NenMaster
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Chapter 81 (2.2k)
🕑 Added 2024-12-02 18:02:50 +0000 UTC“Handsome?”
Dwun stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Could they really be more handsome than me?”
The others ignored the clueless narcissist, waiting for Eta to continue her report.
“One of them has silver hair and is wearing a yellow robe. His aura waves are unstable, likely because he has just begun learning about Nen. He seemed curious about everything—a complete beginner,” Eta recalled and analyzed.
“The other one, who is even more handsome, appeared calm and composed. He wasn’t paying attention when I explained the rules, nor was he on guard or observing his surroundings. He must already be very familiar with Greed Island.”
“In that case,” List mused, frowning slightly, “the latter must be the skilled individual Kuube mentioned, right? But why would he enter Greed Island now, and why bring along a beginner Nen user?”
“Could it be…?”
Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off in everyone’s mind, and they shouted in unison:
“He’s planning to do the same thing Ging did, isn’t he?!”
Ging’s purpose in creating Greed Island was something he had explained with all kinds of lofty rhetoric.
But when they saw Ging show up holding a baby—claiming it was his son—they immediately understood the truth.
So, he’d designed the game specifically to train his kid?!
Just a month ago, Dwun had joked that Ging must have gone off to get married and have kids.
Even though Razor’s insurance-like reassurance had prepared them somewhat, when Ging actually appeared with his child, the group’s reaction went far beyond shock and surprise.
If there were a word to describe their feelings, it would be...
“Exasperated” or “Absolutely floored.”
No one could have predicted that the most unreliable, lazy, shameless, and unserious person among them—Ging—had actually become a father!
Faced with this reality, they couldn’t help but marvel for a moment:
It seemed the one who understood Ging best was Razor, after all.
For this reason, Dwun’s curiosity reached its peak. He even directly asked Ging who the mother of the child was.
Of course, Ging gave no answer. No matter how much Dwun tried to coax or badger him, Ging deflected and played along until Dwun gave up.
When it came to antics like this, Ging was leagues ahead of everyone else.
Seeing that Ging had no intention of revealing anything, the others, though dying of curiosity, decided not to push him further. Mostly because... they couldn’t force it out of him anyway.
Afterward, they all speculated about Ging’s true intentions in creating Greed Island and collectively expressed their disdain.
Even when Ging tried to change his tune, claiming the game was merely to show off his creation to his son, no one believed him.
That tsundere attitude… He had been scheming to mess with his kid since the boy was a baby.
“Wait a minute,” List suddenly recalled. “Didn’t Ging just enter Greed Island a moment ago?”
“Yeah, he hasn’t come out yet…”
Dwun suddenly realized what List was implying.
The two exchanged glances.
In the virtual network space, the other creators also came to the same realization.
Razor, with his perpetually smiling eyes, opened them slightly.
This was getting interesting.
Meanwhile, within Greed Island...
After leaving the entry point, Morin and Kastro found themselves in the game’s starting area.
The small initial hut was surrounded by an endless stretch of grasslands—an area where, in the original version, experienced players would often lie in wait to ambush newcomers.
The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the grassy expanse.
With only a few days left until the official release of Greed Island, Morin had assumed there would be no players around yet.
But as he and Kastro stepped out, they noticed a figure standing in the center of the grassland, backlit by the sunset.
The person stood with their back to the starting hut, dressed in light green explorer’s clothing, with a slightly yellowed headband tied around their forehead.
What caught their attention even more was the small bundle in the figure’s arms—a newborn baby, fast asleep.
“Hmm?”
As Morin and Kastro emerged, the figure immediately sensed their presence.
He turned slightly, revealing a face that bore an eight-to-nine-tenths resemblance to Gon’s—or rather, an adult version of Gon.
“Ging Freecss?”
Looking at the familiar face, Morin muttered the name softly.
A gentle breeze passed between them, rustling the grass and creating waves across the landscape.
Morin hadn’t expected to meet Ging Freecss—Gon’s elusive father—here and now.
