"L-Lord Ryker..."
The target was a tall, lean man with dark skin, dark hair, and calm eyes. When he saw Ryker walking directly toward him, his expression shifted slightly, but he didn't run.
The other surviving candidates immediately scrambled out of the way, practically pressing themselves against the walls. After witnessing Ryker casually knock out hundreds of elite Hunters with pure aura, everyone understood that this young man was an absolute god of death. Even Tsezguerra, a Single-Star Hunter, was treating him like an emperor.
Ryker's eyes focused on the floating text above the man's head.
[Target: Abengane]
[Traits: {Nen Exorcist} (Gold), {Photographic Memory} (Purple), {Absolute Calm} (Purple), etc.]
Ryker's heart leaped.
A Nen Exorcist!
In the entire world of Hunter x Hunter, Nen Exorcists were rarer than unicorns. Their abilities were arguably more scarce than Ryker's own [Lucky Star] trait.
According to Ryker's memories of the canon timeline, Abengane was essentially one-of-a-kind. He was the exact man Chrollo Lucilfer would eventually seek out to remove Kurapika's Judgment Chain from his heart.
What a massive stroke of luck. The only Nen Exorcist in Yorknew City practically delivered himself right to my doorstep during a job interview, Ryker thought, an amused smile playing on his lips.
Fate worked in mysterious ways.
"Greetings. My name is Abengane. How may I be of service, Sir?" the tall man asked politely.
Thanks to his [Absolute Calm] (Purple) trait, Abengane remained vastly more composed than the other survivors. Even facing down Ryker, he kept his voice steady.
Ryker didn't say a word. He just casually raised his hand and flicked his finger.
FWOOSH!
Before anyone could blink, an invisible bullet of compressed air struck Abengane squarely in the chest.
"Gah—!"
Abengane was launched backward, sliding across the polished marble floor until he slammed into a pillar.
[DING! You defeated Abengane. 10% Random Plunder activated...]
[Failed.]
[DING! {Continuous Lucky Star} (Double Gold) activated. Forced Drop Target: {Nen Exorcist} (Gold).]
A mechanical symphony played in Ryker's mind as a massive influx of esoteric, shamanistic knowledge flooded his brain.
[Trait: Nen Exorcist (Gold)]
[Category: Conjuration]
[Effect: By performing a shamanic ritual involving a 'forest spirit' doll and a campfire, you can conjure a specialized Nen Beast. This beast physically devours hostile Nen curses, bombs, or restrictions placed upon a target, completely nullifying them. The size and grotesque appearance of the Nen Beast scale proportionally to the power and malice of the curse it devours.]
[Restriction: Once the curse is devoured, the Nen Beast will attach itself to the Exorcist. It cannot be dispelled until the Exorcist fulfills the original removal conditions of the curse (e.g., finding the original caster and forcing them to dispel it naturally).]
Ah, so that's the catch, Ryker mused, analyzing the data. It's a bugged, world-breaking ability, but the restriction is heavily annoying.
In canon, Abengane's actual combat power was quite low. That was why Genthru the Bomber easily trapped him with a Countdown bomb. However, Abengane used this exact ability to eat the bomb. The downside was that he had to carry around a massive, grotesque, worm-like Nen Beast on his shoulder to contain the explosion until he could fulfill the condition to dispel it (touching Genthru and saying "I caught the Bomber").
Still, in a world governed by absolute Nen contracts and curses, an ability that explicitly broke those rules was invaluable.
"L-Lord Ryker?!"
Tsezguerra panicked, rushing forward. He thought Abengane had secretly attacked Ryker or done something to offend him. "Did this man disrespect you?!"
"No. I mistook him for someone else," Ryker said dismissively, not even bothering to come up with a good excuse. "Give him ten million Jenny as an apology."
"Y-Yes, My Lord!" Tsezguerra instantly obeyed.
Abengane, who was groggily picking himself up off the floor, froze. He had just been casually flicked across the room, and his immediate compensation was ten million Jenny?
"Holy crap! Ten million?!"
"Lord Ryker! Please, flick me too! I have thick skin! I'll take five million!"
"Hell, I'll take one million!"
"Why did he get hit and not me?!"
The remaining mercenaries instantly grew green with envy. They were risking their lives for a chance at fifty billion, but this guy just got ten million for falling over!
"Ah... thank you, but there is no need for the money," Abengane said respectfully, bowing his head. "It was merely a misunderstanding. Please, pay it no mind."
"Oh?" Ryker raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed.
This guy knows how to read a room. He's ensuring he stays on my good side rather than taking a quick payout. Smart.
"Fine. If he doesn't want it, keep it," Ryker waved a hand. "Tsezguerra, handle the rest of the arrangements."
