A large crowd of players had gathered in the city square, forming a wide circle.
Ryker, Gon, and Killua pushed their way through the murmuring crowd to see what had happened. In the center of the clearing lay a grotesque, mangled corpse. The player had been literally blown in half at the waist. Blood painted the cobblestones, and the man's face was frozen in an expression of absolute, agonizing terror.
The sight sent a collective shudder through the surrounding players.
"Brother Ryker! That guy was at the screening with us! I saw him in Battera's waiting room!" Gon gasped, recognizing the face.
"He was totally fine just a few minutes ago..." Killua muttered, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the blast pattern.
Ryker squinted at the corpse. To his amusement, a floating text box still hovered above the dead man's head.
[Target: Cai Kun]
[Traits: {Unlucky Bastard} (Blue), {CQC} (Green), {Nen} (White), {Blown-Up Corpse} (Blue).]
Seriously? 'Blown-Up Corpse' is a blue trait? Ryker almost laughed out loud. The System truly had no filter.
"What a gruesome way to die..."
"He was a foreigner, right? Such a shame..."
"I heard he was just walking normally, and then—BOOM!—his stomach just exploded from the inside out."
The veteran players whispered among themselves, their faces pale.
"Excuse me, but what exactly caused the explosion?" Killua asked the nearest bystander, a bald man.
"No idea, kid. Someone said it was a time bomb," the bald man replied nervously.
"But we only just entered the game a few hours ago. People are already dying? And a corpse like that... it's hard to believe this is just a video game," Gon said, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his cheek.
The gruesome reality of Greed Island was finally setting in for the newer players.
As they watched, the mangled corpse slowly dissolved into digital polygons and vanished from the ground, leaving no trace behind—exactly like a mob despawning in an RPG.
"He disappeared..."
"Does that mean he woke up in the real world? Like, he got a game over and revived?" Gon asked hopefully.
"No. Anyone who dies in this game dies in reality. That is the true, fatal nature of Greed Island. The man whose corpse just vanished is currently a rotting corpse sitting in front of a console in the real world."
A deep, exhausted voice echoed from behind them.
The trio turned to see a tall, scruffy man with heavy bags under his eyes and a thick stubble. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week.
"So... you're saying he was murdered by another player?" Gon asked, his eyes widening.
"Yes. This was the work of a Nen ability. It's a phenomenon we call 'Player Hunting,'" the scruffy man explained grimly.
His words sent a ripple of panic through the crowd of rookies. Since Antokiba was the closest city to the starting point, the majority of the crowd consisted of fresh players.
Ryker looked at the scruffy man with mild amusement. He recognized him instantly. Nickes, the leader of the pacifist alliance.
"But why would players hunt each other? What's the point?" Killua asked, though he already suspected the answer. They had literally just been attacked by two PKers in the starting zone.
"You must have read the rulebook. Every card in this game has a strict global transformation limit," Nickes explained patiently. "The rarer the card, the lower the limit. Once the limit is reached, that item will never turn into a card again. It essentially means that the more players there are, the harder it is to acquire rare cards."
"Conversely, if you kill a player, their Binder and all their collected cards are permanently deleted from the server. This artificially lowers the global card count, freeing up slots for the killers to claim the rare cards for themselves."
Gon's eyes widened in realization. "I get it... so there are players who specialize in killing others just to increase their own chances of winning."
"Exactly," Nickes nodded. "But my alliance operates differently. We believe in overcoming the game's limits through sheer numbers and cooperation. We absolutely refuse to kill or shed blood. And more importantly... we know the exact, surefire method to clear the game."
Nickes looked at Gon and Killua, flashing a warm, inviting smile. "Would you boys like to join us?"
He then noticed that both boys immediately turned their heads to look at the older teenager standing behind them. Realizing that Ryker was the leader of the group, Nickes quickly shifted his polite smile to Ryker.
How utterly pathetic, Ryker thought, maintaining a neutral expression.
A herd of sheep hoping to win a death game through pacifism and sheer numbers. Their ideology completely contradicted the fundamental rules of Greed Island—a game built by Hunters, for Hunters. It was a world governed by the law of the jungle. Their failure was an absolute certainty.
But Ryker's lips curled into a faint smile.
According to his canon knowledge, Nickes' alliance was the exact group that the Bomberhad infiltrated. For five years, the Bomber had hidden among these pacifists, slowly and methodically planting invisible Nen bombs on every single member of the alliance.
Ryker was highly interested in the Bomber's traits. Even if the ability wasn't perfectly suited for him, a high-tier Gold trait was always good food for the System. And Nickes was basically offering to walk him right to the target.
"He says he knows how to clear the game, Brother Ryker!" Gon said excitedly.
"We need to be careful," Killua warned, his assassin instincts flaring. "If I had to guess, this guy has been watching us since we spawned."
"I wouldn't call it 'watching,'" Nickes corrected gently. "Because of the nature of our alliance, we monitor the starting zone for every new batch of players. We only recruit honest, kind-hearted players who won't attack others. You three fit our criteria perfectly. I sincerely hope you will join us. You'll find many like-minded friends in our ranks."
Nickes' sincerity was almost palpable.
