"A Two-Star Hunter?!"
The old butler stared at the license, dumbfounded.
Since the Master had announced the recruitment drive, plenty of so-called professionals had walked through these gates. Most were weeded out instantly, leaving only a handful of candidates. But this... a Two-Star Hunter? And so young?
This kid is a monster.
The butler's attitude shifted instantly. A Hunter License was more than just plastic; it was a universal key. It was like a degree from a premier university—it didn't guarantee you were the smartest person in the room, but without it, that door remained locked. No one with a brain cell left in their head would dare forge a license like this. The Hunter Association's investigative division was not something you courted unless you had a death wish.
Inside the Nostrade Manor.
Several candidates were already waiting in the lavishly decorated main hall.
Among them stood a familiar face—Kurapika. Over the past six months, he had followed the threads of his destiny, awakening his Nen and honing it into a weapon with a singular purpose: the annihilation of the Phantom Troupe.
He was here with the resolve of a martyr. The Nostrade Family, a top-tier mafia organization, offered the perfect cover. As a bodyguard, he would gain direct access to the Yorknew City Auction, the very place the Spiders were predicted to strike. It was the perfect stage for his vengeance.
"They actually made us wait this long? Talk about arrogant," sneered Tocino, a lanky young man who looked more like a malnourished monkey than a warrior.
"Ah, there is no need for haste. Beautiful things require patience," mused Basho, a burly man in a vest who seemed more interested in composing haikus than guarding mafia princelings.
Beside them stood Melody, a bald, rodent-like figure with the gentle voice of a young woman, and Baise, the seductress. A collection of named characters and cannon fodder, all gathered for the promise of high-stakes employment.
At the front of the room, a large monitor displayed a live feed. On the screen sat Dalzollene, the leader of the bodyguard unit, legs crossed, exuding an air of weary authority.
"Captain Dalzollene, there is one final applicant. I ask that you wait a moment longer," the old butler announced as he led Ryker into the hall.
Dalzollene frowned, his eyes cold. "Didn't I say we were done recruiting? We have enough people."
"Oh? Well, look at this handsome little brother~" Baise chimed in, her eyes lighting up. She adjusted her posture, offering Ryker a welcoming, predatory smile.
The other applicants turned their heads. Melody, however, froze.
"Brother Ryker!"
Kurapika's composure cracked, replaced by genuine excitement. "Brother Ryker! You're applying too? I didn't expect to see you until the auction started."
"Kurapika. It seems fortune favors us," Ryker said, walking forward with a polite, easy smile. "I was just passing through. I heard tickets for the auction are impossible to acquire now, but bodyguards get automatic entry. So, here I am."
"Heh. You're joining a security detail just to scalp tickets?" Dalzollene's voice crackled through the speakers, dripping with disdain. "That is hardly the mindset of a professional. Our team is already—"
"Captain Dalzollene!" the butler interrupted, his voice trembling slightly. "This gentleman is a Two-Star Professional Hunter!"
What?
Dalzollene swallowed the insult sitting on the tip of his tongue. The atmosphere in the room shifted from boredom to shock.
"A Two-Star Hunter? That's... absurd. He's so young," Melody whispered.
Her hearing was absolute. She had been monitoring the heartbeats of everyone in the room. Kurapika's was steady, but this newcomer... Ryker's heartbeat was terrifyingly calm. It was a rhythm so stable it felt unnatural. Yet, beneath that calm, she sensed a crushing pressure—a primal warning screaming at her to run.
He's not lying. He is a monster.
"A Two-Star Hunter lowering himself to be a bodyguard?" Squala, the man tending to a pack of dogs, looked at Ryker with suspicion. "The Association pays guys like him a fortune. Why work for the mafia? Unless he really is just here for the tickets..."
"Incredible," Basho muttered. "A true prodigy."
"So handsome~" Baise's interest had now doubled. A young, powerful, high-ranking Hunter? His future was limitless.
"Heh. Two stars, implies implies?" Dalzollene regained his composure, though his tone was defensive. "We've had people claim to be Three-Star Hunters before. Anyone can forge a card. I don't care about your plastic. The minimum requirement here is strength. If you want the job, you have to survive leaving this room!"
Dalzollene sneered, his eyes locking onto Ryker through the screen.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of automatic gunfire erupted without warning.
Baise shrieked, grabbing the unlucky butler and pulling him in front of her as a human shield. The other applicants scrambled, deploying their Nen abilities to deflect or dodge.
From the shadows of the hall, a squad of cloaked figures had materialized, firing indiscriminately into the group. They didn't care about collateral damage—even the old servant was fair game.
"Sigh... How cold-blooded," Ryker remarked, his voice barely rising above a whisper.
Kurapika reacted instantly, his chains materializing on his right hand. He stepped in front of Ryker, his instinct to protect his friend overriding his logic. He knew Ryker was strong, but loyalty moved faster than thought.
