Hunter X Games
Chapter 1
9/10/1998
[Congrats on making it to your birthday as you are now sixteen years old.]
"Awesome" I said as I sat up in bed as I scratched my head a bit before getting up out of bed and stretching a bit as I fully woke up to greet the day. "Status Sheet" I said bringing up my stats.
{Status}
Name: Wes Nova, Age: 16
Race: Human, Gender: Female
Title: [The Gamer]-[Goju-ryu Student], Level: 4 (632/1,000 XP!)
HP: 4,563/4,563, SP: 20,240/20,240, Nen: 25,780/25,780[Locked]
STR: 35, PER: 11
END: 41, CHA: 12
INT: 28, AGI: 37
Luck: 10, SP: 0
{End}
"My stats look good from a mathematical point of view but compared to the star athletes at school I am still lacking even if I can regain my stamina faster than most by resting for a while and by a while, I mean a while instead of like five or ten minutes like I originally thought after developing more of my meditation skill which increases the regen time of my stamina.
"Okay my time is short, so I have to tell my father today about wanting to become a hunter" I said to myself as I am still a bit confused on how these stats work since I'm starting to think that maybe all of my core stats contribute to my HP, Nen and SP more than I was originally told from my tips windows since the numbers are way too high to be normal or maybe I'm over thinking things based on how big the numbers are.
*Ding Dong*
"Who could that be?" I asked myself as I changed out of my pajamas and got dressed in a basic pink T-shirt and blue shorts before I walked downstairs and saw my father as he answered the door before I could as dad was dressed for work as the person who rang the doorbell was none other than sensei Mez in his favorite martial arts gi and pants but with the addition of black slip-on shoes.
"Sensei Mez what are you doing here?" I asked as I walked down the stairs as I also peeked into the kitchen and saw the ice cream cake daddy had on the kitchen table.
"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing" Daddy said as he glanced at me as if waiting to hear that I broke some rules or something.
"I came to discuss your training and you no longer have to call me sensei. Instead call me by my name." Sensei Mez said ask it actually feels a bit strange to call him by his name even though he just gave me permission.
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked looking down a bit since he probably wants to stop teaching me or something.
"No, it's nothing like that" Sensei Mez said as we all took seats in the living room.
"Then why are you no longer going to teach my daughter?" Daddy asked in a serious tone of voice as sensei Mez had a serious look of his own as he looked back at my father.
"It's because your daughter is a prodigy in simple terms and as a prodigy, I have taught her everything I could as a martial arts instructor." Sensei Mez explained as I was a bit shocked at what I heard before I mentally brought up a certain skill.
[Martial Arts-Rank 3
Martial Arts was created ages ago in its homeland of Jappon as the original instructors admired animals in nature and extensively studied them to closely emulate them in the form of human combat as they mimicked the patience of the mantis and the ferocity of wild tigers and dragons.
Passively increases STR-AGI-END by 75%
Known Styles: [Goju-ryu/Hard and Soft style Karate!]]
'The rank system is simple and almost seemed like it mimicked basic levels from real games, but sensei is calling me a prodigy so how powerful is Rank-3 compared to normal people's skills and abilities?' I asked myself in confusion because despite how long it took. Getting to Rank-3 took a lot of time and I also don't have an experience tracker with these ranks or anything like how I can tell how fast I am at improving a skill in basic RPG's on my computer.
Damn it. I finally thought I was understanding this weird power!
"Forgive me for being so bold but I thought martial arts is something that takes years to fully master and understand" Daddy said as sensei Mez scratched his head a bit.
"That is true, and I am in no way saying that your daughters journey is at an end. Now I came here to tell you both that your daughter has been with me for several months and her ability to learn is astonishing and she has a lot of potential so in all honesty I came here to tell you that I think your daughter should learn more.
Now I've looked into your daughters eyes and I not only saw extreme potential, but I also saw a thirst for adventure and from what I've seen of her over these past few months I believe that your daughter is the perfect candidate for taking the hunter exam even if she isn't the most qualified" Sensei Mez said shocking me since I never even mentioned it to him.
Not once.
"Out of the question! Even if she is a prodigy, she's sixteen years old and even if she is a young adult, she is still too young to go out on her own into the world and do something as dangerous as take the hunter exam!" Daddy shouted as he stood up from his seat.
"Daddy…I…I want to take the exam" I said speaking up, but I couldn't look at him as their was a hurtful and dread filled silence in the air.
"It seems that I've caused unnecessary friction here so I'm sorry and I'll leave." Sensei Mez said before he got up and left before my dad spoke up again.
"What?" Daddy said as I summoned up all my courage and looked up at him.
"Daddy. I never told sensei or you about it, but I want to become a hunter." I told him as I expected him to yell at me or something.
"Why? Being a hunter of all things? I won't allow it!" Daddy said loudly as he balled up his hands as I could tell he was pissed at what I said.
"It's because…I want to be like mom." I said as I choked out the words because saying something like that felt like someone just stabbed my heart as I fully meant it, but I also knew that saying these words crossed a line. A line that couldn't walk back from.
Now my father and I talked for a extremely long time as both of us where being stubborn about this and now it was late into the night at nine o'clock as I'm just playing on my computer but I'm not really into it anymore.
