Chapter 22: Acting Nervous, Are You Conjuration Type?
Arthur patted the tiger's head, gave it a hug, and continued to wander around the area, recovering the aura he had spent creating over ten Star Marks.
Once he had rested enough, he resumed his training, following the same routine as when he was living like a wild man.
Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu...
Gyo, Shu, Ko, Ken...
This time, Arthur didn't skip the Manipulation Type part, except for the Emission Type training.
He realized that although he was already quite proficient in using the Star Mark ability, there was still room for development from other angles, with significant potential for improvement.
For Emission Type training, he only remembered the level 5 training method mentioned by Biscuit Krueger when guiding Gon in the manga, standing on one hand and emitting aura from the palm to push oneself off the ground and float.
So Arthur stood on one hand.
He tried to emit aura from his palm, and soon, his palm trembled, and an invisible force bounced him off the ground, his hand wobbling about 5 centimeters above the ground...
"Damn, I can fly now!"
Arthur got excited and almost fell headfirst, barely stopping when his palm was just half a centimeter from the ground, continuously emitting aura to compress the ground and rebound himself.
"This is way more tiring than maintaining Ken..."
Arthur managed to hold on for less than a minute before falling.
But he was undeterred, switching to other training exercises when he got tired, standing on the ground and releasing Ren with a shout, then catching the moment to maintain Ten, forming Ken.
Time passed as Arthur trained alone...
He had set out early in the morning, and now the sun was climbing above his head, indicating it was past 10 a.m.
As noon approached, the bustling life of East Town behind him became more apparent.
Arthur, tired from training, played with Lumin for a while, ate something simple, and took a stroll to rest, feeding the birds along the way.
He was already near the southernmost part of the east coast, close to the exit of Ghost Island leading to the mainland. Despite not taking the main road from East Town, he was surprised to find that there was no proper road connecting East Town to the mainland. Were all the tourists at the amusement park arriving by boat?
Arthur followed the "saltwater creek" Lumin had found, heading south. At the point where the seawater stopped flowing, he found a rocky, jagged area just large enough to sit and rest. However, he noticed something strange.
This was roughly the area where Ghost Island met the mainland.
But looking forward and back, there was a significant geological difference, specifically, the direction Arthur had just come from seemed like ordinary forest land, but stepping forward, the jagged boundary looked like the seaside rocks had been forcibly moved here.
"What's going on? Is this two islands pieced together?"
Arthur joked to himself.
"Yes and no," someone nearby said. Arthur turned to see a burly man with a head of natural curly hair, a headband, a circle of stubble around his sausage lips, and a robust, straightforward appearance. Next to him was the green-haired spicy girl, Menchi, who was making a peace sign and grinning mischievously at Arthur.
Arthur ignored the spicy girl's antics and asked the burly man, "What's right and what's not?"
The burly man looked down at the jagged "boundary," "This Ghost Island we're standing on didn't originally exist here. Why it appeared here remains unanswered."
Menchi crossed her arms and nodded, "That's right. When I searched for Ghost Island online yesterday, I was puzzled why none of the results mentioned the sudden appearance of this island 24 years ago!"
"24 years ago, this island suddenly appeared..." Arthur immediately understood.
The cryptic conversation between Babimyna and Sloer earlier was likely because this island originally belonged to Kakin Empire. It seems that since then, Kakin and Ochima have been legally disputing the island's ownership.
He frowned, "So the so-called 'Ghost Island' refers to the island appearing like a ghost, not because there are actual ghosts or spirits on the island?"
Menchi paused, thoughtfully saying, "Now that you mention it, maybe..."
The burly man didn't say much, standing like a guardian deity.
In fact, he didn't need to say much. With his appearance and style, Arthur immediately recognized him as Ginta, one of the Hunter Association's Twelve Zodiac, the "Sheep."
How did this happen? I just ran into a "Tiger" from Ochima, and now there's a wild "Sheep" here?
Are the Twelve Zodiac everywhere?
