"Did you guys see the movie from a few days ago? It was really amazing..."
"Mom, can I skip school tomorrow..."
"Hahaha, today's on me! Don't hold back!"
"....."
Stars dotted the sky. The arrival of night didn't plunge the town into darkness. Under the glow of bright streetlights, pedestrians walked in pairs and threes, laughing and chatting leisurely as they strolled.
The shops on both sides of the street were also brightly lit, with waiters occasionally coming out to solicit customers.
"Mom, look! Why isn't that mister wearing any clothes?"
"Uh... that mister must be feeling too hot. Let's go, we shouldn't bother others."
The little girl, who had just been asking her mother if she could skip school tomorrow while holding her hand, suddenly looked curiously at a figure walking toward them.
The figure was a young and handsome man, but his upper body was bare, and a cloth was wrapped around his forehead.
This appearance caused the curious little girl to point at the young man and turn to ask her mother.
Her mother had actually noticed the young man walking toward them as well.
She had originally been secretly admiring his handsome face and the free eye candy he was providing, but when she heard her daughter's far-from-quiet voice, she felt an immediate wave of embarrassment.
The mother quickly made an excuse, pulling her daughter along as they steered clear of the young man.
The young man—or rather, Zane—naturally heard the little girl's words.
However, he merely smiled at her before continuing forward.
'A cheat is a cheat. It even comes with the automatic infusion of language and writing. This really solved a huge problem for me.'
Although his shirtless appearance drew stares from many people on the street, Zane was in a very good mood.
Guided by the lights, he had successfully arrived at this town.
Not only did he find that the town was inhabited by humans, but the moment he heard the first person speak and saw the first piece of writing, the Bronze Gate proactively infused him with the language and script of this world.
Under these circumstances, Zane really couldn't help but give the Bronze Gate a thumbs up.
This service was simply too thoughtful.
"I saw on the internet the day before yesterday that this year's Hunter Exam is about to start again. They say millions of people sign up every year."
"Isn't that the truth? I used to dream of signing up when I was a kid, but then I heard that only dozens or maybe a hundred people actually pass the preliminary stages to take the real Hunter Exam each year. Tsk tsk, such a terrifying elimination rate—it's scary just thinking about it."
"I have to say, the perks of being a professional Hunter are definitely tempting. If I had the skills, I'd definitely sign up too."
"...."
Zane wasn't walking shirtless down the street because he had some exhibitionist streak; he was doing it to listen to the surrounding conversations and gather information about this world.
Suddenly, as he passed a few men gathered under a streetlight smoking and chatting, their conversation made him stop in his tracks.
"Hello, I just heard you talking about the Hunter Exam. I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about it."
Zane turned to the group with a smile, proactively stepping forward to ask.
"Young man, you're not from around here, are you?"
Seeing an outsider approach with questions, the men looked at Zane with curiosity. One man with a handlebar mustache sized Zane up before speaking.
Zane nodded and said with a smile, "That's right. I'm somewhat of an amateur hunter myself. I heard you talking about the Hunter Exam, so I wanted to ask for some information."
"Amateur hunter? Hmm... Looking at your build, you've definitely trained well. So, are you planning to sign up for the Hunter Exam?"
"I'm considering it."
"Ha, young people really are bold. The Hunter Exam is no joke. I hear people die in it all the time."
"Yeah, it is a bit dangerous, but everyone needs something to strive for, right?"
"That's true!"
"..."
Back and forth they went. With Zane actively keeping the conversation going, he easily joined in and gradually learned the specific details of the Hunter Exam through their dialogue.
About half an hour later, Zane said his goodbyes and left.
'This is actually quite interesting. One world was One Piece, and now this world is Hunter x Hunter. Did I fall into some kind of Anime Zone?'
Continuing down the street and reflecting on the information he had just gathered, Zane couldn't help but feel a bit amused.
Just as he had guessed when he first heard mention of the Hunter Exam, it indeed originated from the anime Hunter x Hunter.
In other words, the world he had traveled to was, like One Piece, derived from an anime.
Fortunately, Zane had watched this anime in his past life. Compared to a completely unknown world, coming to the Hunter world wasn't a bad thing for him at all.
After all, a familiar world is always more welcoming than an unfamiliar one.
*
*
*
Rustle, rustle...
The sound of bushes shaking violently echoed through the forest.
Thud!
Roar!
A roar shook the forest.
A black-striped, yellow-skinned tiger, the size of a car, suddenly lunged out of the dense woods.
No.
To be more precise, the tiger looked more like it had been sent flying.
Crack!
The flying tiger smashed directly into a tree as thick as a man's waist, snapping it in half.
Amidst flying wood chips and dancing green leaves.
The tiger, which should have been majestic, let out a pathetic whimper. A deep, sunken fist print was visible on one side of its body.
"Little kitty, weren't you acting all tough just now?"
Zane, now wearing a brand-new headband around his forehead, strolled out from the woods where the tiger had flown.
He looked at the tiger before him—the one that had just ambushed him from behind, clearly intending to kill him in one bite—with a beaming smile.
Well, he had actually noticed the tiger a long time ago.
He had simply used himself as bait, letting it deliver itself right to him.
Roar!
The King of Beasts clearly still had some backbone.
Though the fist print on its side had broken its ribs and shattered its spirit, it still struggled to its feet. With one more roar, it lunged at the human once again.
One step forward.
As if teleporting.
Zane reached the pouncing tiger first, striking out with another punch that landed squarely on its belly.
Boom!
A dull, heavy sound echoed.
The impact of the tiger's pounce didn't force Zane back a single step.
On the contrary, the tiger, having taken a direct hit to its abdomen, didn't just suffer a deep indentation; its spine visibly buckled outward.
Its massive body shuddered.
The once-ferocious tiger went limp like a deflated balloon. Blood leaked from its nose and mouth as it collapsed, only for Zane to catch it and hoist it onto his shoulders.
"What a harvest!"
The heavy tiger felt like an inflatable toy in Zane's hands. With a face full of smiles, he shouldered his prize and headed back toward the town.