Chapter 2

Gon POV:

Gon Freecss is my name. My last name is only there for tradition's sake. Apart from the fact that it was given to me by my biological parents, I have no particular attachment to it.

No, I'm not an orphan. I'm not sure who or what my biological mother is up to, but my father is a hunter. When I was a baby, he abandoned, uhh, sorry, "left me" in the care of his cousin and grand aunt. Since then, we haven't heard from him, and it's been eight years.

Hunters are people who seek adventure, new discoveries, and treasures, and who hunt or raise wild animals for a variety of reasons. They are the official guardians of nature, ancient or lost knowledge, and freedom advocates. Another reason hunters are famous and admired is because they arrest criminals and work with armed forces to combat terrorists.

This is an extremely precarious profession, and hunters are compensated handsomely in addition to being rigorously trained and informed.

Though, when it comes to hunters, money is the one thing they don't have to worry about...

In their daily lives, hunters have to deal with elite politicians, celebrities, and corporate giants.

First-rate hunters are not only physically powerful, but they also wield terrifying political and financial power.

Nonetheless, according to rumors, once obtained through the exam, hunter licenses cannot be revoked. People even claim that some hunters seek only to exploit their abilities and commit heinous crimes.

According to my aunt, despite being a bit of an irresponsible *cough* person, "unpredictable," my father has never shown anything that would lead her to believe he could be one of the bad guys, so that's one thing...

It reminds me that, aside from knowing what kinds of games he played with and how many times he saved my aunt from getting lost during their childhood, I don't know anything else about him or his character. But that's okay, it has to be okay..."sigh"...being a hunter has to be worth it, right?

I suppose I have no choice but to find out for myself...

I mean, if I don't, how will I ever meet Ging and ask him this question?

Not that Whale Island isn't a cool place, but even after almost a decade, my father hasn't returned. Either he's dead or the things he's doing out there are so cool that he's forgotten about us.

"Traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books," a wise man once said. I need to go through the same things he did before I make my final decision on Ging Freecss.

I'm not familiar with many proverbs. Because I dislike books, this is probably the only proverb I know. Let's leave the reason for my knowledge of this proverb for another time; I've got more pressing matters at hand, literally.

"Heave-ho"

Before stirring the line of my fishing rod, I let out a long gasp. The activity appeared to be strenuous, and it was.

In this hazy marsh, I've recently been battling a fish. This fight has been going on between us for about a month. Given the size of the fish, I believe it is safe to assume that it is the legendary monster that our local fishermen fear. "The Lord of the Lakes or Swamp master."

They say Ging caught one of those when he was twelve years old. I'm only eight years old, so catching one will be a great way for me to keep up with the Old man. I only intend to take the hunter exam when I'm a little older, but I enjoy competition, so I don't see why I shouldn't try.

"Crack*" I could feel the weight of the fish on the tree branch where I was sitting.

"Oh no, you don't! You're not going to get the better of me today!" I stood up and gathered all my strength to face the monster.

If you're wondering why neither the wire nor my fishing rod has been broken yet, you're not alone wondering so...

So here's a hint:

my father left it to my aunt Mito. The man is a mystery. I'm not sure if he made it himself or found it somewhere else.

"Splash*" The fish was out of the water with one last savage pull. The creature that crashed down on the bank was massive. It was at least five times my size. Its open mouth could likely hold 10% of the water in that pond.

"Guess who finally caught you, Master of the swamp! Haha! I won! I did it!"

I quickly impair, then wrap the fish in the rope in my bag before it can desperately plunge back into the water.

"Well, it took me a long time, but I can finally brag to aunt Mito about this accomplishment, haha."

"I'm sorry, swamp master, but you'll be our dinner today..." I apologized to the fish before proceeding:

"... Thanks to all of these battles, I feel like my strength has grown a little bit this month." I smiled and spoke to the fish again, unsure if it could understand me. Praise for a worthy opponent was a sign of respect, even if it would end up in my stomach tonight.

"What could be better? Soup or grilled fish?" Inside, I was happily pondering. "All right, let's go back and ask Grandma Abe."

"Oh-hiss!" I heaved while dragging the fish back home with satisfaction.

.....

"Finally, I'm back! Haha. Pfiuu..."

"Auntie Mito!" I pushed my way through the door and into the living room. "I brought a big one back today; let's cook it grandma!"

"Gon? You're already back?" A short old woman emerged from the kitchen and inquired. Her eyes were bridled, and the years had taken their toll on her frame.

She oozed out wisdom but also loneliness, which was not surprising given that she had been left behind by grandpa for quite some time.

