After a moment, I forced myself to calm down. The panic subsided, replaced by a cold, hard anger. That bitch had played me. I still had no idea what her problem was, anyway!

A screen materialized in front of me, glowing with familiar blue light.

You have gained the unique martial art: 18 Redirections of the 6-Armed Asura (Basic).

This is a new path crystallized from the decision to use redirecting of forces and momentum. Fight on, Ichiban Kasuga!

+0.2 Body. +0.2 Mind. +0.1 Soul. +0.1 Mystic.

By reaching the peak of your humanity's Body stat, you have unlocked the stat BBP. Base Body Power is responsible for Body-related esoteric powers.

Checkpoint reached. You will now automatically act the way you did if you had your current abilities until the selected checkpoint. Time still passes, but you can skip the actions until said checkpoint and awaken at the checkpoint with a nearly identical result guaranteed.

+0.2 Body. +0.4 Mind. +0.3 Soul. +0.2 Mystic.

Base Mind Power has been unlocked!

Your 18 Redirections of the 6-Armed Asura skill has increased in quality from (Basic) to (Intermediate)!

Nen Talent (Thug) (1x) has been unlocked!

Nen Talent (Common) (10x) has been upgraded!

Body: 1.3

Mind: 1.0

Soul: 1.1

Mystic: 0.4

BBP: 1.333…~

BMP: 0.967…~

HBP: 0.983...~

I stared at the wall of text, my brain struggling to process it all. Okay, so I was definitely stronger, a little smarter, and apparently, my soul had gotten bigger too. Mystic shit? Still not sure what that was all about, but hey, if it meant I could shoot lasers out of my eyes or somethin', I wasn't complaining.

The talent stuff? Way over my head.

But at least they'd given my new martial art a cool-ass name and shoved a couple of years' worth of progress into me. I grinned, cracking my knuckles. Time to try this whole "Hunter Exam" thing again.

I walked forward until I stood in front of the Hunter X Hunter door, ready for round two. But this time, something was different. A glowing menu had appeared, hovering in mid-air:

Checkpoint 0: Bench (Repeated entry increases Fate Enforcement of the world Hunter X Hunter by +1!)

Checkpoint 1: Preliminary Exam; Pier (Repeated entry increases Fate Enforcement of the world Hunter X Hunter by +1!)

Fate Enforcement? What the hell was that all about? I focused on the term, and another block of text appeared:

Fate Enforcement brings the world back into balance. If a world is out of balance, which since you have been recruited and are here it surely has become so—increasing a world's Fate Enforcement stat will bring things back closer to the way they should be. Bad things are less likely to happen, and good will prevail more often!

Hunter x Hunter world's current Fate Enforcement: -9137

I grimaced. Minus nine thousand?! That was… That was messed up.

I chose Checkpoint 1. I liked that Noran guy, but dealing with another bloodbath followed by golden-retriever-power-of-personality on the deck of captain muscle-man wasn't exactly high on my to-do list. Plus, I was curious about this 'Kuroko Test.'

Hunter x Hunter world's current Fate Enforcement: -9136

The world dissolved around me, replaced by the familiar sights and smells of the pier.

I started moving forward and glanced towards the other boats.

This time, I recognized the kid in the green tracksuit jacket and shorts right away. He was standing a few feet in front of me, still lookin' determined but… maybe a little less beat-up than last time.

Guess that whole 'Fate Enforcement' thing was working. If one point could make that much of a difference for one kid, imagine what it could do for the whole world.

Feeling the strength coursing through my upgraded body, I started towards the city gates, the Great Cedar Tree my target. This time, when I reached that crazy quiz lady, I'd keep my damn mouth shut.

The desk appeared in front of me, blocking the path just like before. The woman with the feathered hat sat behind it, her expression unreadable. The two muscle-bound goons flanked her, their masked faces staring straight ahead.

"Secret Super Wonderful Two-Choice Quiz!" she announced, her voice as saccharine as before.

"Your mother and your lover are kidnapped by a criminal," she said, her gaze meeting mine. "You can only save one. Which one do you save?"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

This time, I knew better than to fall for her trap. With my upgraded Mind stat, I saw right through her bullshit. There was no correct answer. This wasn't a test of logic or morality; it was a test of character.

And silence, that's what she wanted.

Submission.

So, I stared into her eyes, my gaze unwavering, as the seconds ticked by. Five… six… seven… Let her try to read my thoughts. Let her see the fire burning behind my eyes.

"Time's up," she said, a hint of surprise in her voice. "Congratulations. You have passed."

Her words were a confirmation of what I already knew. My silence wasn't just an answer; it was a statement. I wasn't playing her game.

But deep down, I knew my real answer was better.

If there's no right answer, you don't just sit there and take it. You fight. You claw your way out of that impossible situation and make your own damn answer.

But I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of telling her that and failing. Not yet.

I walked past her, my jaw set, my gaze fixed on the distant cedar tree. I'd prove her wrong. Not with words, but with actions. I'd show her that Ichiban Kasuga didn't play by anyone's rules, not even some Self-Important Hunter bitch or her self-important gatekeepers.

I'd fix this place one death at a time.

I'd die as many times as it took to finally live.

I wouldn't submit.

I walked for hours, the sun dipping low in the sky, painting the world in hues of orange and gold. Despite the distance, I barely felt tired. This upgraded body was no joke. It was like I could walk forever.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, I reached the cedar tree. It was even bigger up close, its branches spreading out like a giant's arms, casting long shadows over the clearing. A small wooden cabin stood nestled at its base, smoke curling from its chimney.

As I got closer, a strange smell hit me. It smelled like… blood. But not quite. It was metallic, tangy, but it lacked that… that visceral edge, that feeling of wrongness that actual blood always had. It was like someone was trying to fake it, but they'd gotten the recipe wrong.

My newly unlocked danger sense was going haywire too. But it wasn't a sense of danger, exactly. It was more like… a weird sort of disconnect, like something wasn't adding up.

I peeked through the window of the cabin and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Inside, a giant bird-man thing was "holding hostage" a woman with long pink hair. she looked like she could snap me in half with one claw, but… she wasn't even trying. she was just standing there, awkwardly holding her arm, like she wasn't sure what to do next. And the woman? She wasn't even struggling. She just stood there, looking bored.

In the corner, a young guy with messy blue hair was slumped against the wall, groaning and clutching his arm like he was in agony. Except, I could see that the red stuff smeared all over him wasn't real blood. It was that same fake-blood smell I'd picked up outside.

"Can someone tell me if this test can be any stupider?" I shouted, stepping into the cabin. "You!" I pointed at the bird-man. "That's not how animals who want to eat even work! You wouldn't take your food hostage, you'd just kill it and eat it later!"

I turned to the guy in the corner. "YOU! That ain't blood! And you're acting like you're hurt? It doesn't even smell close to the real thing!"

Finally, I glared at the woman. "And YOU! Why aren't you struggling if some animal-man with wings is holding you hostage?!"

They all stared at me, their mouths hanging open.

"Wow, that was the fastest anyone has ever passed this," the woman said, a bemused smile spreading across her face.

The bird-man thing shifted and shimmered, transforming into a human with a darker shade of pink hair and a young man a bit older than the blue-haired guy with deeper blue hair and a pair of spectacles perched on his nose came in through the side door. He looked kinda like an older, more refined version of the younger woman and the younger man.

The guy in the corner stood up, brushing the fake blood off his clothes. He grinned at me, "Nice work, dude! You're one sharp cookie."

I just stood there, blinking.