Terror Infinity Side B

Chapter 6, HxH Greed Island

Having finished the Greed Island tutorial all eight core members of Team Japan, the two trial members, and remaining eight Newbies descended from the Starting Point and Game Master Eeta. The veterans of Team Japan and the trial members walked down the spiraling staircase somewhat confidently, but the same could not be said of the others.

The Newbies were nervous at the thought of walking into the open. The Starting Point was confirmed to be safe so far, yet the outside was not. By human nature, people understand that the inside of buildings are safe and can be protected, yet the outside world was filled with countless unknown elements. It is the reasons that NEETs and the like rarely come out of their rooms, much less their houses.

Also, this was the world of a fictional Manga filled with potential dangerous like Nen Users. The Nen Users are more likely than not martial artist with special combat abilities. The Newbies were, by all accounts, normal men and women without enhancements, so even a weak and frail Nen User could kill them. They had every right to be afraid, yet once they final reached the open fresh air...

Renji: "Amazing! The air is so clean and the skies clear! You can't see this kind of thing in Tokyo!"

Kisara: "You’re right! A prairie as far as the eye can see. Not a building in sight expect the one behind us. You can even see the mountains far off in the distance!"

Renji, Kisara, and the other Newbies marveled at the view in front of them. Even the veteran Players felt the same at the environment around us. If one never left an industrialized nation like Japan it would be impossible to see such a sight. For the first time in their lives understood why some people felt the need to visit places like Africa, the Middle East, and China.

Even when some countries are known to be dangerous, places where one can be killed or kidnapped, the beauty of the scenery outweighed the risks and would be remembered throughout their whole lives. It was all too easy for us to get lost in the beauty of Greed Island like they were now... if not for the dangers lurking over the horizon.

Aqua: "Shin... can you feel it?"

Shin: "Of course. The experience of the Undead Assassins of Apocalypse Alice has really made me sensitive to this kind of thing. Somewhere out there... someone's watching me... everyone here."

Connor: "We can't see them from here... but they can see us and there's several of them from different directions. Maybe a Spell Card you told us about."

Shin, Aqua, Misaki, and Connor could feel killing intent from a distance due to unlocking their constraints. Kampa as well could feel they were all being watched due to his mercenary experience. Shin recalled the same thing happened in the Manga. The players of Greed Island would target the new entries into the game as soon as they leave the Starting Point.

It wasn't to kill, but to keep future tabs on them. Information on other players is important in the game of Greed Island. They would use Spell Cards like "Adhesion" and "Trace" to keep track of them or know all the cards in their binders were. Then once a new player acquires a rare card they would swoop in at their own convenience and snatch away any cards.

Just looking at the Manga, Shin didn't think they were in any real danger, yet he couldn’t shake off the possibility. There was an intense bloodlust in the air flowing from multiple directions. A more focused killing intent than the monsters from Apocalypse Alice, similarly to the Btooom Soldiers and Commanders, yet more sinister. For those just wanting to 'Greet' the new players of Greed Island it was too fierce. Once Shin conveyed this to everyone they snapped out of their daze and became aware of the seriousness. That they were now prey to all the hunters of the island.

Shuai: "What do you suggest we do Shin? I've read Hunter X Hunter as well, so I know that they won't be too strong, but God could have changed the plot on us. It is an eighteen man mission after all. The people here are encourage to steal Cards by force now as well."

Jin: "I say we just pick a direction and see what happens. We can't really avoid them if they use Spell Cards to fly toward us. This is also to test the waters of Greed Island. We need to understand how strong the Nen Users are. Whether it's to complete the Main Quest or take out the Bomber, this is important information that we desperately need."

Shin: "Alright then. Then let's proceed forward. Follow me. I've memorized the map of Greed Island from the wiki, so I know how to reach the first city Gon and Killua entered. Prize City Antokiba!"

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Five minutes later.

The eighteen man group walked through the Prairie undisturbed so far.

Aqua, with her heightened five senses, took the lead and Shin gave direction right behind her as they made their way to Prize City Antokiba. Connor was placed at the rear and the rest of the team were placed on the two sides of the Newbies. Team Japan took these positions in case they were attacked and it didn't prove long for their suspicions to be proven right.

Aqua: "Watch out! I hear something from above!"

