"Put away your weapons."
The special forces captain's voice carried through the trees, calm but authoritative. He was ordering his team to lower their weapons, demonstrating they had no hostile intentions.
His voice came again, this time directed at Kevin and the others hidden behind the tree stumps and natural cover.
"We're here tracking a poaching group. We found traces of their previous camp outside, and there are fresh traces here from last night. Please identify yourselves. Once we confirm you're not connected to those poachers, we won't make things difficult for you."
The captain deliberately kept his tone measured, hoping to resolve the situation through official channels. Three Nen users against his squad—with only himself as a fellow Nen user—wasn't favorable odds. He couldn't accurately gauge their strength, but they didn't appear to be novices.
Behind their cover, Kevin, Menchi, and Buhara exchanged glances.
Buhara moved first, emerging from behind the large tree stump that had concealed his massive frame. Even with the stump's coverage, part of his clothing had been visible anyway. The other side had extended goodwill; to avoid unnecessary conflict, they needed to reciprocate.
He studied the group before him. They wore field military uniforms and carried firearms and weapons consistent with special forces. The captain, seemingly understanding the need for visual confirmation, subtly displayed his uniform's insignia and the standard-issue weapon in his hand.
The Kakin Empire, while not a V5 member state, was widely considered the strongest nation below that exclusive tier. Its military had distinct characteristics—uniforms and weapons bearing unique design elements that anyone with basic knowledge would recognize. This helped alleviate some doubts.
Buhara's observations aligned with the captain's claims. They'd spent considerable time in the Kakin Empire and had some understanding of its military presence.
He flicked his wrist, revealing his hunter license. "We're professional Hunters. Not your poaching group. That camp with fresh traces—we rested there last night."
The captain nodded. He'd already been leaning toward that conclusion. His attempt to observe further had backfired when they'd detected him—further proof these weren't ordinary travelers.
"The traces you left are indeed different from the poachers'," he acknowledged.
With the initial misunderstanding cleared, Kevin and Menchi emerged from their hiding spots. Both sides, however, maintained a cautious distance.
"We'll escort you out of the forest," the captain offered.
Trust remained tentative. Kevin and the others couldn't be absolutely certain these were genuine special forces, though the evidence suggested they were. Conversely, the captain couldn't immediately verify their Hunter status—and poaching groups sometimes included Nen users with legitimate licenses. Vigilance cut both ways.
And so they walked, maintaining safe distance, making their way toward the forest's edge.
Eventually, they emerged near a staging area. Several off-road vehicles and specialized tactical vehicles stood parked, each bearing the clear military emblem of the Kakin Empire.
Kevin noted another Nen user among the personnel who'd remained behind. This individual studied them warily, then approached the captain for a quiet consultation. After receiving confirmation of the situation, he addressed Kevin and the others.
"Seeing this, I believe the misunderstanding is resolved. Now, please allow us to verify your Hunter identities."
The three stepped forward, producing their licenses.
The second Nen user's eyebrows rose. "All three of you are professional Hunters?"
He'd assumed only one would hold that status. Many Nen users operated as lone wolves, and even those who traveled in groups often featured a single professional Hunter leading non-professionals or ordinary companions.
Kevin and the others offered no explanation. They simply waited.
After confirming their identities through official channels, the captain posed another question. "If you don't mind—what was your purpose in visiting this forest?"
"Looking for materials," Kevin replied briefly.
The captain nodded, accepting the vague answer without pressing further. Hunters had all sorts of objectives. It wasn't his place to interrogate them about every detail.
With identities verified and purpose stated, the tension between the two groups finally eased.
Encountering Hunters in wilderness areas like this wasn't unusual. If these three had been ordinary people, the special forces would have detained them for thorough interrogation before releasing them. But all three were professional Hunters—that changed everything.
Even if the Kakin Empire were a V5 member—which it wasn't—a legitimate department wouldn't arbitrarily cause problems for professional Hunters. Such actions were counterproductive; they'd only lead superiors to question whether your work ability matched your current position. From both legal and practical perspectives, the Hunters' presence in the forest was entirely reasonable.
In fact, after examining the camping traces, the special forces had already concluded these three weren't connected to the poaching group. Still, the captain saw an opportunity. Since they were professional Hunters who'd specifically come to this area, they might have useful information.
"We're here because a monster that shouldn't be in this region has appeared," the captain offered unprompted. "It's too close to the city. If it goes berserk and breaks out of the forest, it could cause serious casualties."
"A monster?" Menchi recalled. "We did find a lair where one used to live."
"What? Really?" The captain's surprise was genuine. He hadn't expected a casual inquiry to yield an unexpected lead.
"Sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Lek." He nodded respectfully.
