"You sure?"
Luke asked. "Aren't you going to set up some protection first?"
"No need. In many ruins before, I've encountered cursed objects far more dangerous than that."
Ging shook his head casually. "I'm already used to dealing with such things."
He looked completely calm; he was not lying, and there was no point in pretending.
[I'm fine as well. In the network world, nothing can affect me.]
Ickshonpe raised a cardboard sign beside them.
"Alright then."
Trusting them, Luke nodded and took out the Stone of Seven Emotions and Six Desires.
And like the two had implied… Bzzt!
The moment the stone appeared, it impatiently released its radiance.
This time, it had learned from previous failures.
Knowing its power was useless on Luke, it completely ignored him and instead targeted the other two.
If it couldn't affect the guy holding it, it could at least influence someone else, right?
Luke watched with interest, and then… the scene shocked the stone again.
The radiance approached the slovenly man, but it couldn't break through his defense.
A thin layer of aura wrapped around Ging like a protective film.
The radiance could not get past it, couldn't even touch him, much less affect him.
As for the graffiti-faced man beside him… the light did cover him, but it made no difference.
In the perception of the Stone of Seven Emotions and Six Desires, beneath that painted face, it couldn't sense any emotional fluctuation at all.
Stone of Seven Emotions and Six Desires: "...?"
What kind of monsters are these people?! Why are none of them affected?
Aren't humans supposed to be emotionally rich creatures?!
Why did it keep encountering freaks?!
The stone trembled violently, the buzzing grew louder, and then it completely stopped.
Its glow faded and vanished.
"What happened? Did it use up too much energy?"
Ging examined the stone with curiosity.
"No, I think it's... emotionally broken."
Luke said thoughtfully, recognizing that familiar state.
If the stone were a person, this would be the exact same state as giving up on everything.
Considering that the stone feeds on emotions and uses emotions to control others, its having a mental breakdown was actually very normal.
"So it has emotions similar to humans?"
Ging showed interest. "In that case, it's even more interesting."
"If we study it seriously, we might discover a simpler method to give emotions to non-living things."
Simpler... Luke glanced at Ging.
That wording implied that Ging already had some method to give emotions to dead objects, just that it was more complicated than the stone's ability.
Indeed, Ging had deep foundations... Even methods like that.
Luke silently sighed once more.
"If you're interested, take it and study it."
Luke casually tossed the now-dim stone to Ging.
Ging caught it without hesitation.
"When I get results, I'll give you a copy."
A simple deal was struck.
But then... after storing the stone, Ging looked toward the Restoring Beam in Luke's hand.
"Using this is simple..."
Luke explained how to operate the device.
"I can lend it to you to restore ruins…"
Luke paused as Ging's eyes lit up more and more.
"But the achievements from restoring the ruins must include my share."
"No problem!"
Ging agreed instantly, as if afraid Luke would change his mind.
He stared at the lamp in Luke's hand with unhidden greed.
Even Ickshonpe could see the word, coveting, written all over his face.
Since entering the room, Ging's expression had barely changed, revealing nothing.
But after learning the lamp's function, he could no longer hide his excitement.
This showed just how valuable this gadget was to him.
In fact, to secure it further, Ging continued: "You want achievements because you're applying for Hunter Star, right?"
"You took care of the Kute Gang of Thieves. That's enough to qualify you for a Single-Star ranking as a Blacklist Hunter."
"I'll also report your achievements in restoring ruins. That will count for the Ruin Hunter field as well."
"With achievements in multiple fields, you meet the requirements to be promoted to Double-Star."
"You need achievements right now, don't you?"
Ging continued without hesitation: "I don't know what your goal is, but I can guarantee..."
"Single-Star, Double-Star, if you need it, I can help you. I can even help you acquire the achievements to reach Triple-Star."
A guarantee from Ging.
It sounded extremely reliable.
Don't be fooled by him only being a Double-Star Hunter himself; that was merely because he couldn't be bothered applying for Triple-Star.
He already had the strength, qualifications, and achievements.
This wasn't empty talk; he could actually make it happen.
"Then I'll thank you in advance."
Luke smiled. "But for now, Double-Star is enough."
"And you're right about one thing..."
Luke met Ging's eyes.
"I really do need achievements to accomplish some of my own goals."
Luke only needs to meet the requirements of becoming a Double–Star Hunter to qualify for the position of Vice-Chairman of the Hunter Association.
As for the other two requirements, Chairman Netero can help him fulfill them.
Therefore, the reason he came to find Ging Freecss was mainly to pave the way for his Double–Star Hunter evaluation.
By giving him the Restoring Beam, Luke could also conveniently share in the achievements.
"Double-Star Hunter, huh? Understood."
Ging Freecss didn't even blink.
In almost an instant, he understood many things: "So that's why you took action against the Kute Gang of Thieves, using the merit from capturing them to exchange for achievements. Although I don't know why you suddenly care about earning this ranking..."
Ging nodded. "But if it's just Double-Star, that won't be much of an issue. No problem, leave it to me."
Ging Freecss always had a way of saying things that felt incredibly reassuring and trustworthy.
If anyone else said something like, "It's not a big deal" or "It's a piece of cake," people would assume they were bragging.
After all, the Hunter Star ranking is extremely strict; hundreds of hunters spend their whole lives without even reaching the Single-Star Hunter rank.
The strictness speaks for itself.
But when it comes to Ging Freecss... for him, it really might just be a matter of moving his lips.
"I'll contact you later. I still have things to do on my end, so I'm leaving."
Leaving only that sentence behind, Ging Freecss took the Restoring Beam and the completely broken Stone of Seven Emotions and Six Desires and vanished in a flash.