Reincarnation is tricky business.
For Lake Rouge, it had been over twenty years now since he was reborn into this familiar yet unfamiliar world. Familiar in the way that he'd recognised it after having gained enough information, this world was literally a work of fiction... at least in his old life.
As for the unfamiliar part, it was a world based on an anime that he had remembered watching years ago, even if you didn't include the next twenty years spent after reincarnating in this world.
He remembered many things, but anything too specific left him completely blank.
That aside, Lake was, as stated before, a young man no older than twenty, the same age at which he had died before being reincarnated. In a way, you could say he had now finally caught up to his previous progress.
Lake's physique was difficult to see under his current attire, but what could be seen suggested he was a lean young man with a fair complexion, a head of neat, straight black hair, and a pair of piercing pale-blue eyes.
As for the attire, it wasn't anything special.
Covering his upper body was a simple white zipped-up hoodie, the hood not currently over his head, and his lower body was covered by a pair of dark grey cargo pants that were still sleek enough to show off his slender legs, along with a set of simple black boots.
At the moment, Lake was leaning casually against the cold walls of the rather large underground facility, his eyes glancing boredly around at the other individuals gathered here.
Next to him on the ground was a simple white-and-blue backpack that appeared to be in pristine condition, most likely purchased recently. As for the contents, it was impossible to tell since it was completely zipped.
'I still can't believe I'm actually doing this...' Lake thought to himself as he once again gazed around, though this time with a hint of amusement in his gaze. 'If it were more than a month ago, I'd have sent myself to a mental asylum for even considering it.'
Although he thought this in a joking manner, most of his thoughts were genuine.
Before his 'cheat' had arrived around a month ago, he was barely above the average human in this world. Not even like the many superhumans who were around him right now, just your average teenager who had nothing special aside from a good face.
The very idea of participating in the Hunter Exam was nothing short of preposterous, at least at that time. However, after a little improvement in his System, he had gained considerable strength.
While certainly not at the level where he'd be capable of just walking around without a care, certainly enough where he was confident he could at least pass the Hunter Exam without issue, unless unknown variables appeared.
Although he didn't know this world to its core, he was at least certain that this world definitely had water much deeper than most may realise, water he had no intention of swimming in at the moment.
'Also, for real...?' Lake glanced down at the white badge he had clipped onto his jacket, a wry smile on his face as he read the number. 'I blame the brainrot that was my old world, I can't look at this number without feeling like I'm wearing a sexual joke.'
Yes, the number he had on his chest and the number he'd be identified as during this Hunter Exam was none other than the number that has caused countless brainrots. A number that referred to a very... NSFW term.
That number was 69.
'Even in another world, you just can't escape the internet.' Lake shrugged and sighed to himself as this thought passed his mind. 'In any case, thanks to the System, I have a chance of becoming a Hunter. The profession is dangerous, but the benefits are crazy good.'
With a discreet swipe of his hand, a holographic screen seemed to open up in front of him.
.
[Dungeon Hunter System]
➢ Status
➢ Mission
➢ Dungeon Team [Current: 1/5]
➢ Dungeon Map [Locked]
.
This was the System that awakened to him, and if he were to describe it as simply as possible, it allowed him to become a literal dungeon crawler. With it, he could locate hidden dungeons in the world and raid them for treasures, power, and more.
The operation of it was very straightforward:
1) Locate a dungeon
2) Complete the dungeon
3) Get rewards and become stronger and/or rich
4) Repeat
That was literally all the System was, it wasn't any System like The Gamer or something complicated. It was as simple as he made it out to be. But that was actually good in his opinion, he hated overcomplicated stuff with a passion.
Over the course of the past month, he had attempted to raid as many dungeons as he possibly could to bolster his own strength. The first mission issued to him was to complete the Hunter Exam, so getting stronger first was paramount.
He had completed numerous dungeons of all different kinds, some rather simple and others more complicated in nature. The dungeons also had a difficulty ranking, so he avoided any he found that may prove too much for him to handle.
In any case, he had gained a lot from the ones he had completed.
Treasures that he looted were traded for cash to support both himself and the family he had in this world, and on top of that, he had also been incredibly lucky in terms of getting useful skills and abilities.
Two were even from other anime.
.