My game sucks and I can't stop crying.
"Is this what happened to you when you told your parents that you wanted to be a hunter mom?" I asked nobody in particular as I looked up at the ceiling thinking about things as my mind went back to my hunter quest. "There isn't anything stopping me from abandoning this quest other than the selfish desire to get rewards but…Is it even worth it?" I asked myself as I thought about everything I've done so far as I got in decent shape physically and mentally for a test that I'm not even fully invested in taking.
My mind went back to the memories of mom and dad when they were together and then memories of myself with the both of them…Everything was so fun, and dad was so happy…Mom left and soon enough some silly looking old man came here and told us about her death on a mission.
"Can I come in?" Daddy asked from behind my door as I looked myself over as I just put on a basic tank top and shorts…It's kinda funny because I don't even remember changing clothes after walking into my room to try and calm myself down.
"Yes" I said as I shut off my computer as dad came in my room while holding a small wooden box with a lock on it as he sat on my bed and looked down at the box.
"Your mother told me that one day you would want to follow in her footsteps and become a hunter and when the time comes…She told me to give this to you." Daddy said as I sat next to him on my bed before he took out a key and unlocked the box showing me what is inside.
The things inside the box are a family picture of myself, my daddy and my mom from a day we all spent at a beach, a cassette player with headphones attached, and a special case for hunter licenses.
I know from the fake licenses I saw on the internet, but this thing is real even though it lacks a license inside of it as the license case has a dark green base color with gold accents and on the back of the license case is a rose flower symbol but right now, I focus on the picture.
I actually never seen a picture of mom from back than when she was younger despite the pictures of her dad has in the house.
Mom is originally from Jappon as she has fair skin with dark red hair done in a simple ponytail as she is wearing a light pink one-piece swimsuit with white frills on it.
"Your mother told me to never look inside this box until you are ready and that you're the only person allowed to hear the note she left in this box. Now I hate this hunter dream of yours because I am scared of losing you like I lost your mother, but I also know that your mother would hate me in the next life if I tried to stop you from being a hunter.
Now I never told you the truth about how I met your mother. The truth is that your mother saved my life on one of her missions and I fell for her as soon as I saw her, and I know in my heart that if she saw us fighting like this, she would probably knock us both silly until we got our heads on straight.
So even though I hate it I will allow you to take the hunter exam but only if you can prove that you are perfectly capable of surviving outside on your own." Daddy said as we gave each other a long hug before he told me the conditions of me leaving and strange enough is the fact that I didn't get a quest from it.
Or maybe it's better that way since getting a quest from my father would make things worse as far as my guilt is concerned because even though he gave me permission I still feel like I broke his heart and hurt him. Anyway, I looked back into the wooden box as I grabbed the cassette player as I put the headphone on and hit the play button as I listened to the cassette that was inside of it as the cassette has tape on it with words in black marker.
-To Wes, Love Mommy-
"Hey their Wes. If you're hearing this than that mean that means I have died or gone missing but either way it means I won't be able to see you anymore so allow me to tell you some things about me and why I wanted to be a hunter since you've always said you wanted to be a hunter like me.
Now I originally come from Jappon or more specifically I come from an orphanage as I went their when I was around eight or nine but before that I was a part of a clan of shinobi and unlike what the media thinks. A shinobi isn't always about honor or saving the world.
The clan in truth was a small-time mafia gang that was known for it's red hair as our hair symbolized the blood on our hands. I'm sure you've noticed your hair color changing overtime and I can promise you that eventually it will become a fully red color and you'll also notice other changes down the line if you truly want to become a hunter.
I can't say much but the secret of our clan resides in our blood but for an easier explanation you need a hunter license as well as access to a hunter only information website.
Anyway, I became a blacklist hunter to try and avenge my clan but after I fell in love and had you, I learned that my anger and hatred had slowed, and you became the focus of my mind as I partially wanted to train you as a weapon of my wrath, but I couldn't do that because every time I looked at you, I felt nothing but love and happiness.
Now if you want to become a hunter, I will always watch over you from the afterlife but if you don't want to be a hunter than that is fine as well. I only want you to be happy and make decisions like this on your own without worrying about other people's opinions.
I love you Wes and I wish I could have told you all of this in person." The cassette stopped playing as I took off the headset as I had a brand-new river of tears falling down my face as I cut off the cassette player before I put it back in the box as I closed the box as I decided to call it a day and go to sleep.
9/20/1998
It's been ten days since my daddy and I had talked about me becoming a hunter as I had to prove to him that I could take care of myself as I had to go online and pass every single online test he could bring up as well as some university level tests along with the biggest test of all as he got the school's permission to give me a online version of the finals that would allow me to graduate school early as I'm sure nobody thought a sixteen year old could pass the finals but I showed up everyone as I aced the test with a score of 97% which is not only proved I was smart but it also meant that I graduated high school early.
Thank god.
Anyway, right now I'm on an airplane alone as I am heading to the one place that will allow me to make quick money as I have my suitcase in my game inventory which is very handy since I didn't have to get my stuff checked by airport security as I'm looking out of the airplane window at the Republic of Padokea or more specifically the massive city that holds the legendary Heavens Arena.
