Chapter Ninety: The Treacherous Ally, Advancement, and the Sealing Ritual
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Instance Name: "The World of Togashi"
Instance Difficulty: A
Instance Type: Individual Competition
Players in Instance: 595 junior gamers
Main Quest: Pass the Hunter Exam and become an official Hunter
Quest Hint: Becoming a Hunter is only the beginning
Side Quests: None necessary; survival with full effort is fundamental
Instance Description: Whether they are the strongest in the human world or demons from the demon realm, all are powerful Nen users. The vibrant variety of Nen abilities and the all-powerful Hunters define the essence of this world.
"The World of Togashi" is based primarily on the plot of "Hunter x Hunter," centering on the Hunter Exam as the main setting. It incorporates elements from the "Yu Yu Hakusho" universe and some crossover scenes. Apart from key NPCs, all ranking orders are shuffled. In this instance, all summoned creatures of the players have their equipment and skills temporarily sealed; attribute boosts from items and skills are ineffective, some skills are partially sealed, and detection methods are disabled. During the instance, it is impossible to expend P points to summon. However, new abilities acquired during the instance will not be included in the ability suppression list.
This promotion is a crucial screening for junior gamers. Only those with a certain level of comprehensive strength will be selected for this instance. The mortality rate is extremely high. Those unwilling to continue may choose to forcibly exit, but the cost is a complete reset to their original state, with all attribute points, skills, talents, and summoned creatures restored to the data from when they first entered the main brain space, and initial talents deleted. From now on, players have 60 seconds to decide whether to exit; anyone remaining in the plaza after 60 seconds will be considered as participating in the exam.
Timer Start!
00:00
Hao Ren’s expression darkened. Although the main brain had hinted vaguely before the instance—about skill seals and attribute reductions—he never expected it to be this extreme!
“Summoning Heart,” “Magic Contract,” “NTR,” and “The Knight Never Dies Barehanded” were all grayed out and sealed. “Dimensional Space” retained only its storage function; Crossbell City was frozen in spatial stasis. “Glasses-Wearing Villager A” was reduced to having only the “Eyes Are the Entity” effect unaffected. The only skills not affected were the two non-combat abilities: “Golden Rule” and “Track Shackles.”
Moreover, Shiki and the others were sealed inside the dimensional space as well, though without personal danger, which brought Hao Ren some comfort.
It seemed his previous decision to invest in attributes was quite wise; without the link attribute bonuses, he would likely have been eliminated in the first round.
Suddenly recalling something, Hao Ren ran to a corner, switching from his original white sneakers to a pair of red-and-white running shoes of indeterminate material.
Sixty seconds passed quickly.
The number of junior gamers dropped instantaneously from 595 to 235—more than half fled.
Those who chose to forcibly exit included some who valued their lives (those afraid of death), some indifferent to their skills, attributes, or summoned creatures, and others who simply wanted to reset their gaming lives. Reloading was no issue for them.
As for guys like Hao Ren who stayed, they either had confidence in themselves or reasons they could not abandon.
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Yes, if I give up here, Shiki and the others will...
Hao Ren, who had never truly tried hard since birth, felt a strong resolve filling his mind:
“Win!”
...
“Time’s up. A total of 235 players, including NPCs, participated. Including NPCs, 640 candidates are taking the exam. Random number tags will now be generated. The instance task officially begins.”
As the main brain’s voice faded, each player found a round number tag appearing on their chest. Meanwhile, the previously motionless NPCs began to move.
Curious, Hao Ren looked at his own chest: Number 213.
...
Hao Ren, what did you do to the main brain? What kind of grudge is this?
Just as he was about to take things seriously, the main brain dealt him a crushing blow.
“Why not add one? Why not add one...” muttering with face in hands.
At that moment, a shrill bell rang throughout the vast space. A mouthless man with two curled mustaches appeared, descending slowly from at least ten meters high, turning off the alarm doll in his hand.
Everyone instinctively cleared a large area.
“Then, the Hunter Exam officially begins. Please follow me,” said the mouthless man as he turned and walked toward the long, dark, and deep corridor.
While everyone’s attention focused on the chief examiner, Hao Ren lowered his hand from his face and began scanning for key figures.
There was Kurapika, the androgynous blond blue-eyed beauty; the energetic spiky-haired dimensional child Gon; the teenage man with sunglasses, Leorio; the petite silver-haired cat-eyed assassin Killua; and, in a sense more dangerous than the Hunter Exam itself, the perverted magician Hisoka—who had already broken two people.
One half-embedded in the wall screaming for help—probably an original NPC—and another was a player wearing engineer combat armor who had lost his lower body but showed no blood and seemed still alive.
This engineer seemed unfamiliar with the instance and, relying on his bulletproof armor, intended to take down the most arrogant opponent.
A reckless move...
Hisoka’s behavior made many players eager to manipulate NPCs abandon the idea; after all, everyone was a competitor, so it was better to watch out for oneself first.
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The short and stout rookie assassin Tonpa had already struck up a conversation with Gon’s group. Those unaware of his background could easily be fooled by his friendly disguise.
“I’ll tell you a secret—I’m actually a ninja, really, I swear!” said Hanzo, the shiny-headed ninja who shines whoever uses him, but an unexpected figure caught Hao Ren’s eye.
“Bro, aren’t we ninjas living in the shadows? Why would you just blurting out such things?” A similarly bald man who resembled Hanzo pulled at his belt with a helpless expression.
“Kazamaru, your training is insufficient. The essence of being a ninja is to complete missions smoothly even when discovered,” Hanzo pressed the swastika-shaped mark on Kazamaru’s forehead, deciding to assert his big brother’s authority.
Kazamaru was undergoing his elder brother’s loving lesson—getting flicked on the forehead.
This guy was Kazamaru from Yu Yu Hakusho, who fought Yusuke Urameshi!
Hao Ren’s anime otaku instincts flared, instantly recognizing a character not present in the original Hunter manga.
So this mixing of the Yu Yu Hakusho universe means... since Kazamaru is here, then...
“Kurama, you bastard, how did you get here?” A black-haired teenager suddenly grabbed the collar of a red-haired boy.
“My sister thought I was a good-for-nothing at school and sent me here. Hey, Urameshi, aren’t you also a delinquent just waiting to die? Why are you here?” The red-haired boy struggled, brushing off the black-haired boy’s grip and adjusting his clothes.
“Got tricked by Botan’s bait—a ticket to the 200th floor of the Sky Arena...” The black-haired boy’s expression was full of regret.
The red-headed delinquent in blue school uniform was Kazuma Kuwabara; the black-haired delinquent in green school uniform was Yusuke Urameshi. Both had joined the Hunter Exam!
Then, who’s the dimensional child this time?
“I reiterate once more.” Clearing his throat, the mouthless man’s gentlemanly voice returned. “The Hunter Exam is extremely dangerous. Without a bit of luck and strength, injuries and even death are possible. If you accept this, please follow me.”
One person, then two, everyone began to move.
“The total number of participants in the first phase of the Hunter Exam is 638.”
The first phase—the marathon—officially begins.