When Ronnel opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a strange space.
"Where am I?"
His brow furrowed as his body tensed instinctively, a steady stream of aura rippling across his surface.
Suddenly, the faint sound of paper pages turning broke the silence. Following the sound, Ronnel noticed a peculiar figure—a man with a graffiti-covered face, holding several pieces of white cardboard in his hands.
On one of the cards, words written in Hunter script read:
"Don't worry. I pulled you in without any intent to harm you, so there's no need to be wary."
Ronnel read the message silently, then shifted his gaze back to the strange man, observing how he communicated through the cards.
This guy...
Memories churned through Ronnel's mind. He vaguely recalled a peculiar individual with almost no presence but immense intrigue—a man connected to the chaotic aftermath of Netero's death and the election for the new chairman of the Hunter Association.
He didn't campaign for votes, yet he had ranked sixth, just behind Leorio, Pariston, Kanzai, Mizaistom Nana, and Cheadle Yorkshire.
This man's method of communication—flipping through cards to express his thoughts—made him notorious, almost like a myth. Some rumors even suggested he existed in a virtual space, far removed from reality.
What was his name again? Ronnel pondered. Ishukube? Or Ickshonpe? Something awkward like that.
(T/N: Ickshonpe Katocha is a Single-Star Hacker Hunter. He is claimed to be a resident of the "digital world". Based on his number of votes despite expressing no interest in being chairman)
His attention snapped back to the letters on the man's forehead. "Pe."
A mischievous grin tugged at the corner of Ronnel's lips.
"So... How about I just call you Old Pe?"
The man froze, the hand holding his cards suspended mid-turn.
"What? Was that rude?" Ronnel shrugged. "If it bothers you, just ignore me."
With that graffiti-covered face, it was impossible to gauge Old Pe's true emotions. For a moment, he remained silent, then slowly lifted another card, displaying the following words:
"You're the same kind of b*****d as Ging. Fine, call me what you want. I'm used to it."
Ronnel chuckled. So Ging must've irritated him the same way... Typical.
Old Pe flipped another card:
"Do you play games?"
"Games?"
Before Ronnel could respond, a retro game console materialized between them. It resembled one of the old arcade machines from his past life, complete with two controllers and a small screen.
"Care for a match?" Old Pe asked—or rather, the card in his hand did—while he casually handed one of the controllers to Ronnel.
"...Sure, why not."
Ronnel accepted the controller with a smirk. Not sure what this guy is up to, but a game sounds harmless enough.
In his past life, Ronnel had been a master of games like Dota, LoL, and Dream Three Kingdoms. His reflexes and hand-eye coordination were razor-sharp—skills that carried over into his new life.
Hunter World's technology was a bit different, though. Its game mechanics were odd, influenced by the strange skew of Nen techniques. But at least they had retained some of the classics.
For instance… Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A.
"K.O!"
"Oops. Looks like I win again."
Ronnel flashed a harmless grin at Old Pe, though his victory felt anything but innocent.
"...Again!"
The next card Old Pe held up was covered in giant letters, as if shouting his frustration without making a sound.
"No thanks. These games are getting boring," Ronnel said, setting the controller down.
They had played for quite some time, and Ronnel had pieced together why Old Pe had summoned him.
This guy wasn't after anything specific—he was just bored. Apparently, Ging had mentioned Ronnel at some point, sparking Old Pe's curiosity. After digging through the net for more information, he had decided to pull Ronnel into his virtual domain just for the hell of it.
Old Pe's research had uncovered quite a bit: Ronnel's background in Meteor City, his championship title at the Battle Olympia, his success in passing the 287th Hunter Exam, and his rumored affiliation with the Phantom Troupe, one of the most dangerous criminal groups in the world.
Not bad for a hacker. This guy's info-gathering skills are on par with those of top governments.
However, Old Pe still didn't know much about Ronnel's Nen abilities—which seemed to be the real source of his interest. After a few rounds of chatting and gaming, it became clear that Old Pe was just indulging his curiosity.
Unfortunately for him, though, it wasn't his day.
No matter how hard he tried, Old Pe couldn't beat Ronnel at any game.
"A game master doesn't necessarily make a top-tier hacker," Ronnel teased, leaning back in his seat.
"And a top-tier hacker isn't always great at games."
Old Pe stared at him silently, holding up yet another card:
"One more game."
Ronnel chuckled. This guy really doesn't know when to quit.
"Sorry, Old Pe. You've had your chance." Ronnel stretched lazily, cracking his knuckles. "Time to call it a day."
Old Pe's hand hovered over his stack of cards, as if debating whether to argue. But then he simply sighed—another card flipping over:
"Ging was right. You really are a pain in the ass."
Ronnel gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
That encounter with Old Pe was strange, but Ronnel had to admit—there was something oddly enjoyable about it. Whether it was the quirky conversation or the nostalgia of old-school games, he didn't mind the time spent.
Even if the guy was a weirdo, at least he was an entertaining one.
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