"It's fine, Kurapika."
Ryker stepped out from behind the Kurta.
The scene that followed froze the blood of every applicant in the room.
The hail of bullets—dozens of rounds of high-velocity lead—stopped dead in mid-air. They hovered inches from Kurapika's face, inches from the terrified eyes of the old butler. They hung suspended in the space before Ryker, quivering slightly, trapped in an invisible web.
If time had moved forward even a single second, the butler would have been shredded meat. Now, he just stared, cross-eyed, at the copper jacket of a bullet hovering before his nose.
"This kind of testing method is incredibly childish," Ryker said, shaking his head. "And using an elderly man as collateral? Truly tasteless."
The room went silent.
"Too... too weird! The bullets just stopped! What kind of ability is that?"
"Impossible..."
"Gulp. Is this the power of a Two-Star Hunter?"
"Kurapika," Ryker said, ignoring the gaping crowd and patting the boy on the shoulder. "Not bad. You haven't wasted your time. Your strength has improved significantly."
Ryker's eyes narrowed slightly as the System interface flickered in his peripheral vision. A new entry had appeared in Kurapika's data.
[Trait Detected: Vow and Limitation (Red)]
Red quality. Impressive.
This was why the protagonists of this world were called "Children of Destiny." Ordinary people hit a ceiling; their Traits were fixed at birth. But people like Kurapika? Their resolve, their suffering, and the timeline itself birthed new, transcendent abilities.
Ryker didn't covet this specific Trait—the cost was too high, a shackle he didn't need. But eventually... perhaps he would farm it just to crush it down for raw experience points. He wasn't desperate enough to burn down the forest for a single sapling.
"Let's change the game," Ryker said, looking at the cloaked gunmen. "This is boring."
He raised a hand and flicked his finger.
Snap.
The wall of suspended bullets reversed direction instantly.
Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip!
The sound of tearing flesh filled the hall. The cloaked figures didn't even have time to scream before they were riddled with their own ammunition. Half of them dropped instantly.
But Ryker had intentionally left the other half alive. The surviving shadows paused, seemingly confused, before receiving a mental command. They drew blades and charged, a silent wave of black cloth and steel.
"Hey!" The other applicants scrambled to form a defensive line.
Ryker didn't move his feet. He simply extended his hand toward the crowd of applicants.
[Psychokinesis: Universal Pull]
Tocino, the lanky "monkey," yelped as an invisible force yanked him off his feet. He flew through the air, straight toward Ryker.
Thwack.
Ryker caught him by the throat, holding him aloft like a ragdoll.
"Wait—!" Tocino choked.
Ryker turned, positioning Tocino's body directly in the path of the charging shadows. The sword-wielding assassins, reacting to the presence of their master, tried to divert their strikes—but Ryker shoved Tocino forward.
Then, he executed his favorite move.
The Slam.
Ryker swung Tocino downward with catastrophic force.
BOOM!
Tocino didn't even scream. His head hit the marble floor first. It exploded like a dropped watermelon.
Red mist sprayed across the pristine tiles. The body went limp in Ryker's grip.
Ryker tossed the headless corpse aside like a bag of trash.
The moment Tocino died, the remaining black-cloaked attackers seized up. Like balloons losing air, they collapsed, shriveling rapidly until only empty black robes and weapons remained on the floor.
"Nen puppets!" Basho shouted.
"Wait... that implies..." Squala stared at the headless body. "Tocino is dead?!"
"Too... too cruel. He didn't even say a word, just killed him!"
The applicants stared at Ryker with undisguised horror.
On the screen, Captain Dalzollene's face twitched violently. Tocino was his man—a trusted subordinate placed in the group to thin the herd. His ability to create eleven autonomous puppets was invaluable for security.
And Ryker had just smashed him into paste.
Damn it! This guy... he's completely out of control! Dalzollene felt rage boiling in his gut, but it was quickly smothered by a cold layer of fear. Ryker's power was overwhelming.
[DING! You have killed Tocino. Plundering Traits...]
[DING! Success. Acquired: {Multiple Nen Clones} (Blue), {Manipulation Talent} (Blue), {Disguise} (Blue).]
[System: {Manipulation Talent} (Blue) has automatically fused into {Manipulation Mastery} (Gold).]
[System: {Disguise} (Blue) has automatically fused into {Super Copy} (Gold).]
[System: {Multiple Nen Clones} detected. Fusing with {Minor Five Elements Clone} (Gold)...]
[Evolution Complete. Ability Upgraded to: {Multiple Minor Five Elements Clone} (Gold).]
The notifications rang in Ryker's mind like a symphony.
Oh?
Ryker smirked, adjusting his collar.
I didn't expect a small fry to drop such good loot. What a pleasant surprise.
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