Third Person POV : (Neutral)

“Goodbye, aunt Mito, grandma.” Gon hugged his grandmother before walking closer to Mito.

The two stared at each other. Gon was grinning while the woman had a sad smile.

“Be careful out there,” Mito said while wiping her tears, her voice shaking from worry.

“I will, aunty.” Gon, who was even more emotional than in his last life, tried his best to hide the sadness. He held back tears and hugged his adoptive mother for a long time.

When they let go, Gon was finally ready to leave. He embarked on the boat as all the villagers wished him well and waved cheerfully.

In the crowd at the harbor, there was a small girl with light orange braids. She donned a cute pink dress and tightly held a book against her chest.

She looked longingly at the boat sailing toward the horizon while asking:

“Mom, can I also become a hunter when I grow up like big brother Gon?”

“Why are you asking?” The woman told with a knowing smile despite trying to entertain the tearful child.

“I want to follow big brother Gon.” The lass replied with a bit of hesitation and fear mixed in.

“Don’t ask silly questions. Gon is a special case.” Her father held her shoulders and chided gently. He was the village butcher and knew how monstrous the little boy was. If even the small freak couldn’t become a hunter, then much less his cute angel.

This girl looked at the sea in wonder then back at her book. A determined face soon replaced her sweet but soft-looking demeanor as she tightened her grip.

Flashback, A few days after Kite’s departure

Third Person POV: (Noko)

“Big brother Gon, don’t run so fast.” The girl tried hard to keep up with some boy dashing in a green forest.

“Haha, catch me if you can.” The latter replied, sounding relaxed. He seemed to be leaving leeway for her. Every time the distance between them drew to a close, though, he would hasten.

From time to time, he would also stop and give her water and fruits, which she never refused.

This cute little girl was called Noko. She had just become seven recently and was the daughter of Berik, the village butcher.

Gon and her had grown up together and played from time to time in his previous life but were never this close. Due to him helping the villagers and providing fowl, they had more opportunities to meet.

She followed Gon inside the forest every day when she didn’t have to study and learn sewing or cooking. Besides Gon, there weren’t any other children their age on the island. The little girl was quite dynamic, but she still had difficulties in keeping up.

It didn’t prevent her from trying, and she played with him whenever she could. 

On one such day, while she was waiting for Gon at one of their hideouts, she met with a small furry animal.

“Baby, are you lost?” The girl asked worriedly as the animal cried and purred.

She played with it for a while before the baby’s attention was drawn by something else. As it sniffed the scent of something, it left the girl’s arms and ran towards the depths of the forest.

The girl who was puzzled by its behavior followed it. That was how she made an almost fatal error.

When she arrived and caught sight of it once more, she was surprised to see a bigger animal by its side. Their appearances were similar, so when the girl saw how it interacted with the baby, she surmised it as the mother.

“Crack!” When Noko recognized the danger and retreated, she stepped on dried wood.

“Grr!”

When the mother realized someone had invaded her territory, she growled in her direction.

“Oh, no!” Noko, alarmed, ran. Having played with the cub, she knew how useless climbing on trees would be at this moment.

Before the worst happened, the baby begged its mother to calm down as it identified the scent.

The mother, although, who had lived in Snakebeech forest all her life, was already socially distanced from humans. She ran after Noko like a hungry predator, ready to catch its prey.

Noko, who sensed death drawing near, ran faster than usual. However, she was too far from the village. As the lass continued to flee, she grew tired, and before she knew it, the mother had closed the distance.

“Growl!” The mother, who had finally caught up, jumped. When she landed, she barred Noko's road back.

At that moment, the baby also arrived. Instead of going for its mother, it tried to protect the girl. The adult fox bear was enraged after seeing this.

The mother approached and ignored the wails of her offspring. She pushed it by the side before attacking with her claws. Noko was only a few seconds away from a violent death.

“No!” The girl already petrified from fear had given up thoughts of escape. Her tired legs also betrayed her. She closed her eyes and guarded what she could with her hands, awaiting the inevitable doom.

She kept waiting for long but only heard silence after the resentful howl of pain. When she opened her eyes, all she saw was a bloodied lad. By his side reposed the savage animal's body.

She only recognized the boy after the sun shone on his face.

