"Sir! Please save us! Sir!"
"You killed the Bomber, you must have a way to save us!"
"The countdown is almost over! Help!"
The players strapped with bombs were absolutely terrified. Because death in Greed Islandmeant death in the real world, the fear of impending execution pushed them to the brink of insanity.
"Brother Ryker... they look so pitiful. Is there any way we can defuse the bombs?" Gon asked, his innate kindness making it impossible for him to watch a hundred people die.
Some of these players were people they had casually chatted with on the walk over. Now, they were on the verge of being violently blown apart.
"It's not that simple, Gon," Killua shook his head, his face serious. "These bombs are made of Nen. Since the caster is dead, the Nen has likely grown stronger due to post-mortem reinforcement."
"Wait! Brother Ryker, before he died, he said he had two partners who were also Bombers! If we find them, maybe they can defuse the bombs!" Gon suddenly remembered Genthru's final plea.
Gon's words threw a momentary lifeline to the desperate players, but a quick glance down at their glowing red timers instantly crushed their hopes.
The timers were dropping far too fast. There simply wasn't enough time for Ryker to hunt down two unknown players across a massive island. And even if he did, what were the chances the other Bombers would willingly defuse the bombs? The situation was practically a guaranteed death sentence.
"It's useless. The post-mortem reinforcement has locked the Nen in place," a new voice chimed in. "If I were you three, I'd leave right now. These guys are going to explode very soon."
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
Standing amidst the panicked crowd was a young girl with blonde twin-tails, wearing a frilly pink dress. She spoke with a crisp, clear voice that carried an unexpectedly mature, old-fashioned cadence.
"What kind of thing is that to say?! Are you telling us to just sit here and die?!"
"Damn you! You're only saying that because you aren't wearing one of these things! Stop making cynical comments from the sidelines!"
"Sir! Please, think of something! If you save me, I'll give you every card I own!"
"Me too! I'll give you everything and serve you for the rest of the game! Please!"
The players were hysterical. Seeing the red numbers dwindle away, they realized they had no options left.
"Oh?"
Ryker finally turned his attention to the blonde twin-tailed girl. He had noticed her the moment they walked into the courtyard, but he had been too busy dealing with Genthru to formally acknowledge her.
Standing before him was Wing's master, Biscuit Krueger.
She was a Double-Star Stone Hunter, a master of the Shingen-Ryu martial arts style, and a woman whose combat experience vastly outstripped her own student's. She was obsessed with finding beautiful gems, which was her primary motivation for entering the game.
[Target: Biscuit Krueger (Double-Star Stone Hunter)]
[Traits: {Transmutation Talent} (Double Gold), {Magical Esthetician} (Double Gold), {Muscle Kong} (Double Gold), {Fiery Temper} (Purple), {Loves Handsome Men} (Purple), {Loves R-Rated Magazines} (Purple), etc.]
Ryker couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. The contrast between her traits and her appearance was hilarious. As a transmigrator, he knew perfectly well that this cute little loli was actually a massive, hyper-muscular juggernaut who could punch a man's head off with her bare hands. Her combat power rivaled that of the Phantom Troupe's top fighters.
"What? Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?" Biscuit crossed her arms, glaring at Ryker. "Hmph! If you weren't so handsome, I'd be very angry right now."
Ryker cleared his throat and addressed the crowd.
"Listen up. As the little girl mentioned, the Countdown bombs have been reinforced by post-mortem Nen. Even for me, forcefully removing them carries an extremely high risk. I cannot guarantee a perfect defusal. There is a high probability that attempting to remove the bomb will cause it to detonate prematurely."
Ryker's voice carried clearly across the courtyard. "You have two choices. One: wait for the timer to run out and die. Two: let me attempt to defuse them. However, I take absolutely no responsibility if you explode during the process."
"Ah?!"
The bomb-strapped players were stunned into silence.
"I'll do it!!" A massive, heavily muscled player gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "Damn it! If I don't defuse this thing, I'm dead anyway! I'd rather take my chances with you! If I blow up, I won't blame you! Please, defuse mine first!"
"Me too! Count me in! I'd rather die trying than just wait for it!"
"Me! Do me next!"
"Please!"
The players frantically agreed. It wasn't really a choice.
"Brother Ryker, are you sure about this? It's really dangerous," Killua said, stepping back slightly.
"You two stand back. You don't want to get caught in the blast radius," Ryker instructed. "The defusal process is going to be painful, so brace yourselves."
The crowd of players, including those who hadn't been bombed, formed a wide circle around Ryker. Even Abengane, the Nen Exorcist, had quietly blended into the crowd. Abengane hadn't offered his services because he wanted to observe Ryker first. Depending on Ryker's success rate, Abengane could always step in later to save himself.
