Chapter 133: The Plot Begins
After parting ways with Biscuit and her apprentice, Haze continued leading his team on missions.
During this period, after completing yet another three-star mission, he submitted an application to the Association to obtain three-star Hunter status.
This three-star mission perfectly aligned with Haze's expectations.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't an assignment from the Association at all—but something he had planned to do long ago.
From the very beginning, after laying the foundations of ancient script studies, he relied on his professional knowledge to translate and decipher all the inscriptions found on stone tablets unearthed at an ancient site.
Given the extreme antiquity of the inscriptions, their great renown, and the fact that they had long remained undeciphered, the moment the results were broadcast on television, scholars in the field of ancient writing unanimously regarded it as a historic breakthrough for humanity, with global influence and significance.
As a result, the Association later recognized him as a three-star Hunter.
As expected, the Association approved it unanimously, but the process stalled at the V5 level, awaiting a response.
This stage could take a very long time.
During this prolonged period, Haze finally completed the conversion of his Nen ability through Hero Island.
Completely disconnected!
All hidden dangers eliminated.
The Fels family was now reclaiming land to create new artificial islands, adding servers, and expanding the game world. Hero Island had become one of the Fels family's main sources of income and was steadily gaining fame.
If the Heavens Arena was a paradise for martial artists, then Hero Island was an arena for Nen users.
Thanks to its emphasis on teamwork and competition—and the fact that everyone entered the game at the same level of strength—the replay value was extremely high, making it easy to become addicted. This sparked a massive influx of new players, including Hunters from the Association.
Although the management team converted Haze's island—previously locked in training mode—into battle mode, the number of players it could host was still limited.
Its popularity was unprecedented.
Because of this, the efficiency of contract-based harvesting increased dramatically.
Now, the game's stability and bug-fixing capabilities were so refined that even Haze himself—the幕后 producer who created it—could not find any "backdoor" from the perspective of an outsider.
Unless it suffered unimaginable destruction, such as a nuclear strike, the game would essentially never shut down.
However, none of this mattered to him now.
…
After a long while, Haze—dressed in a suit and tie—returned to the Association headquarters, looking travel-worn and exhausted.
A week earlier, he had finally received notification from the Association.
His application for three-star Hunter status had been approved by V5, and his information had been officially submitted.
He had returned to attend the Association's award ceremony.
Of course, it wasn't a grand event—just an internal notice within the Association, with Chairman Netero personally offering his congratulations.
It was merely a formality.
Since Saiyu's death, Pariston and Beyond had not caused any trouble.
First, dealing with Haze was far too costly, and second, they were likely focused on the Chimera Ants, leaving them no time to bother with him.
Becoming a three-star Hunter was still memorable, but everyone was busy, and few returned specifically to witness the moment. Only three of the Twelve Zodiacs congratulated Haze—including Pariston, whom Haze deeply despised.
The other two were Gal and Yorkshire.
Although Yorkshire was still wary of Haze, his hostility was far weaker than before.
After refusing to become the Monkey, Haze had maintained remarkable calm over the past year…
There were now fewer than ten three-star Hunters in the entire Association.
Even Mo Laowu of later generations only held two stars, and most of the Twelve Earthly Branches also had two stars, with the exception of the Dragon and the Rat.
Host: Haze
Age: 26
Profession: Three-Star Ancient Literature Hunter
Combat Rank: Martial Arts Master, World-Class Hunter (Rank 8)
Overall Attribute Evaluation: Third-Level Superhuman
The moment he became a three-star Hunter, Haze summoned the system panel.
He had not relaxed over the past year, growing continuously… The increases to the effects of his two Nen abilities—magic power, critical hit chance, armor, lifesteal, attack range, and more—were staggering.
In addition to constantly taking on missions, he also hunted magical beasts along the way…
However, as every aspect strengthened to a certain point, the speed of his growth began to slow.
The effects of the soul and the black mist were limited, similar to experience points. The higher the level, the slower the rate of leveling up… though there was still no bottleneck; the gains would continue accumulating indefinitely. That said, to achieve another qualitative transformation, he would need to harvest even more powerful lifeforms.
He advanced from a grandmaster of a martial arts style to a true martial arts master thanks to Haze's continuous practice of diverse combat techniques. Now, he mastered them at an astonishing pace, learning a new one every few days and treating combat techniques as mere warm-up exercises.
He no longer needed to consciously use any specific move; everything had been fully integrated, with martial techniques flowing naturally through every gesture.
The breakthrough from the second to the third level was achieved through acupuncture and herbal supplements.
However, in terms of physical strength alone, Haze knew he had reached the absolute limit of what a human body could achieve.
His flesh-and-blood potential was exhausted.
Only with the system's assistance had he drained the last drop of vitality.
Half a month ago, he discovered that acupuncture and herbal supplements had lost all effectiveness.
The panel also indicated that his martial arts level—and his physical attributes—had reached their limit. He could no longer actively improve them, and no amount of training would help.
This was the limitation of the human body.
Unless Haze transformed into another lifeform—such as a Chimera Ant.
He could be devoured by the ants, regenerate, and start anew.
He would gain a longer lifespan and greater abilities. Chimera Ants were natives of the Dark Continent; perhaps after becoming one and accumulating experience for ten years, Haze would have more confidence to venture into the Dark Continent—a viable option.
However, Haze rejected the idea.
Though feasible, it was a waste of time.
