--Host Profile:--
Name: Oboro
Age: 23 years old
Profession: Ancient Text Hunter
Combat Classification: Martial Arts Grandmaster, National-Level Hunter (Potential promotion to: Sub-World-Class Hunter)
Comprehensive Evaluation: First-Order Superhuman
After Biscuit left, Oboro opened his system panel to check his status.
Over the past year, his skills had developed significantly. His combat classification had advanced from Martial Arts Master to Grandmaster, while his nen capacity had risen to National-Level Hunter. His comprehensive evaluation had progressed from Human Evolutionist to First-Level Superhuman.
His previous injuries had long since healed completely. His mastery of several new martial arts techniques had strengthened his physical constitution and improved his overall attributes. Even without conscious effort, his blood and aura flowed smoothly through his flesh, creating a sensation similar to having "steel bones". He had refined his outer form to its highest potential.
The next phase would focus on his internal organs, advancing them through careful breathing techniques, though at a slower pace.
His improved physique had greatly increased his energy reserves. In addition, he now possessed three different Nen abilities. His martial arts repertoire encompassed fifteen different styles, providing comprehensive coverage of all body regions and attack methods. As a practical fighter, this gave him an exceptional foundation. The system had even indicated that he would not need to pursue additional conventional techniques.
Instead, his training would focus on specialized methods such as acupressure and breathing techniques that could even threaten psychic users and higher life forms.
His current three Nen abilities functioned like heroic abilities: one passive and two active, developed through his manipulation of the original Endless Dreamer's Treasury. He also possessed two summoner abilities: Flash and Teleport.
His extensive practice of acupoint manipulation and pulse massage had yielded only moderate progress, demonstrating how these advanced combat techniques far exceeded the difficulty of traditional martial arts. His implementation of the breathing technique remained limited to static and abdominal breathing, although it could be maintained continuously.
Since Dong Guotu's resurrection, Oboro had undergone an extraordinary transformation over the past two years. Hero Island and its game mechanics no longer required his constant attention, as Biscuit had suggested, these matters could be left to the NPCs. As long as they stayed in the human world, he could teleport back immediately if Hero Island faced an overwhelming threat. Players could enjoy the game experience independently.
For Oboro, his goal of manifesting the game world into reality had been achieved.
A week later, Oboro returned to the city where the Hunters' Association was headquartered, ready to begin missions to earn stars. A Star Hunter's status and influence within the Association far exceeded that of an ordinary Hunter. After gathering his strength for so long, it was time to test his new skills in the field.
His timing proved fortuitous, as this year's Hunter Exam had just concluded. He wanted to meet his new team first: a group of masters employed by the Fells family. Including Oboro, they would be a unit of six. Each member was a Nen User and Hunter, two of whom had just earned their licenses, a requirement set by the Fells family specifically for service under Oboro.
In a hotel suite in the Mafia district, Oboro studied the five individuals before him. After introducing himself, he began to learn about their abilities and specialties.
"Fant, 37, enhancement user. My ability is 'Emotional Aura', different emotional states produce different effects in my Nen attacks," explained the first man, a rough-looking individual with a cigarette and a vest that exposed his hairy arms and chest.
Oboro nodded in agreement.
"Anthony Trait, 25. My ability is 'Devil's Scrutiny'. Under certain conditions, I can infiltrate a target's mind to create hallucinations and disrupt their thinking. I excel at gathering information and extracting secrets. I'm also skilled in social situations. I'm a contract hunter by trade," the next man explained, sporting a crew cut and a flamboyant, rock star-like presence.
"Oh?" Oboro's eyes brightened as he looked at Anthony. "That skill seems rather incongruous with your appearance."
"Don't judge so superficially. As you get to know me better, you'll come to appreciate my charm," Anthony replied proudly, running his hands through his hair.
"I look forward to that," Oboro smiled.
"I...my...name is...Gab...which..." the third member stammered, a young man who seemed shy and nervous, possibly suffering from social anxiety.
"I understand your situation," Oboro interrupted kindly, raising his hand to spare the young man further embarrassment.