Ginta suddenly said, "It seems you've recognized me."
Arthur replied, "I checked the Hunter Association's official website. I did it with this spicy girl."
Menchi sniffed herself.
Ginta looked at Arthur and said, "It seems you're not really 20 years old."
"Because I needed to check the official website to recognize you?" Arthur said nonchalantly, "That's not a valid assumption. Isn't there a hunter in the Hunter Association who's quite experienced but knows nothing about the internal affairs of the association?"
Ginta nodded, saying nothing. Speaking of such fools, he had just encountered one in the morning.
Arthur asked them, "Don't you have anything better to do? Why do you keep bothering me?"
Ginta remained silent, pointing at Lumin, who was quietly observing.
Menchi reminded, "He's my teacher, guiding me in learning Nen Ability, and he's a poacher hunter, a hunter specializing in hunting poachers!"
"Why are you looking at me while talking about poachers?" Arthur expressed dissatisfaction, glancing at Menchi, "He's a poacher hunter, he's your teacher, so are you a poacher hunter too?"
Menchi puffed out her chest, "I'm a gourmet hunter!"
Arthur, of course, knew this spicy girl was a gourmet hunter. He was just using the opportunity to ask what he really wanted to know, Ginta, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, a member of the Twelve Zodiac, why are you inexplicably teaching a newbie hunter whose specialty doesn't even match?
Ginta said, "I happened to be close to Menchi at the time, and I happened to be available."
Arthur was speechless, "I thought a more experienced gourmet hunter, like the old lady Linne in the association, would be the one teaching a gourmet hunter."
Ginta replied, "In terms of Nen Ability, Linne is far more powerful than a thousand Menchi combined."
"Hey!" Menchi protested, "Am I that weak?"
Arthur said, "You should have some self-awareness. I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back, let alone that old hag, old senior."
Ginta continued, "However, in the culinary field, Menchi, who won first place in the World Chef Competition at the age of 12, has talent and confidence that doesn't lose to anyone."
"Hmph!" Menchi raised her eyebrows at Arthur, "Even with one hand tied, my cooking is a hundred times, no, a thousand times better than yours!"
"I suggest tying both hands," Arthur said.
Ginta added, "Moreover, it's just about teaching her the basics of Nen Ability. Anyone in the association could do it. It just happened to be assigned to me."
Arthur asked, "So, what do you want from me after all this talk?"
Ginta looked at him, "I'm here to confirm whether you're a poacher."
"Am I?" Arthur asked.
"In terms of character, I can confirm you're not. Legally, I don't know." Ginta glanced at Lumin, who looked healthy and in good spirits, "I'm also here to tell you that among the five poachers you defeated, the leader was Galo, a former Heaven's Arena floor master."
Arthur said, "Are Heaven's Arena floor masters that weak?"
"He only held the position once."
"That explains it."
"Galo, after waking up, I tested him. He's actually an Enhancement Type but trained in Conjuration Type abilities, using Emission Type and Manipulation Type techniques..."
"..." Arthur was genuinely speechless this time. What a Kastro!
"So you actually won by luck," Ginta said seriously. "To prevent a talented young hunter like you from misjudging the level of enemies and allies, I thought it necessary to remind you."
"Thank you," Arthur sincerely expressed his gratitude, then pointed at Menchi, "But what's she doing? Why is she looking at my good buddy like a piece of meat on a cutting board?"
Menchi, at some point, had been staring intently at Lumin, and Lumin, no longer relaxed, took two steps back, tense.
"What's wrong with that!" Menchi, embarrassed and angry, said, "I'm not a poacher hunter; I'm a gourmet hunter! As a gourmet hunter, seeing such a rare animal, I just thought of hundreds of ways to cook it. What's wrong with that..."
Arthur said, "You're acting nervous. Are you Conjuration Type?"
Menchi was shocked, "How did you know?!"
"Now you seem a bit like Enhancement Type..."
It seems he can deduce people's ability types based on their personalities... Ginta thought silently.
(End of Chapter)