Despite my excitement, I'm currently in a disadvantageous position. I had used one of the "Defensive Wall" cards beforehand in case I ran into any players in the city, but I didn't expect a siege so soon.
I'd rather not have to use force like I did with that guy earlier, but if they start trying to steal from me, I'll have no choice but to use it along with my "Thief" cards. 'That's the way this game is, folks.'
"I see you also have good reflexes to immediately pull out your book, and you don't seem to feel nervous or tense even though we outnumber you. You really seem to have a lot of experience in the game. But don't worry, we don't plan on looting you for now." The blond man says to me, getting closer to me step by step.
"Oh, you've come to keep me company? Maybe I'd find it easier to believe you if I weren't surrounded by a whole group of players ready to activate their spells." I reply, looking around.
Quite convinced by my words, the man gives a signal to his companions and they all make their books disappear.
"Book." I say, making my book disappear as well as a sign of willingness to talk, and the man in front of me finally does the same.
"Well, now that the situation has calmed down, we can get straight to business. The reason we approached you so suddenly is because we'd be interested in having you join our faction." The man says.
"Hey, hey, slow down, man. We just met. You haven't even told me your name, and you start talking about joining your group. There's a certain order to do these things." I tell him a little disappointed by his obvious lack of practice.
The guy scowls at my dismissive comment before starting to speak again. "My name is Jispa, and I'm a player just like you. Nice to meet you." He says stretching out his open hand.
"Kai Ikeda. Excuse me for not shaking your hand, but knowing about Nen, I can be quite distrustful." I respond.
'I don't like having to be rude after a show of good faith, but knowing Genthru and his powers, it's natural to be wary of this kind of things.'
"Okay, then I'll start explaining." Jispa responds aparting his hand.
"In this game, the main objective is to collect all 100 cards from the restricted spaces in the book, and these cards can be obtained in three ways:"
"1. Finding and winning the cards in the game."
"2. Exchanging them with another player."
"3. Stealing them from another player."
"This third method is the most used, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's one of the main reasons why no one has completed the game yet."
"Just like the man you met before arriving here, there are many players who keep an eye out for newcomers just entering the game. They then use one of the tracking spells available in the game and wait for these newbies to get a valuable card to steal it, often even killing them to do so."
"But this also puts them at risk, as it makes them targets for other, more powerful players or groups. In short, the game is something of a free-for-all."
"That doesn't make sense. If you can get cards by stealing them from other players, then the game should have been over years ago. How come no one has been crowned the winner yet? And why do so many people choose to stay here instead of stealing and selling a valuable card to leave the game?" I ask, feigning ignorance so as not to raise so many suspicions.
"That's because some cards aren't so easy to obtain. All cards have a rank and conversion limit, and the higher the rank, the lower the limit. That's why many players seek to monopolize them, or kill those who monopolize them, because that way their rings disappear and the conversion number for those monopolized cards increases." Jispa starts explaining again.
"Additionally, The acquisition difficulty also increases with the rank. Some cards require very strict conditions to obtain, and most players either do not cooperate or are too weak to obtain them. That's why we have come before you."
"Some players have grown weary of having to endure this vicious cycle of indiscriminate killing for so many years, and have sought out allies in an alliance to spearhead a surefire way to clear the game. By working together to acquire and monopolize cards, we can win the game and put an end to this!"
"To achieve that, we need to enlist as many allies as possible to work together as a multi-command force! Mr. Ikeda, just by looking at you, you seem like someone reliable for this task! Join us, and let's conquer this damned game together!"
After this little pep talk, I remain silent for a few seconds before speaking to make it seem like his chatter has had some effect on me and that I'm considering it.
"And how do you plan to achieve that goal? You've said there are three methods for obtaining cards in the game. It's only natural that I'd like to know which one you're going to use." I ask, imitating the same pose as the guy they tried to recruit in the canon.
"Stealing them. We'll also use the other methods, but this will be the most crucial." Jispa answers.
"Stealing, huh? So in the end, you're part of the problem: the players who attack others to steal their cards through violence and murder. That's what you're trying to get me to join." I say trying to play the part of the skeptical and cautious player.
"No, we won't do that! Our strategy may include that method, but we won't use violence to implement it! We're not like the Bomber!" To my and Jispa's surprise, this is said by a female member of his group.