[Status]
➢ Name: Lake Rouge
➢ Dungeon Rank: 2 - [EXP: 15/500]
➢ Treasure Keys: [Bronze: 5] [Silver: 2] [Gold: 1] [Diamond: 0]
➢ Abilities (Limit: 2/2): [Venom Crown (Lvl 3)] [Ittou Shura (Lvl 1)]
➢ Skills (Limit: 1/3): [Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist (Lvl 6)]
.
If you couldn't already figure it out, the skill that came from another anime was the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, a powerful martial arts form that was developed by the character Bang in the anime One Punch Man.
It was one of, well... only skill that he had obtained from the dungeons, but it had certainly proved to be one of his main hidden fangs. Venom Crown was gained sometime after, and as for Ittou Shura, literally in a dungeon he completed the other day and has yet to put into action.
It was also the other ability that he gained that originated from an anime, he couldn't for the life of him recall what it was called, but the ability itself was basically a kind of last resort that should only be used if victory could be assured.
The difference between an ability and a skill seems to lie in their nature. Abilities were more inclined toward things considered supernatural, while skills could be learned without access to supernatural forces and consisted of normal skills to superhuman arts.
For any dungeons that required combat, the Water Stream martial arts style proved to be his main weapon, together with Venom Crown, which came along some time after. Venom Crown was a very powerful ability.
To explain it as simply as possible, it essentially gave him Anti-Venom capabilities and more, the same one from Marvel. His body could recognise and counteract foreign substances, and he had full control over whether it would respond to them.
On top of that, using the different substances and antibodies his body had created after being exposed to them, he could just as easily weaponise them in countless ways. Personally, he preferred the simple approach of simply coating his body and/or even forming claws and tendrils.
When used together with the Water Stream, every punch or attack in general he did could easily inject the opposition with all kinds of dangerous and/or completely fatal toxins and diseases.
As for Ittou Shura, he had yet to test it out.
As for the levels next to each ability and skill, they were essentially proficiency or mastery levels.
The more he used the individual abilities and skills, the more proficient he became. It was rather broken in that whenever the level went up, he'd gain a better understanding and greater efficiency in using them.
Naturally, the higher the level, the harder it is to level up the ability or skill. The kind of skill or ability may also affect how fast the level progresses, but he wasn't too certain about whether this was true or not.
"How much longer do I have to wait...?" With a sigh, Lake kicked his left foot back and forth with no real purpose. 'The protagonist group hasn't arrived yet, so who knows how much longer we'll have to wait.'
He had already seen Killua around, though he made no effort to make contact. Of course, he naturally also saw a number of other prominent figures like Hisoka hanging around, along with some of the finalists or at least significant figures in the exam.
As for whether he remembered their names, fucking no chance.
It had been over two decades since he last watched the show, give him some slack. Even then, his knowledge only extended to that one arc about that tower where people mostly go to for a quick cash grab by fighting.
'Maybe I should go there at some point, wouldn't mind the extra cash. Then again, those treasures I sold from the dungeons are more than enough for someone like me.' Lake thought casually to himself before crushing the soda can in his hand. 'I'm still thirsty, where'd that Tonpa guy go? Oh, there he is...'
Looking to the side, Lake noticed a... not body shaming, but rather obese individual walking around with a soda can in both of his hands. He seemed to have a pleasant smile on his face, and his eyes were gazing around at all of the contestants.
"Yo, Tonpa!"
"Huh?" Hearing his name, the male in question turned to look towards the source. "Oh, you're... Lake, right? What can I do for ya, buddy?"
"Just wanted to ask if you could spare an extra can or two of that soda." Lake requested with a calm smile. Hearing his words, Tonpa blinked a few times in confusion. "Still feeling a bit parched, hope you don't mind. Thanks for the previous ones as well."
"Yeah, no problem...?" Tonpa blinked a few times again as he unconsciously shook Lake's hand that was extended to him. "O-Of course, I don't mind at all! Take an extra third or fourth can if you want. I have plenty of them to go around."
"Much appreciated." With a nod, Lake grabbed the three cans of soda handed over to him before turning to walk away. Tossing one of the cans up and down, Lake glanced over his shoulder. "Thanks again!"
