[Target: Melanin Lizard]
[Traits: {Dark Continent Biomass Aura} (Gray), {Devour} (Blue), {Gigantic Frame} (Blue), {Melanin} (White), {Fatal Black Mole} (White), etc.]
It seems almost all the monsters on this island are derived from Dark Continent biology, Ryker mused, instantly spotting the massive creature's fatal weak point.
Flick.
Ryker casually flicked a small pebble from his thumb. It tore through the air like a sniper round, perfectly striking a specific, slightly darker mole on the lizard's back.
SQUELCH.
The massive, hill-sized lizard let out a strangled shriek. Black blood sprayed from the wound, and its colossal body instantly dissolved into white smoke, vanishing from the server.
Once again, it didn't leave a card behind.
[DING! You have killed a creature possessing {Dark Continent Biomass Aura}... Auto-Plunder activated!]
[Success! Acquired: {Devour} (Blue)!]
Another solid Blue trait added to the pile.
Biscuit, who was walking slightly behind him, had already grown completely numb to the absurdity. She couldn't understand how Ryker was erasing monsters from the game's code without triggering the card drops, but she had long since accepted that Ryker's existence defied the fundamental laws of reality.
The group continued their trek through the badlands.
Along the way, they encountered a bizarre array of creatures. First was the Hyper Puffball, a soot-black creature that moved so fast Gon and Killua couldn't even track it, resulting in the boys getting thoroughly beaten up. Next was the Bubble Horse, a comical-looking creature that fired explosive bubbles; if you touched one, the rest detonated simultaneously.
Greed Island's ecosystem is truly bizarre, Ryker thought. I can't even fathom how these creatures evolved—or were engineered—to possess such weird traits.
"Man, these monsters are so annoying! I just got blown up again!" Gon sighed, brushing soot off his blackened face.
Killua looked equally ragged. Despite being an elite assassin prodigy, the monsters in this game simply didn't conform to human combat logic. Their attack patterns were bizarre, and their physical stats were absurd.
Both boys desperately wanted to ask Ryker for help, but they knew he wouldn't intervene. Ryker had made it clear he was here to relax, while Biscuit was the designated drill sergeant. And true to her word, Biscuit hadn't lifted a finger to help them.
CLANK. CREAK.
As they walked down a narrow ravine, the horrifying sound of twisting metal echoed from the earth. The ground suddenly bulged, and a gauntleted hand thrust upward from the dirt.
BOOM!
A fully armored, medieval knight wielding a broadsword and a kite shield erupted from the ground, blocking their path. Arcs of Nen lightning sparked across the knight's heavy plate armor.
"Whoa! This guy looks tough!" Ryker's eyes lit up.
With his System, Ryker immediately saw through the enemy's disguise.
[Trait: {Nen Telekinesis - Puppet Control} (Purple)]
A Purple trait on a random mob?! Ryker was genuinely surprised.
Of course, this wasn't the time for him to step in. Gon and Killua immediately engaged the armored knight.
Unlike the original timeline, Biscuit didn't shout out any hints. She crossed her arms and watched silently as the boys furiously traded blows with the metal behemoth.
After a grueling ten-minute brawl, Killua finally found an opening and smashed the knight's helmet clean off.
"Killua... it's empty! There's no one inside!" Gon gasped, staring at the hollow armor.
"A puppet?! You mean there are monsters on this island that can use Nen to control objects?!" Killua realized, his eyes widening.
Before they could even catch their breath, the shattered pieces of armor magnetically pulled themselves back together. The knight reassembled instantly and swung its broadsword at Gon's head.
"Damn it! How are we supposed to beat this thing if we can't kill it?! Where is the monster controlling it?!" Gon yelled, parrying the heavy blade with his fishing rod.
Neither of the boys had fully integrated the advanced applications of Nen into their combat routines yet.
"Gyo," Ryker muttered softly, his eyes narrowing.
By focusing aura into his eyes, Ryker instantly saw a thin, practically invisible thread of Nen connecting the armored knight to a large boulder about fifty meters away.
Following the thread, Ryker spotted a comically large, chubby rat hiding behind the rock. It was frantically waving its little paws, puppeteering the knight like a maestro.
[Target: Radio Rat]
[Traits: {Dark Continent Biomass Aura} (Gray), {Nen Telekinesis} (Purple), {Cuteness} (Purple), {Cowardly} (Purple), etc.]
What an interesting little guy, Ryker smirked.
Ryker already possessed abilities that allowed him to control living beings (like Shalnark's [Black Voice]), but an ability that allowed him to remotely telekineses inanimate objects like a suit of armor was incredibly versatile.
I'll take that.
Ryker casually flicked another pebble.
The stone shot through the air and pierced the Radio Rat right between the eyes. The rat didn't even have time to squeak before it dissolved into white smoke.
[DING! You have killed the Radio Rat... Auto-Plunder activated!]
[Success! Acquired: {Nen Telekinesis} (Purple), {Cuteness} (Purple)!]
[Note: {Cuteness} automatically shredded and converted into trait fusion material.]
Excellent.
Ryker nodded in satisfaction. The [Radio Rat] was an H-rank monster, supposedly common in the badlands, but this was the first one they had encountered.
