Fight X Surprise

As Veld was searching for sustenance, three feline eyes were peering through some foliage, quiet and unmoving. As Veld moved a certain amount of distance, a shadowy figure leaped behind various forms of cover, keeping an adequate distance so that the unsuspecting prey wouldn't notice it. As an experienced hunter, it knew that the best time to strike was when the prey was eating, because that was when it would be most relaxed. Unfortunately for the predator, Veld was an experienced fighter that had spent quite some time in the wilderness in his previous life, so he always had his guard up.

"Berries, hmm? This should serve as sufficient energy so that I can hunt for some meat or fish." The berries were oval in shape, with the outside green film being slightly transparent, such that the red insides could be seen. Veld sat down on a flat-topped stone in the middle of a clearing so that he could be aware of any approaching danger, and began munching on the odd-looking berries. As to why he chose to eat these specific berries, it was because he didn't see any other possibly edible flora, and because he knew he had to eat something soon or else he would die. As to whether or not the berries were poisonous, he didn't know for sure... the Hunter x Hunter world is rather strange, after all. Immense and muscular beasts could be docile, and small critters could be more deadly than a tiger. He only hoped that if the berries were poisonous, they wouldn't kill him.

*rustle*

As Veld heard the sound of leaves behind him, he knew that there must be an animal incoming. He quickly pushed himself to his feet, spinning around in the process, only to see a strange, three-eyed feline about the size of an average dog leaping towards him. Veld hadn't fully stabilized his position when the beast neared him, but he was still able to mostly dodge, receiving a shallow slice on the shoulder. 'Dammit, I thought I avoided that. It seems one can never be too careful.'

*Snarl*

Annoyed at failing its ambush, the predator snarled, producing sounds similar to what a wildcat would. Veld got a closer look at his attacker, noticing that it had quite the claws to the point where they seemed disproportionate to its size. Veld knew it was better to let the beast attack first so that he could use his superior intelligence to his advantage.

After circling for a moment, the feline charged again at a surprising speed. However, Veld still reacted in time, side-stepping at the last moment and hopping on its back so that it couldn't reach him with its most potent weapons. 'The best way to kill it... is to blind it first.' Veld hooked is fingers and pierced them into the beast's eyes, causing it to screech in pain. It fervently attempted to throw Veld off, but he wouldn't let go until he realized that they were nearing a ledge. Veld jumped off, leaving the feline to plunge to its death, but not before it got a good kick in, as he desperately jumped off behind, right in the way of the direction that the beast's legs were traveling.

"Whew! That was dangerous," Veld said, while thinking, 'Thankfully, the animal was not that strong, but this will not always be the case. I need to increase my strength, and fast. It is not currently viable to practice Nen as it takes such a long time, so it would be wise to first increase my physical capabilities.'

Veld had purposefully gotten into the habit of keeping most things to himself once he reincarnated, because giving information about yourself, even to family and friends, can prove quite dangerous in the Hunter x Hunter world. So, he decided to get into the habit now rather than later to avoid slip-ups down the line, which may lead to unfavorable circumstances that could have otherwise been avoided had he simply kept his mouth shut.

Now, back to the situation at hand...

In the Hunter x Hunter world, humans were innately stronger than their Earth counterparts, due to the presence of Nen, but so were the bestial inhabitants. It was indeed fortuitous for Veld to have encountered such a weak beast such that a 4 year old child could best it (with an adult's intellect).

After spending a few moments recovering, Veld set off to create a makeshift spear to fish. "This one will do," he said while picking up a rather straight branch. As he was pondering about how he might go about carving the tip off, he remembered that he had a pocket knife which the previous Veld had gotten after endlessly begging his parents for one. Using it, he carved a semi-sharp spear. 'At least it is sufficient to pierce a fish through.'

As Veld made his way over to the water, he discovered a split in a nearby stone wall. Curious, he made his way over to it and peered inside. Surprisingly, he could see due to the glowing moss and other plants inhabiting the miniature cave. He decided to take a quick look and then go fish. 'Maybe I can stay here... the crack is too small for any large predator to make its way through, so it should serve as ample protection, meaning there shouldn't be any bears or other cave-dwelling predators living in here, assuming there is no other hole that leads here.'

