Hunter X Hunter: I Got Stronger After I Died

Benjamin walked straight out of the woods, calmly facing the barrel of Moro's gun.

This was Benjamin's demeanor—straightforward, natural, and devoid of hostility.

Moro didn't lower his gun, and the Nen energy in his left hand remained at the ready. But he also didn't dismiss Benjamin's gesture of goodwill.

"Moro, treasure hunter."

Since Benjamin had introduced himself fully, Moro decided on the spot to give himself the title of a treasure hunter.

Benjamin nodded slightly, gesturing to the three corpses on the ground. "I'm not here to hold you accountable, and perhaps it's redundant to ask, but I still need to confirm something. Moro, did you kill these people?"

"..."

Moro hesitated briefly, his eyes flicking inconspicuously to Benjamin's shadow. Then he gave a straightforward answer: "Yes, I killed them."

Given the scene, denying it would be pointless.

Benjamin nodded again, this time with a faint smile. "A few poachers. Good job killing them."

With a simple statement identifying the corpses, Benjamin shifted his gaze to the nearby white deer and remarked, "Flower-Antler Deer, a Class-B protected species. Recently, its remains have been circulating frequently on the black market, which is why I'm here."

"Oh?"

Picking up on Benjamin's implications, Moro asked casually, "Shouldn't this be the job of anti-poaching hunters?"

"Indeed."

Benjamin smiled faintly, explaining, "But for those of us who work with ingredients as gourmet hunters, we also have a responsibility to protect the environment. If we encounter poachers, we can't just turn a blind eye."

"So… you came here specifically for them?"

Moro's gaze flicked to the corpses.

For gourmet hunters, all ingredients come from nature, which gives them a duty to protect it. It made sense that a poaching team would attract the attention of a hunter who frequents remote forests.

But Benjamin shook his head. "Not entirely."

"Hm?"

Moro looked at Benjamin inquisitively.

Benjamin paid no mind to the gun still leveled at him, walking directly toward the white antlers that the poachers had cut off the deer.

"Look at this—such a treasure."

He picked up the coral-like antlers, his eyes gleaming.

Moro raised an eyebrow slightly.

Weighing the antlers in his hand, Benjamin glanced at Moro and said, "If you hadn't killed them, I would have. Of course, I would have handed over their stolen goods, like these antlers, to the local forestry department. But these Flower-Antler Deer…"

He paused, his expression turning exceptionally serious.

"...must not be wasted."

"..."

Moro blinked, surprised by Benjamin's frankness. For a moment, he wondered if Benjamin had been hiding nearby the entire time, waiting for the poachers to finish hunting.

After all, gourmet hunters often venture into deep forests to find rare ingredients. Their skill with techniques like "In" would be excellent. Benjamin's true motivation seemed to be finding an excuse to taste Flower-Antler Deer.

Benjamin caught Moro's reaction, drew a blood-red boning knife from his sheath, and began trimming the antlers. He asked casually, "Moro, are you thinking… that I waited intentionally for them to kill the deer before stepping in?"

"I didn't say that."

Moro denied it immediately, though his gaze remained fixed on the blood-red knife in Benjamin's hand.

Under the silver moonlight, Moro noticed a smoky Nen aura lingering on the blade.

The energy wasn't Benjamin's own but was attached to the knife itself.

Clearly, the uniquely designed boning knife was a Nen item, and its energy was far from weak.

Hearing Moro's reply, Benjamin sped up his work but admitted openly, "Still, I did wait deliberately."

Moro's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Benjamin.

All his talk about environmental responsibility—yet it turned out his real reason for being here was exactly as Moro suspected.

Shaking his head slightly, Moro stepped back, increasing the distance between himself and Benjamin.

Noticing this, Benjamin paused, then said calmly, "There's no need to be so shocked. I'm a professional hunter. Whether it's cutting corners or justifying my actions, I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want."

He raised the antlers toward Moro, pointing to a part he had just cleaned. The exposed inner section resembled a gelatinous, jelly-like substance.

"Even if you found these on the black market, they wouldn't be easy to buy. Trust me—this is a delicacy every gourmet hunter dreams of. If you pass on it, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. So… want to join me for a taste?"

"No."

Moro declined without hesitation. He didn't wait to see Benjamin's reaction before lowering his gun and picking up the backpack he had filled with supplies.

He wasn't sure if Benjamin was truly a licensed gourmet hunter, but Moro had already categorized him as an eccentric.

His only thought now was to get as far away from this strange individual as possible.

Stay and eat Flower-Antler Deer? Not a chance.

"Are you sure?"

Benjamin's expression remained calm as he casually asked again.

Moro shook his head and pointed to the scattered poached goods.

"These are yours to turn in, along with the three poachers. You can take all the credit. Let their corpses justify your consumption of a Class-B protected species. Whatever you do, it's none of my business."

"Then I won't hold back."

Benjamin chuckled and resumed cleaning the antlers.

Moro nodded slightly, slinging the backpack over his shoulder before retreating slowly toward the forest.

Benjamin watched Moro's cautious retreat, his face calm, fully aware of Moro's vigilance.

After a moment, Moro reached an open space bordered by several large trees. He glanced back at Benjamin once more.

A professional hunter who will stop at nothing…

With that thought, Moro turned and walked into the woods, disappearing quickly from view.

Benjamin stared at the gap in the trees where Moro had vanished. He had hoped to draw Moro into sharing the guilt of eating a Class-B protected species.

But convincing him had failed.

For a brief moment, Benjamin considered forcing Moro to stay—but the thought passed as quickly as it came.

He could tell Moro was someone who deeply distrusted others, likely from dealing with people whose actions didn't match their words.

Moro maintained just the right level of guardedness and distance.

"Such a waste," Benjamin muttered, narrowing his eyes slightly. He had a strange feeling they would meet again someday.

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