"Damn... those kids are ruthless!"
Hiding in the tall grass just a few dozen meters away, a player wearing a tracksuit and a set of bulky headphones muttered in shock. He had been quietly observing the starting area, waiting to ambush any fresh newbies who didn't know the ropes.
When he saw the two older PKers approach Gon and Killua, he thought the kids were doomed. He certainly didn't expect the two twelve-year-olds to execute the veterans with the cold, mechanical precision of seasoned assassins.
I better stay far away from those two, the headphone-wearing player thought, preparing to sneak away.
But before he could move, a third figure casually descended the spiral staircase from the starting tower.
"Brother Ryker?!"
"Whoa! Brother Ryker, it's you! Didn't you say it would take 24 hours?!"
Gon and Killua's faces lit up with joy, completely dropping their lethal demeanor and reverting to cheerful kids.
"There was a slight change of plans, so I got out early. Are you two alright?" Ryker smiled, walking over.
The boys quickly recounted what had just happened with the two PKers.
"Don't worry about it. They chose the path of death," Ryker said dismissively. "In this game, it's kill or be killed. You did the right thing. Never show mercy to someone who wants to take your life."
As he spoke, Ryker's gaze suddenly shifted away from the boys and locked directly onto a seemingly empty patch of tall grass in the distance. The exact patch where the headphone guy was hiding.
GASP!
The player sucked in a sharp breath, freezing in terror. No way... can he see me?!
He was over fifty meters away, completely obscured by the environment. Unless the new guy had used a Trace or Fluoroscopy card—which was impossible since he just spawned in—he shouldn't be able to find him.
I'm a veteran! I know how to mask my presence! There's no way he spotted me! he rationalized, desperately trying to stay calm.
"You can come out now. Playing hide-and-seek won't save you," Ryker's calm voice drifted across the prairie.
"..."
The headphone guy remained completely silent, paralyzed by fear. A full thirty seconds passed. Finally, realizing the pressure was unbearable, he slowly stood up from the grass, his hands raised in surrender.
"M-Misunderstanding! It's a complete misunderstanding!" he stammered, forcing a terrified, sycophantic smile onto his face. "I was just passing through! I saw what happened, and honestly, those guys had it coming! Good job, kids!"
He didn't know why, but every instinct in his body was screaming at him to grovel. He made a living preying on newbies, but the aura radiating from this particular newbie felt like a physical weight crushing his chest.
Ryker simply stared at the man. His eyes drifted up to the text floating above his head.
Trash. Green-tier traits. He doesn't even have a single Blue one, Ryker sighed inwardly. No wonder he has to resort to spawn-camping rookies. Pathetic.
"Leave all your cards on the ground, and I'll pretend I never saw you," Ryker demanded casually.
"Huh?!" The headphone guy's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Is he... is he mugging me?!
His mouth twitched violently. He might not be the strongest player, but he was still a veteran! Being openly extorted by a guy who had literally just spawned into the game was the ultimate insult.
"You're underestimating me, newbie!" the veteran snarled, his fear temporarily eclipsed by anger. "I'll show you the difference between us!"
He materialized his Binder and frantically flipped through the pages, pulling out an offensive Spell Card.
"Gain—!"
Before he could even finish his chant, a blur of motion crossed the fifty-meter gap.
The veteran's eyes widened in absolute shock. The man who had been standing next to the kids a millisecond ago was now hovering inches from his face.
Impossible!
Greed Island was a card-based game, but it didn't restrict a player's physical abilities. The raw speed this newbie just displayed defied all logic.
"Spell Card: Return!! Take me to Masadora! Now!!" the veteran screamed, panic completely overriding his anger. He chose flight over fight, activating a teleportation spell he had previously prepared.
VWOOM!
A column of magical light enveloped the veteran, instantly ripping him off the ground and launching him into the sky.
