"And there's even a second floor now."
Opening the door, the Fox Father proudly led everyone inside for a tour.
His two children couldn't contain their excitement and dashed inside, chirping and cheering with joy over their rebuilt home.
Even the Fox Mother, as she examined the refreshed house, couldn't help the gleam of delight in her eyes.
It was clear the whole fox family was more than pleased with their new home.
"Truly impressive craftsmanship!"
Luke sincerely praised: "Even if it were a human master carpenter, they couldn't possibly build something like this in just two days."
"Haha, you flatter me..."
Hearing himself compared to a human master carpenter, the Fox Father grinned from ear to ear.
Then he waved his hand in false modesty, but his eyes curved into an even narrower smile.
It was obvious that after rebuilding his new home, his mood had greatly improved.
"But after all, I'm still just a magical beast..."
At that, the Fox Father suddenly paused, and a rare look of hesitation appeared on his face.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing his expression, Luke casually asked: "Is there some problem?"
"Nothing…"
The Fox Father shook his head. "I was just thinking about how to repay you."
"Repay me?"
Luke laughed. "You don't have to bring that up with me. If you can safely send me to the official exam venue next, that's the best repayment you could give."
"That's not the same!"
The Fox Father insisted, "That's my job, I have to do that anyway. But rebuilding the house was a personal matter. If I don't repay you for that..."
He said firmly, "I would feel guilty in my heart."
With that, it seemed he had made up his mind.
He stepped outside, ran beneath the giant pine tree, and began digging forcefully.
Soon, he unearthed something and returned to Luke's side while holding it in his arms.
"A metal box?"
Luke immediately noticed the dirt-covered metal box in the Fox Father's hands.
At a glance, it looked quite old, clearly from a long time ago.
"In truth, our clan wasn't originally a race of magical beasts."
Before Luke could ask, the Fox Father spoke first, and his words made Luke freeze for a moment.
"According to the legend passed from our ancestors, we were once humans, ordinary, completely normal humans."
His tone grew low and somber.
"But one day, many, many years ago… my ancestors went adventuring and wandered into a dark forest. There, he found a lake and bent down to drink from it and rest."
"But then, from within the lake, he heard a strange melody, as if someone were playing a harp."
"At that moment, my ancestor was entranced by a melody. Even when he sensed something was wrong, once the music entered his ears, he could no longer control himself."
"He said he didn't even know if he heard the whole song. Because soon after, his consciousness began to fade in and out, until finally the music disappeared from his mind and when he awoke again..."
The Fox Father's voice turned bitter.
"When he awoke and looked into the water once more..."
"He had already become what we are now."
He gave a self-deprecating smile.
"This kind of beastly form… no, he had truly become a magical beast."
"Fortunately, our intelligence, thoughts, and even our vocal cords remained the same as humans; we managed to preserve them completely."
"Ever since my ancestors turned into what we are now, we have been constantly searching for a way to change back."
"Especially that strange melody, it's definitely the culprit that made us become like this."
"From my ancestors to my father's generation, they all persisted in seeking the truth behind that melody."
"And when it came to my father's time, they finally gained some results."
"But it was precisely because of that discovery that our family finally let go..."
"Because that melody..."
The Fox Father stared at Luke, who had been silently listening to his story.
"It's the Dark Sonata, isn't it?"
Luke spat out the correct answer: "And it's the harp part, right?"
"That's right!"
The Fox Father nodded fiercely, his eyes slightly reddened.
"That so-called legendary piece said to be composed by Satan himself!"
The Dark Sonata is a legendary musical score on this continent.
Composed by Satan, it contains four solo pieces: piano, violin, flute, and harp.
Anyone who plays or listens to it faces deadly calamities.
The flute movement of the score once caused an irreversible transformation to Melody.
Her companion, who performed it while drunk, died on the spot.
In Melody's own words: "I listened to the flute. That day, my friends were drunk and played it. I only heard one movement, and I became like this, and the friend who played it died."
"I don't want anyone else to end up like me, so I must find the score and destroy it."
Even someone like Melody had her body twisted by the Dark Sonata.
Let alone the ancestors of the fox family.
After hearing the harp movement, they were transformed from humans into magical beasts.
That was an even more thorough change than Melody's.
Although they could still take human form, think, and speak with intelligence, their essence had changed; they had turned from humans into beasts.
The Dark Sonata, born from the hands of Satan, naturally possessed unimaginable power.
This also explained why the fox family had intelligence far beyond ordinary beasts.
But after so many years, they had already grown used to their beastly identity, or rather, they had subconsciously accepted themselves as magical beasts.
"What else could we do?"
The Fox Father sighed deeply.
"After learning it was the Dark Sonata, we gave up on becoming human again."
"After all, we can still transform into human form, so there's nothing wrong with that."
"Considering it's the Dark Sonata, the fact that my ancestors survived after hearing it was already a miracle."
"If we were really asked to find a cure with it..."
He shook his head. "I'm quite content with my life now. I've no intention of seeking death."
Clearly, the Fox Father had made peace with it.
After learning about the Dark Sonata, he was no longer obsessed with regaining his human identity.
Instead, he settled down with his family and found a stable job with the Hunter Association.
These days, he lives comfortably, drinking tea, reading the paper, and enjoying life.
"So, we no longer have that desire."
As he spoke, the Fox Father handed Luke an old iron box.