"Y-Yeah, anytime..." Tonpa watched as Lake walked away, his smile turning into a frown as he scratched the side of his head. "What's with that guy? He'll die from bowel movements alone if he keeps drinking that much... huh?"
Feeling a slight burning sensation, Tonpa glanced down at his hand to see a small cut. No blood was coming out, but it was certainly there. Although confused, he paid it no mind and went to look for his next vic-... friend.
As for Lake, he glanced back once more with a small smirk. 'Good luck, Tonpa. A word of advice, my friend. Make sure to use the bathroom before going into something important.'
"You know that's been drugged, right?"
Lake stopped in his steps as he looked down to see a very familiar kid standing in front of him, no older than twelve, with a pair of seemingly innocent blue eyes and a head of somewhat messy spiky white hair.
This was none other than Killua Zoldyck.
One of the series' protagonists and a prominent figure in the anime. From what Lake remembered, this kid was a member of the very famous, elite assassination family simply known as the Zoldyck Family.
"Yeah, so?"
"Yet you're still drinking it?"
"Of course." Lake shrugged without a care. "Stuff like this doesn't affect me, so it doesn't matter how much of it I drink."
"Really?" Genuinely surprised, Killua blinked his eyes before looking at Lake with clear interest in his gaze. "I guess we have something in common then. Poisons and drugs like that have no effect on me either. Mind sparing a can?"
"Sure, kid." Lake casually handed Killua a can. "Better hope your words are true, otherwise prepare to rush to the bathroom."
"Same to you, dude."
Lake remembered the whole "being immune to poison" thing Killua said in the anime, though he didn't really believe it. At most, Killua was highly resistant to common poisons and drugs. As for his other relatives, he wasn't sure.
Out of sheer boredom, Lake had somehow found himself having a casual talk with the white-haired protagonist for the next few minutes while they waited for the exam to truly begin. The topics they discussed weren't worth mentioning.
"Oh, hey, look at them!"
"Hm?" Lake glanced over casually after hearing Killua's voice. His eyes widened ever so slightly, a smile soon forming on his face as well. 'So, the rest of the protagonists have arrived. That means things will soon be underway.'
"I didn't expect another kid like me to be here." Killua commented with some surprise and interest. "How old do you think he is?"
"Based on pure appearance? I'd say around twelve like you." Lake responded without any change in his usual carefree tone. "Thinking of going over to say hi? Go right ahead, don't need to worry about little old me being lonely."
"Nah, I'm good. I'll consider it if he manages to stay in the exam." Was Killua's simple answer. "Still though, I'm honestly surprised anyone my age would sign up for the Hunter Exam. Don't tons of people die all the time in this?"
"It's not that they don't sign up, I just doubt that many of them are capable enough to get past the initial screening test." Lake gave his simple explanation as Killua listened casually. "Which means that kid over there has got some skills."
"Maybe so." Killua smirked, though he soon deadpanned when he saw Gon, the name of the kid and other protagonist in the distance, drinking from the soda can Tonpa gave him before immediately spitting it out. "Maybe not. Was he not at all suspicious?"
"The naive mind of a child."
xXx
Nothing much happened for the rest of the waiting time, aside from that one iconic scene where a certain battle perverted clown did some 'magic' to a dude's arms. The rest was spent either in silence or casual conversation.
Killua stayed to talk with Lake for a while before deciding to go around again and take a look at the 'competition', though the chances of him finding anyone worthwhile aside from a very few select candidates were slim to none.
As everyone was minding their own business, all forms of chatter ceased as soon as the loud ringing of some kind of bell rang throughout the tunnel. This naturally caught the attention of every applicant, many of whom were looking around in confusion.
"So, it begins..." Lake muttered to himself as he pushed himself off the wall. Stretching his limbs as one of the walls began to rise, slowly revealing the dark, seemingly endless path that made up the rest of the tunnel. 'Oh, how spooky.'
Even after the ringing stopped, no one said anything. Their attention was focused on the individual who had appeared along with the newly revealed tunnel. A refined individual with light purple hair, wearing a dark purple suit.
Although Lake couldn't quite recall this dude's name, he could at least remember that this was, no doubt, the examiner for the first part of the exam. Though he had to question where the hell the dude's mouth was.
"I apologise for the delay. Thank you for waiting." Were the first words that left the man's mouth. "The entry period for the Hunter applicants is officially closed. So, with no further ado, the Hunter Exam will now begin."