Connor: "I see it! Four sources of light are flying towards us and fast!"

Shin: "Everyone on guard! They’re here!"

From the sky I witnessed four orbs of light shoot down from the skies above and fall to the ground about twenty meters ahead of Aqua and myself. The lights of the orbs quickly cut out of existence and revealed four human beings in their places.

Four men.

Four men having already taken out their Binders.

I didn't recognize three of the generic looking men in tank top shirts, but the fourth and must imposing of the four I recognized. It was the first Greed Island player that Gon and Killua met on the island, Latarza. In the original story Latarza placed "Trace" on Killua, introducing Spell Cards for the first time, and then quickly escaped before Killua could kill him. Later on Latarza ran into two members of the Phantom Troupe and was killed.

Jin: "Shin. I feel that this guy is strong and I'm no warrior. He was just a small fry in the Manga, right? They are all carrying metal bats and Latarza is armed with a Chinese sword in one hand."

Shin: "As I recall Latarza was one of the more honest players of the island who fought just with cards, but now he looks intimidating."

Shin and Jin quickly came to an agreement that their opponents looked to be fiercer than expected. In his mind Shin compared the human Nen Users to the human Btooom assassins sent by Tyrannos in his second mission. The three unimportant Nen Users appeared to have strength near that of a Btooom Soldier while Latarza felt intimidating like a Btooom Commander. They obviously didn't have the Sci-fi armor or BIMs, yet as Nen Users they had Aura to strengthen their bodies and a special one of a kind technique called Hatsu. Shin also imagined that their fighting style would be different from the midrange Btooom Soldiers and Btooom Commander.

Latarza: "This is... the Prairie near the Starting Point... so is this your first time in the game? Hmm."

A wave of bloodlust hit our side as Latarza looked on at us as prey to take advantage of. The intimidation was harsh, yet the eight veteran Player of Team Japan had faced stronger, but the ten newbies weren't faring well. Both the men and women had been frozen in place and did not even have the courage to run away. Kisara, and to a lesser extent Renji, fared better, but they were both incapable of making the first move to attack if needed. It was to be expected. Only tested warriors could act calmly under pressure while rookie soldiers needed to first accustom themselves to life and death struggles.

Shin: "Who can say? We could be newbies just starting out... or skilled players coming back to the game after using "Leave". What do you think? Want to test us?"

Latarza: "Hehe, so you know about leave, huh? It's possible for you guys to be veterans although more than half of you look incredibly weak, but... then why did you not take out you Binders when we appeared?"

Shin: "..."

As Latarza spoke those words Shin cursed in his mind. He had half-assed it by mentioning a rare card to make him think they were all experienced players, yet not taking out his Binder on reflex backfired on him. It showed Latarza that Shin and the others were complete amateurs. Still, Shin tried to save his lie.

Shin: "Do I even need to take out my Binder? There aren't any Cards that can harm another person and if you try to use a card like "Trace"... I'll kill you before you activate it! Those who don't recognize Mount Tai can't complain when they get stepped on by their superiors."

Latarza: "..."

Wow, what the hell am I saying! Mount Tai? Step on? What am I the hero of some Wuxia novel? I can even see the stares from my comrades on my back. Well, it looks like my bluff had some effect on Latarza. He may be a bit stronger than originally, yet he still had a cowardly personality.

Latarza: "I... excuse my behavior then. So what clan do you belong to?"

Shin: "Ah (what the hell is a clan?)... So you've been in my presence for so long yet you can't tell? What a shame. It looks like it is time to teach you to not oppose the heavens (Aaaaahhhhhhh!!! I just don't care anymore. This Chinese boss persona is too much. Let's just fight it out)!"

Latarza and his men look startled at my bold words straight out of Battle Against the Heavens and recalled their books knowing a fight could start at any minute. Hikari behind me, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at my performance, or complain about provoking a fight. She completely didn't get what I was going for, so I told her in a whisper that the enemy couldn't hear.

Hikari: "Shin what are you-"

Shin: "This is for the best. Who knows what kind of Spell Cards they have. It's better to let them think that they can't best us with cards. Also, others are watching so it better for us to appear as strong warriors rather than prey to be-"

- *BANG*!

