Alex, with Rishi and Tereza following close behind, leaves the bustling center of the tutorial section. More accurately, he’s leaving Tutorial Section Nr. 4, a detail he’s only learned a few moments ago. They head toward their usual spot, a forgotten temple ruin near the player rooms, where Alex explains everything that happened.
Rishi and Tereza look at him in disbelief. Rishi, clearly impressed, exclaims, “So, there are over 30 tutorial sections? And you argued with a high-ranking goblin merchant before one of the Realm’s administrators—and came out on top? Pretty damn impressive!”
Alex sighs, frustration seeping through his voice. “I guess my argument worked, but I still lost somewhat. The goblin scammer got revived, and I’m still stuck with this stupid [285th Hunter Exam Application]. Worst of all, no one else will fall for this scam now. I’m probably going to end up entering that world with only the 20-something losers from before.”
Tereza grins. “Don’t worry, I’ll join too. Honestly, I can’t wait, finally, a real challenge.”
Rishi adds, with a hint of reluctance, “I’ll go too. We’re not about to let you do this alone.”
Alex, feeling genuinely moved by his two “unique” but loyal friends, smiles. “Thanks, both of you. I really respect it!” He hugs them, genuinely touched. But then he stuns them with, “I’m going in alone, though. No way am I letting either of you join me!”
“What? Are you serious?” Tereza shouts, confused and clearly pissed.
Rishi just chuckles, though a bit awkwardly, suspecting where Alex is going with this.
“To put it simply, we know next to nothing about this specific 285th Hunter Exam,” Alex explains. “It’s not even mentioned in the story. The only thing we know is about the 286th Exam—the one where Hisoka goes rogue and gets disqualified for killing an examiner. Aside from that, we’ve got one key piece of info: rookie odds. On average, only once every three years does a rookie pass the exam.”
“What does this have to do with anything? We’ll help you!” Tereza snaps, looking furious.
“First of all, Rishi, you’re out,” Alex says bluntly. “Your low PHY makes it impossible for you to handle something like a long-distance marathon, like the one actually happening in Hunter x Hunter. Your stamina is that of an average human. Could you run a damn 80-kilometer—around 50-mile, marathon at a fast pace? Obviously not, and you know it. Maybe it won’t be a marathon, but chances are good there will be a similar test. You’d be stupid to take part, and you’d probably drag me down. You know it, so don’t even argue.”
Rishi raises his hands in a mock surrender, nodding with a smirk. “You’re right, I know. And is it just me, or are you actually getting smarter?” he jokes, lightening the mood.
Tereza cuts in, rolling her eyes. “Guess that leaves me. So what’s your brilliant excuse for me, then?”
“It’s what the administrator hinted at—it’s a damn death trap, like we suspected. But there’s something even worse: the level difference. We know the system gives lower-level players a different starting point, as we saw in the last mission. Rishi and I had a safer start than you, remember? There’s a high chance we’d all end up starting in different spots again. Sorry, Tereza, but this mission is starting soon. Tell me, do you actually know Hunter x Hunter in detail? The lore, the characters that might appear?”
He stares at her seriously. “Worst-case scenario, you’d end up arguing with one of the Phantom Troupe members and get instantly obliterated. Chances are, you wouldn’t even make it to the exam. And yeah, this is practically a death sentence, and I don’t want your death on me. Let me handle this one alone. Just to be sure, Tereza—by contract, I’m forbidding you from even trying to get the [285th Hunter Exam Application].”
After more debate, Tereza and Rishi finally relent. Tereza looks genuinely sad but also touched, clearly moved that Alex cares enough not to just see her as an expendable tool.
“Don’t worry, guys,” Alex adds, giving them both a reassuring look. “I won’t be forced to leave just yet. I’ve still got a few more days. And I doubt the replacement merchant is going to be rushing to ‘sell’ any more applications, so that buys me at least six and a half days. Besides, my next mission should be starting soon anyway.”
Rishi regards him with a serious expression. “Alex, your aura is hard to read, but I’m telling you the absolute truth now: you can survive this. I’m not just saying it to give you hope or to motivate you. Remember the contract—I can’t lie to you. I see a path forward. I still feel a connection between us. Our paths will stay linked.”
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Tereza jumps in. “Yeah, you’ve got this! And that new technique of yours? That was awesome! You didn’t just slice that nasty goblin in two; you turned him into a frozen steak, that kinda turned me on…!”