He had no patience for it.
He didn't want to become a mutant, nor was he sure whether the system would disappear after his death.
Fortunately, although he could no longer improve actively, he could rely on the passive nature of his Nen abilities to continue strengthening his Nen power and physical defenses.
This meant he was still growing—and would never truly stop.
However, the speed of improvement would likely never be as dramatic as before.
After all, earlier growth had been comprehensive, while future gains would be partial.
As for critical hits, lifesteal, and attack range, those were merely auxiliary abilities.
The system panel offered no further methods to strengthen him—only a message marked with a question mark.
It was…
The Dark Continent.
The only place he could go.
There, anything was possible.
"Eighth place only refers to Nen level… not overall strength. Still… there are indeed seven people ahead of me. Who are they? Netero, Zeno, Don Freecss, Linne, Maha, Beyond… and one more…"
Haze was somewhat surprised.
Not the East of Freecss.
He had discovered that after the system was implanted into this world, it only covered the human realm originating from his memories; the Dark Continent and the East of Freecss lay beyond its scope.
In other words, there was another person in the world whose Nen surpassed his own.
Most of those ahead of him had been to the Dark Continent and undergone unknown trials… To return from that land, their Nen had to be extraordinary.
The human attribute evaluation stood at third level.
"My current physical abilities definitely surpass the old man's, but they haven't reached their peak yet. Young Netero and corrupted Gon were probably at the fourth level…"
His attack range had increased to nearly seven meters.
His critical hit chance was fixed at 100%, already maxed out. Further enhancement had converted into lifesteal, increasing from 20% to 35%—just over one-third. This meant that with every attack, even if his vitality was damaged, he would recover a third of the damage dealt—essentially a form of self-healing. It was incredibly powerful.
The greater the damage inflicted, the greater the recovery.
However…
Haze still wasn't confident he could defeat Netero.
At present, aside from Nen strength being roughly equal, the old man might not be his match in any other aspect… yet Nen itself offered endless possibilities.
Nen was subjective.
The old man's Hundred-Type Guanyin had reached its absolute peak!
Of Haze's three Nen abilities, two were for growth and lacked proactive offensive power, while the third—Temporal Reversal—was, strictly speaking, also a survival ability. Though it caused some area destruction, its power was still inferior to the Hundred-Type Guanyin.
But Haze had anticipated this day long ago.
He had found a path—the one he saw before dying in Journey to the West.
He would continue developing the Nen abilities he had acquired!
Infernal Curse, Thresh's ability.
The other two, judging by their principles and effects, had neither potential nor value for further development…
Only Infernal Curse was truly suitable—one of the reasons Haze had chosen it in the first place.
"What do you want to do now?"
Inside the room, Netero looked at the silent Haze with a smile and asked.
The others present did not leave.
"I feel… like I no longer have any goals…"
Haze came back to his senses, shut down the system, and sighed.
He understood the implication behind the old man's words.
There was no longer any room for Haze to grow within the Association.
And when someone like Haze lost both a goal and the strength to pursue one, they would inevitably change direction and seek new hope.
They had already agreed that Netero would forbid Haze from getting involved with the Dark Continent—and now that everything that needed to be done had been done, that day had arrived.
Both of them had to face it.
Netero could feel that the young man before him had grown so strong that even he had to take him seriously.
Perhaps in the entire world, there were very few who could restrain Haze.
He was the only one who still had the confidence to limit him.
Even if Haze suddenly said he would depart for the Dark Continent tomorrow, Netero wouldn't be surprised.
That would mean…
War with Haze.
A true duel.
"Running all the time is exhausting… why don't we relax and enjoy the scenery for once?"
The chairman looked directly at Haze, stroking his beard, and spoke calmly.
These words caused slight changes in the expressions of those nearby.
"Alright."
Haze smiled.
Both Porter and Zishu sensed the implication behind the chairman's words.
They sounded like a plea to Haze…
This was hard to imagine.
Although the chairman often appeared amiable and playful, his actions and methods were always decisive.
The behavior of a true powerhouse.
And now…
He was playing the emotional card.
This was a side of Haze that neither Pariston nor Porter had ever seen or felt before.
Had Haze… reached the point where he could coerce the chairman?
Seeing Netero smile again, Haze casually excused himself and left first.
For someone like Netero, pressure would only excite him further, fueling his desire to challenge. Therefore, Haze didn't believe he had pressured the old man.
Netero's concession was indeed due to pressure—but it didn't come from Haze.
It came from V5, from humanity, from the Dark Continent.
Haze was fundamentally different from the Zodiacs.
Because his goal was the Dark Continent…
Whereas someone like Pariston, no matter how much pressure he faced, would accept the challenge without hesitation.
As long as Netero was present, the Zodiacs would not break any taboos.
They were all obedient.
Haze was different.
As people grow older and experience more, their methods change.
If this had been the young Netero, Haze surmised… the old man would have immediately found an opportunity to fight him, using force to intimidate him—and if that failed, might even have killed him.
But the older Netero knew he couldn't completely suppress him.
Even in a fight to the death, he wasn't entirely confident.
So he could only persuade him gently.
Haze gave him face as well…
Out of respect—and a promise.
And moreover…
Netero's cultivation and the privileges he had received were, in truth…
Meant to be used on this very day.
An emotional bargaining chip.
Haze understood.
He wasn't in a hurry.
Because the plot had already begun.
(End of Chapter)