"Bring it on! No matter how much it hurts, I won't make a sound! If I cry out, I'm not a man!" the muscular player declared, standing directly in front of Ryker. The ticking bomb was attached squarely to his chest.
To everyone's surprise, Ryker didn't conjure a scalpel or emit a healing aura. Instead, he rubbed his fingers together and synthesized a small piece of white, clay-like putty.
Under their baffled gazes, Ryker simply slapped the white clay directly on top of the glowing Countdown bomb.
He then patted the muscular man on the shoulder, turned around, and casually plugged his ears with his fingers.
"Huh?! S-Sir... what does this mean?" the muscular man asked, staring down at the white clay.
Before he could process what was happening...
KABOOOOOM!
A deafening, concussive explosion erupted point-blank against the man's chest. It sounded like a massive sledgehammer hitting a steel plate. The man violently spat out a mouthful of blood and was launched backward like a cannonball.
The crowd shrieked and recoiled in absolute terror.
When the smoke cleared, the muscular man was lying on the ground, groaning in pain. His chest was heavily bruised, and his clothes were ruined.
But... the Countdown bomb was completely gone.
"Ah?! The bomb is gone! It actually disappeared! How is this possible?!" the muscular player yelled, ignoring his cracked ribs as he jumped to his feet in pure ecstasy.
"Next," Ryker said calmly, inspecting his fingers.
Perfect, Ryker thought.
Directional explosive counter-charges worked perfectly in the Nen system. While it was a brute-force method, Deidara's [Explosive Clay] was incredibly malleable. By precisely controlling the explosive yield and directing the blast outward, he could use the concussive force to perfectly cancel out and shatter the delicate structure of Genthru's post-mortem Nen bomb before it could fully arm itself.
Seeing the muscular man survive, the remaining players surged forward, frantically begging Ryker to blow them up.
Adhering to his strict moral code of performing one good deed a day, Ryker began slapping clay onto chests and detonating them one by one.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Deafening explosions echoed across Antokiba for nearly an hour. Players were launched through the air, screaming in pain, only to land on the ground cheering in absolute, hysterical joy.
Within an hour, over a hundred bomb-strapped players were lying on the courtyard floor, battered, bruised, and completely exhausted. But every single one of them was smiling. Ryker's defusal success rate was an impossible 100%.
Biscuit Krueger watched the entire spectacle with her jaw practically unhinged.
As a Double-Star Hunter with decades of combat experience, she fully understood how complex post-mortem Nen was. Trying to dismantle a bomb like that was suicide. Yet, this teenager had systematically shattered over a hundred of them using nothing but perfectly calculated, directional counter-explosions.
This kid... earlier I thought he was just a physical monster, but his aura control and precision are absolutely terrifying! Biscuit marveled internally.
The courtyard erupted into a cacophony of cheers.
"Thank God! The bomb is gone!"
"He's a god! A literal god!"
"My Lord! Please allow us to serve you!"
"Yes! We should form an Anti-Bomber Alliance, and Lord Ryker will be our leader!"
"Agreed!"
The surviving players, completely overwhelmed by the euphoria of cheating death, practically worshipped the ground Ryker walked on.
Abengane, the Nen Exorcist, approached Ryker and bowed deeply. "My Lord, thank you for saving my life."
Abengane and several other original members of the Greed Island clearance group swore their absolute loyalty. As promised, they brought forward all the cards they had collected over the years and presented them to Ryker.
Ryker casually sifted through the massive pile, keeping the useful ones and returning the duplicates.
"Whoa! This is amazing! We have over a hundred unique cards already!" Gon cheered, looking at his expanding Binder.
"And we have an entire army of players willing to scout for us. This is going to be so much faster," Killua noted.
"Lord Ryker! If you need anything, just give the word!"
"We owe you our lives, in the game and in reality!"
"We will find the remaining cards for you!"
The players had spontaneously formed a massive fan club/intelligence network entirely dedicated to Ryker.
"Well, it seems you've won quite a few hearts today. With an army like this, gathering the basic cards will be a breeze," Biscuit said, walking over with a cheerful smile.
"Whoa! It's the little girl!"
"A blonde twin-tailed loli... you don't see that every day!" Gon and Killua blinked.
"I am not a little girl, you brats! And I am talking to your boss right now! Hmph!" Biscuit huffed, adopting a haughty pose.
"It'll speed up the process, yes. But the ultra-rare cards will still require effort," Ryker replied smoothly.
"Say... do you mind if I join your party?" Biscuit asked, looking up at Ryker with large, innocent eyes. "My name is Biscuit, and I'm a Double-Star Stone Hunter. I'm actually very strong! If you let me join, I guarantee we'll clear the game smoothly, and I can find the gem I've been dreaming of!"
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