Kenji couldn't help but laugh, the sound a low, joyous rumble that filled the quiet of the hotel room. He did it. He really did it. Honestly, a part of him hadn't thought it would be possible. But here it was, his Hatsu.
The only reason he'd even managed it at all was because he was a Specialist. The other Nen types were confined by their categories, forced to stay within strict boundaries and follow the established rules of Nen.
They could enhance, emit, transmute, manipulate, or conjure, but they could never truly step outside those lines. Specialists were different. They bent the rules, warped them, twisted Nen into shapes others couldn't. They were the exceptions that proved the rule.
While Enhancers were masters of raw power, Transmuters could mimic elements, and Manipulators could control things, and so on, they all had to operate within the defined framework. Specialists, however, were wild cards. Their abilities defied classification, often seeming to have no basis in the standard system, a mystery even to seasoned Nen masters.
At one point during the creation process, he had seriously considered a vow. He'd already decided on the terms, to be unable to create offensive Hatsu. It was a tempting restriction, one that would have granted him incredible power, but in the end, he chose against it.
He didn't know how, only that his System had helped him, filling in the gaps where Nen's laws would normally stop him. His System had taken his concept and integrated it into itself, turning his Nen ability into a skill. Which meant it could grow, level up, and evolve, the first ever Nen ability with this growth potential. His trump card.
The implications of this were staggering. Nen abilities were static. Once formed, they could only be improved through rigorous training and use, but their core function remained the same. You didn't get a new attack for a Jajanken, you just made your rock stronger. You couldn't teach yourself a new kind of chain, you could only refine the old one. Of course, you could make new abilities, but that was not growth and evolution.
But with his Hatsu as a skill, the possibilities were endless. The abilities would level up, become more efficient, require less Nen, and even unlock new dimensions as they reached higher ranks. It was a fusion of two distinct systems of power.
The name he gave it was simple. Game Master. It was a purely support-based ability, comprised of five sub-skills that, together, created a terrifyingly versatile toolkit for him.
First subskill, Save Point
Kenji can create a marker to "save" his current state and revert to it once. A faint, almost imperceptible light, like a tiny candle flame, would appear at the designated location, serving as his anchor.
This ability uses a massive amount of aura. He can only hold one save at a time, and reverting erases all progress and experience gained after that point. If he was at level 2 when he created the save point and died at level 100, he would respawn at the candle's location back at level 2, losing all his gains.
This forces him to constantly replace the save point after reaching new milestones. Reviving costs a permanent portion of his Nen and can only occur once every 48 hours. This ability was inspired by Kirie Sakurame from UQ Holder!, specifically her unique form of immortality and resurrection.
This single ability changed his entire approach to combat. He could now take risks he never would have before, throwing himself into a brutal fight with a plan B already in place. It turned potential death into a simple setback.
The ultimate high-risk, high-reward ability. He could place a save point before a dangerous Battle, knowing that if he failed, the experience gained would be lost, but his life would be saved.
The only drawback was the irreversible loss of Nen, a small price for an extra life. This ability meant he could enter a fight with a legendary monster or a powerful, unknown Nen user and, in the event of his defeat, learn everything about their fighting style and weaknesses, then resurrect and use that knowledge to his advantage. It turned a single loss into an ultimate learning opportunity. It was an ability that would make him terrifying.
Second subskill, Stat Shift
Kenji can redistribute his base stats (strength, speed, defense, intelligence) temporarily among his stats, like reallocating points in an RPG. Boosting one stat lowers another. Overuse does cause exhaustion.
While his Gamer System allows him to use his free stat allocation, he couldn't change his stats, preventing him from changing them after they've been assigned. Stat Shift allows him temporary manipulation.
This is a powerful ability. Imagine fighting someone twice your strength and then deciding to reallocate all your agility into strength for a single, devastating punch. Being able to adjust your power freely, even temporarily, was a game changer.
The ability didn't just move a few points around, it could shift an entire stat to supercharge another. For example, he could completely empty his intelligence and defense stats(not that he would) to put all of that energy into speed.
Or he could drain his speed to create a temporary, impenetrable wall of defense, shrugging off attacks that would normally kill him.
This ability gave him an unparalleled fluidity in combat. Against a lightning-fast enemy, he could shift his strength and intelligence to boost his speed, matching his enemy.
Facing a massive tank, he could sacrifice his speed for a temporary, bone-shattering increase in strength and defense. This temporary redistribution allowed him to counter any opponent's main strength by sacrificing some of his own.
A brute force type could be met with overwhelming speed and agility, and an agile fighter could be met with a single, bone-shattering punch.
Third subskill, Contract Chain
Conjured Chains that suppress Nen, bind targets, and corrupt them into servitude if they fail to resist. While active, Kenji cannot use other Nen abilities. He got the idea from Makima from Chainsaw Man.
