Chapter 374

Walking in the woods as usual. A sparrow came to play and landed on my head. Up until that point, it was normal.

The sparrow, which usually kept its composure until I finished walking, suddenly flew away. Then, a person appeared from behind a tree in front. I don't know how long it had been there, but it was undeniably human. I couldn't react to the sudden encounter and could only stand still.

"Oh, well, what is that..."

An old man spoke to me. The other party also seemed at a loss for the first sentence. He made an embarrassed face and scratched his head under his hat.

"I am Hanmok, a Professional Hunter. I live on this island just to study the birds here. Who are you?"

Professional Hunter... perhaps a Hunter? I thought this was an uninhabited island, but it seems someone lives there. In his eyes, I am an "outsider," which is natural, so it is natural that I would be attacked.

But I couldn't answer anything. I couldn't even say a proper sentence, and I looked away out of embarrassment.

For the time being, I was thinking about how to respond when I met people. However, when I met him, it was an almost completely useless simulation. I was shipwrecked on this island, washed ashore, or I don't remember anything due to amnesia... no matter how I think about it, I can only come up with excuses that make me suspicious.

That said, I cannot tell the honest truth. Even if I told them I was actually an ant, they wouldn't believe me, and if they really believed me, it would be even more troublesome. First of all, regarding the situation you are in, there are many things you don't know yourself.

"Are you lost?"

When I was silent, the man asked me. I nodded. Now, let's call it a lost child.

"Where are your parents?"

I shook my head.

"Do you want to leave this island?"

I shook my head vertically.

"I see... follow me."

After saying that, the man turned and walked away. Not asking about my background in detail made me feel relieved, but I wondered if it was okay to follow this person like this. However, if you run away here, you will be even more suspicious. If you can leave the island easily, you can call it a migration ship.

I followed behind him, keeping a distance so as not to lose sight of him.

The place we were led to was deep in the forest, at the foot of a mountain, where steep cliffs were exposed. The terrain here was poor, and snow was piled up on the already unstable rocks, so I didn't go too close.

But if you follow the footprints Hanmok left in the snow, you won't get stuck. Apparently, there is a way. A building seemed to be hidden behind the rock wall. He opened the door and walked in.

I thought he would definitely take me to the pier, but I ended up in an unexpected place. Hanmok didn't seem to force me to be taken away, but continued to move forward. However, when I made slow progress, he kept waiting for me.

Finally, I followed him into the building. It didn't have the dusty atmosphere of the mountain cabin I lived in, but it had a sense of life that reminded me of how people lived. However, piles of books and documents were stacked together, looking very untidy.

"Do you want some coffee?"

Hanmok was lighting a wood-burning stove. I easily cleared the table piled with documents and sat down in a chair. I was also invited to sit, so I timidly obeyed.

"Well... for the time being, ordinary people are prohibited from entering this island without authorization. It is to protect the environment and combat poaching, but... even without this situation, they would kick you out without asking. Your identity, I can't go."

It seems they didn't miss it. Or rather, they brought him here to interrogate him. I couldn't help but feel that I had been deceived.

"Don't look at me like that, this is a necessary measure to protect you... but, well, as you can see, there are some situations you don't want to talk about, perhaps this is not something you can suddenly say to a stranger. No, but..."

Only the sound of the stove starting to crackle echoed in the room. I could only look down in the uncomfortable silence.

"There is a rare bird living on this island. Did you see a small white bird?"

Then Hanmok brought up another topic. It must be about that sparrow. I obediently nodded, because I had looked at it until I was tired of it.

"Its official name is Salt-Watching Feather Immortal Bear-Eye-Tongue. It's a strange name, isn't it?"

I nodded, and he said, "That's the name I gave it." I don't know if he was joking, because he kept frowning.

"That was more than thirty years ago, when I was a researcher at a university, I accidentally discovered this bird. I was confused by it, but as the investigation deepened, it turned out to be a completely different species."

