Hunter x Hunter: War of the Anime Worlds

The next day, Xiang Nan took Manman to a secluded stretch of countryside for a short bout of training.

For the time being, returning to the army base was impossible: Xiang Nan had already "left the service," cutting his ties with the military—at least on paper—so he could join the Hunter Association without complications.

That meant he had to keep his distance from all state‑run power structures until he received guidance from people like Netero or Biscuit and pushed his command of Nen to a higher level.

His former commission and rank had already been filled by someone else; after all, a play needs a full cast.

At the rural site he had scouted in advance, Xiang Nan settled Manman in a rented cottage, then disappeared alone into the deep mountains.

His main goal was to grow comfortable with the power of the Riot of the Blood coursing within him—develop it further, toughen his body, and expand his Nen reserves. For that he launched into a regimen tailored to himself: using the terrain to hone his physique—meditating beneath roaring waterfalls, swimming upstream with boulders on his back, sprinting between peaks and valleys. At dawn he would run to the summit, breathe with the rising sun, and meld completely with the wilderness around him.

Two months later, one morning—

Standing on a ridge, bathed in slanting golden sunlight, Xiang Nan gazed into the distance.

"At my current level I can draw on the Riot of the Blood in full. My aura has doubled, my physical stats are up—but that's it. With my grasp of human biology, this is as far as I can go on my own." He looked down at the sea of green forest below, mist glimmering in the dawn light.

"Every creature under heaven brims with life; that vitality should radiate energy akin to Nen… yet I can't sense it. Even after enhancing my mind with On (Malice), it's still beyond me. Why? Is my mental strength still too low?"

He frowned. As a doctor, he knew the human body inside out, yet its untapped potential was less than he had hoped. The boost to his psyche had let him master some higher‑level Nen techniques, but something was still missing.

"Whether it's Nen or my body, I'll need pointers from story characters. I can improve alone, but the pace is far too slow," he muttered.

Images of Netero's relentless training flashed through his mind: climbing the mountain at forty‑six and descending years later, each casual punch faster than sound—no aura reinforcement, no special form, just raw speed. Back then Netero was already famed worldwide for crushing dojos. The stronger Xiang Nan grew, the more frightening that old man seemed.

With that thought, he started down the slope. In the weeks since, the hair he'd burned off had grown back, though the scar Kyo Kusanagi left on his arm remained—he hadn't healed it with Nen.

Back in the village, he collected Manman and headed to the Republic of Padokea, to a coastal town called Dolle Harbor—a prosperous fishing harbor with a pier. He chose it because ships sailed directly from there to Whale Island, where Gon lived. He needed that route.

He also bought a new outfit: another black trench coat, custom‑cut by the local tailor to match the military style he used to wear, though the craftsmanship couldn't compare. Paired with dress shoes instead of combat boots—plus a black round hat the tailor threw in—he looked almost aristocratic, lacking only a cane.

Before setting off for Whale Island, Xiang Nan and Manman stayed in town for a few days: he wanted to meet three people—Orban, Pigeon, and Beishi. He and Beishi had exchanged contact details back in the King of Fighters world; Xiang Nan had done Orban a favor, so the man set out immediately upon receiving the call.

Beishi did the same: the bond they formed during the first placement match was one forged in battle. Only Pigeon tried to find an excuse; he assumed Xiang Nan wanted to use him as a tool again. He had only just escaped Xiang Nan's clutches and tasted freedom for a few days—of course he was reluctant. But one sentence from Xiang Nan piqued his curiosity, and he finally agreed to come.

...

In a small tavern, Xiang Nan met the three and explained why he had summoned them.

"Protect story characters? Affection rating?" Pigeon, the elderly one, was the first to stare blankly.

"You killed a story character this cycle?" Orban's eyelid twitched. Killing one wasn't unusual, but earning affection points in the very first placement match was anything but normal.

"Mm‑hmm," Xiang Nan nodded. "The start of the Hunter × Hunter plot means the first batch of intruders may appear. To stop them from murdering story characters, we players have to act. I want the three of you to head straight for the test site—Zaban City. Intruders are most likely to drop there. Manman and I will take the Hunter Exam as candidates, making sure nothing happens during the exam itself. If the invaders land elsewhere, they could still slip in among the applicants once the battlefield restriction lifts."

He went on: "Every continent has an exam registration point. I'll go to Whale Island and register with Gon—mainly to guard him against accidents."

"Is that really necessary…?" Pigeon chuckled dryly. "With your connections, warn the authorities and roll in a bit of military might—those intruders would be wiped out easily. We could even hire underground assassins or mobsters. Why risk our own necks?"

Facing intruders was dangerous: who knew what monsters might show up? And there was no system commission, no reward—thankless work.

"My current background won't let me do that. Consider me an ordinary civilian for now," Xiang Nan smiled. He had to sever ties with the military; the V5 might be watching. His discharge had been staged as a "military accident" in Padokea—on the surface they'd "fired" him. Otherwise he wouldn't be getting his coat from a village tailor.

Pigeon's attitude did reflect most players' mind-set: safeguard their own gains—who cared what happened to the main world unless catastrophe struck? Yet a single placement match could wreak havoc on Hunter × Hunter; Xiang Nan himself was proof. Too few players were willing to step up of their own accord. In that sense Hunter × Hunter was worse off than King of Fighters, where at least three high‑level players had formed a temporary squad to block the enemy.

"I said you wouldn't work for nothing," Xiang Nan said softly, then opened his system interface and revealed an item to the others: the squad‑leader armband awarded for the first kill—a portion of its information and effects deliberately hidden.

"This lets a player form a squad and enter other worlds freely. Rank doesn't matter, and even without an active quest everyone can earn resources and dimension coins—twice in total. In other words, you can follow me to two other worlds. I believe those two trips will be crucial for both your strength and your fortunes."

A squad could start with five people: Xiang Nan, Manman, and the three of them—perfect.

"First‑Kill Armband?" The three froze when they saw the item's revealed abilities. They had never heard of such a thing.

"First kill…" Only Beishi, who had shared the King of Fighters placement with Xiang Nan, seemed to grasp the implication. His mouth fell open. "You—" Evidently, after they parted, Xiang Nan had pulled off something huge on his own.

~~~

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