He abandoned you when you were still just a baby.
But you still want to...
He was willing to abandon his own kid for it.
That's how amazing it is to be a Hunter!
You really are his son...
The last test to be accepted by Ging-san is to find him.
It's a task more difficult than any Hunt.
As far as I know, he's the greatest Hunter there is.
There's something that I want.
He never told me what it was that he wanted.
Catch me if you can.
You are a Hunter, aren't you?
Ging...
Past x And x Future
You want to climb the tree?
No one under the age of eighteen can go beyond this point.
Unless you have some special license or certification...
A pro Hunter?
At your age?
Excuse me, then.
Go right ahead.
But I'll need you to sign this first.
Even a president would have to sign it.
It's just the usual thing that says you don't care if you die during the climb.
Here's some advice!
Don't trust any of the grips or footholds left behind by previous climbers.
Those who make it to the top usually do it bare-handed.
That's how the guy who's at the top right now did it.
Got it! Thanks!
Well, if you feel you're in trouble, just press that button.
Our rescue team is skilled.
If you can hold on to the tree for ten minutes—
He fell?!
Hey!
He's already up there?
I still have a long way to go...
This tree is incredible.
I can entrust myself to it.
The moment my fingers touch it,
I can feel that there's life there,
and that it flows throughout the entire tree.
I can do this!
So long as I heed the tree's whispering as I climb...
Help...
Help me...
Almost there.
The top looks funny.
They're huge!
That scared me...
Hi!
Yo.
I was tired of waiting.
Ging...
How long did it take you to get here from the 500-meter point?
Uh...
Around twenty minutes?
Well, I guess that's acceptable for your first time...
Eat up.
Yep!
Beautiful view, right?
On overcast days, it's like a sea of clouds.
Yeah!
Hey, Ging...
Hmm?
Can I ask you something?
Sure. I might not give you an answer, though.
What is it that you want?
That which I can't see in front of me right now.
That which you can't see in front of you?
I wanted to become a Hunter because...
Shut up!
I wanted to become a Hunter because,
at the time, it was the most practical way
to get into the place I wanted to go.
That place was used as a certain royal family's burial ground.
To enter, you had to belong to a trustworthy organization,
and to agree never to speak of it.
And you had to pay all expenses out of pocket.
In other words, you couldn't really explore it at all.
You won't find anyone willing to spend
the resources and receive nothing in return.
But I saw it as my chance.
If I became a trusted pro Hunter,
getting the money wouldn't be a problem.
When I turned fifteen,
I set up a special nonprofit organization
to explore and repair the tomb.
Before that, I'd spent the two years after getting my license
surfing archaeology buffs' websites and blogs online.
To create the nonprofit, I needed about ten oddballs
who didn't need money or fame, but only wanted to know the truth,
and who could be trusted to keep secrets.
I'm always going after what I need.
I'm so focused, I stop caring about the ultimate goal that lies beyond.
Too hard to understand?
Then I guess I'll keep going.
The people I recruited online and befriended in offline meetings
were all older than me.
They were regular office workers, graduate students, and job-hoppers.
After I told them my background and plan,
they helped with the various tasks to create the nonprofit,
and they even gave donations from what little money they had.
When our dream was realized and we stepped inside for the first time,
the best part for me
wasn't when I finally witnessed the truth of the tomb.
It was when I looked
at my colleagues' faces and shook their hands.
To this day, they still work for the nonprofit with zero compensation,
providing me with viable information.
The secret of the tomb
was nothing compared to the relationships I built.
What was truly important came to me before what I wanted.
And now?
Huh?
What are you after now?
Right now?
It'll take some time to explain...
Gon,
what is this tree we just climbed?
Huh? It's the World Tree.
That's right.
Down below, how did they describe the tree?
At 1,784 meters, it's the world's tallest tree.
Technically, that's right.
But the truth is that this tree
is a young sapling that's stopped growing.
A World Tree that
didn't receive enough nutrition, and could only grow this tall.
A real World Tree
would take in magma,
embed its roots in the mountains,
and continue to grow after leaving the atmosphere.
Outside this world.
This world?
The world map that you're familiar with.
The Ants that you and the chairman fought
were a non-native species from outside this world.
That's the truth they don't teach you in school.
Adults with common sense
choose not to go near Pandora's Box.
In other words, the world that we know
is nothing but a small part of a much bigger world.
There are records showing that a chosen few,
from a select time and place, were able to make it outside.
Understand now?
I still want the same thing I always have.
Something that I can't see in front of me.
There are many requirements to go outside.
At least four are required before you can even start the journey.
Authorization,
the means,
qualification,
a contract.
I still haven't obtained a single one.
But I'm in no rush.
I'm enjoying the journey.
So if our paths happen to cross in the future...
You should enjoy the little detours.
To the fullest.
Because that's where you'll find the things
more important than what you want.
Oh!
Ging...
Here.
Kite asked me to return this to you.
Oh, okay.
The scar's still on my shoulder.
See? Right here.
And then, there was a huge boom!
And what popped out was another coffin, just this big.
They're called the Testing Gates, and you have to open them to go inside.
Marshal
Spy
You should enjoy the little detours.
To the fullest.
Because that's where you'll find the things
more important than what you want.