"Hahaha! Screw you, kid! I'll remember this—!" he laughed maniacally as he ascended, relieved to have escaped the monster's grasp.
SWISH.
Suddenly, Ryker bent his knees and jumped.
To the veteran's absolute, pants-wetting horror, Ryker rocketed into the sky, easily matching the speed of the magical teleportation pillar. Before the spell could fully transport the man away, Ryker simply reached his hand into the light and grabbed him by the collar.
What?! How the hell is this possible?! the veteran screamed internally, frantically trying to break free. But the grip on his collar felt like a hydraulic press.
"Get back down here."
Ryker violently twisted his arm and hurled the man back toward the earth like a human meteor.
CRASH!
The veteran slammed into the prairie, leaving a massive crater in the dirt. He lay spread-eagled at the bottom, instantly knocked unconscious.
His Binder shattered upon impact, scattering his collected cards across the grass.
Ryker landed softly next to the crater and waved his hand. The cards immediately flew up and organized themselves in his grip. As expected, they were mostly low-tier defensive spells and basic items. Typical garbage for a spawn-camper.
"Here. Catch," Ryker tossed the defensive cards to Gon and Killua. "I don't need them, but they'll be useful for you."
"Whoa! That was amazing, Brother Ryker! I didn't even see you move!" Gon cheered, his eyes sparkling.
"So our physical stats really do carry over completely into the game," Killua muttered, thoroughly impressed.
"Come on. Let's head to the nearest city," Ryker smiled, checking his mental map. Thanks to his Admin privilege, he knew exactly where to go.
Thirty Minutes Later. Antokiba: The City of Prizes.
The trio walked through the massive stone gates of Antokiba. The city felt like a bustling medieval European town, complete with cobblestone streets, lively merchants, and musicians playing lutes on the corners.
The immersion was incredible. It felt exactly like a fully realized fantasy RPG.
"Wow! This is so cool! Look at all these posters!" Gon pointed excitedly at a massive bulletin board dominating the town square.
The board was plastered with various bounties and challenges, promising cards as rewards.
"Antokiba Monthly Tournament Schedule," Killua read aloud, examining a large sign next to the board. "It says there's a Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament held on the 15th of every month. The grand prize is the Sword of Truth!"
The Sword of Truth was an incredibly rare item card capable of instantly destroying fake or duplicated cards. It was a highly sought-after tool, especially in a game where theft and deception were common.
Of course, Ryker's newly acquired [Gallery Fake] ability allowed him to duplicate cards perfectly, making the Sword of Truth a direct counter to his powers.
"Brother Ryker! We should enter the tournament! It's in four days!" Gon cheered.
"Since we're here to play the game, we might as well enjoy the events," Ryker agreed. "But before that, why don't we try one of these bounties?"
"Oh! How about this one?!" Killua pointed at a colorful poster outside a nearby restaurant. "An eating contest! If we win, we get free food and a card! It's a win-win-win!"
They walked into the Caveau de Riquewihr restaurant.
"Welcome! Here for the challenge?" A chubby, jovial NPC chef wearing a white apron greeted them. He had feline features, complete with cat ears and whiskers.
Ryker glanced at the chef and raised an eyebrow.
[Target: Feline Chef]
[Traits: {Gourmet} (Purple), {Master Knife Skills} (Blue), {Enthusiasm} (Purple), etc.]
A Purple trait on an NPC? Ryker was genuinely surprised. Most of the players he encountered didn't even have Blue traits, yet this random NPC chef was sitting on two Purples. Even if they were just non-combat lifestyle skills, it showed the immense level of detail Ging had poured into the game's creation.
"Bring it on!" Gon declared.
Three massive, mountain-sized plates of spaghetti were placed in front of them. It was a 30-minute time limit.
Despite being digital creations, the aroma wafting from the spaghetti was genuinely mouth-watering. It was the result of the chef's [Gourmet] trait being coded perfectly into the game.
"Let's eat!"