As Shin was talking with Hikari, the child soldier of Team Japan had taken out a handgun and hammered a bullet charged with Demonic Power into one of the nameless Nen Users by Latarza side who've been silent so far. The man was already in a state of Ten and could repel 2-5 bullets from a handgun just fine, yet the man couldn't withstand the additional force from Demonic Power. Latarza and his comrades, but more so Shin and the others, were surprised and looked at Connor as smoke floated out from the muzzle of his gun. The fallen corpse of the Nen User lay bleeding out on the ground. In the original plot bodies were supposed to be Rejected off Green Island, yet this body stayed to rot on the island.

Connor: "..."

Shin: "...Connor?"

Connor: "Ah, sorry. I thought that was the go ahead just now."

Hikari: "Please say something before you start shooting!"

Connor: "That's not possible... realistically."

Latarza: "Why you... kill them and take their Cards!!"

Connor released another spray of bullets hearing that, but the three remaining enemies moved away in time. The Nen warrior were more then capable of dodging bullets. The two nameless Nen Users ran towards Team Japan with Aura reinforced legs and Latarza used his powerful legs to put some distance between him and Team Japan before attempting to use a Spell Card to escape. Latarza acted like a ruthless thug, yet in the end he was a coward. Once he saw the corpse of his comrade he didn't hesitate to think about leaving the others behind to escape by himself. Latarza was incredibly fast as he used Gyo on his legs to effective gain incredible speed equivalent to a speeding car, yet Shin now holding the Auto 9 was keeping up with Instant Movement.

Jin: "Keep one alive! We need their intel. Also, don't show your abilities if you can help it!"

Jin yelled this that, but he wasn't sure his straight forward and now bloodthirsty comrades heard him. Shin ran to catch Latarza and the veterans of Team Japan moved to protect the newbies.

Shin: "Not escaping!"

Latarza: "No! Stay away! BOOK! Magnetic Force! To-"

- *BANG*!

Latarza called for his Binder and took out the card "Magnetic Force" from within. He immediately attempted to use the card and at the same time the sound of a gunshot interrupted him. Latarza didn't feel any impact on his body, so he thought Shin missed, but all too quickly the color drained from his face. The card "Magnetic Force" now had a circular hole at its center courtesy of the Auto 9 RoboCop unlimited ammo gun. Shin accurately put a bullet through the card and a few moments later it dispersed in a puff of pink smoke. Furious at having lost his means to escape and knowing the same thing could happen again Latarza swiftly turned around with his right palm extended and aimed at Shin.

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Latarza: "Sonic Burst!"

In that instant Latarza's Aura was channeled through the outstretched hand and three red rings materialized into existence. The three red rings screeched loudly and rocketed towards Shin who was about to catch up. The three rings released a terrible shriek as they zoomed towards Shin who now had his guard up.

Latarza: "Baka! Like just that can-"

Latarza was left speechless towards the end of his sentence. His Nen Hatsu, Sonic Burst, was a technique that wasn't overly powerful and had its demerits, but Latarza had faith in it. It was so incredibly loud even with his headphones on it left him slightly off balance and the attack used up a lot of Aura as well. These were fatal opening in battle, yet if Sonic Blast hit it would without a doubt cause grave internal damage due to the sound waves resonating wildly within the body.

Latarza had pride in his Hatsu.

Latarza had faith Sonic Burst could kill long as it hit.

And that was why Latarza was left silent and frozen in place as he saw Shin shrug off his Hatsu like it was nothing. Latarza saw Shin raise his arms in a guard in defense, something aura like wrapped around his body, and the dark coat resonated and turned a shade of crimson, yet that alone shouldn't have spared his life from the lethal Sonic Burst Hatsu.

Shin: "Don't look down on magic armor!"

Shin survived without injury due to his magic armor Lesser Fenrir Coat.

Lesser Fenrir Coat.

Thin, flexible, dark armor with the shape of coat. Made from the fur and leather of a direct descendent of the monster wolf Fenrir. High durability and resistance to physical force, magic, spiritual attacks, and even Psyche Force. It was also a stellar item that passively increase stats.

It was a first rate magic armor that had saved Shin's life more times than he could count, yet it was only till recently did he find its value as a true B tier magic equipment. A recent discovery as Shin was training in the Terminal Lobby showed him how to improve his defense to a much higher degree.