Ging Freecss: a man mentioned by both Chairman Netero and Biscuit Krueger as one of the world’s top five Nen users and one of the greatest Hunters.
Without including the Dark Continent, he was one of the five strongest people in the known world.
Revered by Hunters for his discoveries of countless world relics, Ging’s accomplishments were enough to earn him a three-star Hunter rank. However, due to his aversion to hassle, he had never applied for it.
Ging’s intellect was unparalleled, with achievements across biology, archaeology, linguistics, geology, game design, and more.
He had even predicted nearly every outcome of the Hunter Association election and subtly manipulated its process without further interference, opting instead to watch from the sidelines.
Not only was Ging’s intelligence and strength remarkable, but he remained a mystery in many ways.
Of course, no one is perfect. Ging’s biggest flaw, and the one that caused the most complaints, was his personality.
He was a tsundere, shy at times, quick to anger, and full of quirks—a lovable oddball.
While his personality might annoy some, it also made him endearing to others.
He had plenty of like-minded friends, but he also managed to get them to join others in criticizing him—and they often did so with gusto.
During his time with the Hunter Association, Ging was famously unpopular.
Even as a member of the Zodiacs (where he represented the Boar), he remained his usual self.
From missing the Election to being dubbed “the Zodiac’s Wanderer,” Ging’s behavior was as unpredictable as ever.
Still, his achievements in the Hunter world were undeniable.
Morin had long thought about meeting this eccentric but brilliant man.
“Yo.”
Morin raised a hand in greeting.
“Hello.”
Ging turned around, holding the still-sleeping infant Gon in his arms. He glanced at Morin and gave a slight nod.
"Morin."
"NIGG."
"NIGG?"
Hearing Ging use his in-game alias, Morin chuckled. "That’s probably not your real name, is it?"
"Ah, I forgot to mention. My name is NIGG Freecss."
Ging maintained the pretense.
"But why do I recall Ishukube and the others calling you... Ging?"
"Ha, so I’ve been exposed, huh?"
Hearing Ishukube’s name, Ging realized there was no point in continuing the charade and sighed.
"Let’s reintroduce ourselves. I’m Ging. Ging Freecss."
He extended his hand toward Morin, the baby still snug in his other arm.
"Why the fake name?"
"Well, it’s a game world, isn’t it?" Ging replied matter-of-factly.
"Using your in-game nickname is a perfectly normal thing to do!"
"Is it, though?"
Morin glanced at Ging and then at the baby in his arms, smiling faintly. Judging by Ging’s personality and his apparent efforts to conceal his true identity, it likely had something to do with Gon.
After all, in the future, Ging was known as a shy, easily flustered man. Now, still in his early twenties, his reserved nature was even more pronounced.
It wasn’t hard to see why Ging, who was already bashful, would prefer not to reveal that he had a son—especially when he looked every bit the doting father, cradling Gon like this.
If Ging were on his own, he might’ve happily sat down with Morin to chat. But since his identity had already been guessed, he decided to stop hiding altogether.
"This is my son, Gon Freecss. You can call him little Gon."
He introduced the baby first, then turned his attention back to Morin.
"I heard Razor mention you before. You’re the one who gave old Ishukube a bunch of impressive game items, earning his endless praise, right?"
As he spoke, his initial awkwardness dissipated, replaced by growing curiosity.
"To have Razor so impressed, and even Ishukube give you a custom phone, computer, and a Greed Island console—I’ve been wanting to meet you too!"
"Well, now you have," Morin said, walking closer with Kastro. "What do you think?"
"Let’s see..."
Ging scratched his slightly disheveled hair and, after a pause, suddenly smirked. "Everything’s fine, but in terms of looks, you’re still a ways behind me."
Kastro: "..."
His eyelid twitched as he stared at Ging, speechless.
Where did this smug guy even come from?
"You're just as interesting as I imagined."
"Are you sure it’s 'interesting' and not 'annoying,' as Razor and the others say?"
So you do have some self-awareness, huh... Kastro silently thought.
"Waaaah!"