This ability was for control, not killing. When he started killing the mafia thugs, his original plan was to take control of the entire families to have a network and minions to work for him.
However, it seemed too troublesome and time-consuming. Now, with Contract Chain, he could simply have one family under his control to handle his affairs whenever he was in this world, giving him a dedicated network without the constant hassle of micromanaging a whole city's underworld.
This was a perfect solution, allowing him to have the necessary infrastructure to operate without being bogged down by the messy details of running an entire criminal empire.
The chains would latch onto a person's soul and will, slowly crushing their will and spirit until only a hollow shell remained, loyal only to Kenji.
This was not a quick process, but once complete, it was absolute. This also gave him an unparalleled ability to gather information, he could bind a captured enemy and make them reveal all their secrets without a single word of coercion just by breaking them.
Fourth subskill, Player Reward
This ability allows Kenji to gain a proportional amount of stats from slain enemies. When enemies are killed, their stats go to Kenji.
Of course, he only absorbs the remaining stats at the moment of death. The weaker the enemy at death, the less he gains. A clean kill, an instant one-shot, yields a full reward, but beating an enemy to within an inch of their life and then killing them would only grant him the remaining stats they had at the moment of death.
The longer a battle went, the more he would whittle away at an opponent's vitality, and the less he would be able to absorb. It turned every single fight into a race to deliver a Quick finish so as not to reduce the gains.
So he had to make sure he doesn't play with his food, so to speak.
And last of the Subskills, Game Field
This allows Kenji to establish a battle zone where he sets a rule, such as "only melee damage counts," "no magic allowed," "speed halved," etc., and in this field, all rules are obeyed.
The rules apply to everyone, including himself.
This was the true game changer, the ability that he had poured the most thought into. The power to dictate reality's rules, even if only locally, was not something to take lightly.
With Save Point, it became an even more terrifying beast, allowing him to set a rule that benefited him, die in the process of winning, and then respawn at his save point.
He could set a rule like "Magic abilities are locked," giving him a massive advantage against the beings in his home world.
He would be fighting them on his own terms, in his own game. He could set a "no powers" rule to stop his enemies in their tracks. It was more common to battle with magic than it was with hand to hand, and that would give him an edge, especially with his stats.
Kenji couldn't stop smiling. Each ability, even on its own, was incredibly useful. Together, they were terrifying. He didn't even need to test them to know he had succeeded, every Nen user instinctively knew when their Hatsu had solidified. Skill in using it thou was another matter. That would come with practice. But for now, it was enough. "Game Master, huh…" he muttered, grinning to himself.
Oh, he had to test some of his abilities soon, he was getting giddy.
The Next Morning
Lady Fortuna sipped delicately at her tea, lounging in her silk chair as sunlight streamed through the windows. Breakfast always tasted sweeter after a "late-night snack." Her expression was serene, but her thoughts were anything but. She had not forgotten what had set her off last night, Kenji.
Her lips twitched into a snarl smile as she set her cup down. She rang for her lieutenants, and within moments, they appeared, bowing low, their faces a mask of forced calm, yet she could tell a lot of them were scared.
They knew what her moods could be like, and they had been on edge all morning. The air in the room was thick with a palpable tension, and the two men, seasoned veterans of the underworld, avoided eye contact, their hands clasped behind their backs.
"I want a bounty placed," she said simply, her voice a calm, smooth purr that was far more unnerving than a scream. "On the man who dares call himself Kenji."
They blinked, hesitant. "My Lady… are you sure… we," one of them stammered, his eyes darting to the floor. The other remained silent, his fear a loud presence in the quiet room. A bounty on an unknown person was unheard of. It was a sign of a deep, personal slight.
She leaned forward, her eyes flashing with cold fire. "Spread the word. He is mine. Let this bounty make it clear to the other families, hands off. He belongs to me."
Her words were not a request, they were an edict. She wasn't just placing a bounty, she was staking a claim, a public announcement of her ownership. It was a dangerous move, when she didn't even know just how capable he was, but he had shown last night that he was at least decent in strength, killing her men.
But she didn't care. The prize was too great to share. She had a feeling that about him, and she was not going to let him go.
The lieutenants bowed again and hurried out to fulfill her command. One of them, a man named Abel, risked a glance back as he left. Lady Fortuna was still sitting there, a faint, unnerving smile on her face, the teacup a fragile and delicate thing in her hands. The image of the calm, serene woman belied the storm of fury and ambition raging beneath her skin. He knew that smile. It was the smile she wore when she was about to ruin a family.
Lady Fortuna reclined, bringing the cup back to her lips, savoring the faint bitterness of the tea.
"If I can't lure him as a Rose, then I'll ensnare him as a Thorn," she whispered to herself, a cruel smile curving her mouth.
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