By channeling one-third of his Advance Ki Energy into the Lesser Fenrir Coat, he was shown a new layer to magic enhancements. It showed that some magic items were still alive. His coat constructed from the remains of a magic beast were semi-alive and would awaken when fed with enough energy.

The coat didn't return 100% back to life as a magic wolf, but for thirty seconds the coat's abilities skyrocketed. The durability of the Lesser Fenrir Coat that would glow a crimson light could tank or reflect bullets from Connor's anti-material sniper rifle and his Sci-fi rifles with the exception of the Ibis Trigger. Also, Shin found that all his stats increased by 50% and in a dark area all stats would increase to 75%, finally allowing him to rival Aqua's stats.

This first class defensive power was born from just feeding one third of Advance Ki Energy. Two-thirds and the ability could last for a full minute. Poring all of one's Advance Ki Energy even showed a more spectacular performance, yet Shin found that it wasn't ready for live combat yet and sealed that method for the moment.

Shin: "You can't out run the impenetrable Overpowered me for half a minute can you!? Your cards are mine now!" (Editer’s reaction: Oh come on Shin!! You were supposed to keep your abilities a secret, not scream out their time limits!!)

Latarza: "No! Stay, stay away!"

Shin: "Are you really going to make me-"

It was then as I was sure of my victory that a dark shadow flew by me in a flash.

The peerless beauty with long black hair held no killing intent for me and sprinting with almost inhuman speed, so I missed her, but the same could not be said for Latarza. She cut through the space of the Prairie like an arrow and arrived before her sole target. Latarza was a martial artist and Nen User with some skill, but the combination of using up Aura, the shock he received from Shin, and the speed of the peerless beauty arriving before him made him unable to take proper action in time.

The woman before him with long black hair, Kisara, with her purple eyes flashing a deadly light, katana still in the scabbard and one hand at the hilt drew the sword with her entire being. In a blur, the sword at Kisara’s side was drawn and aimed at Latarza's exposed neck.

Latarza: "Aahhh!"

Latarza still possessed the innate instincts and reflexes of a martial artist and his body took half a step back to avoid the slash even as his mind panicked. In the end, Kisara was just a normal human and woman at that. Even with perfect skill she was still a step behind those with special powers and inhuman strength... but-

- *SNAP*!

Kisara's Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was not a cheap sword style to be outdone by a weakened and cowardly opponent like Latarza. Even in real life the sword style was flawless and swift. The first sword draw missed, but a second strike from the scabbard hit Latarza's s squarely in the neck not a second later. The light in his eyes went out as his neck was twisted in a horrible way and his body powerlessly fell to the ground.

Latarza: "Gyhaaa!!!"

Kisara: "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, So-Ryu-Sen(Twin Dragon Flash)."

So-Ryu-Sen.

Seemingly a simple Battōjutsu strike, Sōryūsen is the first of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu's two-step Battōjutsu moves. After the first strike with the quickened sword, the user wields the empty sheath along the same path as a blunt weapon. After the sword strike lands, the sheath strike delivers a pulverizing blow capable of crushing bone and shattering wood. The first slash can kill, but if the sword slash misses, the sheath strike acts as powerful insurance, preventing an opponent's attack and delivering a crushing blow when it's least expected.

Shin: "..."

Shin saw the sequence of events that lasted two seconds and left his opponent defeated with a broken neck and was stunned. Kisara was fast, not super human, but there was no wasted movements in her running, or in the sword strike. Her movements were that of a peak level expert, or maybe even a true master swordsman.

Just that one move showed that Kisara and Latarza were worlds apart in skill. Shin was reminded of the skillful swordsman and granddaughter of Sozin Kaiyo, and the Disease Girl from Apocalypse Alice Kiri. He knew that if Kisara had even a small amount of special abilities or a better weapon, she could have defeated Latarza at full strength. As of now Shin couldn't imagine Kisara defeating a Nen User as flawlessly as she had just done, but her future was certainly bright and had high hopes for her.

Shin: "Ah! I almost forgot about the cards."

