A room in Lubrica Central Hospital was filled with the smell of antiseptic disinfectant. Outside the window, the afternoon sun shone white on the city's cobblestones. The hands of the clock above the hospital room door were about to point to three. Three days since the battle with Varec. On the bed, Kuro leaned his body against the backrest. His right arm to his shoulder was immobilized in a hard cast, and thick bandages were wrapped around his side. The broken ribs still hadn't fully healed. According to the doctor, absolute rest was necessary for at least another week. But there was no time for that. Kuro's black eyes were fixed on the encrypted document in his hand. Stained with oil and blood, its edges scorched. That scrap of paper he'd taken from the inner pocket of Varec's jacket. Rows of numbers and symbols stared back at Kuro. "[cold]Still no luck deciphering it, huh." His mutter fell into the quiet hospital room. At that moment, the door burst open with a bang. "[excited]Kuro! I brought food!" His spiky deep-green hair swaying, Gon came in carrying a tray with both hands. On the tray were soup and bread he'd apparently bought at the hospital cafeteria, and for some reason, four excessively colorful jellies. Behind Gon, Killua followed with an annoyed look on his face. His silver hair gleamed, reflecting the fluorescent lights. "[sarcastic]Hey, four jellies for a sick person? What were you thinking?" Killua shrugged in exasperation and leaned against the wall. "[surprised]Huh? But there were so many different flavors! Kuro, which one do you want? I think this orange one looks good!" Completely unashamed, Gon began lining up the jellies right in front of Kuro's eyes. Kuro let out a small breath. He'd long since gotten used to Gon's lack of restraint, even before the fight with Varec. "[cold]...Do whatever you want. More importantly, about the cipher." "[serious]Ah, that. I called in a specialist through my Hunter Association connections. He should be here soon." No sooner had Killua finished speaking than there was a knock at the hospital room door. Three restrained yet firm knocks. "[cold]Come in." The door opened. The person who entered was a thin, middle-aged man. Probably in his mid-forties. He wore a worn brown coat and carried a well-used leather shoulder bag. His hair was brown streaked with gray, and his forehead was quite broad. But the eyes behind his thin-framed glasses gleamed with an almost eerie sharpness. "[gentle]Hello. I've heard about the situation from Killua-kun. I'm Tauro Neck. Former information hunter." Tauro said this, his mouth relaxing slightly. A cipher analysis specialist called in through Hunter Association connections. He had once been an active hunter dealing in rare information, but had now retired from the front lines and was living quietly in Lubrica. "[serious]I'll get straight to the point. I want you to look at this." Kuro held out the encrypted document. Tauro adjusted his glasses and took the scrap of paper. His fingertips were covered with calluses hardened from years of desk work. "[serious]Hmm... This is quite elaborately encrypted. Based on a classical substitution cipher, triple-locked with numerical substitution. It'll take some time to decipher." Tauro took out an old notebook and pen from his shoulder bag and spread them out on the round table in the corner of the hospital room. Gon tried to peer over with intense curiosity, but Killua grabbed him by the collar and stopped him. "[serious]Don't get in his way. For craftsmen like him, concentration is everything." "[whispers]I know... But it's amazing, isn't it? Understanding meaning from just numbers and symbols." Gon kept his voice low, but his eyes were shining. Several hours passed. The sunlight outside the window had imperceptibly begun to shift into the colors of evening. The massive shadow of the Heaven's Arena stretched long over the city of Lubrica. Inside the hospital room, only the sound of Tauro's pen running across paper echoed with steady rhythm. On the bed, Kuro silently watched the work. The cast on his right arm was heavy. Every time he breathed, his broken ribs gave a dull ache. But more than that, there was a different kind of weight deep in his chest. (What was that man trying to protect?) His teacher, Golde Heinen. Three years ago, the old man who had grown cold in the hidden laboratory of the Crossbell mine. The person who used to ruffle Kuro's hair with his large hands. Tauro's hand stopped. "[serious]I've deciphered it." A hint of tension was mixed into Tauro's voice. He removed his glasses and turned to face Kuro. His complexion seemed slightly paler than it had been hours before. "[cold]What does it say?" Tauro took a single deep breath and looked down at the notebook in his hands. "[serious]First, as a premise, this is an internal document of Carcelia. The sender is the organization's leader—codename 'Xenorc.' The recipient is one of its members, Varec." Xenorc. That name froze the air in the hospital room in an instant. Killua's blue eyes narrowed, his pupils constricting slightly into vertical slits. Gon was at a loss for words, simply waiting in silence for what came next. "[serious]Three items are recorded. First—the reason Golde Heinen was killed. According to the document, Dr. Heinen possessed the world's highest level of knowledge regarding the Dark Continent relic, the 'Active Core.' Xenorc requested the doctor's cooperation with the organization, but the doctor refused. As a result, an order was given to eliminate the doctor, who had become an obstacle." Kuro's left hand gripped the sheets. His teacher had been hiding something. A relic of the Dark Continent. Knowing its danger, he had refused to hand it over to the organization. He had chosen to protect that information over his own life. "[serious]Second—Xenorc's current location and objective. He is currently hiding deep within the