He said he was lucky to find it. It is said to be an endangered species because its habitat is limited to a small part of the world.

By the way, the Salt-Watching Net on this island... I think the sparrow has become accustomed to humans.

"I saw this bird perched on you, which is very abnormal. Wild animals usually have a keen sense of pressure. This bird is particularly sensitive and belongs to a category."

It is said that just catching it will shock you to death. It can be said that because their senses are too powerful, they are already on the verge of extinction. When it comes to biological selection, that's it. Because of this, artificial breeding seems impossible at present.

"However, there are also some scum who want to get a corpse even if it's just a corpse. Sometimes there are fools who spend a lot of money to hire Poachers for the sake of rarity, but catching this bird is so easy. It doesn't matter, I won't get close to someone who is a little greedy, so I knew right away that you didn't come to this island with Malice."

Of course, I never wanted to do anything to the birds. But is this alone enough to make wild animals approach without defense? I don't think he is lying.

What do birds feel about me, do they feel nothing? Maybe I just feel like I look like a person, but I have something fundamentally different.

After all, I am not human.

"These birds are not just rare to humans. I found that they have a unique way of communicating through calls."

It is called bird language. It seems that there are not only sparrows on the island, but birds also have their own way of communicating. Its existence has been known to people since ancient times, and it is said that fishermen who continue to use traditional fishing methods can predict the weather of the day through the calls of seabirds.

However, today, weather and disaster Prediction technology has advanced, and bird language is often regarded as fortune-telling or superstition. In fact, there is still a big difference between hit and miss depending on the reader, and I personally feel that there are quite a few.

Hanmok said he found a pattern in the strange calls of the sparrows. The details were too professional for me to understand, but I was told that if I continued to study, maybe I could systematize the language of birds.

"At least, I found a clue. Perhaps in the future, the time will come when anyone can talk to birds. If we can learn the language of birds just like dealing with foreign languages, it will be unprecedented." At that time, I had a premonition that the social field would be opened.

A kettle started to steam on the stove. He left his seat and poured instant coffee into a cup. A cup and a jar containing sugar cubes were provided.

"I can't do research."

They said it was the Poachers' fault. When they found they couldn't catch the bird, they started destroying the environment where the bird lived. This was to Eliminate escape routes and hunt them down. The sparrows, sensitive to pressure, died. The Poachers took the corpses home to sell.

Hanmok was just a researcher at the time and was powerless against the criminals who ventured into the underworld. All he could do was watch how the bird nests were destroyed.

"I think it's my fault. If I hadn't submitted my paper to the academic world, if I hadn't proven to the world that this bird was worth it, the Poachers wouldn't have come."

It was finally determined that due to the sabotage of the Poachers, the strange sparrow was extinct at that time. After that, he obtained a Hunter License and traveled around the world. However, although he studied many birds and achieved results, his heart was not satisfied.

"And ten years ago, I learned of the existence of this island. Until a hundred years ago, there was a settlement on this island, leaving behind some ancient folklore, one of which had a description that hinted at the bird I was looking for."

In recent years, this island has been called "White Swallow Island," but it seems to have changed its name on the map. White Swallow is only called a rare divine bird in this area, and it is said that it will run away just by mentioning its name.

"This is the last paradise those birds have left on Earth. It's far from clear..."

It is said that many scholars mocked his research as a daydream. It is such an profound, never-ending research topic. And even if you read and understand it after much trouble, you won't know if it's really useful to society until you reach it.

But I don't know, so I asked. I don't need an obvious answer. After you're done, you can think about whether the action was useless. Even if the thing that is surpassed is trivial, so be it.

He is a scholar, but he is also a Hunter. He said that Hunters are explorers of the unknown.

"Since I am trying to communicate with someone who has a different race, ecology, thoughts, and everything, I knew from the beginning that it would not be easy. Do not expose."

Hanmok concluded that this might just be a failed person.