Gabwich, mistaking the gesture for rejection, retreated into a corner with tears in his eyes. Though he had just received his hunter's license, he had been a Nen user for several years. At 19, his manipulation ability, Mind Chat Group, could establish telepathic connections between multiple targets within range, effectively creating a mental communications network. While seemingly simple, this ability proved invaluable in wilderness situations where conventional communication equipment might fail, ensuring team coordination and emergency response.
"Hello, Captain!" The next introduction came from an energetic woman with a bowl cut, thick glasses, and a rustic appearance.
Oboro touched his ear at her enthusiastic volume. "Hello."
"Captain, I'm Rita! Manipulator, 23, single, from the Sand Region" "Just tell me about your abilities," Oboro interjected gently.
"Yes!" Rita's eyes sparkled as she continued at full volume. "My ability is 'Countryside Botanical Garden'. I can control and sense plants and use them to analyze environmental conditions and detect potential threats."
Oboro smiled, appreciating another useful skill. David and Lily had obviously put a lot of thought into the composition of the team.
"Hahaha! A manipulator... I would have bet you were an Enhancer!" Anthony laughed, pointing at Rita. Despite his amusement at her appearance and demeanor, there was no real mockery in his tone.
Rita replied with undiminished enthusiasm, "Yes, I'm a Manipulator!"
"You're quite something, I've never met anyone like you," Anthony marveled, as if he had discovered a rare specimen.
"You can continue this discussion later," Oboro interrupted, turning to the last team member, a familiar face that surprised him.
The last person was a woman wearing a black fishnet top, denim shorts and a yellow headband, her pink hair arranged in several buns. This was Menchi, the youngest team member present. Oboro recognized her as a future examiner of the 287th Hunter Exam, where she would become infamous for her rigorous standards. Though she was not yet a One-Star Hunter, her accumulated accomplishments already qualified her to apply.
Despite her youth, Oboro's instincts told him that her fighting skills matched Anthony's level.
"Menchi, Sorcerer, 18. My ability is 'Gourmet Cutlery', used to dissect, prepare and cook any ingredient," she said directly, meeting Oboro's gaze with crossed arms.
'Summoning system... interesting,' Oboro mused. He had always assumed she was an Emitter, but her perfectionist personality fit well with Conjuration.
"You didn't come through the Fells' channels," Oboro observed. "Should I assume you're here because of me?"
"Correct. I've heard things about you in the Association... your team interests me," Menchi replied coolly.
"It's more likely that you're interested in the missions we'll be undertaking than in me personally," Oboro smiled.
"You could say that."
"You've been with the Association for some time, mostly working with Buhara. Don't you have a team of your own?"
Menchi's eyebrows raised in irritation. "If you don't want me here, just say so. I can leave."
"No, you're welcome to stay," Oboro assured her.
He surveyed his eclectic new team: a world-weary middle-aged man, a flamboyant socialite, a shy stutterer, an overly enthusiastic country girl, and a demanding perfectionist with a temper. Their personalities couldn't be more different, but what powerful Nen user didn't have a unique character? Mediocrity rarely produced excellence. Each had his own methodology and unwavering beliefs.
"Some of us are here for the money, others are looking for a promising team to grow with," Anthony observed. "But you're new to the club, relatively unknown... Why should you be captain?"
Oboro rose from the sofa, his hands in his pockets. "There's only one reason: I'm strong enough."
Suddenly, his aura exploded outward, filling the room with a crushing pressure. His teammates instinctively took defensive positions, but their aura defenses wavered under the onslaught.
In Menchi's perception, the room plunged into darkness, permeated by a killing intent that seemed to herald death itself. Anthony, for example, witnessed vivid hallucinations of his own repeated deaths, the floor awash in blood.
As suddenly as it had begun, Oboro withdrew his aura and light returned to the room. He smiled at the sweaty, pale Anthony. "Satisfied with that reason?"
"Acknowledged," Anthony managed, raising a shaking hand.
One by one, the others expressed their agreement: Fant, Rita's enthusiastic shout, Gabwich's whisper, and finally Menchi, who closed her eyes in satisfaction. She had made the right choice, this man was exactly as Biscuit-senpai had described him.