Veld easily made his way through the slit and explored the area. After inspecting it, he had found a few interesting things. It seems that another individual had been here before him, as there was a skeleton propped up against a wall in a sitting position. This individual carried a peculiar dagger, which had the number 13 on it. 'A Ben's Knife?' Every Ben's Knife had a number and a peculiar appearance, and this one had both of those characteristics. Another characteristic was their uncanny sharpness, so Veld took the knife and slashed at the skeleton's bones, which were cut cleanly through. The knife even left a cut in the wall after it had gone through the bone. 'Yup, almost definitely a Ben's Knife. Truly surprising! This is main character levels of luck... if I were to have encountered that beast with the knife I have, it wouldn't have even gotten the opportunity to slash my shoulder. This knife basically ensures my survival. Thank you, skeleton. May you rest in peace.'

The second item of interest was the stone bed with a two pelts, most likely serving as a bed cover and blanket. It was rather cold in the cave, after all.

Lastly, there was a pool of water that had most definitely been sifted through dirt and rock, meaning it was drinkable water. This place was truly a treasure for someone like Veld, who was in desperate need of these things.

Now that shelter, water, and a reliable weapon had been secured, Veld took his knife and spear to the sea to fish, which went without any problems. However, when he tried to cook the fish over a fire, he could hear the prowling of a couple of beasts. This time, he slayed them quite easily, adding their pelts to his collection. He ate the fish and made his way back to the cave, realizing it was becoming nighttime. Even with the Ben's Knife, he didn't want to take the risk, especially since he was physically weak and malnourished.

...

Over two years, Veld had lived a rather simple and monotonous life of hunting, training, and sleeping. He did not attempt to unlock Nen because he was afraid of it harming his body. 'Better safe than sorry. Even if I'm completely wrong, so what? I still have 5-6 years before the 287th Hunter Exam begins, based on my birth date which was 1987. I have quite the head start.'

Now, Veld hadn't been doing nothing in regards to Nen. Veld had taken around three months to search for all aura nodes, and the rest of the time had been spent more familiarizing himself with each node and pathway. Furthermore, he trained the "Nen of the Flame." The "Nen of the Flame" that Wing taught Gon and Killua, which was fake Nen, had benefits in terms of Nen control. After all, the normal process is meditating and seeking out each individual aura node, which can take from months to years depending on the individual's talent. In fact, Veld suspected that having the aura nodes forcefully opened may hinder progress (in terms of Nen control), as knowing each and every individual aura node and pathway would help in achieving a more perfect control over the aura one possesses, especially due to the patience required to do so. Veld specifically remembered that, during his fight with Knuckle, Gon used 4000 aura for an attack and only achieved an actual power of 500 aura. It's quite obvious his control was terrible, and he could have done much better if he had more control.

Today, however, is a monumental day for Veld, because he finally decided to open his aura nodes! Calming his excited emotions, Veld sat down on the stone bed that was covered with a few pelts. The current Veld had crafted some clothing out of the hides of the creatures that he had hunted, as his clothes had long been turned into shreds. A shame, he liked his hoodie. {Author's Note: Yes, I'm mentioning this now because I didn't say what clothes he had been wearing, mb.}

A white aura exploded forth from Veld, who had opened his nodes for the first time. The aura felt like a warm bath... except the "water" is much thicker. He quickly restrained his aura by initiating Ten so that his aura would cling to his body instead of wildly escaping. 'Now that I have unlocked Nen, I should impose a "vow". It will make my progress much faster... right now, I am anxious to find out my Nen category, so my vow shall be, "I shall not use Water Divination or any other method to determine my Nen category until I can maintain Ren for two hours, else I will die." Apparently, it takes a month to increase the amount of time one can spend in the state of Ren by 10 minutes, so it should take about a year. Regardless, I would be doing this either way. A strong foundation is vital.'

10 months later... {Authors Note: At this point in time, Veld is now 7 years and half a month old.}

Veld is sitting down with a wooden cup that he had carved. It was filled with water and had a leaf on top of it, ready for Water Divination. The past week, he had made sure that he could maintain at least 2 hours in the state of Ren so that he would not break his vow and die a foolish death, and now he is impatient to find out his Nen category.

'Heheh, if I become an enchancer, I can have a limitless water supply now that I think about it. During Water Divination, enchancers will increase the amount of water, so they only need a single drop... not that I'd want to be an enchancer. Specialist is best.'

Veld flared up his aura, activating Ren and attempting to make a change through Hatsu, which was quite easy due to all of the meditation and training of Ren. 'The leaf moved. It seems that I am a manipulator. I hadn't expected to become a Specialist, but I'd be lying if I said I weren't slightly disappointed. However, being a Manipulator is quite good, it suits me well. Not to mention the fact that Manipulators and Conjurors have the highest chance at becoming Specialists later in life. Now, time to make a hatsu!'