“Big brother Gon…”

Third Person Pov: (Gon)

Several minutes before the accident,

“Where’s Noko?” Mito asked Gon curiously. The girl had been following Gon like a shadow recently. She usually woke up earlier than him and came to take breakfast at their house while waiting.

“She said she was going to wait for me by the treehouse today. Laters!” Gon replied with bread in his mouth. He strapped his bag on his shoulders and left.

“Isn’t that treehouse a few miles away from Snakebeech forest?” Mito thought out loud.

“Don’t worry; the girl is extremely obedient. I don’t think she’ll stray before Gon arrives there.” Grandma Abe said as Mito came to massage her old limbs before she could start the day.

………………………………

“I’m sorry.” Noko looked at Gon with an apologetic look. She had explained to him how the baby was lost. It was after Gon told her how aggressive fox bears were that she understood the risks she took today.

“Don’t do this in the future.” Gon said with a stern look. His face was pale as he realized how familiar this scene was. In the past, he also tried to befriend a baby fox bear when he ventured outside his mother’s nest.

“Hm.” Noko nodded embarrassedly.

“Grr!” The baby fox bear who was grieving stood on guard as Gon walked closer.

“Kon?” Gon was flabbergasted. 

“Big brother?”

Gon ignored her and grabbed the small kit. It struggled, but Gon was able to confirm his guess.

Kon had a tiny but distinctive scar behind one of his ears. Gon never knew how he got it, but it was enough to confirm his identity.

“Let’s go. You’ll have to take care of the baby when I leave the island.”

He told Noko, not leaving leeway for debate. In his last life, the pup became orphaned because of him. In this life, it was due to Noko. His carelessness led to both situations. If he had come a bit later, the girl would die horribly. If not for his honed sense of smell, he wouldn’t have found her in time.

It made Gon realize that he couldn’t leave the island like this. Noko was a cute and obedient young girl, but she also started developing wild habits after hanging around with him. If she explored the island without him in the future, accidents were bound to happen.

There was only one way to guarantee her safety,

“Also,...”

“Also?” Noko, who walked two steps behind her big brother, asked curiously.

“I’ll teach you something fun before I leave. But you have to promise me something.”

Noko, who had remained unusually quiet due to the shock and the guilt, regained some colors when the words left Gon's mouth. She smiled the best she could before nodding in agreement.

……………………

A week later,

“Big brother, what’s this for?”

“Put your arms around it and inject energy inside.” Gon answered with a grin. He was impatient to find out what the girl’s nature was.

The girl simply did as her big brother said. As soon as the aura came in contact with the bottled water, the color changed to green.

“Wow! I’m a magician like Big brother too now.” The girl exclaimed, awed. When Gon heard the naive yet cheerful tone, he smiled and thought.

“An emitter nature makes sense for her, I guess.” 

Noko was kind, energetic, and good with people. In a lot of aspects, she was like Leorio.

His eyes squinted in retrospection. However, before a new nostalgic episode could move him, Gon frowned worriedly as he also remembered how easily deceived the guy was.

“I wonder how accurate Hisoka’s nature assessment is.” Gon said before he resumed the girl’s training. When he left, he made her promise not to practice “Hatsu” before he came back.

For some reason, the girl was a fast learner. He wondered if his enhanced wisdom played a part in it.

Gon wanted her to master the fundamentals before she got to anything else. She didn’t need release skills on this small Island anyways.

When the time came, he would teach his aunt and grandma as well.

Flashback end:

Third Person POV: (Noko)

“Goodbye, Big brother.” Noko thought as she bid farewell to Gon and promised herself to keep his instructions

.......................................

Third Person POV : (Gon)

Gon had sailed for one month already,

He had finally stepped on the Yorbian continent after stopping by Dolle Harbor.

On his way to Yorknew City, he racked his brains to find ways not to waste time.

He found out that practicing nen skills was inconvenient on boats, and with the crews, it would be perilous. 

The solution he found allowed him to make money and train simultaneously. He didn't have sufficient funds to get on more expensive embarkations, so he hopped on fisher boats, not forgetting to ask the men if he could help.

At first, the sailors were confused. The fishers thought this small and frail-looking fellow was looking for trouble. But every time he showcased his fishing rod’s sturdiness and displayed his talents, they lost their tongues. 

With his skills and his fisherman title, getting seafood was very easy for Gon.