"The Bomber?" I ask feigning ignorance.
"One of the game's many radical and bloodthirsty players. He kills his victims by making them explode from the inside out, so we believe he's either an Emitter or a Manipulator." Jispa explains.
"It's because of players like that that we decided to form our alliance, so how could we possibly seek to use the same tricks? Yes, we also plan to steal cards from other players, but only through the game's spells, not with violence like that guy."
"Okay, I apologize for my rudeness. What I know I can point out is that only one person can win the game, so how do you plan to distribute all the prize money for completing it?" I ask with a firm look.
"That's a reasonable doubt. It's true that competition for pay could become an issue for a large group of players, but all of us were signed by Battera for this work, And I assume that's the case for you too. After all, getting the Greed Island game is difficult, and with Mr. Battera's intervention, it would be nearly impossible." Jispa explains.
"Yes, I was hired by him too. So what?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"Well, the prize for completing the game is 50 billion jenny, so we plan to split it fairly among all the members we recruit so that there are no arguments later." Jispa starts once again.
"We, the 10 founding members of the alliance, have agreed to divide 20 billion of the prize among ourselves. As for the remaining members, we don't have a fixed agreed-upon amount, but it will vary depending on the length of the membership, the achievements, and the risk the person takes in the job."
"We plan to have up to 70 members in the alliance, including us founders, so you'd get at least 200 million jenny. It seems like a big reduction considering the total, but it's a good amount. You can also increase it depending on your performance. What do you say? It's not a bad deal, right?"
Faced with Jispa's not-so-subtle attempt to convince me by telling me the benefits of joining this alliance, I put my hand to my chin and pretend to think about the proposal for a few seconds before asking my last question.
"I have one last question. According to my real-world sources, there was a player who was signed by Battera before me... Have you noticed any newcomers arriving in recent days?"
At my unexpected question, Jispa and his companions look at each other in bewilderment. "Do you know anything about other newcomer?" Jispa asks, receiving head shakes in denial.
"Wait, there was someone." Says a man with black hair, a budding mustache and pronounced dimples, gaining our attention. "A few days ago, along with another group led by Nickes, we found a young girl who had just joined the game."
Point of View Switch: Reader
Flashback.
Nickes and three other individuals (including the man narrating the flashback) stand in front of Biscuit Krueger, who is shown assuming her role of a helpless and shy young girl.
"Do you understand now? This is a foul, brutal game where players attack each other for cards. A girl as young as you will be lost if she chooses to go it alone." Nickes, who is at the front, says.
"The only way to overcome this is if we all work together as a unit. I guarantee you there's no other way. So what will you do? Will you join us or not?"
"Keep in mind that in addition to ensuring your safety, we'll also undo the spells cast on you. And if you're worried about the prize money, I can assure you it will be divided so everyone receives a fair amount."
As Nickes extends his hand in offering to Biscuit, she moves her closed hands toward her face in nervousness and looks away. "I-I'm sorry, but I don't feel sure about accepting right now." She says acting all girly and insecure.
"I'm just new to this game, and I'm not sure who I should trust in this unknown and terrifying place. I'm not suggesting you guys are bad, I'm just really scared of accepting an invitation from strangers so suddenly."
"I don't want to simply dismiss your kindness, but I need time. Please, could you wait and let me see a little more of this game before accepting your proposal." Biscuit says this last part adding sparkling eyes and batting eyelashes.
At this sight, a couple of Nickes's companions fluster and blush. "Okay, we can wait. Our project is still in development, so we can wait a little longer." Nickes replies, standing the same despite Biscuit's act.
"Once you've made a final decision, you can contact us with the "Contact" or "Magnetic Force" spells to give us your answer. But be cautious until then, and don't get valuable cards that other players can attack you for. Okay?"
At Nickes' advice, Biscuit nods tenderly, and after exchanging names so they know who to contact at a later date, he and his group wish Biscuit luck before leaving the place.
End of the Flashback.
Point of View Switch: Kai
"I haven't seen her again since then, but the boss and the other members who were there are still waiting for her to contact us with her response." The man finishes telling.