In response, although no one spoke, they all seemed to perk up as the applicants wore expressions of determination, arrogance, or other emotions.
"One final word of caution. If you're short on luck or ability, keep in mind that there's a very real chance you could end up seriously injured." The examiner explained, a hint of warning in his tone as he did. "Death is another distinct possibility."
Whether those words caused concern for the applicants was unknown, no one expressed any particular reaction to the examiner's words.
"If you're willing to accept the risks involved, I'll ask you to follow me now. But for the rest of you, kindly exit through the elevator located behind you."
After saying those words, the examiner paused for a moment, glancing his eyes around to see if anyone moved. Naturally, after having already come this far, no one seemed willing to give up after just a few unnerving words.
"Very well." With a nod of his head, the examiner continued. "All 405 applicants will now participate in Phase 1."
Without further explanation, the examiner turned around with rather stiff motion before he began walking. Seeing this, the applicants wasted no time and quickly began walking after him.
The walk was quiet, no one said anything, though they all came to realise that the longer they walked, the greater the distance between them and the examiner. To lessen the distance, they all began to jog... and then eventually run.
"How rude of me!" Cutting through the previous silence, the examiner spoke once again. "I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, your examiner for the first phase of the exam. It's my responsibility to lead you all to the second phase."
"Second?" One of the other applicants, one who looked to be dressed as a ninja, had spoken up. "Whatever happened to the first?"
"The first phase is already underway." Was Satotz's simple response, eliciting varying reactions from the applicants. "The first phase is quite simple. All you have to do is follow me to the second phase. So, try to keep up?"
"Follow you?" The same applicant from before asked with doubt. "So that's it? There's nothing else?"
"That's right." Satotz quickly confirmed. "I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need only to follow me."
Without a single other word, Satotz continued his strides as all of the applicants tried their best to stay as close behind him as possible. As for Lake, he was naturally doing the same, albeit with boredom clear on his face.
'Look at that dude, why is he running like those Christmas nutcracker dolls?' Lake couldn't help but wonder. In any case, Lake grabbed a piece of gum from his backpack before tossing it into his mouth. 'How long was this course again? Over like sixty kilometres, right? What a pain...'
xXx
When it came to keeping track of time, Lake honestly didn't care. For him, they'll arrive at their destination when they arrive, it was as simple as that. Instead of the time, might as well just focus on the physical running part.
"Hm?" Lake blinked when he heard a loud scream behind him. Since the scream seemed to be from pretty far back, he didn't bother checking. 'What was that about? Maybe some dude had a crashout due to exhaustion...'
Speaking of exhaustion, it had been over two hours since they had started running, and the applicants had covered over thirty kilometres. This distance was already about a third of a marathon, and at this point, a few applicants dropped out of the exam.
Many others were struggling, while a few others were still going strong. As for Lake, he was naturally among the latter. In fact, he was more focused on his chewing of the gum in his mouth than he was on his breathing.
Compared to his old world, the ceiling for ordinary humans in terms of their physical capabilities was much higher here. Since Lake was reborn and not just dropped into this world, he was naturally reborn with the same physique as this world's residents.
He did train his body over the years, though not nearly as much as Killua would've as a member of the Zoldyck, but he was far above average. Even so, that kind of strength wouldn't have assured his survival.
Lake was a dude who hated risks.
Call him a coward all you want, but even though he did possess the kind of strength that could've given him a chance of passing the exam in the past years, he just didn't find it worth the risks. He was already living a rather stable life, so why risk death if he had no particular ambitions or goals?
Until the System came, that was his mindset.
Cowardly or smart, your choice to make.
"Yo, Lake!"
"Huh? Oh, Killua. Looks like you made some friends." Lake looked back to see Killua with the trio of other protagonists running alongside him. The man in the suit was sweating profusely. 'When did these four gather together?'
"You still going strong?"
"I'd say so." Lake shrugged as he didn't stop running, the others catching up to run alongside him at the same pace. "Exam is pretty difficult, huh? A mental and physical endurance test like this is putting us through the wringer."
"Pretty difficult..?" The man in the suit repeated it in disbelief as he looked at Lake's face. "Dude, you don't even look as if you've dripped a single drop of sweat! My legs feel like they're gonna destroy themselves...!"
