Joey stopped dwelling on the fact that he could see aura. He suddenly remembered that within Chimera Ants, individuals with sufficient strength could also perceive aura.
Either way, what concerned him more now was that ever since Killer Queen had been recalled, his whole body felt significantly lighter.
Thanks to the mysterious wallet nestled in his chest, his stamina and mental energy were steadily recovering. Although exhaustion still clung to his limbs, his condition was clearly much better than it had been after escaping the Chimera Ants.
By the time they reached the camp, the western sun had already been mostly swallowed by the forest canopy, casting everything into murky twilight.
In such circumstances, continuing to travel would be unwise.
But with a recent battle having taken place nearby, staying put would clearly be riskier. So the group swiftly packed up what they needed, and under Pokkle's lead, they set off once more.
Joey quickly realized they weren't heading toward the base. "Where are we going?"
"To another secluded spot nearby that's better for setting up camp. Traveling or fighting at night in the forest is too dangerous, even with tonight's good moonlight," Pokkle replied, glancing up at the sky.
The moon had crept out from behind the clouds, casting soft silver light that slowly replaced the sun's. While not as bright as daylight, it softened the forest's eerie gloom.
Joey had no objection and raised both hands in approval, falling silent.
The team moved in practiced coordination: the two extras flanked either side to watch for danger, Pokkle took point guarding the group's center, and Ponzu followed close behind him with her bees buzzing softly around her, relaying information.
Evidently, now that Joey had discovered the connection between Ponzu and her bees, she no longer bothered hiding her ability.
Joey trailed not far behind her, glancing a few times at the girl's sweet, delicate features.
Sensing his gaze, Ponzu turned and gave him a smile—gentle, yet clearly distant.
Joey didn't mind. He was merely curious about how this soon-to-be-headshot victim controlled her bees. It seemed she stored them under her hat. If that was the case, did Pokkle—who wore a matching hat—have bees too? How exactly did their communication work?
Traveling with five people greatly reduced the danger. Joey couldn't help feeling he'd made the right decision joining them.
But his mind also churned over what to do next.
In the manga's events, it was from Pokkle's brain that the Chimera Ants learned about Nen.
So if Joey managed to keep Pokkle alive, he could delay their understanding of Nen—but what would that change?
If memory served, Kite had encountered Neferpitou only after Pitou had dissected Pokkle's brain and learned about Nen.
Would saving Pokkle now prevent Kite and the others from facing Pitou so soon? And if Pitou hadn't mastered Nen yet, would Kite stand a chance?
Joey instinctively raised a hand to bite his nails, only to stop midway.
He'd noticed something—after devouring Yoshikage Kira's soul, he'd clearly been influenced.
Not just the subconscious nail-biting when anxious or deep in thought—he also found himself stealing glances at Ponzu's pale, fluttering hands while she commanded her bees.
That wasn't a good sign. Joey wasn't Yoshikage Kira. He didn't have a hand fetish.
And he certainly didn't want to become some alternate-world "Sheer Heart Attack" stand-in.
He had his own tastes. Before the transmigration, Joey had loved photography and travel. Now, in this strange world where nature and technology clashed, he felt he could become a bona fide scenery otaku.
If he had the chance, he wanted to become a Scenic Hunter—someone who traveled the world photographing beautiful landscapes and unknown phenomena.
Why a Hunter? Because the license came with perks. Convenience. Freedom.
And Joey was confident that with his current strength, he could pass the Hunter Exam with relative ease.
He'd shift that obsessive impulse—once tied to hands—onto capturing perfect shots with the perfect camera. That didn't seem so difficult.
As for the nail-biting, he'd have to work on changing that habit gradually. Other quirks from Kira? Joey didn't mind so much. In fact, the more he compared them, the more he saw eerie similarities.
He had OCD, but not to a psychotic level like Kira's.
He disliked attention, but not to the insane degree of managing his school ranking just to stay under the radar.
He liked solitude, but not the kind that needed severed hands for comfort. He preferred the idea of stumbling across an interesting soul to share his life with—someone worth meeting by chance.
Of course, if things didn't work out, Joey would be happy finding a quiet town to settle in as an ordinary office worker.
If only he could get out of NGL. If only he could leave this place, Joey was certain his life in this world could be full of color.
Would he ever long for his original world? Maybe in dreams. But after five years of soul-devouring, Joey had let it go. With a bit of guilt, he could only hope his family and friends would believe he'd just… moved on to "another world."
And, well, technically, he had.
Just not the paradise they might imagine.
"Ponzu, have you made contact with the other teams yet?"
Pokkle's voice yanked Joey from his spiraling thoughts. He jolted slightly, realizing he'd zoned out from fatigue.
He silently reminded himself to stay sharp, glancing toward Ponzu.
From Pokkle's question, Joey now realized there were supposed to be other Hunter squads in NGL—something he hadn't remembered clearly.
"No contact. It's been two hours since we last heard from them," Ponzu said, her expression uneasy.
"Maybe they got attacked by those things," muttered the other no-name hunter, a scruffy man with moss-grey hair and zero presence.
His words cast a grim silence over the group.
It wasn't until they'd traveled a bit farther that Pokkle spoke again. "Ponzu, keep trying. If those monsters are all like the ones we saw earlier, then the other teams should be able to handle themselves. But we'll stay cautious.
Let's camp at the secondary site tonight. If there's still no contact by morning, we're heading back to the checkpoint."
After much hesitation, Pokkle finally made the call.
He was the only licensed Hunter in the group. The rest—Ponzu included—were amateurs without Nen. Without backup from other squads, continuing deeper into NGL would be too risky.
Even if he wanted the glory, Pokkle wouldn't gamble his team's lives—especially when failing to contact the others was more convincing than any of Joey's warnings.
Otherwise, after confirming firearms worked against the Ants and loading up with weapons, Pokkle absolutely would've wanted to press deeper.
His words, however, only deepened the growing tension within the group.
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