I was distracted for a moment by Kisara's potential as a future member of Team Japan and forgot about the Cards. It wasn't me, but Kisara who killed Latarza and so he should have dropped ten random cards. I looked over his dead and unmoving body and found not ten, but only five Cards on his person. I considered letting the Newbie Kisara get the points for collecting them, but she seemingly in a daze, so I chose not to bother her yet. I picked up the five cards in Kisara's stead and examined each one. Three Jenny cards for currency, 1 Spell Card "Accompany", and a Designated Slot Card 93 "Book of Life".

- SIDE QUEST REWARD 2, CARD COLLECTION - 10 POINTS ACQUIRED!

Shin: "Points are nice, but what a cheap bastard. He didn't even have a full ten cards on his person. Well, in a modified Greed Island a person might not want to keep all of his possession on himself. You'll just become an attractive target. Maybe there's a bank or system in place to hold valuables-"

Shin liked talking to himself, but only then realized that this wasn't the time or place. He could still feel the gazes of others spying on him. Half of Team Japan's observers left seeing their display of strength, but the other half stayed vigilant.

Shin: "The others should be finished by now. Kisara lets..."

Kisara: "..."

Shin: "...Do you need a minute? Is this your first time killing someone? You can think things through as we head into town, but for now let's regroup with the others."

Kisara: "Sure. Also, I'm fine. The strict sword training beat into me by my Father wasn't for nothing and I fought on something like autopilot. In the real world I didn't like that side of myself... the side of myself that knew I could kill on demand when needed, but today it saved my life."

Shin: "I see. That's a good thing here in God's Dimension, but you actually didn't have to come back me up. I would have been fine alone and this guy’s a Nen User. You could have died from even a shallow blow even though you were the more skilled fighter. Just martial arts prowess isn't enough to survive here. Nen and special abilities dominate this battleground."

Kisara: "I knew that, but... this world is scary. A world where people don't hesitate to kill you and show such unchecked bloodlust in broad daylight is dangerous. Just now... I found that live combat where you risk your life and the lives of your comrades... is both exhilarating and addicting, but much more so frightening. If I did not summon up my courage to fight just now I probably would have let the growing fear get to me and would never be able to raise my sword again."

Shin: "...I see. How admirable. You shouldn't forget that feeling. Breaking things and cutting down monsters are actually incredibly fun unlike what society tells us, but this world is far more frightening than it is fun. Trust me on that... let’s head back to the others."

Kisara: "...Alright."

As we were walking back to the others I noticed Kisara's hands shaking as she kept one hand on her katana at all times... yet I didn't say anything.

I've already long decided that the only woman that I care about being corrupted by this world was Hikari. Hikari had developed into a support role that doesn't fight upfront and that brings me no small amount of peace of mind, but I won't and can't allow Kisara to follow a similar path.

Kisara has already shown the strength of a person having made 1000-2000 point Basic Rewards enhancements after 1-2 missions with her fighting ability and technique, and she was an extremely rare swordsman at that. If not for the lack of a special energy or mutation to strengthen herself with Kisara would be Team Japan's third strongest in close combat, below Aqua and myself, but greater than Misaki. That was just how special Kisara was. Far better than me who just ruthlessly swinging around a magic sword. Of course if we factor in Unlock Mode Kisara wouldn't break into the top three.

Still, once Kisara receives the support of God's Exchanges System, she'll become a huge asset to the team. Kisara might actually be able to acquire all the fictional techniques of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu thanks to her mastery of the real world version long as she gain the Muscle Density and speed enhancement to execute those techniques. Skill Mastery for those sword techniques isn't beyond her.

Team Japan has plenty of front line fighters, but in a team with a maximum number of 20, having one or two more wouldn't hurt. That's why I won't coddle Kisara like I did for Hikari. I need her strength for our growing team. I don't want her to break emotionally along the way, but I can't shelter her from this world and its horrors if I'm to make the best use of her strength. Hikari was naturally suited to be a support role so things turned out for the best, but for Kisara who fight up close and personal it would be detrimental to her growth. I wouldn't be doing any favors for her or the team by doing so.

Kisara: "..."

Shin: "..."

Still, as we walked back and regrouped with the others I couldn't help but be curious. If Kisara is really afraid then how can she fight so well? What's that resolved look in her eyes? What motives her to master and hold the sword in the real world where guns and bombs dominate the battlefield in the modern age? And lastly... this peerless beauty who I assumed to be just another pretty flower... just who does she have her eyes set on to cut down?

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