Give me some face?
Liam stared at the glowing message on the wall, written in casual, almost mocking script.
Just... give it? Like it's that easy?
He wanted to laugh. Gon's deadbeat dad, leaving snarky notes in cursed tombs. Of course. That was exactly the kind of thing Ging Freecss would do.
"The person who left this message, Ging Freecss, must be an incredibly powerful Nen user," Menchi said, studying the script. "Liam, Shizuku, do you know him?"
Shizuku shook her head. "No."
Dago and his crew looked equally lost. Even if you searched the Hunter Association's public database, Ging's profile was nothing but question marks. Classified information. Top-secret. Amateur Hunters without licenses had no way of accessing it.
"Do you know him?" Shizuku asked, looking at Liam. Her glasses slipped down her nose. Liam resisted the urge to push them back up.
"My grandma knows him," Liam said dryly. "He's been called one of the top five Nen users in the world. By people who matter."
Menchi's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
"Top five in the world?" Dago muttered. "What does that even mean? Like, out of everyone?"
"Literally everyone," Liam confirmed.
Ging was also one of the Twelve Zodiacs, the Hunter Association's elite council. His code name was Boar. He was known as the wandering son among the Zodiacs, the kind of guy who disappeared for months at a time chasing archaeological rumors and treasure maps, impossible to pin down, impossible to contact. A master who acted like a drifter.
Not that Liam planned to share that with Dago's crew. Information wasn't free.
"I'm not looking to piss off someone like that," Liam said, turning to walk deeper into the corridor. "What you do is your business."
Menchi and Shizuku followed immediately.
Dago and his crew stood frozen. "You're not looking to piss him off, so why are you walking further in? Wait—"
They hurried to catch up.
Liam's voice echoed through the empty tomb. "I want to leave. You tell me how we get out."
"We can only move forward. Besides, we're just looking. Not touching. That's not disturbing anything, right?"
"Menchi, Shizuku, did you bring your phones? We're already here. Let's film a vlog and submit it as evidence."
His words bounced off the ancient stone walls, hollow and surreal.
Part of Liam's attention was still outside.
The night had thinned. The moon hung pale and low, its light fading toward dawn. A cold wind blew through the grassland.
Babimyna stood tense, sweat beading on his forehead despite the chill. The four-winged bone dragon loomed in front of him, its aura twisted and monstrous, radiating malice like heat from a furnace.
The dragon lowered its massive skull, eye sockets glowing with green will-o'-wisps. It didn't attack. It just... hovered. Pacing. Circling. Staring at Babimyna and the Kakin soldiers with hollow, burning eyes.
The soldiers had gone pale. Their hands shook. They kept their weapons raised, but it was clear they didn't think guns would help.
What the hell is it waiting for?
Liam, possessing Lumos in the woods nearby, watched with mounting frustration. The bone dragon had transformed the moment he and the others were pulled into the tomb. It looked terrifying. Its aura was overwhelming. But it wasn't doing anything.
Babimyna seemed equally unsure. He hadn't lowered his guard, Ken still active, but he wasn't attacking either.
Is it a counter-attack type ability? Babimyna thought. If I strike first, it might trigger something worse.
But if he didn't act, this stalemate could last all night.
Babimyna made a decision. He'd test it. One strike. Gather information.
Before he could move, there was a series of muffled thuds behind him.
His eyes widened. He'd withdrawn his En to focus on the bone dragon. Someone had taken advantage.
He leapt back, spinning.
The Kakin soldiers were on the ground, unconscious.
A man stood over them, brushing off his hands. Middle-aged, blond, wearing sunglasses and a three-piece suit that looked absurdly out of place in a moonlit forest.
"Don't be nervous," the man said, smiling. "I'm not an enemy."
Babimyna didn't relax. "Then why did you knock out my men?"
"They looked like they were about to shoot me." The man shrugged. "I had to act fast. I'll admit, I'm not as good at restraint as my teacher."
Liam, watching through Lumos's eyes, stared in shock. He'd been paying attention the entire time. He hadn't seen this guy approach. Not a flicker. Not a sound.
Teleportation? Or just insane speed?
The blond man turned toward the bone dragon, completely calm, and waved. "Haku. Long time no see."
The dragon's skull shifted, focusing on him. Its voice, hollow and distant, echoed through the clearing.
"Hui Guo Rou... must die..."
And then, like a candle snuffed out, it dissolved into white light and vanished.
Liam, still possessing Lumos, mentally groaned. Are you kidding me? It just disappears because this guy shows up? What is he, a landlord collecting rent?
Babimyna exhaled slowly, tension bleeding out of his shoulders. But he didn't let his guard down completely. "Who are you? Knocking out my men doesn't scream 'not an enemy.'"
"They would've attacked me on sight," the man said reasonably. "I prevented a misunderstanding."
He extended a hand, like they were closing a business deal. "Let's start over. I'm Alain Dreyfus Blanchett. Two-Star Relic Hunter. Hunter Association."
Babimyna's expression shifted. Recognition. "You're the founder of Blanchett Company."
"That's me."
They shook hands. Babimyna's grip was firm. Professional. "Babimyna. First Prince Benjamin's private forces."
"I know," Alain said, releasing his hand. "Your reputation precedes you."
"Who's your teacher?" Babimyna asked.
"No comment."
"And that thing you just called 'Haku'?"
"Also no comment."
Babimyna frowned. "When did you discover this place? Did you seal the entrance to the tomb?"
Alain raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely surprised. "Is Kakin really willing to let that thing go back? I'd think the royal family would prefer it stays buried. Hard to sleep soundly knowing that's out there."
"That's not my decision to make," Babimyna said, face unreadable.
Liam, still watching from the tree line, mentally rolled his eyes. Great. Two people refusing to answer questions. This is productive.
Inside the tomb, the group moved deeper down the corridor. Menchi held up her phone, filming the walls, the carvings, the eerie silence. Liam walked ahead, lost in thought.
The pale ghost had chanted, Hui Guo Rou must die.
Babimyna wasn't Hui Guo Rou. So the ghost didn't attack him.
But it had transformed into the bone dragon anyway. Why? Probably because Babimyna, while not royalty himself, was a loyal soldier of Prince Benjamin. He carried the scent of Hui Guo Rou, metaphorically speaking.
Or literally, Liam thought. The ghost acted like a dog catching a whiff of its owner's enemy.
"Ah," Dago said suddenly, stopping. His flashlight beam had caught something ahead. "Guys. Look at this."