Dark Continent, proceeding with the recovery of the 'Active Core.' Specific coordinates aren't written, but it's an area completely isolated from the known world." "[serious]Third—the Crossbell mine. Before his death, Golde Heinen sealed the core of his research materials in a hidden laboratory in the Crossbell mine, 60km north of Lubrica. The seal is protected by a Nen mechanism, and unlocking it requires a specific aura pattern set by Heinen himself. According to the document, Carcelia located the laboratory but was unable to break the seal." Tauro closed his notebook. A heavy silence fell over the room. Kuro didn't move on the bed. His black eyes stared fixedly at a single point, as if gazing at something far away. His teacher's murder wasn't revenge or a grudge. His teacher had been the foremost authority on the world's most dangerous research, and he had been killed to protect that knowledge. (I see. Teacher, until the very end—) Words caught deep in his chest. "[cold]Tauro-san, thank you. You've helped me." Kuro spoke in a flat voice and bowed his head to Tauro. "[gentle]No need. As a hunter myself, making sure information like this is handled properly is part of the job. Well then, I'll take my leave. If you need anything, contact me through Killua-kun." Tauro readjusted his shoulder bag and quietly left the hospital room. The sound of the door closing echoed unusually loud. Immediately after, Kuro moved. He peeled off the sheets with his left hand and lowered his feet from the bed. His right arm, immobilized in the cast, was heavy. From beneath the bandages, the faint smell of still-oozing blood lingered. "[surprised]Hey, Kuro. What are you doing?" Killua's voice flew like cold water. "[cold]I'm checking out. Heading to the Crossbell mine." Kuro answered concisely and took his clothes out of the hospital locker. Deftly using one hand, he stripped off the hospital gown. His upper body, covered in bandages, was exposed. Scars not yet fully healed were painfully etched across his stomach and shoulder. "[sad]Your body's not healed yet! The doctor said absolute rest—" Gon tried to rush over. "[cold]It doesn't matter." Kuro's voice was cold as steel. He finished changing and threw his jacket over his left shoulder. Though he furrowed his brow in pain, there was no hesitation in his movements. "[cold]Gon, Killua. I have something to tell you. My journey ends here. No one but me can enter the Crossbell mine laboratory. The Nen seal my teacher placed can only be released by me, his student. There's no reason for you to accompany me any further." Gon's movement stopped. His large brown eyes stared intently at Kuro's face. It wasn't anger or sadness—just a look that purely sought the true meaning behind Kuro's words. Killua remained silently leaning against the wall. But his blue eyes never left Kuro. "[cold]My revenge is my problem alone. There's no need to drag you into danger—" "[serious]If you're going alone, I'm coming too." Gon's voice cut off Kuro's words. It wasn't his usual bouncing voice. He wasn't angry either. It was just a quiet, straightforward voice, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "[cold]...I'm asking for your reason." Kuro's black eyes caught Gon. "[serious]Because we're friends. That's all. I don't want Kuro to go through something scary. So I'm going too." Because we're friends. Those words were so simple, and so incredibly strong. The three years' worth of defensive walls that had built up in Kuro's life—the defense mechanism of solving his own problems alone, of cutting others off before involving them—wavered audibly with just that one phrase. Kuro couldn't say anything. His black eyes wavered slightly. At that moment, Killua silently stepped forward. He held a terminal in his hand. When he turned the screen toward Kuro, it displayed—transportation access information from Lubrica to the Crossbell mine area, already thoroughly researched. Swiping the screen further showed a luggage checklist for three people. "[sarcastic]Idiot. You think you can stop us now? What a waste of time." Killua said this with an annoyed tone and pressed the terminal against Kuro's chest. Kuro held the terminal, motionless for several seconds. Gon stared straight into Kuro's eyes from the front. Killua averted his gaze, but the corner of his mouth was twisted ever so slightly. (—These guys, really.) Kuro let out a small breath. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. A smile he hadn't shown even that night after the battle with Varec, when he'd revealed his past to Gon and Killua—a genuine, unforced, pure smile. "[cold]...You two are troublesome." "[sarcastic]That's our line." Killua shot back without missing a beat, and Gon continued with a grin. "[excited]Then it's settled! Let's go together!" And so the three of them left Lubrica behind. --- The Crossbell mine was an abandoned mine located 60km north of Lubrica. It had once flourished with iron ore mining, but the resources were depleted twenty years ago, and now it was a ruin no one entered. The entrance was covered in ivy and rust, and only the rails of the carts once used by the miners barely retained traces of the past. Twilight was approaching, and the area around the mine was beginning to be enveloped in deep shadows. A cold wind passed through, rustling the dead grass. "[serious]This way. Watch your step. There's a section that's partially collapsed." Without any hesitation, Kuro advanced deeper into the mine. It was a path he had walked many times with his teacher in his childhood. The memory was ingrained in his body. His right arm still hurt, but his steps were steady. Gon and Killua followed in silence. The inside of the mine was filled with cool, damp air. Countless traces of past mining were carved into the walls, and occasionally, drops of water fell from the ceiling with a plink, plink. They had walked for about ten minutes.