The transition from non-existence to the physical plane did not feel like a rebirth. To Gabriel, it felt like a calculation finally reaching its sum.
There were no bright lights, no welcoming deities, and no sentimental farewells to a past life that had been too small for his intellect.
There was only the sudden, sharp intake of salt-heavy air and the rhythmic thrum of the ocean hitting the jagged coast of Whale Island.
Gabriel opened his eyes.
The world was too bright, too vivid.
His sensory input was being flooded, but unlike a normal child, his mind didn't panic.
It sorted. Temperature: 24°C. Humidity: 62%. Current location: Coastal woodland.
Physical state: Pre-pubescent, approximately twelve years of age. Condition: Optimal.
He sat up, his movements fluid and devoid of the clumsiness associated with youth. He was leaning against a moss-covered oak, the shade dappling over his skin.
He looked down at his hands. They were small, yet the bone structure was perfect—strong, elegant, and steady.
[Ding! The Singularity Engine has successfully synchronized with the Host's soul.]
The voice in his head wasn't robotic, nor was it overly theatrical. It was a cold, clear resonance that matched his own internal frequency.
[Current World: Hunter x Hunter (Era: 287th Hunter Exam - 7 Days to Departure).]
[Host: Gabriel.]
[Status: The Apex Anomaly.]
"The Singularity Engine," Gabriel whispered. His voice was melodic, possessing a timbre that felt almost hauntingly beautiful even to his own ears. He didn't waste time wondering why he was here. Purpose was something one created, not something one was given.
'Show me the specifications,' he thought, his high IQ already beginning to map out the potential of a system in a world governed by Nen—a power system built on rules, restrictions, and life energy.
[The Singularity Engine is the ultimate authority. You are not bound by the 'Vows' of this world. You are the exception to every rule.]
[Sign-In Specifications Unlocked:]
Narrative Weight Sign-In: Available at locations of historical or plot significance.
Milestone Sign-In: Triggered by altering the 'Fate' of the world.
Encounter Sign-In: Triggered by meeting beings of significant power or destiny.
The Celestial Cycle: Periodic rewards (Daily/Monthly/Yearly).
[Notice: As this is your first day of existence in this reality, a 'Newbound Sovereign' Sign-In is available. Would you like to Sign-In at Whale Island?]
'Do it,' Gabriel commanded.
[Sign-In Complete. Location: Whale Island (The Start of the Legend).]
[Reward Tier: Transcendent.]
[You have received: 'The All-Seeing Six Eyes' (Source: Jujutsu Kaisen).]
[You have received: 'Passive Limit Break' (Source: One Punch Man).]
[You have received: 'Infinite Nen Reservoir' (System Modification).]
A sudden, violent surge of information slammed into Gabriel's brain.
Had he been anyone else, his mind would have fractured. But Gabriel's intellect was a fortress. He processed the 'Six Eyes' first.
The world changed. The "air" was no longer just air. He could see the atoms. He could see the thermal energy radiating from the trees.
And, most importantly, he could see the Aura. He saw the faint, wispy shimmers of life energy leaking from the insects in the grass and the birds above.
Then came the Limit Break. He felt the invisible shackles on his physical potential shatter.
His muscles didn't bulge; instead, they became denser, more efficient. His cells began to vibrate with a capacity for growth that ignored the laws of biology.
Finally, the Infinite Nen Reservoir. In the world of Hunter x Hunter, Nen was limited by one's stamina and life force. Gabriel felt a wellspring open within his soul—a bottomless ocean of raw power that didn't need to be "trained" to grow. It was simply there, waiting to be shaped.
Gabriel stood up and walked toward the water's edge. He needed to see the vessel he now inhabited.
He reached a tidal pool where the water was still and crystal clear. He looked down, and for the first time in two lives, Gabriel felt a flicker of genuine surprise.
The reflection staring back was not human. It was an ideal.
His hair was the color of midnight, falling in silken strands that framed a face of terrifying beauty. His skin was pale, flawless, and seemingly glowing from within.
But it was his eyes—azure orbs that seemed to contain the complexity of a nebula—that held the most power.
Even at twelve, his appearance was so overwhelming that it felt like a psychological weapon. He was, without a question, the most handsome being this world would ever see.
"This," Gabriel murmured, touching his jawline, "will be a distraction for the weak-minded. I shall use it accordingly."
He turned away from his reflection. He didn't care about beauty; he cared about the board.
Whale Island was home to Gon Freecss, the protagonist of this world's narrative. To Gabriel, Gon was not a friend or a hero—he was a variable.
His high IQ began to churn, calculating the most efficient path. He had seven days until the ship for the Hunter Exam departed. Most would spend that time training. Gabriel, however, had the Singularity Engine.
"System," Gabriel thought as he began walking toward the small village in the center of the island. "If I encounter Gon Freecss now, does it trigger an Encounter Sign-In?"
[Correct. However, the quality of the reward is determined by the 'Density' of the character's current fate.
