"A Nen user—Absolutely!"
The cowboy man—leader of the Kengan Ashura player team—broke into a cold sweat. He'd witnessed the terrifying power of Nen users before: they could attach so-called "Nen energy" to any object, hardening or changing its properties at will. Even a simple sheet of paper, under the hands of a Nen user, could be transformed into a blade that sliced through metal.
Be it offense or defense, the abilities were outrageous.
And now his companion's powerful flying punch hadn't even torn the target's coat—immediately he thought of that ability.
Why?!
Why did it have to be a Nen user?!
They were just plain unlucky.
Among dimensional travelers, there was a type most envied by everyone else—those who seemed "blessed" by the system. In any world they landed in, they never had to risk their lives or break their backs to gain power; the core resources and strengths of that world simply fell into their lap. Such people were those who, through their cross-world rebirth, started at the highest echelons of authority or simply became a "top-tier figure" in the setting.
In other words, they had a very special identity upon transmigration. Their "starting line" was way beyond anyone else's.
Right now, the cowboy man was convinced that Xiang Nan was precisely one of these "lucky ones."
Otherwise, from a mere Extinction Level 2 perspective, the black-coated man couldn't have been in Hunter x Hunter for long. Coming from an ordinary background, becoming a Nen user so quickly wasn't something just anyone could do.
"Damn it!"
Inwardly, the cowboy cursed, his mental defenses on the brink of collapse. With his experience in interdimensional missions, he knew full well that facing a higher-tier world was an exercise in utter despair for "lower-tier" players like them. Their chance of victory was near zero.
Now, with two of their team dead, townspeople had witnessed the carnage and started screaming around the street. The cowboy man tried weaving through alleyways to escape, but all he could hear was his own ragged breathing and the footsteps behind him he couldn't shake off. As if a shadowy demon was closing in, step by step.
After a few minutes of frantic running, he found himself stuck in a dead-end—a tall, thick wall sealed off any path ahead, likely the back side of a building. Whirling around to flee back the way he came, he discovered the "reaper-like" Nen user already standing under the sunlight at the alley's entrance, smiling at him, while the cowboy stood frozen in the shadows.
"…"
He swallowed hard, his body slack as though it had lost all strength.
"There's something I'd like to ask,"
"Care to talk?"
Xiang Nan spoke politely. If the cowboy didn't already know that this man had slaughtered two of his companions without so much as blinking, he'd have thought he was greeting an old friend.
"Okay,"
he croaked, voice parched, no will to resist.
The man's response was just as Xiang Nan had expected. Xiang Nan proceeded to ask a series of questions, and the cowboy answered everything he knew, clarifying many system rules and aspects of the "game."
Halfway through, Xiang Nan uttered a satisfied "Thanks," then turned, leaving the alley. The cowboy didn't dare run, simply trailing behind him.
From their conversation, the man realized Xiang Nan was indeed a newcomer, but obviously wouldn't let him go. Unspoken or not, some things needn't be spelled out. The small town still contained two other Kengan Ashura players.
Xiang Nan needed to confirm that his own teammate, the girl, was alive, and if so, eliminate the remaining enemies. As for the cowboy, named Jer—no rush to deal with him right now. From the moment Xiang Nan caught sight of him, his life was no longer his own.
On the way to rendezvous with his partner, Xiang Nan reflected on these newly gleaned system rules and speculated about Manman's situation. If the enemy had launched attacks on both of them simultaneously, she'd definitely been ambushed too—she might already be dead.
Given the Kengan Ashura fighters' formidable martial prowess, it'd be tough for a non–Nen user to hold out. Even if their skill was higher than Jer's, if it wasn't Nen-based, they'd likely still lose to an experienced team like that.
Yes, Manman was probably doomed—or so logic suggested. Xiang Nan's brief impression of her said she was physically weaker than Jer, a "veteran." But to Xiang Nan's surprise, when they arrived near her last known location, it was clear she was still putting up a fight. Because from Jer's statements, Kengan Ashura was a violent fighting manga, overshadowed by the monstrous power of HxH, yet still containing superhuman feats. If Kengan martial artists push themselves to extremes, they can destroy walls, become bullet-resistant, etc.—still far short of the wonders of HxH. Even so, it was enough to trouble a newcomer with no aura.
All the same, Xiang Nan had gleaned:
Kengan Ashura used advanced martial arts themes similar to a toned-down "Baki" style, though its top fighters were somewhat superhuman.
