The sky had dimmed.
Dragging his exhausted body, Kai Vexley returned to the little hut he called home.
He pushed the door open gently and placed the food he had scavenged carefully on the table.
"I'm back."
"...Welcome."
A familiar voice greeted him—quiet, as always.
Without taking a moment to rest, Machi turned toward the hearth. It was time to prepare dinner.
"I'm tired of eating this stuff," Kai muttered, voice tinged with frustration. "Let's eat something else tonight."
Machi's hands froze mid-motion.
Crack.
The firewood she was about to use splintered in her hand.
Usually calm and expressionless, a rare flame of anger flickered in her eyes.
How dare he look down on the food I risked my life to bring back?
"This is what we have. Eat it or don't," she replied coldly—her tone sharper than ice.
"And what if I want something else?" Kai replied, half-teasing.
"You—"
She turned sharply, ready to lash out. But the words died in her throat.
What is that...?
Machi had lived in this hut for years. She could navigate it blindfolded. And yet—whatever Kai was holding in his hand was something completely unfamiliar.
She had never seen it before. Not just here, but anywhere.
Kai gave a sly smile. "It's called snail noodles. A specialty food where I come from."
Food?
The word alone was enough to make Machi's cold eyes flicker.
In Meteor Street, there were many valuable things—weaponry, armor, precious metals, even people.
But the most valuable of all?
Food.
Real, edible, nourishing food.
And Kai knew—Machi wasn't the type to be fooled easily. If this wasn't real food, she'd know immediately.
She narrowed her eyes. "You went out today?"
"No," Kai replied casually.
He continued before she could press further. "Don't worry about that. Just taste it. Tell me if it's good."
With a slight grin, Kai activated his Nen ability—[Virtual Reality].
A steaming pot of boiling water appeared in his hand as if conjured from thin air.
He expertly tore open a vacuum-sealed packet and poured the water into the container.
And then—
Pungent.
A sour, overwhelming stench filled the room.
Machi didn't flinch.
Her expression didn't change, not even slightly.
But she didn't move forward either.
No matter how tempting something appears, caution is survival.
Especially for someone like her—a lone woman surviving in a place like Meteor Street.
But something else bothered her more deeply.
That boiling water—where had it come from?
She had been watching Kai the entire time.
There was nowhere to hide something like that in this shack.
The basin had appeared from nothing.
Illusion? Distraction? Sleight of hand?
None of those explained what she had just witnessed.
As if reading her thoughts, Kai removed the lid with a dramatic flourish.
Slurp.
He took a deep breath of the rising steam and nearly wept.
"I've had nothing but bland porridge for days... I almost forgot what real food tastes like!"
He waved her over. "Come on! Just try it already. It's delicious—authentic cuisine from my hometown."
Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe she had ruled out the chance of trickery.
After a moment's hesitation, Machi accepted the bowl.
The smell was strange—strong, almost rotten—but...
One bite.
Her eyes widened.
The flavor exploded on her tongue, like nothing she had ever experienced before.
Delicious.
Before she knew it, the bowl was empty.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
She even drank the broth.
Kai blinked in disbelief.
"Uh... you really drank all the soup?"
Machi calmly set the bowl down and looked at him expectantly.
Kai chuckled nervously.
"As expected from a future member of the Phantom Troupe... you don't mess around."
He leaned back, satisfied.
"[Virtual Reality] is a powerful Nen ability... but damn, it burns through aura fast."
He had long memorized the components of snail noodles—taste, ingredients, even texture.
But just manifesting a few bowls and some boiling water?
Almost wiped him out.
Nen abilities were governed by cost and limitation.
No matter how powerful, food was just food.
And creating it consumed too much aura to be sustainable long-term.
Kai's eyes darkened slightly.
If this much power was needed for a simple dish... how much more would it take to summon weapons? Armor? Legendary artifacts?
Sure, with proper training, his aura capacity would grow. It was standard Nen theory: age plus experience equals power.
But even if his Nen pool increased a thousandfold...
It still wouldn't be enough.
Not for what he wanted to create.
Not for where he wanted to go.
The Dark Continent.
The world beyond the known map—where even Netero, the former Chairman of the Hunter Association, had failed to conquer.
Where humanity's top warriors died like insects.
Where five great calamities awaited:
1. Brion, the living weapon of gold and silver
2. Pap, the twin-tailed snake that rings Hell's bells
3. Zobae, the eternal disease
4. Ai, the creature that educates humans like pets
5. Gas Lifeform Ai—Angstrom
Each of these could obliterate humanity's strongest.
Even V5 had resorted to extreme political suppression rather than face them head-on.
Kai clenched his fists.
If I want to challenge that world...
"...I'll need to take a risk. I'll need to make a vow. An oath. A restriction."
Only then could he amplify his power beyond natural limits.
Because in a world where monsters walk in daylight—
mediocrity means death.