Suddenly, Gon began to wail in Ging’s arms.
"Oh no, not again!"
The baby’s cries threw Ging into a frantic mess. Clearly, he had no clue how to soothe a child.
Completely at a loss, Ging could only hold Gon close, lightly patting his back while murmuring comforting words in vain.
"Strange, I fed him before we came in, and I just changed his diaper too. Why’s he crying again...?"
This so-called world-class Hunter was utterly clueless and overwhelmed when it came to his own son, unable to display even a shred of competence.
"This is…" Morin asked knowingly.
"Forgive me. I’m still new to this fatherhood thing and haven’t quite gotten the hang of it yet. This little rascal is a handful," Ging said sheepishly before straightening up with pride.
"But one day, he’ll grow up to be an even greater Hunter than me!"
"Waaaah!"
"Alright, alright! Don’t cry!"
But Ging’s confidence was immediately crushed as Gon’s cries grew louder, leaving him utterly helpless.
"Want me to give it a try?"
Morin stretched out his hands. "I’ve had some experience calming kids down."
"By all means."
Ging handed Gon over without hesitation, as if relieved to finally pass off a hot potato.
Babies typically cry for one of three reasons: hunger, discomfort, or the need for a diaper change.
Since Ging had already fed Gon and changed his diaper, it was likely that his holding position was making Gon uncomfortable.
Morin, having handled plenty of babies before, cradled Gon expertly and even hummed a soft lullaby. In just a short while, Gon stopped crying and drifted back to sleep.
"Impressive!"
Ging gave Morin a thumbs-up, looking thoroughly relieved. Compared to himself, Morin seemed like the real parent here.
"You just need to adjust your holding technique. Want me to teach you?" Morin offered as he handed the sleeping Gon back to Ging.
"No, thanks."
Ging carefully took Gon while shaking his head.
"I’m not cut out for taking care of kids. Once we leave here, I plan to send him to my hometown to be raised by my cousin and grandmother."
Ging’s hometown was Whale Island, and his cousin was Mito.
Ging’s grandmother had two sons—her eldest was Ging’s father, and her younger son was Mito’s father.
Ging and Mito were both her grandchildren, while Gon was her great-grandson.
"I see."
Morin nodded slightly, realizing that Gon would eventually follow the same path he knew from the future.
"Since fate brought us together, and I’ve had the chance to meet this little one and even hold him, how about I give him a gift?"
"A gift?"
Ging was taken aback for a moment before shaking his head. "There’s no need to be so formal. This kid’s going to be a man one day, and a man doesn’t just accept gifts from anyone."
"You can’t speak for him. I’m giving it to him, not to you," Morin said with a chuckle.
Then, as if struck by an idea, he smirked mischievously.
"I have plenty of handy tools. Giving him one I don’t need seems fitting."
"Tools, huh?"
Ging’s curiosity was piqued. "Razor mentioned that you have all kinds of unique items. I wouldn’t mind seeing one for myself."
Unaware of the implications, Ging didn’t refuse Morin’s offer to gift Gon something. Instead, he leaned in with genuine interest.
"How about this?"
Morin produced a small umbrella from behind his back.
"This is the Seeking Umbrella. It can help locate anyone with pinpoint accuracy."
He met Ging’s changing expression with a calm smile.
"It’s both functional and practical. It can shield you from the rain and help you find people, making it incredibly versatile."
"When the sun’s too hot, it works as a parasol. If you’re lost, it can locate someone to help you regain your bearings."
Pausing for effect, Morin added with emphasis, "No matter who you’re looking for—even if they use nen to hide their location—this Seeking Umbrella will still pinpoint them precisely."
"It’s the ultimate tool for finding someone!"
He leaned closer and asked with feigned innocence, "What do you think, Ging?"
What do I think? I think it’s terrible…
Ging wanted nothing more than to snap the umbrella in half and toss it far away.
Since Gon’s birth, Ging had already outlined his plans for the future. And the most crucial part of that plan?
To make sure Gon wouldn’t be able to find him so easily.
