Yoshi!
Wearing out iron shoes in a fruitless search, only to stumble upon it effortlessly!
Ryker never imagined he'd find a Luck talent on this little kid.
And Zushi already possessed a Purple-tier [Lucky Child]—plus [Super Perseverance] (Double Gold)!
A truly rare combination.
Zushi was genuinely favored by fate. The classic protagonist archetype.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Drool-worthy.
"I'm Gon! Nice to meet you! This is Big Brother Ryker, and this is Killua!!"
Gon introduced everyone with his trademark enthusiasm.
They were all roughly the same age, Zushi perhaps a year younger.
As peers—and standout rookies who had all cleared the early floors in record time—they clicked instantly.
Zushi's eyes widened. He hadn't expected to meet other kids his age who were this strong.
Fellow geniuses.
"Hello!" Ryker greeted with an easy smile while the boys chattered excitedly.
Should I just kill the kid?
Plunder his traits by force?
The dark thought flickered through Ryker's mind.
But he wasn't that far gone. He wasn't about to become a mindless slave to the system.
Minor tricks, though… those were fair game.
"Get out of the way, brat."
A cold, arrogant voice cut in from behind Zushi.
The boy turned—and froze.
Panther King Grimmjow loomed there, blue hair wild, jawbone mask gleaming.
Ryker played the good guy. Grimmjow was the designated troll. Perfect scapegoat.
BOOM—
Before Zushi could even blink, Grimmjow's foot lashed out.
Zushi was sent flying.
Little guy, hope your luck holds up.
Ryker prayed silently.
If a simple spar didn't yield the trait, he'd have to get creative.
Gon and Killua were still on cooldown.
But Zushi was fresh meat.
[DING! You defeated Zushi (via Nen Beast).]
[Rolling (10%)…]
[Trait: [Strong Luck] Resonance!]
[Copy Successful! Acquired: [Lucky Child] (Purple)!]
[Auto-fused with [Strong Luck].]
[DING! Acquired Special Trait: [Lucky Star] (Gold)!]
A heavenly chime rang through Ryker's mind.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
He'd wanted the Manipulation talent, but Luck was the real jackpot.
[Lucky Star] (Gold)!
The system note made it clear: this wasn't random. Resonance between two Luck traits had triggered the fusion and upgrade.
Ryker's overwhelming Luck had simply overpowered and absorbed Zushi's.
Whatever the mechanics, the trait was his now.
Trait: [Lucky Star] (Gold)
Effect: Immense fortune. Massively boosts hidden Luck stat. Allows designation of one guaranteed drop per day! (Applies to defeat or kill).
Ryker's mind buzzed with excitement.
Tailor-made.
This patched his single biggest weakness.
Before, only kills guaranteed 100% drops—pushing him dangerously close to murder-hobo territory. Defeats were stuck at a miserable 10%.
Now?
One guaranteed trait per day via defeat.
The cooldown was laughable.
Beat someone senseless, claim their best trait, wait twenty-four hours, repeat.
So clean. So elegant. So cool!
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Grimmjow threw his head back and cackled, hand covering his face in manic glee.
"That guy's insane!!"
"Ruthless. Kicking a kid like that."
"Ruthless? Everyone here's ruthless."
"Pray I never get matched against that psycho!"
Fighters scattered. No one wanted to play hero.
Except Gon and Killua, who clenched their fists in anger. Canary instinctively stepped in front of Ryker's main body, protective.
They all saw Grimmjow as the dangerous one.
"Hehe! You lot wanna fight?"
Grimmjow grinned at them.
Sadly, they were on cooldown.
But the persona had to be upheld.
Grimmjow: aggro-drawing troll tank.
Ulquiorra: silent executioner.
Saitama: AFK farmer (until remote control range improved).
"Cough… cough… Stop!!"
Zushi clutched his stomach, forcing himself upright. He glared at Grimmjow but raised a hand to halt Gon.
"This is my problem. Please don't get involved. Why… why did you kick me?"
He wiped blood from his lip.
"Oh? You were in my way. Is kicking you a problem?"
