[Copy Successful.]
[Acquired: [Natural Assassin] (Gold).]
[Acquired: [Zoldyck Assassination Arts] (Gold).]
Ryker felt the knowledge flood his brain.
[Natural Assassin] (Gold): You are a king of the shadows. Your presence can vanish at will, and your killing intent is a precise instrument.
[Zoldyck Assassination Arts] (Gold): Inheritance of the Zoldyck Family's core techniques, including Rhythm Echo, Claw Transformation, and Silent Gaits.
Jackpot.
Leaving Whale Island was the best decision of his life. Two Gold traits from a casual skirmish? It was almost too easy.
Of course, he missed the Red trait: [Transmuter: Electricity]. But that was fine. Rome wasn't built in a day.
There were plenty of big fish in this pond. Hisoka. Illumi. Hanzo. And eventually, Isaac Netero himself—the strongest human alive. Netero was definitely a Raid Boss Ryker couldn't solo yet, but with the System, infinite scaling was just a matter of time.
Ryker withdrew his hand.
In front of him, Killua was pale, sweat beading on his forehead. His pupils were blown wide, trembling as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Oh? Sorry about that," Ryker said, putting on his best innocent smile. "You okay? You looked like you saw a ghost."
"I... I'm fine..."
Killua blinked, shaking off the residual fear. The image of Illumi had vanished, replaced by this strange, smiling guy.
Was it a hallucination? Killua wondered. Big brother isn't here. Get a grip, Killua.
"Just a misunderstanding," Ryker explained smoothly. "I thought you were with that group of idiots. My name is Ryker."
"Killua."
"Nice to meet you."
Ryker turned and walked away, leaving the young assassin confused.
The brief scuffle had sent shockwaves through the tunnel.
"Monster... that kid is a monster!"
"Eleven guys in under a minute? Did you see his speed?"
"Stay away from him. He beat them up just for looking at him!"
"I don't want to get eliminated before the exam even starts!"
As Ryker walked back to his group, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. He had successfully marked himself as [Danger Level: High].
Exposing my strength early has its downsides, Ryker mused. But double Gold traits? Worth it.
"Yo! That was impressive, kid!"
A bald man in a tight black outfit approached him. He had a scar on his forehead and carried himself with the fluid grace of a warrior.
#294 Hanzo.
Name: Hanzo
Traits: [Natural Ninja] (Gold), [Cloud-Hidden Taijutsu] (Gold), [Nen: Shadow Clones] (Gold), [Stealth] (Purple)...
Hanzo.
Ryker's eyes lit up. This guy was top-tier.
In this exam, only three candidates were truly "monsters" who had already awakened Nen: Hisoka, Illumi, and Hanzo. Everyone else was fodder.
Ryker didn't have Nen yet. Without it, fighting these three head-on was risky. But Ryker knew about Heavens Arena. That was the real farming ground. Once he got his license, he could go there and farm Nen abilities until his stats dwarfed Netero's. No need to rush the boss fights now.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hanzo. I'm Ryker."
"Hahaha! You're polite! I like that!" Hanzo laughed, slapping Ryker on the back. "Your taijutsu is incredible! At your age, to have that kind of speed and precision... you're a genius!"
Hanzo was genuinely impressed. As a ninja seeking the "Hermit's Scroll," he knew talent when he saw it. Ryker was the real deal.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air.
The chatter in the tunnel died instantly. Everyone turned towards the source.
A man—large, muscular, with a mohawk—was on his knees, screaming in horror.
His arms were disintegrating.
Not bleeding. Disintegrating. They were turning into showers of pink flower petals, drifting away into nothingness.
"M-my arms!! My arms!!"
Standing over him was a figure that radiated pure, unadulterated danger.
Tall. Pale skin. Neon pink hair defying gravity. A tear drop painted on one cheek, a star on the other. Dressed in a jester's outfit adorned with card suits.
Hisoka Morrow.
Name: Hisoka
Traits: [Hyper-Intuition] (Red), [Master Transmuter] (Gold), [Taijutsu Prodigy] (Gold), [Masochist] (Purple)...
[Masochist]? Ryker nearly snorted. Well, that checks out.
But the [Red] trait... [Hyper-Intuition]. That was dangerous. It meant Hisoka's gut instincts were practically precognition.
"How strange~"
Hisoka smiled, his voice a purr that sent shivers down spines. He held up a playing card between two fingers.
"His arms turned into flower petals and disappeared. No tricks up my sleeve~"
He looked down at the screaming man.
"You should be more careful. When you bump into someone, you should apologize~"
The crowd recoiled in terror.
"That guy... he's insane!"
"The Magician! That's Hisoka! Stay away!"
"I heard he almost passed last year but got disqualified for half-killing an examiner!"
"He's a psychopath!"
The candidates scrambled backward, creating a wide circle of emptiness around the clown.
But Hisoka ignored them. His golden eyes, sharp and predatory, scanned the room. They landed on Ryker.
His smile widened.
And then, he started walking toward him.