Joining the Hunter Association and taking the Hunter Exam is probably on everyone's mind.
Xiang Nan also had that idea. However, if tons of players flooded into the Association or the exam, it would definitely create turmoil, and it would also divide up the Association's internal resources. The more critical issue is that, once you're all inside the Association, you're basically exposing yourself to other players' intel at all times. In Xiang Nan's view, that's not good.
It's not safe.
Becoming a Hunter might require going through official channels, but learning Nen isn't necessarily that complicated. Under the V5, there's bound to be a Nen-powered military force—and that almost certainly involves the Hunter Association. If he could get into a V5 organization and climb the ranks, at least on paper, he'd have authority above the Association's Hunters.
Meaning, above other players.
In his previous life, Xiang Nan loved reading e-books as a way to kill time on the battlefield. He noticed that the biggest flaw of many "isekai" protagonists is that they don't respect the rules of the new world.
Novels are fiction; they're not real. Here in reality, even Chairman Netero has to "bow his head" before the V5. Let alone the rest of the Association.
If Xiang Nan rose to power, he could totally leverage the V5's might to wipe out some of his rivals.
"Besides, you can buy a Hunter License on the black market anyway. If I get in with V5, maybe I can just have the Association issue me a special license," he murmured.
Before he gains some self-defense capability, it's probably best not to rush into the Hunter Association. That place could very well become a battle royale for players.
"Right now, the highest-ranked player is at 'Extinction 8'… So, apart from us 'newbies,' there are definitely some more experienced veterans whose power we can't gauge. And they arrived in the Hunter x Hunter world earlier, with unknown identities. If they've already become Hunters, their status and clout in the Association would definitely overshadow newcomers. The moment they sense new players joining, they might eliminate them in secret to protect their own advantage."
"Even if the Hunters have their Ten Rules, they mean very little to interdimensional travelers."
"Not worth gambling on those risks."
[Ding! Congratulations, player, on clearing the first round of the Extinction Game. Please await the next round.]
The next day, near noon, the system notification popped up.
Sitting in his hospital office, Xiang Nan looked at the number on the system panel:
[302.]
Out of the original 1,000 players, 700 died. That's a 30% survival rate.
And this was only the first round, for these newbies.
"I have no idea how many 'old players' there are. We're the new batch the system brought in. If the Extinction Game runs simultaneously for them, they wouldn't be in round one. That Extinction Level 8 guy might be heading into Round Nine. The difficulty and scale of those events must be unimaginable. Yet, I can't find the slightest clue about it online. Maybe someone high up is blocking all info leaks…"
He speculated.
With the first round now over, the highest player level was still Extinction 8, so maybe the original strongest player died. That would mean someone else climbed up the ranks to become the new Extinction 8—because the system indicated that the top battle-power value had changed. So it must be a different person entirely.
Meanwhile, the chaos he caused in Wesera City wasn't over. Last night, official investigators showed up at the hospital, gathering patient data and records. The city also put out a wanted notice, using some pictures captured at the hotel. They were blurry—only showing a figure from behind, wearing a disguise—so Xiang Nan figured he was safe. The crude wanted posters plastered around town didn't resemble him at all.
"What about rewards?"
Xiang Nan closed the system interface. After passing the first trial, the system panel showed more information—mostly about other players and the unlocked game rules, nothing concretely beneficial. But for a newbie, it was still important since it offered a deeper understanding of the game and how to fit into this world.
Crucially, Xiang Nan noticed one line: "Nen Ability: Pending Unlock."
That meant he'd seemingly been granted the right to learn Nen. The more trials you clear and the higher your level climbs, the more the system opens up. Perhaps once he hits a certain level, story characters might appear or become accessible.
"Right now, this Hunter x Hunter world is still 'blurred' for newcomers, but the veterans have probably already immersed themselves in it."
…
Time passed; seven days later…
The official lockdown and investigation turned out to be mostly bark and little bite. The tense atmosphere hanging over Wesera City faded as restrictions were lifted.
During those days of being stuck at the hospital—unable to leave—Xiang Nan spent his free hours either working or scouring the web for resources and news. He also pored over all kinds of Sky Arena match footage. Even though most of it was lower-level stuff, he could still pick up various combat techniques through his talent, expanding his repertoire.
Still, he knew these ordinary martial-arts skills offered limited improvement. What he needed most was to boost his physical stats—without a strong core body and real combat training, no amount of technique would matter. You just wouldn't have enough raw power or durability.
Combat skill effectiveness is fundamentally tied to raw stats.
Meanwhile, after performing surgeries and "learning" in the hospital for a week, he sharpened his knowledge of internal and external medicine. His understanding of the human body and how it works had become clearer.
So once the lockdown ended, Xiang Nan immediately left the hospital. He wasn't sure if other players were also looking for intel about him. At least, he'd found news coverage mentioning a "heinous murder" in Wesera. He had to move fast.
"301 now. So another player died…" he noted, watching the system. "But they're not adding new players, so that means it'll be a while until the next round. The Extinction Game starts again once the total climbs back to 1,000. Then we'll face the next trial."
Catching a taxi, Xiang Nan planned to stop by his home before heading to a certain local government building:
The military recruitment office for the Republic of Padokea.
To better integrate into this world, Xiang Nan's plan was to join the country's official forces. He figured there was no way to get into the V5 on his own without some official endorsement.
Using Padokea as a stepping stone seemed logical. Without a national backing, you couldn't easily move onto a stage as big as the V5. Even if he didn't end up in V5, he could still maneuver within Padokea and possibly come into contact with Nen. After all, any country's top brass would have at least some Nen-users on the payroll.
Whatever other routes to Nen the players might choose, Xiang Nan—given his background—had opted for this unorthodox path: stay clear of the Hunter Association for now. His goal was to get into Padokea's military, tap into a nation's best training and resources. In Xiang Nan's eyes, that could easily match, or even surpass, the early benefits of joining the Association.
Now that he was single again, the only problem was… his age.