The three reciprocated with their own names.
"If you don't mind, could you take us to see that lair? We're here specifically tracking this creature. What you might not know is that it's not just this area—the same problem has appeared in another forest several hundred kilometers away. We can't determine if it's the same monster or multiple individuals spread across different regions. If it's the latter, the situation becomes far more troublesome."
Kevin and the others exchanged glances. This didn't seem like a burdensome request.
Buhara agreed.
Led by him, Lek's special forces team re-entered the forest and arrived at the lair discovered the previous night. The accompanying soldiers immediately began collecting samples and documenting the site.
Lek engaged Buhara in conversation near the cave entrance while Kevin and Menchi stood outside, observing for a few moments before losing interest.
Kevin found himself more intrigued by something else: Nen users affiliated with state powers. He'd long speculated that powerful nations would cultivate such individuals—it was almost inevitable. He simply hadn't had the opportunity to witness it until today.
"Are there many Nen users like this working for state political bodies?" Kevin asked Menchi quietly.
Menchi shook her head. "Don't ask me—I'm not sure. But there should be quite a few." She recounted situations she'd encountered over the past two years in other countries, describing Nen users attached to special operations units or serving as security personnel for high-ranking officials.
Their conversation was interrupted as Lek and Buhara finished speaking.
"Thank you for your assistance," Lek said sincerely.
It appeared the special forces would remain here to continue searching for clues. After a brief exchange, Kevin and the others departed the forest decisively, preferring not to become further entangled with these people.
Watching their retreating figures, Lek answered his phone. "Hello. Did you find their information?"
"Yes. We've confirmed it. The possibility of them accidentally wandering into this area is high."
"Is that so? Good."
Lek hadn't fully trusted the three Hunters—that would have been naive. Naturally, he'd investigated their movements. This wasn't offensive; simply checking their activity traces within the Kakin Empire was standard procedure. The results showed Kevin had only recently become a Hunter and had arrived here alongside the Hunter Association Chairman—nothing suspicious. Nations generally placed considerable trust in the Chairman. Menchi and Buhara's activity traces were equally easy to find; they'd moved through the Kakin Empire quite openly.
On the other side, the three returned to the city.
"How unlucky. Always running into weird things," Menchi complained irritably. Nothing had gone wrong, but the encounter had soured their previously good mood.
"I think they lied," Kevin offered thoughtfully. "Compared to that so-called magical beast, those poachers might be their real target." Investigating both simultaneously wasn't mutually exclusive.
Buhara nodded agreement. "I noticed they were more interested in the human skeletons than the monster's traces while collecting information in the cave. I suspect they already know something about the creature's habits and are focusing on poacher-related intelligence."
"Then those poachers are strange too, aren't they? Just like we speculated last night." Menchi's interest was piqued; she joined the discussion eagerly.
The three shared theories, exchanging ideas and building on each other's observations.
"Since we're this curious," Menchi declared impulsively, "we should just check it out. Won't take much time."
Before either could object, she grabbed them both and pulled them into a high-end internet cafe. At an empty workstation, she produced her hunter license and swiped it through the card reader beside the computer. The terminal connected immediately to the Hunter Association's internal network—a process Menchi clearly knew by heart.
Kevin watched from the side, taking the opportunity to learn from her experience.
One thing he had to admit was that the hunter license truly could be swiped anywhere that accepted cards—and it always worked. Machines in internet cafes like this, clearly designed for temporary online access, recognized the license without issue. Hotels, transportation departments, even military-grade card readers all accepted it. It was inexplicably absurd, yet undeniably convenient.
On the computer screen, the Hunter Association's internal network loaded. Even without spending money at the Hunter Tavern, less confidential information was accessible for free through various Hunter websites.
When it came to information gathering, however, Buhara surpassed Menchi. He took over her seat, his thick fingers moving with surprising dexterity across the keyboard. Soon, he pulled up relevant data.
"Hmm. This doesn't look like a small problem," Menchi murmured, reading over his shoulder.
The collected information documented areas worldwide where magical beasts—inconsistent with local ecosystems—had appeared. Starting three years ago, these creatures had emerged across different continents and countries. Without exception, the locations were never too far from human settlements. However, some Hunters had also discovered traces of similar beasts in more remote dense forests.
Several Hunters were currently investigating the phenomenon. Some small countries had already been deeply affected.
Buhara pulled up additional records, comparing and analyzing. Finally, he logged into the Hunter Tavern's information system to check the cost of obtaining more detailed intelligence. Five million jenny—relatively modest by Tavern standards.
He purchased it without hesitation. For a Hunter, five million to satisfy curiosity was nothing. Hunters were naturally curious creatures, seekers of the unknown. Besides, given how often they lived outdoors and hunted in wilderness areas, this information might prove directly relevant to their safety.