"I'll train here until I near the middle of December when I will take the hunter exam written test before going out to take the in-person exam" I said to myself as the plane soon landed and after a while of walking, I came up to the massive build as this building is the fourth tallest building in the world.
"I don't exactly look the part" I said as I looked over my clothes as fighters from all over dress up for this place but here, I am walking into this place dressed in a basic grey hoodie with dark blue jeans and black sneakers as all of my supplies are in my inventory except for my Jenny for the entrance fee of 500 Jenny.
"Hello and welcome to Heavens Arena. Are you going to be watching the matches or will you be participating?" An arena worker asked from behind her desk as she sat in between two large doors with labels above them as the door on the right was labeled for watchers while the door on the left was labeled for competitors as this place also sported multiple hallways leading to different areas of the arena.
"I'm here to participate in the fights." I told her before the woman gave me a smile as she handed me multiple papers.
"Alright than. So, please sign these forms and when you are finished, please return the forms to me as well as the entrance fee of 500 Jenny and then I will give you the participant number that you reach the 200th floor." The woman said as I walked over to a nearby seat as I started signing the forms with the pen she gave me as I made sure not to make any mistakes as I signed all the papers to the best of my abilities before I gave them back to the receptionist as well as the 500 Jenny from my pocket.
"Is that everything?" I asked her as she looked over the forms as well as typing on her computer.
"That's everything and here is your number but be careful not to lose it because you will not receive another one" The receptionist said as she gave me a what looks like a business care.
[Participant #2434]
"The waiting room for competitors is to my left so you may now enter it and I wish you the best of luck. However, I must first go over the rules" The receptionist said as she explained the rules of this place to me before she allowed me to enter the competitors waiting room as I sat in the waiting room on a wooden bench next to other fighters as everyone here looks so skilled and strong.
There is also a series of televisions in this room as several matches are going on all at once and it is pretty hard to hear who is rooting for who to win. I also started hearing the people around me start talking about me and thinking that they would have an easy win.
"Number 2434 and number 3822 please enter arena G!" A woman said over the intercom as I got up and saw someone else also get up as the both of us made our way to the fighting area as I got into a square tile ring along with a guy wearing black shorts with tape on his feet and fighting gloves on his hands.
"Alright this is a qualifying bout to test your skills and abilities. You have three minutes to show me what your able to do. Begin!" The referee shouted as our match started as this guy charged at me as I got into my defensive stance as I blocked both of this guys fists as his attacks didn't actually hurt too bad as I gave him a strong headbutt to the face making him stagger back as I took a quick step towards him as I cocked both my hands back before extending them both forwards as I hit the guy in the stomach with two open palmed strikes to the stomach actually sending him out of the ring as I was actually shocked since I shouldn't be that strong physically and in all honesty I just mimicked some of the advanced techniques of Goju-ryu that sensei Mez taught me.
Fun fact. Several martial arts have specific techniques that are almost like special moves in anime and comics and the one I used is…
[A new skill is created!]
[Dual-Palm Strike-Rank 1
You pull back both your hands as you channel energy within them and quickly thrust them forward into your enemy with a great amount of stamina and strength as this technique is designed to do great harm.
Cost: 100 SP
This technique has a 23% chance of inflicting [Stunned] and [Staggered] on an enemy]
"Whoa" I said as I looked down at my hands a bit before the referee spoke up as he looked equally shocked.
"Number 2434 you advance to the 50th floor!" The referee shouted as some people cheered for me before I walked away to the elevator and made my way to the 50th floor with low expectations now since I know I can recreate the advanced forms of my martial art and win any match.
"Welcome to the 50th floor" The receptionist said as she welcomed me to the 50th floor and explained how different the rules are for this place and in simple terms the more I win the higher up I can go but if I lose a match I will be put down ten floors…Also I will get a lot of Jenny from each victory so now I am sitting in another waiting room just waiting for my number to be called as I looked around this waiting room and unlike before I could sense the difference in people on this floor instead of the people on the first floor.
The people here are all champions in some regards, and everyone here looks like they mean business as there is a certain tension in the air as everyone is out for themselves here and the idea of friendly competition seems non-existent right now.
"This place is…Intimidating." I said to myself as I saw pairs of two head off and into their respective fighting areas as I looked up at the television screens in the room as I saw the various fights as these fighters where the real deal…I should stop thinking now since I'm just thinking in circles over and over again.
"You really should calm down a bit" A calm voice said as I looked over to my right and saw some guy standing next to me along with a little boy who was clearly younger than me as the guy has a average height and build with unkempt black hair and glasses on his face as he is wearing a light pink shirt that was only partially tucked in along with charcoal gray pants with a ash gray belt and opaque white shoes as the name above his head said his name is Wing.
The boy next to his is named Zushi as Zushi also has an average height and build with short brown hair, thick eyebrows and big hazel eye as he is wearing a standard karate gi with a red belt and no shoes.
"Was my nervousness really that obvious?" I asked the guy as he gave me a kind smile that I could tell wasn't a fake one or some trick.
"Not at all. I'm just good at reading people but please forgive me for bothering you. My name is Wing, and this is Zushi" Wing said introducing himself and the boy.
