Hunter × Hunter Chapter 338: Up in the Trees

Informational panels detail the dangers of climbing the World Tree. An elevator and stairs exist only up to the 500-meter point; beyond that climbers must sign a contract and pay a fee. Statistics reveal that around 3000 people attempt the climb yearly, but 94% fail to reach 1000 meters and only about 30 succeed annually. Rescue costs are high for those who fall. In the town, Gon, Killua, and Alluka stand together excitedly. Killua thanks Gon for everything. The group then parts ways, with Gon and Alluka walking ahead while Killua watches them go, saying they will meet again at the top.

On a traditional Japanese street lined with wooden buildings, Gon, Killua, and Alluka stand facing one another. A voice exclaims, "WHAT!? IS THAT TRUE!?" Alluka continues, "OH, AND BY THE WAY SHE'S THE PERSON WHO HEALED YOU. AND I CAN SAY THAT I'M ABLE TO STAY WITH ALLUKA FROM NOW ON BECAUSE I TRAVELED WITH YOU... WELL YOU ALREADY APOLOGIZED TO ME ANYWAY." In a dark panel, someone recalls, "THIS DOESNT INVOLVE YOU" I WAS PRETTY BUMMED OUT" and "WELL" WHEN YOU TOLD ME "I'LL DO IT MYSELF" AND." Alluka sobs, "big brother! *sob* im truly sorry!" Gon replies, "SURE." Alluka asks, "ALLUKA, CAN I CALL NANIKA?" Gon answers that he has complicated family issues and too many people know. He shouts, "YOU SHOULDVE TOLD ME EARLIER! WHY AT THIS TIMING!?" Alluka explains, "BECAUSE OF THIS CRAZY ABILITY SHE WAS TRAPPED INSIDE THE HOUSE" and "HER ABILITY/POWER IS THAT SHE'LL GRANT ME ANYTHING I ASK HER FOR." Gon reacts with surprise as Alluka adds, "AND I'M PREPARED TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE PROTECTING HER. SHE WAS ABLE TO COME OUT LIKE THIS BECAUSE OF YOU."

Killua tells Gon, "IF YOU'RE HERE ANY LONGER... ...I CANT" Gon responds quietly, "...YEAH" In a dramatic panel with speed lines, Killua declares, "I CANT THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH!" and "NO WAY! YEAH WE'RE THE ONES WHO SHOULD BE THANKFUL." Killua continues, "ALRIGHT, I'M COUNTING ON YOU AND I DO OWE YOU ALOT- NOTIFY ME IF ANYTHING EVER HAPPENS. I'LL DO THE SAME. ALRIGHT! ME TOO WELL, I'LL HIT YOU UP EVERY NOW AND THEN I'M GONNA GO TRAVEL TO MANY PLACES WITH ALLUKA." Gon smiles and says, "WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE FRIENDS! KATIO WAS SAYING IT TOO! WHERE EVER WE ARE" while making a peace sign. Alluka waves cheerfully beside him. Gon finishes with a big grin, "YOU GOT IT."

Alluka stands with Gon and Killua on a quiet street. She smiles and says, "SHE'S A GOOD SISTER HUH? SORRY BUT YOU'RE NUMBER 2." Killua replies, "WAIT A SEC, I'M THE ONE WHO'S PLAYING WITH YOU." Alluka continues, "PLEASE COME PLAY WITH HIM AGAIN." Gon answers, "I'M GOING TO HUG MY BROTHER FOR A WHILE BUT AFTER THAT I'LL LET HIM GO." Alluka adds, "TO BE HONEST I WANT TO GO WITH YOU BUT ALLUKA IS HERE AND YOU HAVEN'T TALKED WITH YOUR DAD PRIVATELY YET. MAYBE ANOTHER TIME." Killua says, "OK GIVE YOUR DAD MY GREETINGS." Someone laughs, "HAHAHA." Gon and Killua both exclaim "WELL!" with bright, determined faces. The scene shifts to their feet pounding forward amid speed lines as Gon shouts, "SEE YOU LATER!" Close-ups show Gon's spiky hair and intense eyes alongside Killua's focused profile as they race ahead.

