The hallway stretched out before us, seemingly endless, a tunnel of cold, unforgiving metal. The lights flickered overhead, casting long, shifting shadows that danced along the walls. I fell into step behind the others, my senses on high alert. The air was thick with a nervous energy, a palpable tension that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I kept my distance from the red-haired clown, my danger sense still buzzing with a low, persistent hum. He was chatting with Needle-Face, his laughter echoing through the hallway, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching me, assessing me, waiting for the right moment to strike.
My hand instinctively went to my pocket, fingers brushing against the crumpled piece of paper. The one that was supposed to have turned to dust.
I pulled it out, my brow furrowing as I saw that the words had changed.
The quests involving the secondary chosen of fate, Killua, have been deemed already failed.
Killua… That name again. Who the hell was this kid, and why was he so important?
Killua’s mental state:
Trust No One.
Gain Hunter’s license.
Use Hunter’s license to escape human society.
Killua’s physical state:
92% scarred skin.
Physical Strength: IMMENSELY STRONGER++.
Nen Power: IMMENSELY STRONGER EX++ (Exceeds limit.)
My jaw tightened as I read those words. Scars? Escape? This Killua kid sounded like he’d been through hell.
In order to prevent Killua from going down the path of self-destruction and despair, Increased Narrative Weight and Fate Enforcement must be at a positive number above 100.
New Task: Reach the limit of your current ability in the Hunter Exam. Repeated tries are necessary.
My blood ran cold. So, it was true. I was gonna die. Again. This paper, this… message… it was like a goddamn prophecy, spelling out my doom.
I scowled. There were two choices: I could play it safe, turn around, and go train my ass off, hoping that those extra stat boosts would be enough to survive next time. Or I could keep going, push my luck, see how far I could get before I hit my limit.
I took a deep breath, my fists clenching at my sides. I hated this feeling, this sense of inevitability, of being trapped in a story I didn’t understand. But those Fate Enforcement points… I needed those. I had to at least try.
I shoved the paper back in my pocket and picked up my pace, my gaze fixed on Satotz’s retreating form. The hallway stretched before me, a tunnel of shadows and uncertainty.
This was it. Time to push my limits.
Even if it killed me.
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The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, the rhythmic thud of footsteps echoing against the cold metal walls. I kept pace with the others, my upgraded body handling the exertion with ease. Still, something felt off.
My gaze drifted to the center of the running pack. It was like a hole had been punched through reality, a void of nothingness surrounded by a faint, shimmering haze. I felt drawn to it, a strange compulsion I couldn't explain.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Hesitantly, I edged closer, my brow furrowed in confusion. I was staring at the absence of space, a swirling vortex of… something. I couldn’t make sense of it. It was like trying to stare directly at the sun, my eyes straining to make sense of the impossible.
But my danger sense remained silent. So it was fine, right?
I reached out a hand, my fingers trembling as they neared the shimmering boundary of the void…
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I woke up in the hallway, gasping for breath. My entire body felt like it had been plugged into a goddamn power socket attached to everyone’s favorite nuclear reactor. The phantom sensation of electricity, a billion volts coursing through my veins, lingered like a bad dream. It was over in a flash, a burst of pain and then… nothing.
But what the hell had happened? I hadn’t even felt myself die.
I glanced down at my hands. Energy, a faint, shimmering aura, was seeping out of my fingertips, dissipating into the air.
And then I felt it—a draining sensation, a slow but steady leak of something vital. It was like my life force was bleeding out, leaving me weaker, more vulnerable.
Where were the bonuses? Why wasn’t the screen showing up?
“WARNING! SOUL-DEATH IMMINENT! FUNNELING ALL REWARDS INTO NEN TALENT!”
A voice, cold and robotic, echoed in my head.
Nen Talent has increased, Common (x10) to Uncommon (x50)
Nen Talent has increased, Uncommon (x50) to Rare (X100)
Nen Talent has Increased, Rare (x100) to Epic (x1000)
Nen Talent has…
Nen Talent has…
Nen talent has…
Your Nen talent has reached (Named Character x5) Congratulations on reaching half the talent of the character: Zushi—
Hard override. Goddess emergency. Champion number is One. Instructions follow. Enter a meditative position and attempt to contain your life energy around your body. Your life force is currently leaking, and you must visualize it in a way that makes you retain the shape around your body. Death in the World Circuit is true death.
The voice faded, leaving me reeling.
What the hell was Nen? And Zushi? Named character? What was going on?!
“True death?” I whispered, my voice trembling. The hallway felt colder, more oppressive. My heart hammered in my chest, a frantic drumbeat against the encroaching darkness.
Panic threatened to consume me, but I forced myself to breathe, to focus. The goddess’s instructions echoed in my mind. Meditative position. Life energy.
I closed my eyes, picturing the energy swirling around me, a chaotic storm of light. I had to control it, to shape it, to stop the bleeding.
My life depended on it!
“Hard override requirements increased! Warning: Brace for temporary knowledge infusion and temporary energy-body puppeteering. WARNING: BRACE!”
The voice, now sounding urgent, seemed to reverberate through my very being. I barely had time to register the words before a torrent of information slammed into my mind, overwhelming my senses. It was like trying to drink from a fire hose, my brain struggling to process the sheer volume of data.
Suddenly, I knew. I knew how to wrap my body in a layer of… Ten.
My body staggered, buffeted by a wave of nausea and a sudden, crushing fatigue. I didn’t have time to figure this out, to understand what was happening!
Then something seized me, a force beyond my control, a grip like a steel vise. My limbs locked, my muscles spasmed, a jolt of raw energy coursing through my veins. I tried to fight, to resist, but it was like trying to wrestle a goddamn typhoon.
My body was forced into a state of unnatural stillness, my mind a prisoner within its own skull. The information about Ten, the technique, the principles, it all flooded back, now crystal clear, imprinted onto my consciousness with terrifying clarity.
My energy, once chaotic and leaking, began to flow with newfound purpose, guided by an unseen hand. It swirled around me, forming a cocoon of power, a protective barrier against the encroaching void.
And then, as abruptly as it began, the puppeteering ceased. My body was my own again. I could move, think, breathe-
But the knowledge remained. But I still knew that if I lost concentration I would just stop existing in a few minutes!
“Solution deemed temporary! Warning! Warning! Soul death at this point is still guaranteed. Damaging skill/stat relay to enforce full knowledge of instinctual Ten not advised!”
The robotic voice was back, an extremely panicked edge to its tone.
“Hard override! Goddess authorization confirmed. World Circuit password accepted!”
A wave of relief washed over me, followed by a surge of power unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It was like a dam had burst, a torrent of energy flooding my being, sealing the cracks, mending the leaks.
My Ten, once a fragile, flickering flame, solidified, a permanent fixture, an extension of myself.
And then, the world went black.