I don't think he mentioned his situation just because he wanted to chat. On the contrary, he gave the impression of being someone not good with words. Even so, the reason he spoke until the end was probably to let me know what kind of person he is.

It is difficult for anyone to have a heart-to-heart conversation with someone they are meeting for the first time. I don't know if I can trust you. So he walked over. Now it is my turn to act.

Honestly, I want to wash everything away. What I want to say is that I am not human, the insect body has a will, and there is also the body of this mysterious girl. As a biologist, he might know or understand something about this body.

Most importantly, I don't think he will look at me with biased eyes. A person who seriously considers talking to birds. Even ants can understand each other. At least I don't think he is the type of person who wants to get rid of them immediately.

"……I……"

The breath rising from the lungs turned into a hoarse voice, shaking the throat. It should be easy to speak. He will understand. I feel it telling me my true identity.

However, the flame burning in his chest soon weakened. In the end, not a single word could be spoken. It lowered its head like a withered morning glory.

What if I am rejected for telling the truth? I wouldn't say it's impossible. No, if you consider it with common sense, being thrown out would be a more natural reaction. It might be contacted by some suspicious research institution and used as experimental material. The danger cannot be denied.

I cannot trust him. My suspicion has disappeared, but I still cannot trust. I felt a helpless regret there.

He never tried to force me to speak. I just felt that drinking coffee was awkward. As if to escape the suffocating silence, I also picked up a cup of coffee.

The warm coffee was bitter and astringent. At times like this, human taste buds are very inconvenient. I wanted to add sugar, but I felt it was a bit rude, so I didn't hold back. Sipping black instant coffee. I feel it is excessively Heavy.

Unlike pain, the sense of taste can be blocked, but when I do that, I feel that the action I am taking is even more meaningless.

"Professor uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Professor Professor Professor Professor

Without any special conversation, just as the two of us were sipping the tasteless coffee, a loud voice rang out from outside, as if to dispel the dead air. Next, there was a knock on the door that seemed like it was going to break. It seems Hanmok is not the only human on this island.

"……There is a colleague named Peggio…… You have heard of him too, his personality is hard to get along with. Wait a moment, I will make him shut up."

Hanmok frowned as if he had swallowed a bitter bug, stood up, and a wooden device leaned against the Wall.

Ever since they met in the forest, this device has been in his hands. I think it is a tool used for research or something else. He operates it.

This is not a very complicated device. By pulling the flip-up lever similar to a mousetrap, the hammerhead-shaped part protruding from the tip can be tightened with the wires at both ends. When I saw it, I finally realized. This is a weapon called a crossbow.

It is large, but Hanmok pulled the string tension lever with one hand. Does it not look as powerful as it looks? The string, but no arrow is loaded.

However, I felt uncomfortable. In the part of the arrow that seemed to hold the crossbow, I could feel a vague presence. I couldn't see anything clearly, but I felt there was something. However, since it was too ambiguous, it might just be a misunderstanding. When I was told there was nothing, I felt so uncomfortable that I thought it was true.

Hanmok walked toward the front door with the crossbow and opened it. A man walked in, panting as if he had been waiting impatiently.

The snow on his head had not been brushed off, and the man holding a camera entered the room and looked around. The room was not that big. Our eyes met immediately. For the moment, I bowed.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?"

The sudden scream and the camera flash made me close my eyes involuntarily. What happened suddenly? Unlike when mocking, it might not be possible to expect a sensible response.

"Is this the example!? The example!?"

"I understand the situation."

"I understand!"

"Let's begin. It's time to hunt."

Hanmok pointed the crossbow at me.

＊＊＊

The first Shoot penetrated the girl's right leg, but did not change the target. Since it was a non-lethal Bullet, there was no wound. It seems that the Qi contained in the arrow triggers a special effect, depriving the young girl of the freedom of her legs.

"Smart Hunting" ended in failure. The girl's body was never under Manipulation. Hanmok immediately revealed the possibility.