Grimmjow laughed arrogantly, practically begging for a punch.
Come on. Someone hit me. I need more traits.
"S-Sorry!"
To everyone's shock, Zushi bowed deeply and stepped aside.
"Oh?"
Ryker was genuinely surprised.
Incredible patience.
"Hehe."
Grimmjow smirked and sauntered off.
"Zushi! Why…?" Gon and Killua stared in confusion.
Zushi shook his head, eyes wary. "He's way too strong. Far beyond us. Provoking him would only cause trouble. It's not worth it."
He had instantly grasped the power gap.
He refused to drag his new friends into danger.
Solid character.
"Very good, Zushi!"
A calm, clear voice rang from the corner.
A scholarly-looking man in a white shirt and glasses stepped forward, smiling with quiet satisfaction.
"Master Wing!!!"
Zushi shouted, pain forgotten in an instant.
"Sir over there—please wait a moment."
Wing called after Grimmjow.
Oh! Hehe!
Ryker's eyes gleamed.
The fish comes to the net!
Beat the student, draw out the teacher. Classic.
Name: Wing
Traits: [Enhancement Master] (Gold), [Shingen-Ryu Kung Fu] (Gold), [Mentorship] (Gold), [Justice] (Gold), [Scatterbrained] (Purple), [Patience] (Purple)…
Gorgeous.
A string of Gold traits.
Wing was Gon and Killua's canonical Nen teacher—Bisky's own disciple.
His personal combat power wasn't the main draw.
His teaching traits were elite.
Gold-tier was one-in-a-million rarity.
For Ryker—with Double Golds and Reds already—Wing was merely "decent."
Still, [Enhancement Master] (Gold) was tasty.
And now he had [Lucky Star]'s daily guaranteed drop.
He could use it on Wing.
"What? Want revenge for the brat? Here or in the ring?"
Grimmjow turned, expectant.
"Revenge? No… you misunderstood. I am Zushi's teacher, Wing. I simply wanted your name. If the opportunity arises, I'd like to learn from you. As a teacher, I cannot ignore my student being bullied."
Wing spoke politely.
"Grimmjow. Number 7291."
Coward!
Grimmjow grumbled inwardly and walked away.
Wing let him go.
"Zushi, let me check your injury… Hmm? No lasting damage. He held back considerably."
Wing examined the boy carefully.
"Held back? One kick nearly killed him!" Gon protested.
"Grimmjow… is very strong. At least Floor 200 level. Zushi, you still have a long road ahead. To grow truly powerful, you must face hardships."
"If you want revenge, reach Floor 200 first."
Wing began his gentle lecture.
"Yes! Master!! I'll work even harder!! Floor 200!! I'll beat Grimmjow!!"
Zushi's eyes blazed with determination.
Gon and Killua exchanged puzzled looks. Ryker watched in quiet awe.
Wing's [Mentorship] (Gold) was the real deal.
A born teacher.
Talent.
Ryker silently decided: let Wing handle teaching Gon and Killua Nen. He was terrible at explanations.
"Sorry for the disturbance. May I have your names?"
Wing asked politely.
"Ryker."
"Gon! Ryker is our big brother!"
"Killua!"
"Canary."
"Thank you for standing up for Zushi. I will remember this kindness. We'll meet again."
Wing bowed and led Zushi away.
Sigh. The walking trait bank just left.
Should I send Grimmjow or Ulquiorra to jump him later?
Nah. He's the secret examiner for the Hunter Association. He needs to awaken Gon and Killua's Nen.
Ryker dismissed the impulse.
Outside the arena, Wing pulled out his phone.
"Yes, Chairman. I've located the 'Future Star' and Gon. Both have exceptional talent. I've promised to teach them Nen once they reach Floor 150. As for Ryker… he's already awakened, correct?"
"But Chairman, aside from your chosen one, I've noticed other dangerous potentials… Understood. I'll keep watch."
Wing smiled bitterly.
Chairman Netero had personally contacted him to monitor Ryker.
The Hunter Association was vast. The moment Ryker registered, Netero knew.
The old man was quietly concerned about his "disciple."
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