001 Streets of Meteor City at Sunset

If one day, you found yourself in the world of Hunter x Hunter, what would you do?

For most passionate youths, the answer might be to train, take the Hunter Exam, meet Gon and his friends, and follow the storyline to experience the exciting adventures that come next.

The more imaginative ones might dream of unlocking special abilities, and bringing characters and powers to life, gain beauty, power, fame, and wealth, living happily ever after in this world.

But all of these dreams hinge on one essential condition: survival.

As one of the most dangerous worlds in anime, surviving in Hunter x Hunter is no easy task.

…

"It's so beautiful..."

The two most stunning moments of the day are sunrise and sunset.

Sitting on a worn bench atop his modest flat-roofed home, Ronnel gazed at the red-tinged clouds in the distance, mesmerized by the beauty of the sunset. Just as he lost himself in the view, a deep voice rose from below.

"Ronnel, the Elder has called for you. It's time for work."

"I'm coming!"

Startled out of his reverie, Ronnel stood up and made his way to the roof's edge. Peering down, he spotted a large man at the entrance to his home. The man had dark skin, thick eyebrows, and piercing eyes filled with a dangerous intensity. His breath was heavy, white mist escaping from his nostrils, and his entire presence radiated menace.

He stood unmoving, not even bothering to knock on the door. After shouting his initial message, he simply waited.

When Ronnel appeared on the roof, the man tilted his head up slightly, squinting at him.

"Brother Luca, it's you calling for me?"

Smiling casually, Ronnel tapped his foot against the roof and, with a graceful leap, descended from the rooftop. Like a bird in flight, he landed lightly in front of Luca.

At the sight of this smooth, effortless landing, a glint appeared in Luca's eyes, quickly vanishing.

"Let's go."

With that curt reply, Luca turned on his heel and started walking without another word.

Ronnel, long used to this routine, merely shrugged. He tapped on the door of his house, signaling his departure, and followed behind the large man.

Although their interaction seemed casual, even friendly, anyone observing could sense the underlying tension. Both Luca, leading the way, and Ronnel, following behind, remained wary of each other, maintaining a careful distance.

In this place, caution was second nature.

Because this place was the streets of Meteor City.

After they had walked some distance, the door to Ronnel's home creaked open, revealing a young girl with a cute, delicate face framed by black-rimmed glasses. She watched Ronnel for a moment before silently retreating and closing the door behind her.

…

The streets of Meteor City, a massive landfill. For over 1,500 years, it has been a dumping ground, where any nation can discard whatever they deem useless.

Garbage, corpses, abandoned children, industrial waste… Anything the world discards finds its way here.

But the streets of Meteor City is not a typical slum.

Though the areas outside the city are covered in heaps of garbage, the streets within are clean, simple, and orderly. The buildings, mostly in shades of yellow and white, are sturdily built, far from the shanty towns you might expect.

Were it not for the surrounding trash piles, the streets could pass for a regular town.

As Ronnel and Luca made their way down the street, the sun dipped lower in the sky, yet the streets remained alive with activity. The residents, dressed neatly despite their simple, worn clothes, moved with purpose.

The people of Meteor City, all abandoned and unregistered in the world's systems, have no official identity. Their livelihood depends on scavenging the landfill for anything reusable.

Yet despite this grim reality, they live their lives with a kind of rugged positivity.

Of course, the moral code here is nothing like that of the outside world.

Here, the law of the jungle reigns supreme—the strong survive, and the weak perish. Everyone follows this simple and fair law. Under this brutal code, the people of Meteor City have forged straightforward yet profound bonds.

As Luca led the way, the locals gave him a wide berth, stepping aside in respect. Their movements were subtle, but their deference to him was clear.

Part of this was due to his strength, but more importantly, Luca held a significant position as a member of Meteor City's Assembly.

When the locals spotted Ronnel walking behind Luca, their expressions flickered—eyes filled with a strange mix of respect and disdain.

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 It is my first time translating a Hunter x Hunter fanfic. I noticed there aren't any fanfics for this series on Webnovel, so I wanted to try translating one. Since I watched the anime in a language other than English, I might make some mistakes. But I always check the wiki and do my best to get it right. If I make any mistakes, feel free to correct me. I'll try to improve as I go along.