"If you're interested in the Dark Sonata, you can go to the lake where my ancestors first heard the melody. "
"Inside this metal box is the location of that place, along with samples of the local plants and lake water from that time."
"We don't need it anymore, but if you want to go..."
The Fox Father said calmly: "Then go ahead."
Luke looked at him, then suddenly smiled.
"Alright!"
He reached out and took the dirt-covered metal box from the Fox Father's hands.
The clue to the Dark Sonata's harp was now in his possession!
This was an unexpected gain.
Luke didn't necessarily intend to pursue it, though.
To music lovers, such a thing might be a priceless treasure.
But to Luke, it was just something interesting, a nice collectible if found, but not a big deal if not.
It would simply add a bit more depth to his personal collection.
After Luke pocketed the metal box, the Fox Father said no more.
After tidying up his new home a bit, he carried Luke into the distant sky.
By now, Luke was the only one who had made it here this year.
Thus, from the lone pine tree at Dolle Harbor, the guide, having confirmed his qualifications, led Luke, the sole applicant for the 274th hunter exam.
They traveled through the night beneath the stars.
When the moon sank and dawn's light began to rise, the Fox Father brought Luke to the location of this year's official venue.
"Let's see... This year's exam venue is..."
In a bustling city whose name Luke couldn't even recall, the Fox Father held a small slip of paper as they walked down the street.
"It says here: first, go to the bakery called 1/2, buy one-third of a muffin cake, then deliver it to the 1/4 bar, to the pink-haired bartender, and tell her to mix one-fifth of a glass of blazing sun..."
Luke, walking behind him: "..."
As expected, the Hunter Association's contact codes were as strange as ever.
Luke strongly suspected that these cryptic passwords were all the handiwork of Chairman Netero, an old man with nothing better to do, just amusing himself for fun.
Fortunately, the Fox Father knew the way.
And…
"They seem to be right next to each other."
The Fox Father stopped walking and pointed toward two shops ahead.
Well, weren't they right next to each other?
Luke followed the Fox Father silently into a bakery shop with a sign reading [1/2].
Then, it was the Fox Father's turn to walk out, looking speechless.
"Buying one-third of a cake would have been enough."
He looked at the extra cake in Luke's hands, wanting to say something, but held back in the end.
"The guide rules didn't say we couldn't eat a little more."
Luke took a bite of the steaming hot pancake, soft, warm, and delicious.
The honey and blueberry syrup drizzled on top brought out the sweet, fragrant flavor even more, tickling his taste buds.
"It really does taste great."
Luke nodded repeatedly while eating.
"As expected of a shop recommended by the Hunter Association, it's on another level."
"I thought the association only made this part of the exam so the applicants would boost the business of their affiliated shops."
"Looks like I was wrong."
After saying that, Luke stuffed another soft piece of pancake into his mouth.
The Fox Father: "..."
"The Hunter Association isn't that calculating."
The Fox Father sighed. "In fact, it's quite the opposite. The shops they select for the exam are all top-notch."
"As far as I know..."
He raised his chin toward the cake shop behind them.
"That cake shop was founded by a Gourmet Hunter from the association."
"And that Gourmet Hunter was a disciple of the renowned culinary national treasure of the association, Linne Horsdoeuvre."
"With such lineage, it's no surprise the flavor is this good."
Linne Horsdoeuvre, huh?
She once ventured into the Dark Continent alongside Netero and Zigg Zoldyck and managed to return alive.
Rumor had it that she obtained the Nitro Rice, extending her lifespan.
She even appeared later during the Hunter Association chairman election arc.
She was practically a living fossil, second only to Netero himself.
And as a Gourmet Hunter, her cooking skills were naturally exceptional.
But she was old now and rarely cooked personally; most of the time, her apprentices and disciples handled the work.
This cake shop was one of their achievements.
And it wasn't just the cake shop…
"The bar across the street is the same."
The Fox Father explained as he led Luke, still eating his cake, toward the bar.
1/4 bar, just like 1/2 bakery, clearly followed the same naming style.
It was likely owned by the same person, part of the same business line.
At the counter, the Fox Father found a short-haired bartender with pink hair and ordered a 1/5 blazing sun.
The bartender first glanced at the Fox Father, then at Luke, before lifting the barrier at the counter and revealing a passage leading behind the bar.
"Go on."
The Fox Father smiled at Luke.
"Every year, something unexpected happens during the hunter exam."
"There are millions of applicants, but only one in ten thousand ever reaches the official venue."
As he gave his final words of advice before the exam, he added sincerely, "In my opinion, Luke, you're just going through the motions with this Hunter Exam."
"When you get your license and become a professional hunter, I hope we'll meet again someday."
"Or perhaps..."
The Fox Father concluded earnestly, "In the near future, I hope to hear about the great achievements and shining reputation you will make across this world."
"I believe that one day, your name will echo across all six continents."
"I look forward to that day!"
Luke watched as the Fox Father walked away leisurely.
He didn't say any parting words.
"If fate allows, maybe we'll meet again someday."
"But as for reputation..."
Luke smiled faintly. "Perhaps it'll spread across the world, but by then..."
"I wonder if it'll be good or bad."
Recovering his composure, Luke turned toward the passage that the pink-haired bartender had opened for him.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
Just before he entered, the bartender discreetly slipped him a round white card, number 404, his number for this year's hunter exam.
Coincidentally, it was the same number Kurapika would hold in the future.