"Osu!" Zushi said extending both his fists downward with a slight bow as a form of introduction. "It is an honor to meet you ma'am." Zushi said as I stood up and bowed to them both.
"It's an honor to meet you both and forgive me for asking but why did you bring a kid here with you if you're fighting in heavens arena?" I asked him as I stood up straight and looked up at Wing.
"Oh, don't worry. Zushi is the one participating instead of me" Wing said as I gave the man a deadpan expression.
"That actually makes me worry even more." I said blandly and in a serious voice as the man chuckled nervously.
"Well, if you don't mind me asking. Why are you here since you are pretty young yourself?" Wing asked as I scratched my head before answering.
"Well, I'm here to train myself for the hunter exam" I told him as I am now determined to become a hunter instead of just doing it as a quest or for the incentive of a reward.
"Really? Well can you tell me what kind of hunter you want to become?" Wing asked as I gave the idea some thought for a moment.
"Well to be honest I want to be the same kind of hunter my mother was, so I guess I want to be a blacklist hunter." I told him since that is what I decided to strive for. Now I'm not going to be a blacklist hunter to stop all crime ever but after some thought I decided that as a blacklist hunter I want to find the truth behind my mothers death and find who killed her.
{Avenger
Objective 1: Become a Blacklist Hunter!
Objective 2: Discover all information regarding your mothers last mission!
Objective 3: N/A
This quest has automatically been accepted as a sub-quest that follows up the already accepted quest [Becoming a Hunter!]}
"A blacklist hunter…That won't be easy and only a rare few of those hunters will be able to live long and happy lives. So can I ask why you chose to become a blacklist hunter?" Wing asked me as he now had a serious look on his face.
"I won't answer that question sir. It's a bit personal." I told him as I tried not to sound rude.
"Alright I understand." Wing said before we heard an announcer speak over the intercom.
"Contestant Wes and contestant Terr please enter fighting arena K on floor 50!" The announcer said as she called me over as I now have to be prepared for my next fight.
"Alright. I'll see you both later and I hope we meet again on the higher floors." I told them before I bowed to them once more before I left and headed away to the proper fighting area and thankfully the walls have various maps of the floor, I'm on as I found the arena with little trouble as I stepped into the ring and saw a whole new series of fans and honestly there are a lot more people here than there are on the first few floors below fifty.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen todays fight is a fight between two rookies who have just started their journey to honor and success in heavens arena as these fighters are Wes as a student of Goju-ryu and Terr of the celebrity family of action movie stars" The announcer said as I recognized this man as he stared in at least fifty action movies, but all of those movies are super cringey and had bad special effects.
Even if I don't like this guy's movies it doesn't change the fact that he is here on the 50th floor and that proves that he is a excellent fighter as he looks like he was about to star in another movie as he has a fit build with short and messy blonde hair while wearing black shorts, a dark green leather vest with equally tacky boots and white fighters tape on his hands and forearms as this guy is even wearing shades and has his name tattooed over his chest.
"Both fighter get ready as I will now explain the rules! Now here on the 50th floor your fights will now have a score limit, but no time limit and you still are prohibited from using weapons of any kind! Your points will be as followed! Clean hits are direct attacks on the body as blocks and parries do not count as clean hits are given one point! Critical hits are powerful attacks that truly hurt your opponents and are worth 2 points each! If you are knocked down than that is considered a Knock down hit and is worth 1 point each!
You must score a total of 10 points to win your match and lastly a person will lose automatically if one of you is knocked unconscious! So, begin!" The referee shouted as the match started as I got into a ready stance.
"I'm sorry to say this kid but I'm going to reach the top of heavens arena so do us both a favor and forfeit since I'd rather not harm a child." Terr said with a cocky attitude as I frowned at this guy as a lot of the audience started booing him as I charged in and attacked with a flurry of blows as Terr parried or evaded my blows without counter attacking.
"Stop looking down on me you trash tier celebrity." I said in anger before I actually managed to hit him in the chin with a high knee making him stager backwards a bit.
"Critical hit! Wes!" The referee said as I looked up at the massive screen in the air and saw an image of myself and Terr but next to my image are the two points that I have just earned.
"Alright brat! Now I'm mad!" Terr shouted as he charged at me and started attacking with strikes of his own as I evaded his strikes before I took the chance to strike as I tried to kick his left side with my left leg but either Terr is very observant or my kick was to telegraphed for him as he caught my leg before hitting me in the face with a powerful right punch at the same time he left go of my leg as he didn't break my nose but it sure as hell felt like it as I hit the ground really hard and in the corner of my eyes I saw my red HP bar flash as I lost a bit of health.
"Critical hit and Knock down!" The referee shouted as Terr now has three points as I slowly sat up and rubbed my nose. "Can you still fight?" The referee asked loudly as I heard some people start cheering now.
"Get up Wes!" Someone shouted.
"Kick his ass girl!"
"Teach that guy some humility!"
The roars of the crowd actually felt great as I stood back up and wiped my nose as a tiny bit of blood came from my nose.
"Yes, I can still fight!" I shouted as I remembered what sensei Mez had taught me as I charged back at Terr again as we parried and blocked each other for a bit as hit attacks hurt but thankfully our speed is more or less the same which is sad given how much he dedicated himself to just brute strength. Anyway, Terr finally got sloppy as I parried a strong right fist making him spin around and turn his back to me as I hit him with a dropkick to the spine making him hit the ground.
