"Riku... really? Then... I'm really counting on you!"
Aunt Mito's eyes grew moist.
In last year's island wrestling tournant, Riku had won the championship.
Young, handso, highly skilled, and powerful, Riku was the Prince Charming in the hearts of countless girls on Whale Island.
If he was there to help, she would indeed feel a lot more at ease.
"But becoming a Hunter is incredibly dangerous. Riku, have you really thought this through?"
"Of course. I've been waiting for this day for a long ti. Aunt Mito, thank you for looking after all these years."
Riku smiled.
Whale Island was a place like a worldly paradise.
But in this Hunter world filled with countless powerhouses, if he—possessing a System—chose to just idle his life away waiting to die, then he might as well not have transmigrated at all.
Not to ntion, he had practically cleared out all the mobs in this Whale Island "dungeon," and continuing to grind here had little aning.
What was he going to do, grind East Sea baby turtles for four hundred years?
Getting stronger!
That is a true man's ambition!
...
The bonfire party was livelier than ever before.
Everyone gathered around, singing and dancing, and many of the young won on the island brought out their parting gifts for Riku.
There were scarves, gloves, and the like.
Things made with a lot of heart.
There were so many he couldn't even hold them all.
At fifteen, Riku was the dream of these young girls.
But a dream must eventually set sail.
"Riku-nii, will you co back to Whale Island after you beco a Pro Hunter? I'll miss you!"
"Riku, you must take care of yourself!"
"Wuwuwu... We promised to go fishing together this sumr, Boss Riku!"
"Riku-kun, when you co back, I'll let my daughter marry you, how about that! Hahahaha!!"
...
Even though Gon-kun was the one who initially brought up taking the Hunter Exam, Riku had beco the main character of the hour.
His popularity on the island was simply too high.
Whether it was the elderly, the children, or the young won, everyone had an incredibly good impression of him.
Plus, since he was always willing to lend a helping hand, many people couldn't bear to see Riku leave.
Of course.
Gon-kun also had many people seeing him off. Whale Island was a truly warm and welcoming place, devoid of any deep scheming or backstabbing.
The ship for the Hunter Exam arrived right on schedule.
All the residents of Whale Island stood at the dock to see Riku and Gon-kun off.
"Boss Riku! Have a safe trip!!"
"Gon-kun! Stay safe!!"
"You guys, make sure to co back and visit!! We'll miss you!!"
...
On the dock, Uncle Cohen, Aunt Mito, and everyone else waved their hands, shouting loudly.
Under the sunlight, Whale Island grew further and further away, until it finally disappeared from sight.
"Aunt Mito! I will definitely beco the world's number one Hunter! Once I beco an amazing Hunter, I will definitely co back!! I definitely will!!"
Gon-kun waved and shouted loudly, his eyes wet with tears.
This was his first ti being so far from ho, but he had already decided that his dream lay far away, so he wouldn't turn back.
Besides, with Riku-nii beside him, he didn't feel lonely.
"The world's number one Hunter! Hehehe."
"You're underestimating Hunters way too much."
"The Hunter Exam gathers millions of experts from all over the world every year, yet the number of those finally selected is incredibly small. Don't go spouting arrogant nonsense, little boy."
...
Gon-kun's words quickly drew the contempt of the other candidates taking the Hunter Exam on the ship.
Riku swept his gaze over them.
Na: Yamada
Traits: [One-Handed Sword Skill] (White), [Theft] (White), [Kidney Weakness] (White)
...
Na: Hiroto
Traits: [Brute Strength] (White), [Dual Wielding] (White), [Impotence] (Green)
...
Na: Iwafuji
Traits: [Firearms] (Green), [Poison Release] (White)
...
They were all... a bunch of noobs.
Complete with debuffs!
Riku couldn't muster the slightest bit of interest.
They weren't even as useful as the traits from a dium-sized fish.
No wonder this entire ship of people wouldn't even pass the preliminary phase.
However, two guys in the corner made Riku's eyes light up.
Na: Leorio Paradinight Traits: [Compassion] (Gold), [dical Talent] (Gold), [Master Haggler] (Purple), [Natural Leader] (Blue), [Close-Quarters Combat] (Blue)Na: Kurapika Traits: [Scarlet Eyes] (Red), [Avenger] (Gold), [Natural Leader] (Purple), [Calmness] (Purple)
A Red trait had actually appeared!
Scarlet Eyes!
Red... was it a trait tier above Gold?
As expected of Kurapika, peaking right from his debut, an existence capable of soloing Phantom Troupe mbers.
It made this trip worthwhile.
Should he kill Kurapika right here?
Forget it.
Riku wasn't that psychopathic, and he couldn't even be certain if he could plunder traits after killing a human.
At the very least, he had no intentions in that regard for now.
Seeming to notice Riku's gaze, Kurapika slightly raised his head to look at him, his brow furrowing slightly.
Riku gave a gentle nod in acknowledgnt.
"What the hell are you doing? Kazuo, how can a guy like you be a sailor!"
A scolding voice ca from the cabin ahead.
A scrawny man in a short-sleeved sailor suit was kicked out, and the crate of green apples he was carrying spilled onto the deck.
Several rolled right to the feet of Riku and Gon-kun.
"What an idiot, he can't even stand steady, hahaha!"
"Just get off the ship early, you useless piece of trash."
A few veteran sailors mocked him relentlessly.
"S-sorry..."
The scrawny rookie sailor nad Kazuo apologized profusely as he scrambled to pick up the green apples from the floor.
Just as he was about to grab the last one, another hand picked it up and handed it to him.
It was Riku.
"Thank you!"
The rookie sailor Kazuo quickly thanked him.
"Don't worry about it," Riku said casually.
His gaze swept over the veteran sailors; they were entirely blank slates without any traits.
Completely uninteresting.
The veteran sailors saw it was just two brats and paid it no mind. They had been in charge of ferrying candidates for many trips, so they naturally didn't care.
"Hey! You lot! Stop slacking off over there! Get to work!"
Just when it seed likely a fight might break out, the cabin door was pushed open.
Reeking of alcohol, the short, pudgy Captain with a red, bulbous nose stumbled out, still holding a flask in his hand.
The veteran sailors instantly scattered and ran off.
"These guys are getting more and more unruly. But pay them no mind, they aren't bad people. Care for a little drink?"
The red-nosed Captain offered his flask.
"No thanks, I don't drink."
Riku smiled, inevitably taking a closer look at the Captain.
This old man had [Navigation] (Blue), [Wine Tasting] (Blue), and [Good Judge of Character] (Green). Pretty decent lifestyle skills.
"You're quite a fine young man. You're probably the most promising person I've seen this year with a chance of passing the exam," the red-nosed Captain suddenly smiled and said to Riku.
"Are you that accurate? Captain, what about ? What about ?"
Gon-kun asked, bursting with curiosity.
"You're quite good too, but compared to this young man, you still need to work harder!" the red-nosed Captain chuckled.
Suddenly, the cries of birds echoed in the sky as a large flock of seagulls circled above the ship.
"A storm is coming," Riku took a deep breath and stated with a calm expression.
His fifteen years living on Whale Island had also granted him the survival instincts of a top-tier navigator!
User Comments
0 comments from readers