However, the fishermen were just surprised. They were using tools Gon couldn't compete with, such as nets. The amount of fish he caught with his fishing rod was still minimal compared to them.

Gon then remembered how he hunted the gigantic shark on Whale Island and decided that instead of fishing for quantity, he would go for the quality. The sea was also challenging to swim in, so it was great practice.

He had discovered long ago that objects didn't rot in his storage. Carcasses could also remain inside. Consequently, he decided to dive and kill sharks. After doing this for a month, his stats and skills had grown ridiculously fast.

From morning to night, he was both fishing and catching up with the boat. After three weeks, he had caught sharks by the dozen and more than a hundred different types of fish. The boy even got lobsters and prawns. Before they reached the mainland, Gon bartered a decent part of his haul. 

There were still a lot of them left in his storage because he didn't want to arouse suspicions.

In that process, he made more than 6000 Jennys. Nevertheless, according to the price the fishermen offered, he still had more than 40.000 Jennys of fishes in his storage. The sharks each cost more than 700 Jennys after all.

Gon sold one or two sharks at his last stop and left. He didn't have any way to sell the fish in one go without attracting attention. 

The boy had already sold enough to reach York New city.

When he sailed, what made him happiest wasn't the money he made. No, his most significant gains were in strength as he obtained a new title and three new skills. 

Because he swam after the boats in deep and wild waters, his stamina got tested. Without activating his skills, this was how much his status had changed after a few months.

 <

Status

Name: Gon Freecs

Titles (Active): Shark Hunter, Ethereal Priest, Star Child

Titles (Inactive): The Fisherman

Classes: Gambler

Statistics:

Strength: 10-->15 (14)

Fitness: 11-->20 (11)

Wisdom: 8-->9 (3)

Dexterity: 7-->11 (6)

Perception: 12-->14 (7)

Versatility: 18-->24 (3)

Composure: 29-->35 (6)

Charisma: 4-->5 (3)

Bloodlines:

N/A

Classes :

Gambler: Level 1

CHA+1/PERC+1/DEX+1/COMP+1

Skills:

Passive Skills:

Breath Control: Level 2

FIT+3/COMP+2

Water Resistance: Level 1

DEX+3/FIT+1

Bloodthirst: Level 1

Active Skills

Nen: Level 3

STR+3/FIT+3/WIS+3/DEX+3/PERC+3/CHA+3/VERS+3/COMP+3

Nature:

Enhancement Nen: Level 3

STR+7/FIT+7/DEX+3/PERC+3

Branch skills:

Hatsu: Level 3

-Bluster Darts (enhancement): Level 3

-Scissors (transmutation): Level 3

-Rock (enhancement): Level 3

-Paper (emission): Level 3

The Shark Hunter title got unlocked after killing thirty sharks. Seventy sharks more and Gon could have obtained the Great Shark Slayer counterpart, which was rank C. 

The boosts offered by this new title were primarily in strength and perception.

As for his three new skills, they looked as such:

<

Breath control: Level 2

- An ability that doesn't need activation effects. This skill helps the user regulate his respiration and reduce energy consumption.

FIT+3

<

Water Resistance: Level 1

- A skill that only works inside water. The user's body takes the properties of water creatures.

DEX+3/FIT+1

<

Bloodthirst: Level 1

- A skill that collects experience each time the user kills other creatures. The stronger the opponent, the more experience gained. The experience earned can be redistributed in skills and stats.

“The Zoldycks would probably kill me for this last skill.” Gon mused. 

“This handy box is unique, after all.” 

He remembered who gifted the tech to him and realized he couldn't be careless. As he thought of that crooked grin, he shuddered for an instant.

“I need to get stronger before I meet him again.

"The way I understand this mysterious box now, I'm sure he concealed quite a lot of power in the past."

"He always liked to play with his prey anyway."

Gon was shivering at this absurd idea. Nonetheless, he was delighted with his recent growth and recognized that his training with Kite hadn't been for naught.

His body and fundamentals had a firm base, and the box seemed to respond well to it.

His next objective was to reach Yorknew City and start money-making schemes with the help of the astute Zepile.

After the two of them established a business connection, he would head for the Heaven's Arena and seclude himself until it was time for the 287th hunter examination.

Gon smiled as he left the inn and headed for the train station. The next train stopping by Yorknew city would arrive in less than 2 hours.

“Yorknew City, here I come.”