The three Hunters devoured the massive plates with terrifying speed. For Nen users who regularly burned thousands of calories in combat, a few pounds of pasta was nothing. They finished with plenty of time to spare.
"Incredible! You cleared the challenge! Here is your prize!" The feline chef happily handed them a card.
[No. 217: Galgaida (F-185)]
[Description: A rare fish with a delicate flavor. It is said that eating its roe grants a longer life.]
"Awesome! It's an F-rank card, but it's our first real prize!" Gon cheered.
But their celebration was cut short.
"Thank you very much! That will be 1,020 Jenny!" the chef smiled, holding out his hand.
"Huh?! But the poster said it was free if we finished in thirty minutes!" Killua argued.
"The spaghetti is free," the chef corrected, maintaining his professional smile. "The sodas and ice cream you ordered on the side are not."
Gon and Killua immediately patted their pockets. They tried to offer the chef real-world Jenny, but he refused, stating they only accepted Greed Island currency.
"If you cannot pay, you will be penalized. You can either wash dishes to work off your debt, or I will call the town guards to arrest you," the chef warned.
"That's a scam!" Killua groaned.
The two boys looked helplessly at Ryker. If Ryker wasn't there, they would have just washed the dishes. But surely their insanely rich, overpowered older brother had a solution.
Before Ryker could even respond, three heavily armored NPCs—the Antokiba City Guards—marched into the restaurant.
"Who is attempting to dine and dash?! Violating the laws of Antokiba will result in mandatory confinement!" the lead guard boomed, his hand resting on his sword hilt.
The guards stomped over to the table. But the moment they got close and looked at Ryker, the lead guard froze.
His programmed aggro instantly shut off.
Without missing a beat, the guard turned 180 degrees, grabbed the feline chef by the collar, and slapped handcuffs on him.
"Hey! Wait! What are you doing?! They're the ones who didn't pay!" the chef shrieked, struggling as the guards dragged him away.
"Quiet, criminal!" the guard barked, dragging the protesting chef out the front door.
Before leaving, the lead guard turned back to Ryker, his stoic face breaking into a wide, terrified, completely un-NPC-like smile.
"My Lord... please enjoy the rest of your stay in our city!" the guard bowed deeply, then sprinted out the door.
Gon and Killua stared at the empty kitchen, completely dumbfounded. The other players in the restaurant dropped their forks, their jaws hitting the tables.
"What just happened?!"
"The players clearly dined and dashed, so why did the NPC chef get arrested?!"
"This game is broken! It has to be a glitch!"
[DING! You have punished the Feline Chef. 50% Auto-Plunder activated...]
[Success! Acquired: {Gourmet} (Purple)!]
Ryker blinked.
He hadn't even attacked the guy. He just sat there. Apparently, the system considered getting the NPC unjustly arrested as "defeating" him, triggering the plunder mechanic. And the drop rate was massively boosted on NPCs compared to players.
"Brother Ryker...? Did you do that?" Gon asked, utterly bewildered.
"I have no idea," Ryker lied smoothly, shrugging his shoulders. "Must be a bug in the code."
Meanwhile. The Admin Control Room.
"Phew... that was too close!"
Dwun wiped a massive bead of sweat from his forehead. He had his hands frantically typing on his keyboard, having manually overridden the guard NPCs' behavior script just in time.
"List, you need to rewrite the NPC aggro logic immediately! If those guards had tried to arrest him, he would have blown up the entire city! We can't let standard game rules trigger his wrath!" Dwun yelled into his headset.
"I'm working on it!" List shouted back, his fingers flying across his own keyboard as he frantically coded a "VIP Exemption" patch for Ryker. "I'm updating the entire server's NPC interaction protocols right now!"
Back in the Game.
Just as Ryker, Gon, and Killua stepped out of the restaurant, fully satisfied with their free meal...
AAAAAGH!
A blood-curdling, agonized scream echoed from the city square.
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