"We don't force anyone to join," Nickes added quickly. "Come to our base, meet the others, and hear our plan. If you like what you hear, you can stay. If not, you are free to leave. Furthermore, even if you decline, we will freely share some of our compiled intelligence on the game with you as a gesture of goodwill."
"Well, since you're offering free intel, it would be rude to refuse," Ryker smiled smoothly. "Lead the way."
The group left the city square and headed toward the alliance's base. Along the way, Nickes explained the history of their group and how they operated. He also admitted that he knew Gon and Killua were rookies because they hadn't reflexively summoned their Binders when he approached them.
Shortly After. The Alliance Headquarters.
They arrived at a massive, open-air courtyard located inside an abandoned church.
Dozens of players were already gathered there. Most of them were the fresh recruits hired by Battera, but there were also several veteran players mingling with the crowd.
Ryker scanned the room. His eyes locked onto a specific figure, and a subtle flash of predatory delight crossed his face.
"Is this everyone? What about the duo?" Nickes asked another veteran player who was acting as a recruiter.
"They refused. Didn't even want to hear the pitch," the other recruiter sighed.
"I see," Nickes nodded.
"Alright, let's get started then."
A tall, incredibly thin man with angular features, spiky blonde hair, and rectangular glasses stepped up to a makeshift podium. He wore a white coat over a blue turtleneck. He carried himself with an air of authority and meticulous calm.
"Earlier today, a player from your batch was murdered," the blonde man addressed the crowd, his voice projecting clearly. "And as these three new arrivals witnessed firsthand, the victim's body exploded."
The blonde man gestured toward Ryker's group. "This was the work of the infamous serial killer known only as... The Bomber."
The name sent a chill through the rookie players. The rumors of the Bomber had been circulating widely over the past few weeks.
Ryker watched the blonde man with immense amusement, his lips curling into a knowing smirk.
"Let me ease your minds regarding the mechanics of this game," the blonde man continued smoothly. "The player who died was not killed by an in-game Spell Card. There are absolutely no Spell Cards in Greed Island capable of inflicting direct physical harm or death. There are exactly 40 types of spells, categorized into movement, defense, and theft..."
The man proceeded to give a highly detailed, incredibly accurate lecture on the game's mechanics, spell limits, and safety protocols.
His thorough explanation instantly won over the rookies. To players who had been thrust into a death game completely blind, this bespectacled veteran felt like a godsend—a wise, benevolent mentor guiding them through the darkness. Several of the female players even blushed, clearly enamored by his calm confidence.
Nickes chimed in from the side, detailing their plan to monopolize the cards and split Battera's 50 Billion Jenny reward equally among all members.
The combination of safety, free information, and the promise of guaranteed billions was an intoxicating lure. The atmosphere in the courtyard grew fervent, and nearly every single rookie happily agreed to join the alliance.
"Excellent! Welcome to the team!" the blonde man smiled warmly. "I promise you, as long as you are part of this alliance, we will protect each other. You don't have to worry about the Bomber or anyone else."
"Rest easy. The Bomber will never touch you!"
The blonde man walked through the crowd, personally welcoming the new recruits. He patted a young rookie on the shoulder.
"Thank you, sir! Thank God we found this group!" the rookie beamed, flushing with excitement and relief.
"May God bless you. The Bomber won't come anywhere near you," the blonde man repeated, moving to the next person and patting their shoulder as well.
He repeated this exact phrase, placing his hand on the shoulder of every single new recruit.
Eventually, he approached Ryker, Gon, and Killua.
He reached out, his hand aiming for Gon's shoulder, a perfectly practiced, benevolent smile on his face. "Rest easy, kids. With us around, you don't need to fear the Bomber—"
Grab.
Before the man's hand could touch Gon, Ryker's hand shot out like a viper, clamping onto the man's wrist with an iron grip.
"Heh," Ryker chuckled softly.
The blonde man froze. A flicker of genuine shock crossed his angular features.
The surrounding rookies, who had just been singing this man's praises, looked at Ryker with confusion and mild hostility. Why was this new guy grabbing their mentor? Even Nickes looked surprised and stepped forward to intervene.
Ryker didn't look at the crowd. He kept his eyes locked on the blonde man, his gaze piercing through the facade.
[Target: Genthru (The Bomber)]
[Traits: {Bomber: Countdown} (Gold), {Deception} (Gold), {Absolute Affinity} (Gold), {CQC} (Purple), {Concealed Weapons} (Purple), etc.]
Ryker had to admit, Genthru's act was absolutely brilliant.
Genthru's Nen ability, [Countdown], required him to physically touch a target and say the word "Bomber" to plant an invisible, lethal time bomb.
By pretending to be a benevolent mentor comforting the new recruits, he was literally walking through the crowd, touching them, and saying "The Bomber won't hurt you"—perfectly fulfilling the activation conditions for his ability without anyone realizing it.
"Is something wrong, young man?" Genthru asked, his eyes flashing with a cold, momentary darkness before returning to his warm, friendly smile. "Are you still worried about the Bomber?"
Genthru heavily emphasized the word 'Bomber', trying to trigger the bomb on Ryker through the physical contact Ryker had initiated.
"Oh?" Ryker tilted his head, his smile widening into a terrifying grin. "When you say 'Bomber'... are you referring to yourself?"
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