Gon stands before a registration desk holding a small card. He says, "RIGHT THIS WAY" and "MY APOLOGIES." The clerk asks, "A PRO HUNTER AT THIS AGE!?" Gon inquires, "AND YOU NEED SOME TYPE OF SPECIAL SKILL OR LICENSE..... WHAT IS THIS?" The clerk replies, "YOU WANT TO CLIMB THE TREE? NO WAY! THE AGE LIMIT IS 18." Gon reads the contract and notes, "EVEN THE PRESIDENT HAS TO SIGN THIS BASICALLY SAYS THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU FALL AND DIE." The clerk adds, "OH, SIGN THESE CONTRACTS JUST IN CASE." The scene cuts to Gon standing at the base of an enormous tree trunk at night, mountains stretching behind him under a starry sky. Large SFX letters appear around the tree. An old man with a beard tells Gon, "THE ONE WHO'S AT THE SUMMIT RIGHT NOW WAS LIKE THAT. THE ONES WHO CAN ACTUALLY CLIMB IT GO BEAR HANDED. DON'T FOLLOW ANYTHING LIKE TRACKS THAT PREVIOUS VOYAGERS LEFT. I'LL GIVE YOU AN ADVICE."

A bearded man in a turban smiles and reassures Gon that the rescue team is top class and can hold on for ten minutes if needed. He points to a button and adds that if Gon cannot handle it anymore he should just press it. Gon grins widely and replies "ALRIGHT, THANK YOU!!" before the scene shifts to a vast wooden platform high above the clouds. The turbaned man suddenly reacts with shock, shouting "HUH!?" as he notices Gon has already begun moving. The man leans over the edge yelling "HEY!" and "HEY!" while Gon sprints away across the platform. A circular panel shows the man realizing "DID HE FA...." The view drops dramatically downward, revealing Gon already far below on the massive trunk. An unseen observer gasps "THAT HIGH!" and another voice notes "AL-READY...."

Gon clings to the side of an enormous tree whose trunk stretches endlessly upward. A speech bubble states "GOT A LONG WAY TO GO" as motion lines emphasize the sheer scale. Gon swings from branch to branch, calling "there we go" and "alright" while ascending. Close-ups show his hands gripping the bark. Narration reveals that as soon as his fingers touch the surface he can sense life there and tell that he is connected with the entire tree. Another caption declares "THIS TREE IS AMAZING! I CAN COMPLETELY RELY MY BODY ON IT" as Gon continues his rapid climb, the background showing only swirling clouds and distant branches far below.

Gon clings desperately to the massive trunk of the World Tree, sweat and strain visible on his face. A faint voice echoes in his mind: "HELP... ME...." He grits his teeth and pushes onward, thinking, "I CAN DO IT!!" Below him, a small figure clings to a distant branch while a man in a striped shirt hangs precariously from a rope. Gon continues climbing, muttering, "IF I KEEP TRACING THE TREE LIKE THIS AND MOVE ON...." Suddenly a helicopter-like craft with a large propeller flies past him through the sky. Gon loses his grip and tumbles through the air before catching himself again. He reaches a ledge and peers over it with wide eyes. The summit ahead reveals a bizarre, enormous tree-like structure rising from the clouds. Gon grips the bark tightly and thinks, "JUST A LITTLE MORE." A thought bubble notes, "THE SUMMIT IS A BIT STRANGE."

Ging stands with one hand on his hip, the other raised near his face, and declares, "I GOT TIRED OF WAITING." Gon stares up in shock, his eyes enormous and round. Strange round bird-like creatures with large eyes and beaks fill a woven basket-like structure, emitting sounds "びよ" and "びよよ." Gon sits on the edge of the basket, exclaiming "HUH" and "WHA..." A tiny figure of Gon stands inside the basket among the creatures. Ging's boots are visible at the bottom of the panel as Gon looks up and reacts with "OH!" and "GIN....!"

A young boy with spiky hair thanks someone and takes a small round object to eat. He asks how many minutes it took to reach the 500 meter point from the clouds. Standing by the water's edge he exclaims at the view. Two large round creatures with many eyes float beside him and comment that the clouds look like the sea on a cloudy day. The boy agrees it is a good view. Far below on a tall pole rising from dark water sits a large nest filled with smaller round creatures. The boy calls out to Gin and asks if he can ask something, warning he might not get an answer.

Young Ging stares ahead with a serious expression and states he guesses it is something he cannot see in front of him. He recalls that at the time a Hunter was the most realistic way to reach the place he wanted. He explains that no one would invest a large amount of money without wanting some record or award. In reality the situation was said to be impossible to investigate. It involved a trusted group paid out of pocket with terms that never spoke of it. That place was made to be a grave for a certain royal class. Since becoming a pro Hunter money would not be a problem. Ging saw this as an opportunity. He was looking for unique people who did not need money or reputation and just wanted the truth. Two years before obtaining his license he pushed his luck with archaeology websites and blogs. At age fifteen he received permission and investigated and reformed that royal grave.

