Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The buildings in Meteor City are tightly packed, with numerous alleys weaving through like a miniature labyrinth. There are many electric wires and cables tangled above, blocking most of the light sources.

In this kind of environment, it is difficult for someone unfamiliar with the area to get out.

It would be a lie for Law to say he didn't feel resentful after being left here by Chrollo.

Walking alone through the dim alleys, Law thought about the evil-faced, sharp-snouted monkey stone statue in the basement and the long sword, Shin.

The white smoke text has been full of mystery ever since it appeared in his mindscape. When he was appraising the collections in the basement, it further dismantled Law's prior understanding of reality.

Obviously, there is no Nen on the monkey stone statue, but it managed to project fragmented memories into his mind. It was as if he had been transported back in time as an observer and witnessed the events unfold firsthand in a distant era.

This ability would be the dream of any archaeologist.

In this world, it would particularly appeal to Ruins Hunters, like that guy in the original work who abandoned his family, prompting his son to turn their situation into a live-action 'Where's My Dad?' drama. Such a person would surely covet this ability.

Moreover, Law suspected these fragmented memories were far from ordinary. They felt like projections in a simulated data space, with scenes suspended in midair in front of his eyes. He felt that as long as he stretched out his finger and tapped the image, he could have a deeper understanding of what was on the visions.

At that time, Law did want to do this, but he held back, as his intuition told him that it was dangerous to do so.

Although he couldn't come into contact with these images in depth, the relevant information still remained in his mind.

Compared to the experience of the sculptor and the stone statue, Law was more intrigued by the mention of the Sonata of Darkness in the memory fragments, a very strange music score, which was also the culprit that caused the sculptor to become like that.

The unfair equal exchange is what makes this music score special, and also what makes it dangerous.

The person who played it would die, and unimaginable disasters will happen to the people who listen to the music. However, they would also gain certain benefits.

The information Law has from the original work was incomplete, so it is unclear whether this strange ability was wish-based, subjective, or a passive consequence. In short, this music score was undoubtedly dangerous.

The reason why Law wanted to get this music score was very simple. He believed that this music score with strange powers must have Nen attached to it, and absorbing the Nen on it was his goal.

'Sonata of Darkness, if I remember correctly, is a piece of music said to be composed by Satan.' Law walked while thinking about the origin of the Sonata of Darkness.

'There are four Sonata of Darkness, which are solo piano, violin, harp, and flute parts. In the original work, the girl named Melody heard the Sonata of Darkness played by the flute, which left her disfigured but granted her with extraordinary hearings.'

No Music Hunter knows whether the four solo pieces could be performed together as an ensemble. After all, even finding a single piece is a rarity, let alone gathering all four.

Putting aside this possibility, if an ensemble could be performed, the consequences would definitely be beyond terrifying.

Music Hunters who are interested in the Sonata of Darkness would likely be drawn to this unknown outcome, so selling intelligence related to one of the solo pieces would undoubtedly fetch a handsome reward.

'I have no interest in music. If I can find the Sonata of Darkness, I'll just absorb the Nen attached to it. That should also eliminate its strange abilities.'

Law had no intention of selling the information, nor did he plan to collect all four pieces for an ensemble performance. His sole focus was to absorb the Nen possibly tied to the music score, accelerating the growth of his strength.

Finding clues to another strange bizarre from the stone statue was something Law had never expected.

So far, he has appraised seven artifacts, but only monkey stone statue had triggered such a clue, so he still didn't understand the conditions that activated the phenomenon or whether it was directly tied to the artifact itself.

Law consciously asked the white smoke text about this doubt, but his question went unanswered.

Since he couldn't figure it out, Law decided to stop thinking about it. Anyway, he knew that the white smoke text would not harm him, but would only bring him benefits.

For now, it is impossible to find the harp version of Sonata of Darkness based on clues he got. Instead, he should think about how to become stronger as soon as possible and then find a way to get Shin in the basement.

Although Law didn't know how to use a sword, he couldn't suppress the urge to get this sword. Even if the blade was rusty and decayed, it couldn't stop his obsession.

Law vaguely had the idea of ​​applying his Nen Ability, God Hand, to Shin. Though it has not been tested and the result is unknown, it seemed worth a try.

'No point in overthinking it. Getting stronger quickly is the only truth.'

Law shook his head slightly. Even without Chrollo's reminder, he knew that he had to become stronger as soon as possible.

He didn't want to experience the powerless situation he had faced in the Elder's house again. If he had been strong enough, he wouldn't have been so utterly at the mercy of others.

"Huh?"

Law found himself at a dead end.

"Well, this is troublesome."

Looking at the towering wall in front of him, Law rubbed his chin and glanced at the unfamiliar surroundings.

'Could it be… I was lost?'

"I got too caught up in my thoughts. It's all Chrollo's fault."

Law sighed softly and looked at the three-meter-high wall, wondering whether he should find a taller building and then see in which direction the church was.

If he continued to wander around in the alley like this, he probably won't be able to get out even after dark, so he might as well take an unconventional route and go directly to the top of the building complex.

Law looked up at the electric wires and cables above, 'It was not impossible to take the road above, but it might be too conspicuous.'

'Well, I don't have time to worry about that.'

Law did not hesitate for too long. He gathered his Aura in his feet to boost his jumping power, and stepped on various fulcrums on the building. Avoiding the tangled wires and cables, he leapt onto the roof of a three-story building.

"The tallest building here should be about six stories high."

Standing on the roof of the three-story building, his view was still obstructed by the unevenly built cityscape and the church remained hidden behind the taller buildings.

Law scanned the surroundings, looking for the next place to find his destination. At the same time, he vaguely felt a few gazes looking at him from various locations.

'Sure enough, my actions had drawn the attention of Meteor City's residents.'

'Hopefully, no one was bored enough to come and bother me.'

Law thought to himself and ignored the gazes. He jumped towards a higher building, moving from one rooftop to another as he searched for a structure tall enough to reveal the church's direction.

Along the way, he inevitably disturbed some of the residents.

As Law paused on one building to find his next jump location, he caught a glimpse of an open window in a nearby structure. What he saw inside made him freeze for a moment.

Amid a cacophony of a woman's screams and a man's enraged shouts, Law dashed away at full speed and safely arrived at a building that was tall enough.

This is a house about five stories high, and when he looked to the east, he can see the church.

When Law came to the roof, he saw a person sitting on the edge on the other side with his back to him, which is the direction of the church.

Without giving it much thought, Law walked to the edge and looked at the church in the distance. After confirming the direction, he began considering his next move.

'Should I return to the main streets or continue moving across the rooftops?'

While Law was thinking, the boy sitting at the rooftop's edge calmly chewed gum and raised his head to look at Law quietly. The boy had short, fiery red hair.

Feeling the boy's gaze, Law glanced at him, then retracted his gaze. Deciding to continue along the rooftops, he leapt forward.

"Hmm~?"

The red-haired boy watched with interest as Law's figure gradually faded into the distance.