"Clean hit and Knock down! Wes leads the score of 4 to 3!" The referee said as Terr stood back up and charged at me as he was losing his cool and his attacks were getting sloppy and predictable.
This isn't a real fight anymore…Now I don't mean to sound mean or ungrateful but Terr is more of a challenge back when he was keeping his cool and fighting with his brain even if he was an arrogant jerk. So, now I'm basically just parrying his strikes before I made him back away as I kicked his right side with my right leg which proved that he let his anger get the better of him because earlier he was able to stop that hit.
"Clean hit!" The referee said as Terr took a few steps back holding his side.
"If you really want to reach the top of this place than stop getting angry and actually use your head for once!" I shouted and I knew I shouldn't have but I honestly didn't want an easy win like this because there isn't any struggle to it.
Granted a win by forfeit or whatever is fine but if someone is seriously trying to beat me in a martial arts fight than they should actually put in the proper effort instead of just trying to force their way into a win.
"Shut your mouth brat!" Terr said as I started evading his attacks before I decided to mimic another advanced martial arts technique as I got into a proper stance as I quickly balled up my fist as I cocked it back and extended my fist forward while pushing up my middle and index fingers to add a bit more sting to my punch as my attack managed to hit Terr in his kidney as my fist almost went into his body before all of the air was forced out of his body along with a lot of saliva as he fell backwards onto his back while tightly gripping his side as he was groaning in clear pain by the look on his face.
[A new skill has been created!]
[Piercing Punch-Rank 1
You don't only punch hard but with your middle and index knuckles added your punch can did deeper into your enemy with the strength to harm internal organs.
Cost: 50 SP
This attack may inflict [Stagger] on an enemy]
"Critical hit and Knock down! The lead is now Wes with 7 while Terr has 3! Can you still fight?" The ref asked Terr who slowly stood back up as I decided to end this, so I quickly went up to Terr and hit him with a powerful kick to the face sending him back into the ground but this time the fight was over, and everyone saw it. "Terr is unable to continue so the winner is Wes!" The ref said loudly as people started cheering for me as I couldn't help but smile as people cheered for me before I made my way back to the reception area of the 50th floor as the lady rewarded me with a total of 10,000 Jenny as well as moving me up to the 51st floor.
However, I decided to leave for the day with a smile on my face and 10,000 Jenny in my pocket/inventory as I left heavens arena and found a cheap hotel to stay at as I settled into a room on the third floor with the basic standards of a nice hotel room as I took a moment to lay down on the bed before I just remembered something important.
"I hope he's off work" I said as I walked over to the phone on the dresser next to the bed as I called home as I heard the phone ring a bit before daddy finally answered.
[Daddy: Hello who is this?]
[Me: Hey daddy it's me and I'm safe here in Republic of Padokea and I just won two fights in Heavens Arena so now I have 50,000 Jenny but now that I'm in a hotel room it is probably closer to 49,650 Jenny but still it's a lot and I plan to win a lot more money and I promise I will come back home after I pass the hunter exam]
[Daddy: That's great honey and I saw your fight on tv. Apparently, Heavens Arena started broadcasting fights on the 50th floor and above on tv but only fights staring people of importance. So, now everyone in the world saw you embarrass that actor with ease]
Cue the blushing of embarrassment.
[Me: Yeah well…He just annoyed me a little bit and I don't like his movies so fighting him wasn't a big deal to me I guess.]
[Daddy: Don't be so modest honey. You went out their and kicked but and Mr. Mez agrees so I want you to know how proud everyone back home is, and I'll be watching all of your fights to support you okay.]
[Me: I got it. Thanks daddy and tell sensei Mez that I will come home and see all of you pretty soon.]
After that daddy and I talked a bit more before we both hung up as I than called up some room service before I cut on the hotel tv and started watching whatever is on as I decided to enjoy the rest of the day outside of fighting.
9/26/1998
"I think I might have rested a bit too much" I said with a nervous chuckle since I'm finally on the 51st floor to register for another fight since I haven't had a proper fight since Terr or any fight for that matter…Damn that hotel mattress feels like heaven and the food is so amazing and tasty…Maybe I could get daddy to move here or at least vacation here so I could enjoy this hotel some more.
"Hello there. Are you here to register for a new fight?" The receptionist asked as I walked up to her desk as she was behind a large pain of glass.
"Yes ma'am. I'm ready to fight anyone and earn some more Jenny" I said but in the back of my mind I am remembering all of the prizes for these floors and it makes me want to ask just how much money this place makes since the prizes are insane on every floor above the 50th.
"Alrighty just sign up here and you'll be called son enough to compete in a match" The receptionist said as I just thought of another question.
Does this place only hire woman receptionist since I haven't seen a guy receptionist yet? Anyway, I am sitting in a waiting room as I am now wearing the proper attire of my white martial arts gi and pants with a black belt around my waist and white sports tape around my feet and hands as I am looking at some of the other matches taking place and to my surprise, I see Zushi fighting some guys on the 31st floor.