As long as the conditions are met, even if the distance is far, one can make the Manipulation-type Nen Ability obey the opponent. There are many ways to disable it, but the simplest one is to use the principle that "a target that is already being manipulated cannot be overwritten by another Manipulation-system ability."

In other words, it is impossible to deprive the object being manipulated by another person of the right to operate it. If the girl was sent to the island while being manipulated by someone, that would explain why the "foot attack" did not activate. But Hanmok thought this was unlikely.

To precisely manipulate a target, the distance between the Psychic and the target must be very close. As the distance increases, the calculation accuracy drops significantly. Hanmok used his Hunter skills and the bird language of the white sparrow to accurately determine the location of humans on the island. Even a first-class Assassin could not escape his eyes. The intruder was a single young girl, and the existence of an associated ability could not be confirmed.

There is also an ability called "Auto" that can move the manipulated target from a long distance, but in this case, only programmed movements can be performed. No matter how powerful the user is, the disguise is to the extent that even an ordinary person can see through it if they look carefully. Based on the information I have observed so far about the girl's behavior, facial expressions, gestures, etc., I don't think this is an Auto type.

The remaining possibility is that the girl herself is a Manipulation-type Nen User, and is manipulating herself. At first glance, this seems like a meaningless ability, but being able to manually control one's own body has several advantages and disadvantages, so it is not necessarily an unusable ability. One of the advantages is that it is easy to invalidate the control system ability obtained from others.

In that case, the young girl is a Nen User. Hanmok is most relieved about this. The girl saw his "foot shot" when he fired. When my leg was hit, I was firmly checking that part. Even if I don't use Hidden, it can only be an action where the Qi cannot be seen.

But for Hanmok, it is not strange that she can use her own senses. This was a possibility considered initially. What made him suspicious was the girl's first reaction after being attacked.

Judging from his behavior, it is obvious that he has almost no combat experience. Even if you are a Nen User, your direct combat power is probably only at the level of an ordinary person. This evaluation has not changed.

He looks like a child. If it is a child, you can predict their reaction. Even seeing Hanmok's attack, one can only stand still. You cannot immediately judge the situation you are in.

But the girl is different. After the arrow was shot, she immediately showed a reaction. I didn't try to escape or protect myself, I just followed the strike with my eyes, but that is impossible. No matter how you look at it, this is a reaction speed that cannot be achieved without Training.

In fact, the body's movements are like an amateur, and it looks like he can't do anything just because he can see it. This is why the reaction speed is abnormally prominent. What kind of life would lead to this inconsistent Training?

The more you train, the more the reaction speed will work unconsciously. You will be able to react to the enemy's attack at a level close to reflex, but on the contrary, it will be difficult to control. It is very difficult to deliberately lower the senses that have been trained.

I have never seen her reaction speed. Once it is attacked, it changes as if a Switch has been flipped. He hurriedly stood up from the chair and looked around. From the movement in his eyes, it can be inferred that he is not only observing the enemy, but also confirming whether it is possible to escape, determining the escape route, and whether there is anything that can be used as a weapon. The comprehensive environmental awareness is comparable to that of a well-trained soldier.

I wonder if this is because I am "manipulating" myself. The details are unknown, but this girl has something. I carefully held the crossbow again, telling myself not to let my guard down.

"Why……?"

The girl asked. He seemed a bit confused because he still couldn't understand the true meaning of this sentence. Despite showing that kind of reaction, they still didn't treat him as an enemy. It can be said that it was convenient for Hanmok. The performance I didn't want to do was worth it.

But even in terms of performance, what Hanmok said to the girl was true. The past he spoke of, his lifestyle, his research philosophy, everything was true. However, sometimes they don't speak.

This island belongs to Hanmok. It is registered in his name and is legally his. However, the real owner is different.

On this island, a warehouse of a certain large Mafia is hidden. A final destination where money and things that cannot be placed on the table are gathered. The "Sokoban" that shouldn't even know of its existence is the job handed to him.