[Ding! A new mission has been triggered, now performing random matching…]
A few days later, Xiang Nan received a system notification.
This time, the start of the Extinction Game felt unusual. Unlike before, it didn't launch within 24 hours of new players joining the world. Clearly, the system was adjusting the rules, targeting those like Xiang Nan—players who already knew quite a bit about the game's structure and the world's background.
It also confirmed Xiang Nan's suspicion that the system enforced different rules for new versus veteran players, rebalancing at will.
"Random matching? Could it be another PvP scenario among players?" Xiang Nan wondered. The system didn't give further prompts for now.
Even so, he packed quickly and drove off in a military jeep. Garo and the others called right away, wanting to accompany him, but Xiang Nan declined. This time, he planned to act alone—he could use this opportunity to test out his newly acquired Nen.
[Ding! Matching successful. Please meet up with your teammate immediately.]
"My teammate?" Xiang Nan read the system message on his interface, eyes narrowing.
Another new twist. The third round apparently required teamwork and emphasized player cooperation.
"You coming, or should I meet you?"
Curiously, once the system gave them that notification, a small "team channel" appeared on Xiang Nan's display, allowing them to type short messages to one another. However, the channel imposed a character limit, presumably keeping their knowledge of each other minimal until they actually met.
After putting away the interface, Xiang Nan smirked. "So maybe this is a 2v2?" He stepped on the gas, accelerating toward Kotaki City.
His display showed another red dot, same color as his, with a precise location. Judging by the distance, the other player was far to the south, in a different city within the Republic of Padokea. Xiang Nan would have to fly from Kotaki City by airship to reach them.
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Two days later, Xiang Nan—clad in his black trench coat—stepped out of Pengli City's airport lobby. This coastal city, near the equatorial edge of Padokea, felt hot and humid, lush with subtropical plants giving it a distinctly exotic feel. Outside the airship terminal, he took a taxi into town.
An hour later, Xiang Nan reached the downtown plaza where his new teammate was waiting, specifically in front of an ice cream shop. From nearly a hundred meters away, he spotted a bespectacled girl wearing a soiled school uniform, looking nervous under a sun umbrella. She had black hair in two braided pigtails, her outfit grimy as though unwashed for a while. On the table was a melting ice cream sundae—she hadn't touched a bite.
Xiang Nan found this amusing and strolled over. As soon as he appeared, the girl noticed him, but kept avoiding eye contact, not sure if it was shyness or anxiety.
He took a seat across from her, smiling casually.
The girl adjusted her glasses but didn't look up, stammering softly. Sizing up her temperament, Xiang Nan decided not to force conversation.
He'd come here for the next mission, as assigned by the system. As for this timid-looking teenage girl, well… he recalled that all players here were damned souls in the first place. One never knew what "personality" might lurk behind that youthful exterior.
[Ding! Team formed successfully. Mission triggered!]
[Within the allotted time, you must expel or eliminate the 'Dimensional Intruders' who have illegally entered this world, preventing them from plundering the current world's resources.]
"Huh?" Xiang Nan's expression shifted. It wasn't a 2v2. "Dimensional Intruders" must be from another world?
Opposite him, the teenage girl also realized that this mission was… unusual. She looked up at Xiang Nan for the first time.
"It must relate to the so-called 'Dimensional Reincarnation' the system hinted at earlier. The rules have implied that players from different worlds can clash in some form… but I didn't think we, only in our third round, would get assigned to that system." She blushed a little and lowered her head again, speaking softly.
"Yes. It suggests that the Extinction Game and the Reincarnation Dimension aren't separate but do overlap. The system presumably wants us to learn this new rule." Xiang Nan studied the girl with a hint of admiration—she'd evidently done her homework on how the system worked, far more than that Selena woman had.
"At this point, we know next to nothing about the 'intruders.' The only real clue is that phrase 'resources being plundered.' We'll find out the details once we start." Xiang Nan didn't mind sharing his thoughts, since they had to complete the mission together. "Also, since we're on the same team, cooperation is key. We should unify our approach. Whose lead do we follow—yours or mine?"
He was open to suggestions. If she insisted otherwise, they could do their own thing.
Although the system framed it as a co-op mission, Xiang Nan suspected that failing might not necessarily kill both players. Likely it was still about weeding out weaker participants.
"We'll follow you," she replied without hesitation, surprising Xiang Nan. A quick acceptance—he arched an eyebrow.
Given she was also listed as a "Level 2 Extinction" player, Xiang Nan sensed she wasn't a Nen user—he couldn't detect any aura from her. Possibly they were from the same batch, which meant they'd started around the same time. Xiang Nan doubted she'd reached a level of mastery enabling her to hide her aura with perfect Zetsu. Alternatively, maybe she was a longtime gamer who'd exploited a bug to remain at low rank, but that was usually disadvantageous.
"You can call me '17.'" Xiang Nan said, offering a small smile. "What about you?"
"Manman… My name is Manman." The girl's voice was barely audible, breathy. Her timid personality might be a liability from a team standpoint, but Xiang Nan let it go.
"Let's see what else the system says."
He turned back to his on-screen data. Regarding these so-called "Intruders," the system provided a photo—a short-haired man around thirty, wearing a red tracksuit with hood up. His gaze was razor-sharp.
But Xiang Nan's main focus wasn't the man's appearance. Instead, he noticed the system's summary: it included the location of this intruder, along with his purpose for coming to the Hunter x Hunter world—and, importantly, the name of the world he came from.
Xiang Nan read aloud. "So that's an anime or manga, right? …Never heard of it."
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