"I guess he lost a few matches since I've been gone. But then again, he is a kid so making it this far was amazing by itself." I said as he beat the guy he was fighting before I was called up to fight again as I soon made my way to the ring but this time, I am fighting someone who actually looks like a legitimate fighter as this guy is wearing a black unitard with black boots and forearm bracers made out of leather so despite the added defense the bracers are considered an outfit and not a weapon or armor which makes thing a bit unfair.
"Begin!" The ref said as I charged at the guy with a series of strikes, but the guy blocked them easily and before I even saw it coming, he hit me in the face with a kick making me tumble onto the ground before I got up. "Clean hit and Knock down! Lee leads with 2 to 0!" The ref shouted as the numbers on the screen above me changed.
"Damn. This guy actually is a fighter." I said to myself as Lee attacked me this time as it took everything, I had to evade the fast and strong blows as I saw my chance and aimed to use my [Dual-Palm Strike!] but this guy caught both my hands before back handing me with his bracer making me back up again.
Leather hurts like hell and there isn't anything I can do about it.
"Clean hit! The lead is now 3 to 0!" The ref announced as I basically wasted stamina which doesn't just recover and takes time in addition to all the running and actions I'm taking.
My stamina looks high but in actual combat I burn through it pretty fast. Especially against a talented opponent like this as Lee than quickly closed the distance between us as I aimed to hit him with a roundhouse kick as Lee jumped over my kick as he kicked me with his own leg and sent me tumbling towards the right on the ground as I felt that kick in the back of my head as my vision was a bit blurry as I slowly got up.
[You've been inflicted with [Stunned] De-Buff for the next 12 seconds!]
"Critical hit and Knock down! The lead is now 6 to 0! Can you still fight?" The ref asked me loudly as his words sounded a bit blurry in my head before stunned soon wore off as I shook my head a bit to get myself together.
"Yeah I'm fine" I said as I charged at the guy as I attacked with a flurry of strikes that he easily blocked and parried before I caught him with a fake fist as he went to block as I hit him in the left side with a high knee to the chest as he back up a step as I quickly followed up with a strong punch to his stomach making him stagger back before Lee stuck me with a quick leg sweep as I quickly got back up and leapt back a bit.
I ignored the ref since I already knew that my chances of victory got slimmer as the numbers are now 7 to 2 meaning that I can't allow him to land anymore strikes or else my fight is over.
"Your not bad for a beginner kid but I'm afraid your fight ends here" Lee said and before I could react I was the victim of a flurry of strikes from all directions and it all happened so fast that I felt as if I couldn't even move as this guy knocked me out of the ring on my back as my entire body was hurt but worse than that is the fact that Lee beat me easily by point value and by a ring out as I looked up at the floor ceiling and saw various things.
[By participating in your first real fight in Heavens Arena you've earned +2 END, the skill {Physical Pain Resistance}, and 450 XP!]
[Congrats you've levelled up! You've earned 3 SP(Stat Points)]
That explains why I didn't get rewards from before. This was my first real fight in this place, and I actually had to put in some decent effort…I got cocky…Damn.
"Lee takes the win folks as Wes has been ejected from the ring and lost via ring out and point value but don't get discouraged as the next fight is underway!" The announcer said in cheer as I heard the crowd cheering on Lee as I slowly got back up and headed out as I now have to fight on the 41st floor.
I'm still hurt though so I'm going to wait a while before I fight again so right now on the 41st floor I head over to the catering area as I sit near a BBQ stand and at my table, I order a pull pork sandwich with curly fries and a large cola as I eat some good food and try to relax as I look over my new skill.
[Physical Pain Resistance-Rank 1
Your body has gotten used to physical attacks as your muscles are toughening up and getting stronger from the abuse.
You can resist 2% of all physical attacks!]
"This seems useful but at the same time it isn't given how weak it is and I probably shouldn't expect to rely on this thing since I don't really like being hit much." I said as I dug into my sandwich before I closed the skill screen in front of me as I made short work of my food before I started drinking my soda.
"I need to do better I only have a tiny bit more time before the hunter exam and I can't afford to waste anymore of the limited time I have" I said to myself as eating and drinking certain food increases my recovery speed as I am healing very slowly but still healing none the less as my HP is slowly starting to fill back up along with my stamina.
Maybe Nen could have helped me but still until I learn more about it, I can't try doing anything with it.
"I'm not at one hundred percent but I need to get back in the ring and fight again. I'll keep fighting until I can't fight anymore" I said to myself as I stood up from the table about to make my way to register for another fight.
"Don't you think that's a bit too reckless?" A familiar voice asked from behind me as I turned around and saw none other than Wing.
I didn't even notice him.
"Hello sir. What brings you to the 41st floor?" I asked since I didn't see Zushi in any fights today and I also noticed that he wasn't with Mr. Wing.
"I came here to have another talk with you if you don't mind." Wing said with a smile as I didn't get a mean or creepy vibe from him, but something feels off and again it wasn't in a bad way, but it felt like he was lying about just wanting a talk with me.
"Sure." I said as I sat back down as Wing also took a seat.
"I saw your match and I have to say that you put up a good fight." Wing said as I gave him a sad sigh in response.