"Exam's pretty easy, doesn't feel difficult at all." Killua ignored the previous male's complaints as he responded to Lake. "Oh, right. This is Gon, the kid we saw earlier, back before the exam began."
"Hey there!" The one in question greeted with a big smile, and, just like Killua and Lake, he didn't seem to have any difficulty whatsoever with running, nor did he look fatigued. "I'm Gon Freecss, it's nice to meet you!"
"Lake Rogue, a pleasure." Was Lake's casual introduction before he glanced at the other two older males, though younger than himself. Well, the male in the suit at least didn't look younger than he was. "What about you two?"
The first to respond was the blonde-haired male, who wore mostly white beneath a blue-and-red tabard. Regarding his current condition, he looked mostly fine with only a few drops of sweat on his forehead. "I'm Kurapika, a pleasure as well."
"L-Leorio...!"
"You gonna be okay there, dude?" Lake sweatdropped as Leorio greedily gulped as much air as he could with every breath. "I have some extra gum if you want? Maybe get your mind off the run for a bit."
"Gum... is the last thing... I need right now!" Leorio responded between breaths, not even having the energy to be annoyed or angry at the ridiculous offer. "What I need... is to see the light!"
"Fair enough, just don't accidentally find the wrong light at the end of the tunnel. That's a one-way trip to the afterlife."
"You know what I meant...!"
The others merely gave small laughs at the short exchange between Lake and Leorio, and Killua took the opportunity to ask for some gum from Lake, who didn't hesitate and tossed over a pack to the white-haired kid.
"Is that Mr Tonpa?" Gon suddenly asked as the others looked over. "He looks to be in bad shape..."
As Gon stated, Tonpa wasn't looking the best right now. He was sweating profusely, and his hand was held over his stomach as a look of pain crossed his face every few seconds. He certainly didn't look like he was having a great time.
"I wonder what happened?"
"Who knows, maybe he had some serious diarrhoea," Lake smirked slightly when he saw Tonpa. 'I'm honestly impressed he's still in it. Then again, despite his appearance, dude's a lot stronger than he looks.'
After all, for Tonpa to have performed and lived through over thirty Hunter Exams was enough to show his capabilities both mentally and physically. While certainly no powerhouse, he was at least above average.
"Whatever the case, he probably deserved it." Lake shrugged while turning his attention away from Tonpa. "He ain't exactly a nice guy."
"Huh?" Gon blinked. "He seemed pretty nice, though, when we first met him."
"Don't trust anyone with a friendly face, kid." Lake chuckled slightly as Gon looked at him as the former continued speaking. "Whether it be Tonpa or even me, you never know if they're hiding bad intentions. Not mention..."
Lake paused for a moment, a smirk appearing on his face as his eyes gained a faint shadow over them. Seeing this, the others all stared at him in confusion before he glanced at each of them.
"Tonpa has one of those faces." Lake chuckled slightly. "You know... the kind who like those who drop the soap."
Lake didn't care if these guys were all kids, it wasn't like they weren't all kids who were or will go through things kids their age shouldn't ever have gone through. A little bit of adult joking wasn't gonna ruin them.
"Drop the soap?" Gon blinked in confusion, along with the others. "What does that mean?"
"Think about it, the times when you're just in the shower and accidentally drop the soap, then you have to bend over to pick it up." As every word was spoken, Lake's smirk became wider for each one. "That's when it happens... he takes the opportunity and attacks!"
"Attacks?" Kurapika blinked, his tone still perplexed. "I don't think I understand..."
"Well, let me put it straight for you." Lake gave a small laugh as the former felt a bad omen. "You're bent over, completely vulnerable, that's when he strikes.... He drops his pants and charges forward at full speed! Before you even know what's going on, bam! He's relentless in his assault! Boom! Pow! Bam! No rest at all! Wham! Whapow!"
"Pfft-!"
Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua subsequently spat violently before coughing madly, being their age, while not at the age of official adults, were still old and/or mature enough for them to understand the rather direct implications that Lake was making.
As for Gon, he looked as clueless as ever.
Just like that, the run now included one clueless kid, three bewildered kids, a struggling Tonpa, and Lake, who was laughing openly without a care.