The Numere Wetlands, also known as the Swindler's Swamp, were draped in a mist so thick it felt like breathing wet wool. For most applicants, the danger lay in the strange creatures hiding in the mud. For Ray, the danger was the red flashing window at the corner of his vision.
[Urgent Quest: The Predator's Gaze]
[Objective: Survive the 'Judge's' killing intent.]
[Time remaining until encounter: 02:14]
"Ray, you're falling behind!" Gon's voice drifted through the fog. He and Killua were moving with an effortless grace that Ray's physical body still hadn't fully mastered.
"I'm right... behind you," Ray wheezed. His [Sprint] skill was at its limit, and his stamina bar was blinking a dangerous crimson.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The air didn't just feel cold; it felt sharp, like thousands of microscopic needles pressing against Ray's skin. Killua stopped instantly, his eyes narrowing. "Gon, Kurapika... something is coming. Something disgusting."
From the mist emerged a figure that made Ray's blood turn to ice. Hisoka walked with a feline elegance, a blood-stained playing card dancing between his fingers. Behind him lay a dozen applicants, their throats opened with surgical precision.
"Oh? More little fruits to harvest?" Hisoka purred, his golden eyes locking onto the group. But then, they shifted. They bypassed Gon's raw potential and Killua's trained coldness, landing directly on Ray.
Hisoka tilted his head, a disturbed smile widening on his face. "Strange... I see you, but I don't feel you. You have no aura, little one. You are a void in the world. And yet... the air around you is screaming in terror."
[Ding!]
[Detection: High-Level Nen User (Transmuter type) has initiated 'Ren'.]
[Resistance is futile. Survival probability: 0.04%.]
[System suggests: 'The Shadow's Gamble'.]
Ray felt his knees buckle. The pressure was like a mountain sitting on his shoulders. This was the difference between a 'Player' at Level 5 and a master of the world. But as Hisoka took a step forward, Ray's shadow began to vibrate. It didn't mimic his movements anymore; it stretched toward Hisoka like a hungry beast.
"Stay back!" Kurapika shouted, drawing his wooden swords, but Hisoka moved faster than the human eye could follow.
"I'm not interested in the 'Eyes' right now," Hisoka whispered, appearing directly in front of Ray. "I want to see what's hiding in this empty vessel."
The moment Hisoka's hand reached for Ray's throat, the System erupted in a blinding flash of blue light that only Ray could see.
[Hidden Condition Met: 'Face the Reaper without Fear'.]
[Temporary Access Granted: Shadow Extraction (Test Version).]
[Target: Fallen Applicant #142 (Master Swordsman).]
"Arise," Ray croaked.
It wasn't a shout. It was a command that echoed from the depths of the abyss. From the muddy ground where one of Hisoka's earlier victims lay, a plume of pitch-black smoke spiraled upward. The mist of the swamp was forced back as a knight-like figure, shrouded in tattered black armor and glowing with blue spiritual flames, emerged from the shadow of the corpse.
Hisoka leaped back, his smile disappearing for the first time. "What... is this? This isn't Conjuration. There's no Nen in this creature."
[Shadow Soldier: Igris-Lite (Rank: Elite Knight - Suppressed)]
[Loyalty: 100%]
[Command: Protect the King.]
The Shadow Soldier didn't speak. It didn't breathe. It simply drew a phantom blade and swung. The force of the blow cleared the fog for fifty meters. Hisoka used his 'Bungee Gum' to pull himself into the trees, but the Shadow Soldier was already there, its movements a blur of violet light.
"Incredible!" Hisoka laughed, his excitement returning tenfold. "You aren't a fruit... you're a garden of shadows!"
Ray watched, his heart thumping against his ribs. Every second the Shadow Soldier was summoned, his 'Mana' bar drained at a terrifying rate.
[Mana: 12/100... 8/100...]
"Ray! What is that thing?" Gon asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
"My... my Nen," Ray lied, coughing up a bit of blood. "It's a specialized Hatsu. But I can't hold it for long. Run! Get to the second phase!"
Hisoka was now engaged in a high-speed dance with the Shadow Soldier. Cards flew like bullets, and the knight parried them with a cold, mechanical efficiency. But Hisoka was a genius; he realized the soldier was tethered to Ray.
"If the shadow is strong, the master must be weak," Hisoka whispered, launching a card imbued with 'Shu' directly at Ray's heart.
The card spun through the air, humming with a lethal frequency. Ray couldn't move; his body was paralyzed by the mana drain. The card was inches from his chest when a small, green blur intercepted it.
Gon's fishing rod slammed into the card, knocking it off course. "I won't let you hurt my friend!"
That split second was all Ray needed.
[Mana: 0/100]
[Shadow Soldier Despawned.]
[Warning: Extreme Fatigue.]
However, the System had one more surprise.
[Quest Completed: Survive the Judge.]
[Reward: Level Up +5, All Stats Restored, New Skill: 'Bloodlust'.]
A pillar of golden light erupted from Ray's body. The wounds on his legs healed instantly. His muscles expanded, and his senses sharpened until he could hear the heartbeat of every insect in the swamp.