"That match was horrible. I was outmatched in every way and I hardly stood a chance." I told him and yes, I admit that I'm pouting and being sensitive but still my fight was terrible.
"I wouldn't say that. Your opponent had only a slight advantage given his attire was offering slight protection against attacks." Wing said as I still had a pout on my face.
"Yeah, but that still doesn't make me feel better." I said as I am still upset and right now, I don't feel like calming down. I want to be upset and I have that right.
"I didn't think it would make you feel better, but I still thought that it is something you should know." Wing said back as I just took a deep breath to try and calm down a bit.
"Mr. Wing if you don't mind me asking. Why are you really here talking to me?" I asked him as he adjusted his glasses a bit.
"Well, I wanted to talk to you a bit more about the type of hunter you want to be" Wing said as I gave him a confused look.
"You're against it?" I asked as he lowered his head a bit.
"Not entirely. It's just that becoming a blacklist hunter is one of if not the most difficult hunter type in the history of hunters, so I wanted to talk with you a bit and make sure you give the idea a bit more thought before you rush off and do something reckless like you where abut to do earlier." Wing said as I am willing to admit that he is right, and I was being reckless.
However I have to be a bit reckless given how little time I have before the exam starts and if I can't beat a guy cheating to win a match than how the hell am I supposed to call myself a proper hunter?
I need to get stronger and right now I learned that win or lose I will get stronger by fighting proper opponents and the more time I waste the less fights I'm in and to become a blacklist hunter I need to be the most skilled fighter possible and that means I need to fight right now and talking with Mr. Wing is stopping me from doing just that.
"Mr. Wing I apricate the concern but I really need to push myself beyond being reckless if I want to pass the hunter exam with how little time I have left." I told him in a serious tone of voice which made him have a serious look of his own.
"And what makes you think that?" Wing asked as I was actually confused a bit by his reaction.
"I don't have long before I have to apply for the hunter exam, and I need to pass it this year. I can't afford to wait until next year so that is actually why I'm here so I can learn, earn money, and get stronger as fast as possible before I hit the hunter exam deadline." I told him as he crossed his arms and waited a moment before answering as he lowered his head a bit and gave a deep breath of his own.
"Alright I understand where you're coming from but acting without giving your decisions proper thought will ultimately harm you more then help you and I can tell you from experience that just brute forcing your way through the exam will not do you any good." Wing said sternly as I felt my lips quiver in sadness as I wanted to say something back, but I knew that he was right and that I'm just acting foolish.
"Then what am I supposed to do. I want…No I need to pass the hunter exam or I'm letting myself and my father down. Everything I've done and endured to get this far can't just be for nothing. I have to pass this exam or else I'll never forgive myself" I said speaking from the heart as this entire exam and journey to getting here has weighed on my shoulders for a while and I can't just it all be for nothing.
If I can't pass the hunter exam and show my dad that I can handle the pressure of life than why am I even here? Why am I trying to find out more about my mother if I can't even cut it here in Heavens Arena where she probably fought at? Why am I trying so hard to get stronger if all of my strength will fail when I need it the most?
"Wes you're putting to much weight on your shoulders" Wing said as I didn't even see when he stood up let alone put his hand on my shoulder as he stood to my right with a smile on his face. "You sat there for five minutes hyperventilating and working yourself into a cold sweat without even realizing it" Wing said as he smiled at me, but I could still sense the seriousness of his words and also a hint of worry.
Now that I think about it, I am sweating like a lot and have sweat stains on the armpits of my gi and my breathing is hard to control…Did I seriously have an anxiety attack or something and not realize it?
"Now take a deep breath and tell me what is really going on and why exactly are you about to torture yourself in this place." Wing said as I swallowed what little saliva I had in my throat before I talked with him some more as I told him about everything except for my gaming power because I have no idea how he would react if I told him but for some strange reason it just felt right to talk to Wing about why I'm so determined or maybe obsessed since being a hunter is at the very core of what I am meant to do now that I know I can find out about what happened to my mother.
"That's everything." I told him as I finished telling him about why I genuinely want to be a blacklist hunter.
"So, you want to discover everything possible about what happened to your mother and you also don't want to disappoint your father by failing the hunter exam and on top of that you feel a strong duty to become a hunter because it will help you either avoid danger or help you protect your father who might be the only person you are emotionally close to." Wing said as it felt like a question, but it didn't come out as one.
"Yes, that's right." I said back as I scratched my arm a bit nervously as I expected him to laugh or something, but I quickly stopped scratching because I've been scratching my arm enough to the point that it is starting to hurt and also my pits feel sticky and gross.
I need to shower and get a change of clothes when I head back to my hotel room.
"Wes after your mother passed away. What did you do?" Wing asked seriously as he caught me a bit off guard.
"Well after I found out and we had the funeral I cried a lot and tried to avoid the bullies at school. I also spent all of my time playing videogames on my computer because playing in a different world felt like an escape from stress and dealing with people. Especially after my mom died" I told him as his look didn't change as he almost looked a little bit sad at what I said.
"Alright. Now I won't ask you about your bullies since I can imagine the damage, they've placed on you." Wing said as that actually confused me.
"What do you mean?" I asked him as he took a seat once again as he adjusted his glasses.
