Leading Hunter x Hunter to the Top of the Anime Multiverse

Afterward, Xiang Nan had a brief meeting with the military instructors and other advisors sent by the Kakin Empire.

He had to admit, those people's combined level was far beyond the management of the Republic of Padokea's military—extremely professional.

For the Kakin Empire to have become humanity's second most powerful national force (just below the V5), they indeed had the capabilities to back it up.

For the Republic of Padokea's military, the Kakin Empire not only provided a huge sum of funding, they also dispatched personnel to help train the entire army, and even shared some data on military industry facilities and weaponry—very generous. Of course, none of that covered Kakin's core secrets, but it was still valuable enough, at least able to give the Republic of Padokea's military a major boost in the years to come.

Beyond all that, Xiang Nan used his newly developed Nen ability to spar against Manman's second personality. Through live combat, he tested the effects of his own ability.

Thus, another month went by.

At last, the fifth round of the Extinction Game began.

Xiang Nan had already "descended" into the Hunter × Hunter world for over three years.

There was now less than one year left before the official storyline would start.

"I think once the storyline kicks off, the system's rules and modes will see some changes."

Xiang Nan had a strong hunch—likely it would affect the players' entire ecosystem. Because back in the third round, when he encountered Manman, he used brain surgery on an otherworldly player to gather some intel about multi-dimensional reincarnation. That info involved not only various anime worlds' players battling and killing each other, but also conflicts between one world and another.

Like the Kengan Ashura–tier lower-power worlds which have already become 'farming ground' for higher-level worlds, meaning they can be raided at will for resources—essentially large-scale resource dungeons. This implies massive devastation by invasive players, turning life there into an irredeemable tragedy. They would lead utterly miserable lives, powerless to resist.

"It went down!"

Looking at the system screen, Xiang Nan's expression changed somewhat. Just before starting this fifth round, on the main display, the "ranking" of the Hunter × Hunter world had suddenly dropped from 55th place to 60th.

"So it's beginning, huh…"

Xiang Nan took a deep breath. From what the Kengan Ashura players' intel said: before a world's storyline is triggered, the system maintains a certain "rank protection." That's why Hunter × Hunter had kept 55th place. But once the storyline is about to open up, that protection disappears, after which the world gets re-ranked based on its actual total combat power.

This meant Hunter × Hunter's rank might fall drastically. Xiang Nan never expected it to drop already, even before the story's official start.

"The lower the rank, the more frequent and likely it gets invaded by outside players…"

Xiang Nan didn't know whether other local players in this world had gleaned the multi-dimensional intel. Hopefully, they'd start making preparations, because if the balance is broken and the world descends into a chaotic, unpredictable course, these local players would suffer as well, becoming livestock.

"So 55th place was probably earned by the last 'representative player' in this world. After that representative died, the world got "reset" to be replayed. When a server reopens, only two conditions can cause it:

1. The representative player tied to the world is killed, leaving the world in a state no longer fit for player survival—where not an ounce of space remains, having been destroyed by outside forces.

2. All story characters die. Each storyline character can lead the future in different directions; if they're all gone, the world's potential evolution ends entirely. It's as if a big tree lost all its roots.

Frankly, Xiang Nan didn't mind the in-world conflicts or dealing with other players. He considered it fun. But the sense of sharing life and death with the entire Hunter × Hunter world gave him a bit of pressure—like a soldier's "protect your homeland" mindset.

…

Early the following day, the fifth Extinction Game officially launched.

Like last time, since it was one of the "fixed routine" games, there would again be matched teams. After having lived through the previous round, Xiang Nan was already well-versed in it.

A noteworthy point: each player's public data still followed the same template from round four. Xiang Nan's public battle power was still shown as 56. The system, in each step, contains hidden evaluative elements. Even a small figure is highly relevant.

Yet, thanks to the half-year he spent developing his Nen ability, his real combat power soared from 156 to 311—more than doubled, even surpassing Manman's highest figure by 100 points. Meanwhile, his "maximum power" still displayed as unknown, for reasons unclear.

Because of his level, Xiang Nan directly served as Team Captain, able to pick and choose teammates. The number of players in the team was also at his discretion, but once a teammate joined, they couldn't be replaced.

Xiang Nan didn't have rigid requirements for them. So after a brief recruiting shout, he formed a five-person squad at random.

Manman, on the other hand, was forming her own team. Although Xiang Nan helped her carefully pick members, with her brain and personality, she might or might not succeed. Whether she could pass the round—only fate would tell.

During their parting, the only help Xiang Nan could give was some detailed instructions—especially about "unlocking storyline arcs." Her group had seven members, so if a clever, scheming player happened to appear among them, Xiang Nan signaled for her to share certain storyline secrets to plan a strategy together.

Of course, that could be dangerous. Once "profit" is attached to the mission, the self-serving nature of players might escalate into a bloodbath.

Fortunately, Manman's own power was substantial; Xiang Nan wasn't worried for her safety.

But the potential to clear the mission… that was her own fight.

Shortly after, Xiang Nan left on his own, departing the Kotaki City by airship en route to the Yorbian Continent.

He was headed for a location in northeastern Yorbia, an urban center known as the "City of Pleasure," called Glam Gas Land.

This city's "cultural vibe" was rather unique: it boasted an abundance of theaters, opera houses, music halls, and private performance stages—heavily oriented toward the arts. People from all over the world with talent, craving fame, flocked here daily, hoping to "make it." There was even a saying:

"Once you've conquered Glam Gas Land, you're effectively a top-tier artist in the entire world."

When Xiang Nan set foot in the city, he saw how the rumor was no exaggeration. Its layout and building designs—even the way the local folks dressed—were uniquely elegant. At least from an aesthetic standpoint, this city gave off a refined, cultured vibe. Artists, musicians, circus or dance performers—one might see them anywhere. It dazzled the eyes and often made passersby pause to watch.

Still, Xiang Nan merely glanced around. As a soldier, his artistic sensibility was quite limited; he wasn't especially interested in the city's artistic scenery. He hurried straight to his designated meeting place, to rendezvous with his other four teammates.

~~~

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