What about this recently closed establishment?"

"Check the fees to be paid, to ensure that we don't have to pay more than what is asked. Also check the reason for the closure. We don't want to have to deal with humidity, pollution, criminal gangs or anything that could cause problems when we use the premise." I answer.

"True. I'll check it out." Nicholas replies, beginning to investigate the area of ​​the premises.

As we continue to investigate, it's time to eat, and after filling up and informing the reception about our leave, we take our luggage and return to Heavens Arena. This time, however, I'm the only one registering as a fighter, since Nicholas has to take care of storing our things until he also gets a private room in the tower.

In the arena, after a bit of testing, I once again defeat my opponent with a simple slap, earning the applause of the audience.

Cocco announces.

As I try to leave the stadium ignoring the enthusiastic words of the combat commentator, I am forced to listen to the cheering of my alleged "fan club" around me.

"Yes, he won again without difficulty! How awesome!" A cheered girl shouts.

"He always shows such elegant and strong temperament! He is the best fighter in the tower!" Another girl shouts.

"Unlike the kids from last time, his chiseled built and firm gaze make his entire being exudes the power and confidence of a true warrior! A real top-notch man!" Another woman with a more mature voice shouts.

"With your strength and character you are sure to reach the top of the tower! We will be here to cheer you on all the way up!" A man's voice shouts this time, creeping me out.

After leaving the stadium, I go to the counter to receive my payment for the fight, and there the receptionist hands me the key to my new private room in Heavens Arena, room 354. That done, I head to the meeting place previously agreed upon with Nicholas, and when I see him guarding our things, I approach him and show him the key in my hand.

"You can pick up your luggage. Now that I've passed the 100th floor, we have a free private room in the tower where we can leave it." I say to Nicholas with a satisfied smile, receiving a nod from him.

With that we grab our stuff and head to my new private room. However, once we get there, we leave the bags on the bed and floor instead of emptying them, as we will have to move again when we reach higher floors. With that done, we leave the room and head to the Heavens Arena shopping area to do the shopping I had planned in advance the day before.

In the area large enough to be mistaken for a district, we go through the different stores to get everything we are going to buy: larger travel backpacks for me and Nicholas, clothes to wear at home, several certified to be untraceable disposable phones, a digital watch to replace my old one and other trivial things that may be useful or necessary depending on the circumstances.

"You know boss, instead of having wandered around the city the other day, we could have bought everything that we needed by simply coming to Heavens Arena." Nicholas comments with a dull look as I prepare to pay for everything we have taken.

"That may be true, but I told you at the time, remember? That I wanted to relax and enjoy some free time. That's why I preferred to buy the things I needed at the shops of the city and do some sightseeing instead of coming directly to Heavens Arena." I say handing my credit card to the receptionist.

"Also, products here are more expensive and of poorer quality, so in the end it was a better idea to buy the essentials in the city and the non-essentials here."

"Yes, you are right about that." Nicholas dejectedly replies.

With that out of the way, I grab the bags with our purchases and head back to my private room with Nicholas. But as soon as we set the bags down, the TV in the room turns on to announce my upcoming fight on the 104th floor.

'It seems that the announcement of the battles happens the same way as from the 200th floor onwards.' I think as I watch the screen and head to the door. "I'll be back in a moment. In the meantime, pack all your stuff into your new backpack for when you register as a fighter and also get your own private room." I tell Nicholas as I open the door to leave.

"I'll get on it right away, boss!" He responds by giving me a military salute as I walk out the door.

Point of View Switch: Nicholas

As soon as the boss walks out the door, I get to work reorganizing my belongings. We've certainly been buying quite a few things since we arrived in Gelsea City, and now I have to sort out what's assigned to the boss and what's assigned to me. It's not just clothing and phones that I have to separate, but also flashlights, pens, ropes, knives, medical equipment, provisions...

'The boss is truly very meticulous. It's hard to imagine that he lived on an island isolated from modern civilization until very recently. I mean, not only does he not seem surprised by technology, but he knows very well how to use and apply it.' I think as I pick things apart, becoming more and more intrigued by the amazing man I'm following.

'But precisely because he is so cautious, it's very difficult to know what is going on in his head.' With this thought, my mood changes from motivated to gloomy.

'The boss always seems to be thinking of plans for the future, but he never shares them with me. He just asks me to take care of the details and prepare me thoroughly without sharing the purpose or final objective until much later.'

'And it's not just his plans, but he doesn't share what he thinks or feels with others either. Since yesterday at dinner, the boss has been displaying a downcast attitude, as if something bad had happened to him. And despite denying that there is a problem and trying to act normal since then, I can still see the sadness on his face whenever I look at him.'

'Why does he get depressed? What are his goals? What are those things he tries to keep hidden from everyone? I really wish he trusted me enough to tell me about all that.' I think, adopting a sad mood as I finish packing all my things into my backpack.

However, when I see Kai's things still scattered around the room, my motivation resurfaces as I start packing his stuff into the other travel bag as well. "I'll show the boss how helpful I am! I must keep trying hard every day and prove that I'm someone trustworthy so that one day he can open up to me and tell me all those things that are going through his head!"

After lifting my spirits and packing everything we have bought in this city, I grab Kai's travel bag and empty it onto the bed to properly fit all its contents into the backpack. However, among the pile, one of the books Kai was carrying opens, and as I push the things on top of it aside, my mouth and eyes open in shock at the sight of its contents.

"No, this can't be possible. The boss... But what does all this mean?" I ask as I stare perplexed at the content of the book I'm holding in my hands.

"That's what I'd like to ask you." A voice filled with anger says behind me.

Slowly turning my head in panic, I can see in the open door what appears to be the figure of my boss with his arms crossed and his eyes shining an intense red glow in the middle of a cloud of darkness that hides his face.

'Help.' This word is the only thing that comes to mind as my fear is heightened by the terrifying figure in front of me.