"Wes, you seem to avoid getting close to people and you are very timid and awkward in social situations as well as fearful. Now I can see on your face that you are expecting me to either harm you physically, emotionally, or just threaten you in some way.
Not only that but you've been carrying a lot of grief on your shoulders without letting anyone else know about it as you try and push down these emotions but by doing so you are harming yourself and raising wall after wall of emotional barriers to the point that I doubt you could really and truly trust anyone other than your father or your martial arts teacher but as far as your teacher is concerned it took him months to get through to you and for you to not see him as a bad guy.
So, honestly I don't think being a blacklist hunter is good for you at the moment and instead you should aim for something different but that isn't to say that you can't become a blacklist hunter in the future." Wing explained as I just sat there not knowing what to say or even do as Wing's words just echoed in my mind for a bit.
It's natural to want to avoid people, right? Why should I let my guard down around people I don't know? It only makes sense that people have ulterior motives and might want to hurt me.
Hell, almost everyone I know in school hates me and bullies me so why shouldn't I want to avoid people when all people have ever done is hurt me for no reason or because I am different.
"So, what am I supposed to do then? What can I even do if my only goal will end up being a mistake?" I asked him as Wing stood back up.
"I can't answer that Wes but what I can do is offer you a helping hand. So, how about we make a deal." Wing said as I looked at him with even more confusion.
"What kind of deal could we possibly make?" I asked him as he just looked at me for a moment.
"I temporarily take you on as a student until it's time for you to take the hunter exam and after you pass the exam you come back here and allow me to teach you more as a proper disciple." Wing said as this deal was incredibly unfair to him.
Seriously what would he gain from this?
"Why make a deal like that if there isn't anything in it for you?" I asked him as he put his fingers up to hs chin for a moment to think.
"Well in all honesty I want to see you reach your full potential as a future hunter." Wing said before I got a new quest put right in front of me.
[Learning Nen!
Objective 1: Become Wing's student!
Objective 2: N/A
Objective 3: N/A
Objective 4: N/A
This quest has the ability to change as time goes on and the hidden objectives will be unlocked latter as your rewards for this quest are not available however you will be rewarded with experience points!
Do you accept this quest Y/N?]
Holy shit…This quest it is good and it means I can learn what Nen is but I also don't know anything other than just becoming his student but at the same time this quest can change so maybe it will have me do something crazy to learn Nen like hurting or even killing somebody…This quest is too confusing to take on but I don't know when I will ever get a quest like this again and I can't afford to squander this chance or else I may never actually reach the potential that Wing, Daddy, and sensei Mex see's in me.
'I accept this quest' I thought to myself as I mentally accepted the quest before closing my eyes as I heard the message disappear as I stood up from my seat and opened my eyes back up to look at Wing.
"I accept this deal Mr. Wing and I will be proud to be your student. So, thank you." I said as I bowed to the man.
"There isn't a need for such formalities yet Wes and instead let's just shake on it." Wing said as I stood up before I shook his hand as I was now Wing's student.
"Okay" I said as I shook his hand before I felt something on my face…I was crying and didn't know…When did I start crying.
"You started crying when you had your small anxiety attack." Wing said as I looked down a bit in embarrassment.
"Please don't tease me." I said weakly as I didn't even really mean it as Wing didn't say anything after that.
[You've earned the Achievement: Shingen-ryu Disciple!
You learn Nen 50% faster than normal!]
9/27/1998
Right now, I am wearing a basic black T-shirt and light red shirt with black sneakers as I am in Wing and Zushi's place as they are in another hotel nearby as Zushi and I stood in front of Wing as Wing is giving me a talk.
"Alright Wes I'm going to explain these rules to you that you can apply to martial arts as these are rules that I want you to apply to your meditation and I want you to spend thirty to sixty minutes a day meditating and using these rules." Wing said before he grabbed a pen as he walked over to the white board he has in the room. "Now these rules are [Ten] which stands for [Point] as you focus your mind, reflect upon the self, and determine your true goal.
[Zetsu] stands for [Tongue] to put your actions into words. [Ren] stands for [Temper] which intensifies your will.
Lastly is [Hatsu] which stand for [Release] which means to put into action. Now all of these rules are meant to refine and sharpen your mental state and emotions as you need to reflect and meditate on these rules consistently so you can properly mature and grow." Wing said to me as I extended both my hands outwards.
"Osu!" I said loudly as he smiled before putting his pen down as Zushi gave me a supporting look as I ruffled his head a bit.
"Alright. I'll meditate and focus." I told him as I sat in the corner of the room in the basic crossed legs style of meditation as I brought both my hands together in my lap as I closed my eyes and remembered the rules as I thought deeply on all of the rules and thinking about how I can possibly use them during my meditation.
End!
A/N: Alright that's another chapter done, and I hope all of you lovely fans are enjoying this story. Now to be perfectly honest I am bases Wes on my past experiences and the experiences of other people who deal with autism which is why I put a disclaimer saying no instant growth because growth even with gamer powers doesn't just happen.
True growth takes time and effort despite what some people say and to [UtherTheCondemned] I want to apologize if I offended you with my story summary but that is my honest opinion and I stand by it.
So that's all for now and I hope everyone stays safe and happy during these times.