Detailed information flooded the screen.
[Analysis of recovered magical beast specimens indicates these creatures are not products of natural evolution. They appear to be artificial organisms.]
[Evidence suggests an individual or organization is conducting research in biological fusion.]
[These magical beasts are being released into various regions, seemingly for validation purposes.]
[Some specimens show no aggression or low violence levels.]
[Multiple Hunters have accepted requests from affected nations and are investigating.]
[The organization behind this research has no specific identifying information, but market speculation points to a biological research company.]
[—]
While the information was substantial, it contained little truly secret or crucial content. With enough time and effort, most of it could be discovered independently.
"Artificial organisms? Genetic engineering?" Menchi scratched her head, bewildered. "I don't understand any of this." She grasped the basic concept—technological means used to create magical beasts outside natural evolution—but the implications escaped her.
"What's the point of doing this?" Buhara asked, equally confused.
Kevin considered the question. "There are many potential applications. If you can freely construct and combine genetic material, you might create organisms better suited to human needs through artificial means. It depends on this organization's purpose. If they have ill intentions, they could easily create biological weapons."
It wasn't an exaggeration. Most bioengineering research, when examined closely, engaged in precisely this kind of study—the line between beneficial application and weaponization often came down to intent.
Curiosity satisfied, they left the internet cafe.
Kevin continued thinking about the bioengineering angle. Something nagged at him—a connection he couldn't quite ignore. Begetto. If his suspicion was correct, the Information Hunter might be among those currently investigating this matter. The information characteristics aligned too perfectly with the swamp incident last year.
And that strange poacher camp in the forest? It fit these patterns too.
Forget it, he decided. Not my concern right now.
He had too much to handle already. Like making money. His funds were running low.
Red Stone Pharmaceuticals was on track, but early-stage investments had been substantial. It would take months—at least several—for the drugs to reach market and become profitable. In the meantime, he could only rely on potion sales to replenish his finances. He needed to carefully consider that aspect of planning, refine his ideas once he returned.
A thought struck Kevin. He turned to Menchi and Buhara.
"Do you know any doctors? Preferably Nen users. And I mean genuinely skilled professionals—not amateurs."
Kevin's thoughts turned to Pairo. The boy's condition still needed urgent attention. Now that they were Hunters, hiring professionals made sense. There were all kinds of Hunters—surely doctor Hunters existed in reasonable numbers. Being a doctor wasn't exactly a niche profession.
Both Menchi and Buhara turned to stare at him.
"Aren't you one?" Menchi asked, puzzled.
Kevin spread his hands helplessly. "Half of one, maybe. I'm more of a pharmacist." The distinction mattered—a pharmacist compounded medicines; a doctor diagnosed and treated. Different skill sets entirely.
Buhara considered the question. "If you need someone urgently, you could hire a Hunter. There are definitely doctor Hunters in the Association. Take the current Zodiacs, for example—the Dog, specifically."
Kevin blinked. "The what?"
Had he just heard mention of the Zodiacs?
"It's an organization formed by the Hunter Association Chairman," Menchi explained. "They handle certain Association affairs. Twelve members total, each named after an animal with special significance in some ancient country's tradition."
Kevin nodded slowly, filing this away. Another world, another set of naming conventions. After encountering actual Chinese characters earlier, nothing should surprise me.
"Is she powerful?"
"Three-star Hunter," Menchi said simply.
That got Kevin's attention. Three-star Hunters were exceptionally rare—each one widely renowned. Going purely by rank, this Dog Hunter might even surpass Bisky or Jin in standing. But he understood such comparisons weren't straightforward; star rankings focused on specialized professional achievement rather than combat ability. The world wasn't solely about martial power. In many ways, professional expertise mattered more to society than raw fighting strength.
"Then there's probably no chance," Kevin concluded. "A three-star Hunter? How could I afford to hire her?"
He knew something about Hunter commission rates. Professional Hunters started at billions; troublesome tasks ran tens of billions or higher. Danger premiums and time requirements added further costs. For famous, powerful Hunters, fees varied by profession and the nature of the request. But a three-star Hunter? Money alone wouldn't secure their services. Such individuals didn't lack funds; they cared about the work itself.
Menchi rolled her eyes. "Idiot. Think about your potions."
Buhara nodded agreement. "Are you really that lacking in confidence in your own creations?"
Kevin considered this. They had a point. His potions had produced results that defied normal medical expectations—healing the supposedly incurable, restoring vitality to the aged. If he led with those as proof of concept, maybe...
"Alright. Since you both think so, I'll try." He paused. "One problem, though. Do either of you have her contact information?"
At this, both fell silent.