With Hunter x Hunter's raw physical feats, even kids like Killua could bench a few tons, which would be "godlike" to Kengan Ashura characters.
So that was Xiang Nan's mental comparison from Jer's description. He'd never visited Kengan Ashura, so reality might differ somewhat, but presumably the difference was enormous.
"Yeah…probably something like Baki. But the upper limit is lower than Baki. The two worlds are similar,"
Xiang Nan mused. Just then, he stopped, noticing commotion ahead—several locals stumbling away from a ranch area in panic, apparently spooked. From a hundred meters off, within a fenced livestock farm, came the sound of fighting. Undoubtedly Manman and two enemy players.
Xiang Nan stepped closer, leaning against the fence, gazing calmly into the open area. He saw Manman and two Kengan players standing there, all panting for breath. It looked like they'd had a long chase. The girl was obviously the one fleeing, while the two men pursued. Her school uniform was torn, likely from their attacks, yet she was still alive. That alone surprised Xiang Nan.
But she was drained, chest heaving, doubling over, hands on her knees just to stand.
"Damn it—you little brat can really run!"
"Why couldn't you just let us kill you quickly? Save yourself the pain!"
One of the pursuers spat angrily. Manman said nothing, clutching a short knife she'd somehow gotten hold of, facing the speaker. Yet from her trembling arms and exhaustion, that blade seemed hardly threatening.
"You must've been hoping your partner would show up to save you," Xiang Nan remarked, half to Jer behind him, sounding like a bored spectator. Jer's tension mounted—he realized his survival hinged on Xiang Nan's whims.
"Which side do you think will win?" Xiang Nan asked, not even turning around.
"Don't worry, guess correctly and maybe I'll let you go back to your old world," Xiang Nan teased. "Anyway, your team's basically done for, so it won't affect my Extinction Game much."
Jer gulped. In the pasture, none of the three fighting had noticed Xiang Nan or Jer.
"She'll die," Jer said after hesitating, deciding to gamble on the slim chance. Indeed, with Xiang Nan having his number, Jer could only cling to this weird "guessing game."
He elaborated: new players typically lacked experience, intelligence, synergy, and so forth. Judging by Manman's posture and vulnerability, she looked no match for Kengan veterans.
Especially if Xiang Nan's "scent" wasn't there to help, she wouldn't have survived. She seemed physically weaker, not cunning enough, too. Jer concluded she'd lose.
"So you think she'll die… then I guess I'll pick that she'll win," Xiang Nan smiled slyly. Jer's analysis was on point, but something was off. Xiang Nan had noticed Manman's uniform was ripped but she wasn't visibly wounded. That said a lot.
Suddenly, from the corral, Manman's voice rang out:
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!"
With the pair of enemies now boxing her in, she was panicking, eyes squeezed shut, knife brandished in front of her. The scene was almost comical. Jer clenched his fist, because the outcome determined his own fate.
One of the men lunged forward, easily slipping past her wildly flailing knife, closing in on her with a savage grin. With a firm grip, he seized a handful of the girl's greasy hair, meaning to finish her brutally. Meanwhile, the second man seemed to stand back at a relaxed pace, confident his partner had things in hand.
Manman's head was yanked downward, just as the attacker jerked up a forceful knee strike aimed to crush her skull. In that crucial instant, an unfamiliar "energy" suddenly surged from the girl's body—a silver blur slicing the air, moving faster than the enemy's blow. Taken aback, the man had zero caution for such a move, and the blade sliced past him in an instant, leaving a neat red line from scalp to groin. Tiny droplets of blood welled up, then gushed out.
Xiang Nan's smile vanished, replaced by sharp focus: that was a very fast slash—enough to kill the guy in one stroke, even cutting through bone. Not just a matter of taking him by surprise; even if he'd been prepared, he might not have reacted in time.
Swish! Another slash followed. The guy's body was still standing when his entire arm, gripping Manman's hair, was severed and flew into the air.
"D-Don't kill me…
"Don't kill me…"
Blood spattered across Manman's school uniform, dyeing it deep red. Staggering, hair unkempt, she straightened, switching from a two-handed knife grip to just one. The blade now hung at her side. Her lips uttered a dreamlike chant:
"Don't kill me… Don't kill me…"
But that voice no longer carried panic or helplessness—she was repeating the words mechanically. Her eyes had gone blank, mind seemingly out of place.
In Xiang Nan's view, at this moment, the girl looked like an entirely different person—or perhaps a wholly different creature.
~~~
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