"Understood, Lord Ryker!" Tsezguerra practically snapped a salute, standing as rigid as a soldier.
Tsezguerra had already done a background check and confirmed Ryker was a Two-Star Hunter (the youngest in history). Combined with the god-like aura he had just demonstrated, Tsezguerra treated him with the absolute deference owed to an Emperor.
"Attention!" Tsezguerra shouted to the eighteen survivors. "As per the contract, anyone who clears the game will receive a 50 Billion Jenny reward. Review your contracts and sign them now! We leave for the launch site at 5:00 PM sharp!"
While the mercenaries were handed thick, heavily regulated legal documents practically binding them to Battera as indentured servants, Tsezguerra personally handed Ryker, Gon, and Killua their contracts.
Ryker's contract was laughably thin. It essentially said: "If you clear the game, Mr. Battera will give you 100 Billion Jenny. No other obligations required." It was the ultimate VIP treatment.
Having finalized the paperwork (and officially ditching Kurapika, Leorio, and the Nostrade bodyguards, who all wisely chose not to enter the death game), the group boarded a privately chartered train.
Several Hours Later. Battera's Castle (The Hub).
Tsezguerra led the twenty-one players into a massive, heavily fortified underground bunker.
Inside, thirty-two JoyStation consoles were perfectly aligned in rows, connected by a tangle of heavy cables. It was a 600-billion-Jenny gaming setup.
"Listen closely," Tsezguerra addressed the group. "These consoles are not independent. They all connect to the exact same server. Think of it as a virtual reality MMO."
Tsezguerra began handing out the Memory Cards required to save their progress.
"Once you log in, you will be greeted by a Game Master who will explain the rules. However, the spawn locations inside the game are randomized. Even though we are entering as a team, we will likely be scattered across the island. You might spawn in a safe zone, or you might spawn in a monster's den. Be prepared for anything."
For the mercenaries of this era, the concept of a "Virtual Reality MMO" was mind-blowing. The internet was still in its infancy in the Hunter world.
But for Ryker, a transmigrator, this was standard fare. Sword Art Online, Ready Player One... he knew the tropes. Except, Greed Island wasn't VR. It was a physical island in the real world, and the consoles just teleported you there.
"Lord Ryker, Gon, and Killua will enter first," Tsezguerra announced. "The rest of you will play rock-paper-scissors to determine the login order."
None of the mercenaries dared object. Ryker's authority was absolute.
"Brother Ryker, we'll go first!" Gon said excitedly, stepping up to a console with Killua.
Both boys activated their Ren, channeling their aura into the consoles. Instantly, their bodies digitized into light and vanished from the room.
Ryker stepped up to the third console.
He placed his hand on the machine and channeled his aura.
VZZZT—!
The moment Ryker's aura connected with the console, a strange, immensely powerful spatial force attempted to grab him and pull him into the portal. However, Ryker's base stats and passive defensive traits were so astronomically high that his body instinctively rejected the teleportation, treating it as a hostile attack. The console began to spark, struggling to process his sheer mass of energy.
Realizing what was happening, Ryker manually suppressed his passive defenses, allowing the game's spatial Nen to envelop him.
In a flash of light, Ryker vanished.
Inside the Game: The Starting Room.
Ryker's login created a localized anomaly.
In the pure white, futuristic starting room of Greed Island, a beautiful young woman wearing a crop top, overalls, and a bizarre metallic headpiece was staring at her control panel in absolute confusion.
Game Master: Eta. (Or her twin sister, Elena. The twins ran the entrance/exit ports).
Just moments ago, she had processed Gon (giving him Ging's recorded message) and Killua.
But when the third player attempted to log in, the system alarms had blared violently for exactly one second before shutting off.
A system error? Eta thought, bewildered. That's impossible. Ging designed this system flawlessly. We haven't had a single glitch in over ten years. Did this new player cause it?
Eta looked up as Ryker's body fully materialized in the room.
She studied him. He looked like an ordinary, albeit handsome, young man. He wasn't radiating any hostile aura.
"Welcome to Greed Island," Eta began her standard NPC greeting, though her eyes remained suspicious.
But Ryker wasn't listening to her greeting.
He was staring directly at her. Or rather, he was staring at the text floating above her head. His eyes widened in genuine surprise, quickly followed by absolute, unbridled excitement.
She wasn't just a receptionist. She was a walking treasure chest.
[Target: Eta (Game Master)]
[Traits: {Global Map Surveillance} (Gold), {Absolute Affinity} (Gold), {Photographic Memory} (Gold), {Sweet Tooth} (Purple), {Loves Beauty Sleep} (Purple), etc.]
Ryker smiled. A very, very dangerous smile.
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