Alex grins, used to her weirdness, a fierce glint in his eyes. “Heh, anyone who dares to stand in my way will get the same treatment. I guess the next few days are going to be packed for me. If you two have the time, would you help me out?”
Tereza asks, looking surprised, “How exactly can we help?”
Rishi, already catching on, replies, “No problem. I’ll reach out to my contacts and have them keep an eye out for any valuable purchases. If you need extra FC, I’ll even lend you some!”
Alex waves off the offer. “Thanks, but I think I’m sitting pretty at the moment. Over 70,000 FC should be enough. I’m just not sure what I actually need. I’ve already got great equipment—everything is at least blue quality. I even have a full armor set. My sword, shield, and pistol are all Deep Blue, and I can use them fully in Hunter x Hunter, no problem regarding restrictions. Plus, I’ve got a Deep Blue ring and necklace. I mean, looking at my inventory, I don’t even know what else I could improve. Maybe a belt, a cloak, a second ring, or some trinket? And probably more healing items. This is going to be tough… I have 11 in all my stats, plus some boosts, but even with double the stats of a regular human and a ton of basic skills, the level of the Hunter Exam is just insanely high.”
Rishi nods in agreement. “Pick up some extra healing items if you’re low on them, but otherwise, it’s all about boosting your overall abilities. You’ll need to at least match the generic physical tasks in the exam. In combat, though, you can rely on your sword skills, spells, and conjuration spells, even if people give you weird looks for it. You’ve got the qualifications to handle fights. The real challenge will be the non-combat parts. You’re pretty balanced, and with an increasingly sharp mind, I don’t see any glaring weaknesses. Well, maybe if you could boost movement speed that would be optimal, but those items are hard to come by.”
For the next few days, Alex immerses himself in rewatching and rereading Hunter x Hunter, especially the earliest arcs, binging through them for every detail. He scours forums, devours fanfics, and jumps into Discord channels, firing off questions left and right. He’s already pretty familiar with Nen, though he honestly doubts it will play a role. He wishes he had a free skill slot available just in case, but he knows there’ll be other chances to learn it if he survives this mission.
As the days tick down, Alex combs through the Trading Hub, searching for anything that might give him the edge he needs. But no matter how hard he looks, he just can’t seem to find what he’s after.
Finally, after days of searching, he spots something intriguing that more than meets his requirements, so much so that he hesitates, wondering if he should really go for it, fearing its price already.
[Nimbus Cloak]
World: Runeterra (League of Legends)
Quality: Light Purple
Type: Cloak
Required Stats: AGI - 10, MNA - 10
Durability: 40/40
Effect: Increases AGI by 1
Effect: Increases evasion by 5% for 10 seconds after casting a spell with a minimum MP cost of 5
Effect: Increases movement Speed by 40% for 10 seconds after casting a spell with a minimum MP cost of 5.
Note: Squeezes the last bit of potential out of your spells.
Alex gulps. A Light Purple item... here in the tutorial section? This is insane. “This cloak actually suits me perfectly since I have access to quite a few spells, some of them very cheap like my black magic,” he thinks, feeling a tug of excitement. Still, each effect isn’t entirely great. “Sure, a 40% boost to movement speed is nice, but it only lasts 10 seconds. And a 5% evasion boost won’t help much.” Even the 1 point Agility boost, especially for a Purple item, feels underwhelming. But it’s exactly what he lacks, movement speed. Even the single Agility point would help in that regard.
Then he sees the price... 50,000 FC. “Shit!!” Alex curses internally. He walks a bit away and notices other players showing interest in the stall but walking away once they glimpse the price tag.
The vendor, an impressive man with a strong, masculine build in his late thirties, looks frustrated after hours of failing to sell the item. Tall, with a short beard, and distinctly Brazilian in appearance, he stares coldly at the crowd. Alex notes his demeanor and decides it’s time to make a move.
“Hello, I’m interested in the cloak,” he begins. “50,000 FC isn’t totally unreasonable, but I’ve seen a Purple-grade weapon, the Yubashiri from One Piece—going for the same price. While the movement boost is great, the other two effects feel weak for a Light Purple item, don’t you think? And then there’s the odd mix of required MNA and AGI stats, not many players could meet that!”
The vendor stares him down, unimpressed. “...Will you buy it or not? 50,000 FC,” he responds coldly, brushing off Alex’s arguments.
Alex studies him, planning his next move. "This won’t be easy," he thinks, not willing to spend 50,000 FC without a fight.