[Name: Ray]
[Level: 10]
[Strength: 25 | Agility: 30 | Intelligence: 20 | Sense: 18]
Hisoka landed gracefully on a branch, looking down at Ray. He could feel the change. The "void" was filling up with something sharp, dark, and predatory. He licked his lips, his bloodlust finally satisfied for the moment.
"You pass, little shadow," Hisoka said, his voice dripping with anticipation. "Grow. Become stronger. Kill more monsters so your army can grow. I will be waiting for you in the Heavens Arena. Don't make me wait too long... or I'll come and find you myself."
With a flick of his wrist, Hisoka vanished into the fog.
The silence that followed was heavy. Kurapika and Leorio finally caught up, breathless and pale. "What happened? We felt a monstrous pressure."
Ray stood up, dusting off his clothes. He looked at his hand, where faint wisps of black smoke still lingered. He wasn't just an applicant anymore. He was a player in a game of gods, and the world of Hunters was about to find out that the shadows have a king.
[New Title Acquired: 'The One Who Defied the Judge'.]
[Effect: 10% increase in damage against Nen users.]
"Let's go," Ray said, his voice deeper, more confident. "The second phase is just the beginning."
The Visca Forest felt like a playground for the deadly, and for the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam, the challenge was deceptively simple: Cooking. To the martial artists and assassins present, it was an insult. To Ray, it was a golden opportunity to "Farm" experience points.
[New Quest: The Gourmet King's Request]
[Objective: Hunt and prepare a 'Great Stamp' Boar.]
[Bonus Objective: Infuse the meat with 'Shadow Essence'.]
[Reward: Level +1, New Skill: 'Taste of the Void'.]
"Pork? He wants us to cook pork?" Leorio yelled, looking at the massive Examiner, Buhara, who sat like a mountain of flesh. Beside him, Menchi, the Gourmet Hunter, looked at the crowd with pure boredom.
While the other applicants rushed into the forest blindly, Ray closed his eyes.
"[System], activate [Sense]."
The world turned into a grid of heat signatures. Most were human, but deep in the thicket, massive, vibrating red blobs appeared. The Great Stamps.
"Gon, Killua, this way!" Ray shouted, leading them toward a clearing.
Suddenly, a herd of massive boars—each the size of a small truck—charged at them. They had tusks made of reinforced bone and a hide that could deflect bullets. The other applicants were being tossed like ragdolls.
"Their foreheads!" Gon yelled, noticing the weakness.
Ray didn't wait. He moved with his new Agility (30). He didn't use a fishing rod or his bare hands. He focused on his shadow.
"[Shadow Tendrils]!"
Black, whip-like ropes erupted from Ray's feet, lashing out and wrapping around the legs of a charging boar. The beast tripped, crashing into a tree. Ray leaped into the air, his fist glowing with a dark, cold energy.
"Gomu Gomu no... no, wait." Ray caught himself, realizing he was mixing his worlds. He focused on the System's power. "[Heavy Strike]!"
CRACK.
The boar's skull shattered instantly.
[Ding!]
[Target Slain. XP +500.]
[Shadow Extraction is currently on cooldown. Would you like to 'Store' the soul for later?]
"Store it," Ray whispered.
By the time they returned to the exam site, Ray hadn't just brought a pig; he had prepared it using a secret technique from the System. When Menchi tasted his dish, her eyes widened. The meat didn't just taste like pork—it felt like it was "alive" with energy.
"This... this is different," Menchi whispered. "You pass. With honors."
The Mid-Air Encounter
Later that night, aboard the Hunter Association's Airship, the atmosphere was tense. Ray sat in a quiet corner, staring at his status screen, when the air around him suddenly felt heavy—not with bloodlust like Hisoka, but with a weight that felt like the entire planet was pressing down on him.
An old man in a simple kimono walked toward him, bouncing a ball casually. Chairman Netero.
"Ho-ho... the boy who doesn't exist," Netero said, his eyes twinkling with a dangerous curiosity. "I've lived for over a century, young man. I've seen Nen masters, Chimera beasts, and Dark Continent horrors. But I have never seen a soul that casts a shadow quite like yours."
[Warning! Warning!]
[Extreme Threat Detected: The Apex Predator.]
[Level: ???]
[Survival Chance: 0.000001%]
Ray broke into a cold sweat. "Chairman. I'm just an applicant."
"Is that so?" Netero tossed the ball to Ray. "Let's play a game. If you can take this ball from me before we reach the third phase, I'll grant you the Hunter License right now. No more exams."
Ray looked at the ball, then at Netero's playful smile. He knew he couldn't win with speed or strength. But he had a System that defied the laws of this world.
"Okay," Ray said, his shadow beginning to creep across the floor of the airship, expanding until the entire room was bathed in darkness. "But in my game, the shadows don't play by your rules."
[Ding!]
[Temporary Quest: The Chairman's Lesson.]
[Reward: Unlock 'Shadow Domain' (Area of Effect).]
Netero's eyebrows shot up. "Interesting... show me, boy. Show me the 'Level' of your soul!"
The Airship shook as Ray's shadow surged upward, forming dozens of phantom hands that reached for the ball simultaneously. The game wasn't just about a ball anymore; it was the first time the strongest man in the world saw the potential of the Shadow Monarch.