This woman's name was Abe Freecss, and she was aunt Mito's grandmother, as well as my grand aunt which I called grandma.

She was present when Mito had to care for me. Despite her advanced age, she provided a home for her unmarried granddaughter and assisted her in raising me.

"Yes, Grandma, I triumphed!"

"What do you mean by you won?" She inquired.

"The Lord of the Lakes! The master of the swamp! I won because I fished him out."

"Do you mean that big fish, that Lord?"

"I'll show you, grandma Abe; let's go outside." I grabbed her hand and dragged her outside quickly.

"Okay." Grandma Abe said with a smile.....

"This is delicious, I'm so glad I asked you, grandma, because the soup was the best way to prepare it. So fragrant."

"I'm back, Gon, grandma." A middle-aged woman with short red hair entered the living room with groceries and said to us.

"Aunt Mito, welcome back."

"Welcome back, Mito. Here, grab a bowl and dig in." Grandma Abe said calmly.

"What is this smell? Fish soup...sounds good... Did you make it, grandma?" Mito sat down as she said.

She was a bit curious and happy to eat something this good after walking a long time.

I detailed how I caught the fish to her once more. Mito listened to me with rapt attention, pride, and a tinge of melancholy in her eyes.

I knew what she was reminiscing about because we had spent so much time together, so I just left the conversation there. After I finished my meal, I went upstairs, brushed my teeth, took a bath, and went to bed early.

Aunt Mito was concerned because I had started getting nightmares every night recently. As a result, my sleep quality had taken a toll. Every night I went to bed, I was anxious at the idea of having the bad dreams again.

In those nightmares, I killed odd and fearsome creatures and found someone I couldn't identify. Lifeless, on the floor of a strange and dark place.

For some reason, it seemed distant but also familiar, and yet I always woke up screaming at the same parts, either when I was going to see the man's face or when that weird cat was about to tell me something.

It was almost as if my mind was seeking to keep me from discovering the nature of my dreams. I was certain that there was a missing but critical component to my existence in those nightmares.

Today, however, I was so exhausted and satisfied that I fell asleep in less than an hour.

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It was raining that night after we ate the fish...

"You can't sleep, Gon?"

Mito asked, worried.

Grandma Abe also stared at me as I grabbed the bottle.

####

Name: Gon

Threat levels: scouting (tier 3), regular fighting (tier 2), assassination (tier 2)

Stats: strength (tier 1), vitality (tier 2), stamina (tier 2), durability (tier 1), dexterity (tier 2), agility (tier 2), perception (tier 3)

Singularities, gifts and buried talents: freecss, fishing, limitless potential, ageless, crowning deal, multiverse traveler

####

Name: Mito

Threat levels: scouting (tier 0), regular fighting (tier 0), assassination (tier 0)

Singularities, gifts and buried talents: freecss

####

Name: Abe

Threat levels: scouting (tier 0), regular fighting (tier 0), assassination (tier 0)

Singularities, gifts and buried talents: freecss

####

[Freecss: A bloodline that boosts vitality.]

####

"Not exactly... But it's not about those bad drea—"

"Huh? What is this?" While talking and opening the bottle, I questioned myself suddenly.

I was seeing strange things...

I was about to drink some water from downstairs to rehydrate after waking up from a deep sleep when I noticed some strange things floating in front of my eyes.

Before I could find out and ask myself what this was about, with the sound of a bell, something loading, memories invaded my brain.

Those were about a life on Earth where I led the life of a fisherman...

and then another where I was exactly who I am now: Gon.

Gon Freecss.

Son of Ging Freecss...

In this world, which appears to be known as the Hunter X Hunter world?

But... this other life... the second of two ones I apparently lived before this one now...

It was a life where I had friends, except that I died in a bed, critically ill, after exacting my vengeance on that cute? cat?

...instead of attempting to cherish the people, Killua... and everybody else I failed to notice was still by my side...

Kite was gone...

But the world hadn't ended.

[Error 991 has been resolved... System loading...1%...]

[... System fundamental functions have been enabled! Before I completely load, please review the list of abilities that you did not have access to in your previous two lives, host...]

[List of Host's abilities:]

[A-Capability to monitor status windows]

[B-Limitless potential]

[C-Ageless: Ageing ceased at 30]

[D-Crowning deal: The ability to exchange any amount of anything with, lend to, and borrow from agreed-upon people.]

[E-Multiverse traveler: The ability to travel the universes after creating a comprehensive Hunter X Hunter world map that includes the dark continent]