The decision Asta, Naruto, and Rivana made was not an ordinary one—it was more like jumping into the unknown.
After the long discussion inside Rivana's house, and after she revealed the existence of another man who came from a different world just like them, everything changed. This was no longer just about surviving in Zikola. There was now hope… even if it was faint… of escaping.
The three of them sat in heavy silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Asta stared at the ground, clenching his fist as if trying to force a solution out of sheer will. Naruto looked up at the ceiling, his eyes filled with deep thought. Rivana, meanwhile, watched them quietly, as if measuring how prepared they were for what was coming.
Asta finally spoke, raising his head:
"We can't stay like this… If there's someone who knows something, we need to go to him."
Naruto nodded immediately, as if he had been waiting for those exact words:
"Exactly… It doesn't matter if he's crazy or not. What matters is that he's from another world like us."
Rivana looked at them, then let out a small sigh before saying:
"Fine… we'll all go."
The path to that man's house was neither clear nor easy. It lay in a less crowded area of the city, closer to the outskirts, where movement was scarce and silence grew heavier. The alleys were narrower, and the buildings less organized, as if the place itself had lost part of the order that defined other parts of Zikola.
Rivana stopped in front of a house that looked slightly different from the others.
It wasn't luxurious, but it was… decorated.
The engravings on the walls were intricate and well-balanced, as if the owner wasn't just an ordinary resident, but someone with refined taste… or perhaps a long history.
She said calmly:
"This is the place."
Asta and Naruto exchanged glances, then stepped forward with her.
She pushed the door slowly.
The moment they entered, they felt as if they had stepped into a different world.
The man sat in the middle of the room, performing strange physical movements slowly and steadily. His body was firm despite his age, and his motions were precise, calculated—as if every movement carried meaning.
He suddenly stopped.
Then opened his eyes.
And looked at them.
His gaze was calm… yet sharp.
Then he smiled.
"Welcome… to Zikola."
A brief silence followed.
Asta stepped forward slightly, then said:
"You're… Isaac Netero?"
The man smiled wider, then sat down comfortably on the floor:
"It seems my reputation precedes me."
They sat in front of him.
But the first thing Naruto noticed… was strange.
He said while observing him:
"You… aren't using your power, right?"
Netero chuckled lightly.
"Good observation… Yes, I can no longer use Nen."
Naruto's expression changed slightly.
"Even you…"
Netero nodded:
"This world takes away what you thought was a part of you."
Asta spoke directly, without hesitation:
"We want to know… why are you here?"
Netero looked at them for a long moment, then closed his eyes, as if recalling a distant memory.
"The last thing I remember…"
He slowly opened his eyes.
"I was fighting…"
Silence fell.
"Against the King of Beasts… Meruem."
Naruto's eyes widened.
Asta remained silent.
Netero continued in a calm but heavy voice:
"I knew I wouldn't make it out alive… so I did what had to be done."
He raised his hand toward his chest.
"I planted a bomb… next to my heart."
The air froze.
"And seconds before I died…"
He paused.
Then smiled faintly.
"A message appeared in front of me."
He looked directly at them.
'Do you wish to die… or move to the world of Zikola?'
Silence.
"I chose… without hesitation."
Asta looked at him in shock:
"That's why you're different…"
Netero nodded:
"Yes… I didn't arrive here the same way you did."
Then he added:
"And that's also why… I can't leave."
Naruto frowned:
"What do you mean?"
"I… am bound to this world."
He took a breath, then said:
"But there's something else…"
He looked at them sharply:
"My intelligence here… is almost unlimited."
Asta's eyes widened:
"What?!"
"I can live for years without it decreasing."
Then he added calmly:
"But… that doesn't mean I'm safe."
Naruto asked:
"Why?"
Netero smiled:
"Because the rulers of this world… don't like those who exceed limits."
Asta quickly asked:
"Is there a way out?"
Netero smiled.
"There is a way out."
The two leaned closer.
"Where?!"
He said calmly:
"In the heart of the palace."
Silence.
Then he continued:
"And directly beneath it."
Their expressions changed.
"But… reaching it is nearly impossible."
Rivana spoke:
"How do you know that?"
He looked at her.
Then said:
"From the gate."
"A gate?"
"Yes… the gate I came from."
Then added:
"It was sealed… and it won't open again easily."
The three began thinking.
Asta said:
"So… we enter the palace?"
Netero laughed:
"If it were that simple… I would've done it long ago."
Then added:
"There's a condition."
They looked at him.
"You can't pass… unless your intelligence is extremely high."
Silence.
"The gate… rejects the weak."
At that moment…
Asta paused.
Then said slowly:
"But… we didn't come from a gate."
Netero looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Naruto looked at him, then said:
"We came from outside the city… from a desert."
Silence filled the room.
Netero's eyes widened slightly.
Then he smiled.
"I see now…"
He looked at them.
"You came from another land."
"A land?"
"Yes… a land called Amartia."
They froze.
"There… the currency isn't intelligence."
He paused.
"But… beauty."
"And there…"
He looked at them deeply.
"People are far more intelligent than here."
Silence.
"That's why… there's a war."
Silence returned.
Then Naruto said:
"How do we get out?"
Netero looked at them.
Then said calmly:
"Either… you develop your intelligence."
He paused.
"Or… you search for another gate."
Then smiled:
"But honestly…"
He looked at them.
"You're closer to Gon… when he started."
He paused.
"And I don't think you understand what that means yet."
They left the house.
Silence followed them.
They started working.
Days…
Then weeks…
Digging, exhausting themselves, working.
But…
Their intelligence wasn't enough.
And what they earned… went into survival.
Despair crept in.
Slowly.
One night…
Naruto stood.
Alone.
Looking at the sky.
"Maybe…"
he said quietly.
"Death… is the way."
In that moment…
He jumped.
"NARUTO!!!"
Rivana appeared.
At the last second.
She caught him.
He was unconscious.
Blood flowing.
She acted quickly.
Treated him.
Saved him.
And as she was bandaging his wounds…
She looked at him.
For a long moment.
Quietly.
For the first time…
Something different appeared in her eyes.
Admiration.
As for Naruto…
He didn't know…
That he had reached the edge…
And started again.
Will Naruto break… or will this world break first? 🔥