Gon stares forward with wide eyes in a small panel. In the next, a close-up shows a man with stubble speaking intently. "THEN I SUPPOSE I'LL TALK MORE," he says, followed by "YOU DON'T GET IT HUH." Gon continues his story in a wide panel, running along a swirling path while speech bubbles declare, "EVEN IF THE THING THAT 'I WANT' IS SOMETHING I DONT CARE ABOUT" and "I'M CONSTANTLY AFTER SOMETHING THAT I WANT." Smaller panels depict Gon as a child standing with older people by the water. "THEY WERE PEOPLE LIKE AVERAGE OFFICE WORKERS, COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND PEOPLE WHO WORK PART TIME," the narration reads, "EVERYONE WHO I MET ONLINE AND GOT TO KNOW WERE OLDER THAN ME." The scene shifts to a cluttered desk covered in coins and papers. "THEY STARTED RESEARCHING ABOUT IT A LOT AND EVEN DONATED TO ME FROM THEIR SMALL SALARIES," one bubble explains, while another adds, "WHEN I TOLD THEM MY PLAN AND BACKGROUND." A grayscale panel shows a uniformed man with a badge grinning and shaking hands. "BUT THE MOMENT I LOOKED AT MY COMRADES FACES AND SHOOK THEIR HANDS," he states, "NOT THAT I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE 'TRUTH' THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR." Gon appears again with a neutral expression. The final panel reveals a long, dark hallway with silhouettes in the distance. "WHAT I WAS MOST HAPPY ABOUT WAS" and "AFTER MY DREAM CAME TRUE AND THE MOMENT I TOOK MY FIRST STEP INSIDE" appear in the bubbles.

A close-up shows Gon with spiky hair and stubble, speaking intensely. "COMPARED TO THESE GUYS THE TRUTH THE I FOUND IS JUST A SMALL ADDITION," he says, followed by "TO THIS DAY THOSE GUYS GIVE ME LIVE INFORMATION OF THEMSELVES." Smaller panels show Gon and Killua by the water with birds flying. "CAME BEFORE WHAT I WANTED" and "WHAT WAS IMPORTANT" appear in bubbles. Gon turns to Killua and says, "I'M GONNA NEED A LITTLE EXPLAINING," while Killua replies, "RIGHT HUH? WHAT'RE YOU AFTER NOW?" They sit on rocks as Gon asks, "WHAT ABOUT NOW?" A small tree stands in the landscape. "IT'S THE WORLD TREE RIGHT?" Gon states. Killua questions, "WHAT IS THIS TREE THAT WE CLIMBED?" In the final row, Gon stands with his back to the viewer. "THAT 'ISNT' WRONG" and "HM?" are exchanged. Killua asks about the tree's height. Gon turns with a surprised expression, "THATS RIGHT," confirming, "HOW WERE THEY EXPLAINING THE TREE DOWN THERE?" and noting it is not the tallest at 1784 meters.

Gon stares in surprise at the image of a small, stunted tree and blurts out 'HUH?'. The narration reveals that this is a young tree that stopped growing. However, the 'truth' of this tree is that it is a tree that didn't get enough nutrients. Ging explains that therefore a world tree that 'only grew this much'. A vast cross-section reveals the true scale of a real world tree: it puts its roots on a mountain range, surpasses the atmosphere and becomes even bigger, and intakes magma.

Large letters declare 'OUTSIDE' and 'AT THIS WORLDS' above a horizon line. Gon, looking at a world map, asks 'THE WORLD MAP THAT YOU EVEN KNOW' and 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS WORLD?'. A chaotic illustration shows the ants that Gon and the Chairman fought, revealed as aliens that came from the outside. The narration states it is the truth that they don't teach you at school. A massive Pandora's Box appears with the note that adults with common sense actually don't want to touch Pandora's Box.

Gon stares intently from the right-side panels, his spiky hair framing a determined face. "Do you get it now?" he asks. "What I've wanted hasn't changed since then." A close-up shows his intense expression as he continues, "He keeps pursuing... to the very end of the world!" and adds, "'Something' that I can't see in front of me." Narration boxes explain: "The chosen ones from a certain era from a certain place" and "Have records of when they went to the 'outside'." A large spread reveals a vast, fantastical landscape filled with bizarre creatures, ruins, floating islands, and twisted terrain. Speech bubbles overlay the scene: "It's only a small part" and "The world as we know it, is not a ridiculously large one." The page ends with the Hunter × Hunter logo and "NO.338 / END."

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