"Ah?! The armor stopped moving! It broke!"
Gon and Killua watched in confusion as the reassembled knight suddenly collapsed into a pile of lifeless scrap metal.
BONK! BONK!
"OWWW!"
Biscuit appeared behind the boys, delivering two brutal, Nen-infused chops directly to the tops of their heads. Two massive, smoking lumps instantly formed on their skulls.
The boys clutched their heads, tears streaming down their faces.
"What the hell are you two doing?! It took you ten minutes to figure out you were fighting a puppet, and you still didn't find the caster!" Biscuit roared, her face flushed with anger. "Don't you know how to use Gyo in combat?! You have to look at the flow of aura to find the truth!"
"Listen to me! From now on, whenever I raise my index finger, you must instantly activate Gyoand shout out exactly what you see! Furthermore, if you ever feel something is 'off' during a fight, activate Gyo immediately! Do you understand?!"
Biscuit pointed a stern finger at them. "Using Gyo should be as natural as breathing! If you don't build the habit now, you'll die in a real fight!"
"Ah?! We have to use Gyo in the middle of a fast-paced fight?!" Gon asked, rubbing his swollen head.
"Damn old hag, don't yell at us!" Killua grumbled under his breath.
"What did you just say?!" Biscuit glared at Killua. "200 push-ups! Right now!"
"Ah?! Brother Ryker, help us! She's crazy!" Killua pleaded.
"Listen to Master Bisky, boys. She's your teacher now," Ryker smiled warmly, fully abandoning them to the demon loli's wrath.
Gon and Killua immediately dropped to the ground, crying anime tears as they started their push-ups.
"From this point forward, we will train non-stop until we reach Masadora!" Biscuit declared proudly, striking a pose. "I have been training in the art of Nen for over forty years! My experience is absolute!"
"Ah?! So you're fifty-seven years old?!" Gon gasped in shock.
"So she really is an old hag," Killua muttered, his eyes wide.
BAM! BAM!
Biscuit sent both boys flying into a nearby rock wall with a devastating double-punch.
"If you have any other comments about my age, keep them to yourselves!" Biscuit growled, a dark aura radiating from her tiny body. "Unless Mr. Ryker tells me to stop, I am going to drill the basics into your thick skulls until you bleed!"
The bruised and battered boys whimpered on the ground.
When they found out this terrifying loli was actually Wing's master, their jaws had dropped. In Heavens Arena, Wing had seemed like an absolute master of Nen. To have his teacher personally training them felt surreal—even if she was a sadistic demon.
"Mr. Ryker," Biscuit suddenly turned to Ryker, offering a subtle nod.
Ryker nodded back. They had both sensed it.
Someone had been tailing them.
About fifty meters away, hiding behind a large boulder, a gaunt, creepy-looking man was quietly spying on the group. He had hollow cheeks, bulging eyes, and a disturbing, slasher-like grin painted across his face. In his right hand, he twirled a pair of massive, customized barber scissors.
Hehe... four brats, the man chuckled to himself. What premium ingredients! I'm going to chop them to pieces with my [Scissor Hands]!
This was Binolt, an infamous Blacklist Hunter and one of the most notorious serial killers on Greed Island. He loved the taste of human flesh, and his victims were always found brutally dismembered.
Binolt's Nen ability, [Demon Barber], was incredibly disturbing. By cutting off a piece of his target's hair and eating it, he could instantly learn everything about their physical condition, Nen type, and combat weaknesses.
"Hm?"
Binolt blinked, rubbing his eyes.
He peered over the rock again. There were only three people standing in the clearing now. The older teenager, the one who had been leaning against a rock just a second ago, had vanished.
Where did he go?
A sudden, chilling sensation crept up Binolt's spine.
"Are you looking for me?"
A calm voice echoed from directly above him.
Binolt's head snapped upward. Ryker was crouched silently on top of the boulder, looking down at the serial killer with an amused smile.
Binolt's blood ran cold. Every hair on his body stood on end. When did he get there?! I didn't sense a thing! If he had attacked me just now... I'd be dead!
As a professional assassin and cannibal, Binolt prided himself on his stealth. To be out-stealthed by a teenager was utterly terrifying.
"Die!" Binolt roared.
Since he had been discovered, there was no point in hiding. The kid was probably just good at masking his presence; in a straight fight, a brat couldn't possibly beat him!
Binolt lunged upward, his Nen-infused scissors flashing in the sunlight as he aimed a lightning-fast snip at Ryker's neck.
Snip!
Ryker casually tilted his head, easily dodging the lethal strike. However, the blades of the scissors clamped down on a small lock of Ryker's hair that had swayed in the wind.
Perfect! Binolt grinned maliciously.
As long as he cut the hair and ate it, he would learn all of the kid's weaknesses! Then, dismantling him would be child's play!
Binolt squeezed the handles of his scissors with all his might, fully expecting the blades to slice through the hair.
His face instantly froze.
The scissors didn't close. The blades ground against the single lock of hair, screeching like metal grinding against diamond. Despite infusing the blades with a massive amount of aura, Binolt couldn't cut a single strand of Ryker's hair.
"Oh? What are you doing?" Ryker smiled, looking down at the struggling cannibal. "Are you trying to tickle my hair?"
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