Buzz—
After a brief buzzing sound in his ears, Kurapika opened his eyes and found himself inside a spherical palace, covered in a silver-white web of networks.
This wasn't his first time experiencing Greed Island's teleportation, nor would it be the last. He was already very familiar with it.
Killua and Gon had never gone through such a magical teleportation journey before, so Kurapika needed to show them the full process of entering Greed Island.
Inside the spherical palace, he wasn't surprised to see one of the twin sisters, Eta.
The "blue-eyed" Eta sat at a floating control platform. Her silver, shoulder-length hair was covered by a blue mechanical headset, and her small face always carried a polite, service-like smile.
"Kurapika, long time no see. Welcome back."
"Thanks." Kurapika hadn't interacted much with the twins, so he relied on their eye color and assigned roles to tell them apart. "Eta, has Teacher German returned yet?"
"Not yet," Eta answered honestly, her tone mechanical. "Do you want me to leave him a message? He'll see it as soon as he returns to Greed Island."
Kurapika was slightly disappointed but shook his head. "No need. I'll contact him later myself."
This was the first time German had stayed on the Dark Continent for such a long time, which surprised Kurapika.
"Oh, right," Kurapika suddenly remembered. "Ging's son, Gon, and a Zoldyck family kid, Killua, will be entering Greed Island after me."
Eta finally made a slightly larger movement—she nodded. "Yes, I see them in the queue. I've already sent a message to Dwun, List, and Razor."
Then, she asked, "Kurapika, will you be using your 'Game Master account,' or do you want to create a new 'player account'?"
"I'll set up a new player account. I want to help Killua and Gon get through the beginner phase."
Kurapika knew how much of a disadvantage new players had in the early stages of Greed Island Z.
If he wanted to assist Killua and Gon at the start of the game, he had to use a new player account. Using his Game Master account wasn't allowed—at least, not for now.
Eta smiled slightly, her fingers tapping on the control panel with a rhythmic clatter.
"Alright, I've set everything up for you… Now, without further delay, let me inform you about some updates in the new version of 'Greed Island Z.'"
Kurapika hadn't returned to Greed Island for several months. The last time he was here, the new version was still in its beta phase, but now it was fully released.
In truth, he had been keeping an eye on Greed Island's developments all along.
Through the Greed Island forums, the professional hunter website, and his own observations, he had a general idea of the changes. Still, he remained polite and listened quietly.
Eta first explained the expansion of Greed Island Z's card library, the addition of new main and side quests, the increase in NPCs and interactions, and finally, the introduction of the "Defeat Rules."
"When players enter Greed Island Z, their starting HP is 4000. This maximum HP can later be increased or decreased through various means."
"Before a battle begins, players must wager at least one card. If a player has fewer than ten cards in their 'Grimoire,' they are protected, and no one can forcibly challenge them to a battle."
"During a battle, if a player's HP drops to zero, they are considered defeated."
"The defeated player will be forcibly sent to 'Elena's Spherical Palace.' Once the wagered cards are settled, they will go to the victor."
Red-Eyed Elena—one of the twin sisters—was originally in charge of Greed Island's exit.
"In Elena's Spherical Palace, the defeated player has a choice: they can either leave Greed Island Z entirely or teleport to any checkpoint they had previously unlocked, resetting their status."
"Similarly, if a player's HP drops to zero for any reason while in Greed Island Z, they will be sent to Elena's Spherical Palace."
Kurapika understood why such an unusual 'Defeat Rule' existed.
It was a measure put in place by the Game Masters of Greed Island Z to prevent excessive player deaths in this real-world game.
With an HP limit of 4000, it was clearly set far above a player's 'critical condition' threshold.
Forcing players to be sent to 'Elena's Spherical Palace' upon reaching zero HP was actually a protective measure for them.
After their protection period in Elena's Spherical Palace ended, the defeated player would have to make their choice.
The losing side can choose to leave Greed Island Z.
This prevents players from continuously losing and getting stuck on the island for years because they can't obtain the necessary cards to leave.
The losing side can also choose to teleport to any activated teleportation point on Greed Island Z and have their status reset.
A "status reset" means health is restored to its maximum, and all abnormal conditions are removed.
However, the winner or loser might use "Spell: Magnetism" to track down the other party for a rematch.
Because of this, players on Greed Island Z often travel in teams to avoid being hunted down and forced into repeated battles until they're completely drained.
At the same time, they also have to watch out for third and fourth parties trying to take advantage of the situation.
The various tactics they use depend entirely on the circumstances at hand.
Players can force battles against each other, but there are also cards that allow them to reject or cut off fights. These must be obtained through the main and side quests of Greed Island Z.
Eta then explained the punishment for "Red-Named Players."
Even though the game has a "health system," some players still possess abilities that can truly kill others.
This means those players entered the game with the intent to kill from the start.
Such players are given a "Red Name" and are permanently banned from Greed Island Z. A public announcement is also made to all players.
However, Greed Island Z does not impose any further punishment on "Red-Named Players," nor does it report them to the game's officials.
Finally, Eta finished explaining all the immediate rules to Kurapika.
As for the complete set of rules, they were listed in the player's guide, which could be accessed anytime by materializing the "Grimoire."
"Kurapika, I hope you enjoy the game," Eta said at last. "Please have fun with the world we created."
Even though Kurapika wasn't particularly close to Eta, he could sense her genuine happiness in those words.
"I will," Kurapika replied before stepping out of the spherical palace.
He descended a spiral stone staircase, officially entering Greed Island Z.
Before he even stepped out of the towering brick structure, he noticed two silver spell inscriptions glowing on the ground ahead.
Kurapika had read about these in forum guides—this was one of the new features in Greed Island Z: "Player Advice."
All players could leave suggestion-based messages on the nearby ground for others to see.
The main purpose of this system was to help veteran players guide new players, at least in the beginning.
Kurapika walked forward and lightly tapped one of the messages with his foot. The "Player Advice" materialized before his eyes.
"A breathtaking view ahead—witness it for yourself."
He looked up and saw an endless stretch of lush green grassland. It was indeed vast and beautiful.
Kurapika checked the second "Player Advice."
"No obstacles ahead—sprinting will be useful."
After giving a thumbs-up to both pieces of advice, Kurapika rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. He also remained cautious, carefully observing the seemingly open and exposed grassland.
After a while, Killua and Gon emerged from the spherical palace and joined him.
They were clearly excited—the explanation from Eta had fully fired up their enthusiasm.
However, when they saw Kurapika's serious expression, they were puzzled.
"Kurapika, what's wrong?" Gon asked curiously.
"It's nothing," Kurapika turned to them and said, "We need to sprint as fast as we can until we're out of this danger zone."
"Danger zone?" Killua and Gon immediately became alert. "There's danger here?"
Kurapika explained, "The place we're standing on is still a safe zone. But once we leave, we'll have no protection."
"Some veteran players occasionally come here just to mess with newcomers."
"We don't have any cards yet, so they can't force us into battles. But they can use spell cards to humiliate us."
"In this situation, our best option is to run."
Killua and Gon were eager to start, showing no signs of fear or hesitation.
And so, the three of them set off on their journey in Greed Island Z.
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