Chapter 59 NO.2

Skipping past the underground parking garage, which had descended into a chaotic brawl, the perspective ascends floor by floor until reaching the surveillance room of the "DISK SAKURA" shopping mall.

The security guards originally on duty here had all fallen into a deep slumber, neatly stacked and laid out in a row in the corner. Their heads were even considerately cushioned with folded uniform jackets.

Several figures stood before the surveillance monitors, where every screen was switched to the underground parking garage, keeping a close eye on Hyser from all angles.

"Well? Can you gauge his strength from this?"

The speaker was a handsome young man with an even physique and a head of blonde hair, dressed in a black suit. He wore a gentle smile.

Pariston Hill, Triple-Star Hunter, Vice-Chairman of the Hunter Association, and the "Rat" of the Twelve Zodiacs.

"Judging someone else's strength through surveillance footage... Pariston, do you perhaps have some profound misunderstanding of my abilities?"

A tall, thin man with unkempt, long gray hair flowing loosely and a narrow face voiced his complaint with a casual, lingering drawl.

Solino Vandore, a professional hunter mockingly referred to as a "Bureau Hunter."

Generally speaking, jobs contracted by the Hunter Association from governments or corporations are mostly delegated to professional hunters affiliated with the association. For hunters who accept commissions under these circumstances, the association guarantees a certain payout based on risk and difficulty, regardless of whether the job succeeds or fails. Consequently, some hunters exclusively choose this type of work, leading capable professional hunters to jeer at them as those who solely rely on the association for matchmaking—abbreviated as "Bureau Hunters."

Bureau Hunters often give the impression of being weaklings, but in truth, some of them were deliberately placed among the ranks by Pariston to balance internal factions within the association. His objective was to comfortably secure his position as Vice-Chairman, while simultaneously binding Netero to the duties and obligations of the chairmanship so he could not break free, thereby allowing Pariston to truly seize actual power. In fact, even among the Bureau Hunters, there were quite a few formidable Nen users hiding their true talents.

Solino Vandore was one of them.

He was a rare Specialist Nen user with dual abilities. One of his Nen abilities was the Specialization ability known as [Objective Scoring]. Solino could determine a target's Nen aura strength and Nen ability system simply by looking at them, automatically generating a score based on a grading standard known only to himself. This score was used to measure the target's potential aura quantity (POP) and manifest aura quantity (AOP). At the same time, this ability could pierce through "In" and "Zetsu," as well as the "invisibility" effects caused by Nen abilities.

Solino looked at the monitor and shook his feet slightly, shaking his head. "No good. The surveillance footage is too blurry to see the movement of their lips, so lip-reading is out of the question. I have to see him in person to clearly discern his Nen ability system."

Pariston chuckled and asked, "What if we have a Nen user manufacture a recording using special techniques? Just like the Nen aura videotapes leaked from the Heavens Arena previously."

"I've seen those tapes; they're useless." Solino scratched the stubble on his chin. "My ability requires me to actually witness the other person's Nen aura with my naked eyes to reach a conclusion. Even using binoculars won't work."

"Then let's wait until the first test concludes before personally meeting this Mr. Hyser." Pariston remained unfazed, his smile as fixed as ever, like a solidified mask.

Solino glanced at him. "Is this Beyond's intention?"

"Indeed. Beyond instructed us to handle this Mr. Hyser before Chairman Netero does, without fail."

Pariston shrugged. "Oh my, to actually say right to my face, '[He is an even more indispensable key figure than you, and he is also my handpicked No. 2 for the Dark Continent expedition team]'—it's quite hurtful, really."

"Hurtful? You're just overjoyed at having found a new toy, aren't you? You're a true freak." Solino seemed very familiar with Pariston. "Is Beyond still waiting?"

Pariston's smile receded slightly. "As long as Chairman Netero is still alive, Beyond cannot shake off the 'shackles' prohibiting him from traveling to the Dark Continent. You and I both know this very well."

Beyond Netero, son of the reigning Hunter Association Chairman Isaac Netero, had led an expedition to the Dark Continent and brought back an unimaginable calamity known as the "Undead Disease." Before he could re-enter the Dark Continent, Isaac Netero forcibly stopped him and imposed upon him a punishment of "shackles." This was not a restraint on physical freedom, but something far greater—a confinement concerning his very "conviction."

Unlike Isaac Netero, who was more obsessed with "determining victory or defeat," the "[strength]" Beyond pursued was the resilience required to stand firm amidst adversity. It had nothing to do with personal victory or defeat; it was solely about the struggle against the harsh wilderness of nature. His lifelong yearning was to return to the Dark Continent and conquer that boundless, untamed land.

Solino still remembered what Beyond had said to him back then—

"I will go where no one has set foot! Encounter what no one has seen! Gather treasures no one has touched! Unfettered by anyone, acting entirely as I please in majestic defiance! Trampling over strange soils! I accept all who come and pursue none who leave, and as for those who stand in my way... I shall annihilate them all!"

Only someone like that was worthy of his allegiance, and only someone like that could lead humanity back to the Dark Continent to conquer that immensely perilous, unknown land!

After having "chains" placed upon him by Chairman Netero, Beyond forged a different path. On one hand, he contacted the Kakin Empire, which possessed the greatest national power outside of the V5; on the other hand, he began recruiting various special Nen users capable of performing well in harsh environments and even desperate adversity.

Pariston was designated by Beyond as No. 2 of the expedition team. Of course, this decision was made before Beyond learned of Hyser.

Not only had Beyond firmly grasped the fact that Hyser had obtained the "Absolute Sovereignty," but he had even acquired intelligence through clandestine channels regarding Hyser's cooperation with Battera. Combined with the intelligence that Battera possessed the "Light Egg," Beyond boldly surmised that Hyser had not only brought the Sword of Fire back into the world, but had even secured the Light Egg!

According to esoteric myths and documents investigated by Beyond, "Absolute Sovereignty" was one of the ultimate ancient weapons forged by early humans to combat the terrifying calamities of the Dark Continent, though it had been thoroughly damaged and sealed away within a tomb for certain reasons.

If Absolute Sovereignty was an offensive weapon, then the Light Egg was the most powerful auxiliary divine artifact.

With it, the burden of medical treatment could be vastly alleviated, and the "curses" and "attacks" specialized in by the creatures of the Dark Continent would be rendered entirely useless in the presence of the Light Egg.

Holding two divine artifacts simultaneously instantly made Hyser the ideal candidate for Beyond's Dark Continent expedition team. To put it bluntly, Hyser alone could rival an expedition team numbering in the dozens or even hundreds.

Pariston and Solino had been dispatched by Beyond to make contact with Hyser and rope him into the team by any means necessary. Of course, Beyond had not informed the two of them about the "Light Egg."

Some secrets were better kept hidden.