Meeting Gon now will provide a 'Seed' tier reward. Meeting him during the Exam will provide a 'Growth' tier reward.]
'Then I wait,' Gabriel decided. 'There is no profit in rushing a harvest.'
As he walked through the woods, he encountered a Fox-bear.
The beast was massive, a territorial predator that usually terrified the locals. It lunged from the brush, a blur of fur and claws, sensing a small, lone child.
Gabriel didn't even turn his head.
With the Six Eyes, the bear's movement was slower than a crawl. He could see the contraction of its muscles, the flow of blood in its veins, and the intent in its primitive brain.
He simply raised a hand. He hadn't learned "Nen" in the traditional sense yet, but with his infinite reservoir and the Six Eyes, he understood the concept of Ten instinctively.
He let a microscopic fraction of his aura leak out.
The effect was instantaneous.
The Fox-bear didn't just stop; it collapsed.
The sheer weight of Gabriel's presence, even suppressed, was like an atmospheric crush.
The animal began to whimper, its primal instincts screaming that it was standing in the presence of an Apex predator—something that shouldn't exist in the natural order.
Gabriel looked down at the shaking animal. His expression remained cold, devoid of the empathy Gon would have shown.
"Useless," he said.
He bypassed the beast and continued toward the harbor. His goal was the 287th Hunter Exam. It wasn't about the license; it was about the landmarks.
The Exam was a gauntlet of "Narrative Weight." Every phase was a chance to Sign-In and strip the Multiverse of its greatest powers.
By the time he reached the docks, the sun was beginning to set, casting a golden hue over the port.
The sailors and locals were busy preparing for the season's haul.
As Gabriel walked onto the wooden pier, the bustling noise died down. One by one, the rough-handed sailors stopped. Women carrying baskets of fish froze. Even the children stopped playing.
It was the "Gabriel Effect."
His beauty was so jarring, so out of place in this rugged fishing village, that it created a vacuum of silence.
He ignored the stares, his mind focused on the ship anchored in the distance.
"That boy..." one sailor whispered, his voice trembling. "Is he... human?"
"I've never seen anyone look like that," a woman replied, her face flushed, unable to look away from Gabriel's profile.
Gabriel reached the end of the pier and stared out at the horizon.
He could feel it—the gears of the world turning. Somewhere on this island, Gon was probably fishing for the Master of the Swamp.
Somewhere in the world, the Phantom Troupe was killing, and Netero was meditating.
Gabriel closed his eyes, his Six Eyes still perceiving the flow of energy across the ocean.
'This world is a game of constraints,' he thought. 'Nen is built on what you are willing to lose. But with the Singularity Engine, I lose nothing. I only take.'
He visualized his path. The Hunter Exam would be his playground. He would gather the abilities of the gods, and when he finally stepped onto the Dark Continent, he wouldn't be a Hunter. He would be the new law of the land.
[Ding! Daily Sign-In available. Would you like to Sign-In for Day 1?]
'Sign-In.'
[Daily Sign-In Complete.]
[Reward: 'Perfect Linguistic Comprehension' (Passive).]
[Reward: '1,000,000,000 Zenny' (Transferred to System Vault).]
A minor reward, but Gabriel noted the utility.
Money was a tool in the human world, and comprehension of all tongues would be vital when he eventually reached the unexplored ruins of the Dark Continent.
He turned and headed toward a small inn.
He had no intention of staying with the Freecss family. He didn't need a "home." He needed a base of operations.
As he walked, a young girl, perhaps a few years older than him, stepped into his path.
She was blushing furiously, holding a small flower she had plucked from a nearby garden.
"H-hello," she stammered, overwhelmed by the sight of Gabriel's face up close. "I've never seen you here before. Are you—"
Gabriel didn't even slow his pace. He didn't look at her. He simply walked past, his aura cold and impenetrable.
"Move," he said.
The word wasn't a shout, but it carried the weight of an absolute command.
The girl flinched, her heart sinking as she watched the handsome boy disappear into the shadows of the inn. She felt a strange mix of rejection and even deeper fascination.
Inside the inn, Gabriel sat in the corner of the common room, his back to the wall.
He didn't eat; he didn't drink. He entered a state of deep meditation, using his High IQ to begin the process of "Synthesis."
He had the Six Eyes. He had the Limit Break. He had Infinite Nen.
Now, he began to simulate. In his mind, he ran ten thousand combat scenarios against the Phantom Troupe.
He calculated the trajectory of every possible Nen ability he had seen in his previous life's memories. He optimized his aura flow, creating a defense that was active even while he slept.
By the time the sun rose on the second day, Gabriel was no longer just a reincarnated soul.
He was a weapon that had been sharpened to a molecular edge.
Six days remained.
The 287th Hunter Exam was about to receive its most dangerous candidate. Not because he was strong—though he was—but because he was a genius who knew exactly how the story was supposed to end, and he had every intention of rewriting it in his own image.
The Apex Anomaly had arrived.