'So Biscuit decided not to give them a definitive answer. In canon, she told them straight up no in order to pursue Gon and Killua, but in this timeline, she's chosen to leave the window open. Knowing her, she has no intention of joining this alliance, but she'll want to maintain contact to try to get as much out of them as she can.' I ponder on the information that the man has given me.
"Well, what do you say then? Will you join us... or not?" Jispa asks, looking for a final confirmation.
"Sigh. I'm very grateful for the interest you've shown in me, and for sharing the strategy you've devised to beat the game. But my answer is no. I will not join your alliance." I answer.
"Why?! We're giving you the option to take a safe path to beat the game and profit with the monetary reward! Why wouldn't you want to participate?!" Jispa asks, upset by my rejection.
"I have a number of personal reasons, but if you want one straight, it's that I came here to genuinely enjoy the game and be crowned the winner. I'm not interested in following your strategic team-based multitasking plan, and there's no way I'm going to relinquish the title of champion to one of you, the founding members." I answer blatantly.
"You're being a fool!" Jispa replies quite annoyed.
"We've already explained to you that there's no way to win the game alone! Even if you get a good card, someone will eventually steal it from you, either by spells or by force! And some cards can't be obtained without teaming up with others!"
"On top of that, the number of players who kill others as the Bomber has been increasing recently, so it's not just a matter of advantage, but of survival! Don't you get it?!"
"By working all together, we can win this game with a 100% chance of success, profit and come out alive! This is the only way to achieve it!"
"That may be true for weak, low-level players like yourselves, but players like me have the potential to overcome this game with our skills without relying so heavily on numbers." I reply bluntly.
"You bastard. You're being too arrogant." Jispa says, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists in anger.
Seeing his heated reaction to my dismissive little statement, I unleash my aggressive Ren at full power for 5 seconds. Enough time for Jispa's group and other surrounding players to fall to the ground from the power overload they've just been exposed to.
"It's not arrogance, it's reality. You and your team are weak, and that's why you need to resort to vast numerical superiority to win the game." I say confidently to a dismayed Jispa.
"That's not a bad strategy in itself, but it's not the kind of path followed by powerful people like me or the guy you call the Bomber. If there's one thing that guy and I have in common, it's that we trust our own abilities enough not to seek to make up for what we lack with the help of a bunch of people with deficient abilities. We don't trust our backs to someone we know can't protect them."
As I say these words with obvious, oozing conviction, Jispa stands helplessly staring at me from the ground, a mixture of panic, depression, and frustration plastered across his face. Seeing that I have drilled the sense of danger towards me into Jispa and his group brains, I start walking past them in order to leave.
"Even if I don't join you, I don't intend to antagonize you as long as you don't provoke me. And if one of us gets cards or information that interests the other, we always have the option to negotiate. After all, that's part of the game." This is the last thing I say before leaving the area, leaving Jispa and his group stunned and dejected.
I know I got a little carried away there, but I had to make my position clear. Working for them won't benefit me in any way, and it makes no sense to ally myself with a faction that's doomed to perish.
I could inform them about Genthru's true identity as the Bomber, or try to take advantage of him revealing himself to get his cards, but the truth is that facing such a large group that monopolizes and hides the spell cards would be almost impossible without a sly trap like Genthru's.
From their canon behavior, it might seem that Genthru killed them out of malice, but the truth is that it was a necessary move to prevent an unbalanced competition against him. Had he let them live, they would have regrouped and retaliated against him and his group, and even if Genthru and his two friends were stronger individually, they wouldn't have been able to face the 60 members of the Nickes' Alliance, especially with their extensive spell repertoire.
It's true that the idea of letting them die without trying to save them makes me feel a little uneasy and sad, but I've long since come to terms with the fact that I can't always save everyone.
Besides, most of these individuals are unknown filler material. They're not like Kastro, who had a more prominent role in canon and had the potential to go much further as a Nen user, so I don't feel as compelled to save their lives as I did with Kastro.
That makes everything clear. To win the game, the Nickes' Alliance has to disappear. It's a cruel and heartless measure, but I know every step I decide to take brings me closer to my goal, and I'm determined to succeed.
The game is vast, filled with challenges and mysteries, but I'm ready to face them all head-on. With my skills, determination, and a bit of luck, I'm confident that I will achieve my objectives and I fully enjoy the experience of Greed Island.