Chapter 20

As we stepped towards the newly opened portal, anticipation buzzing in the air, the swirling vortex of energy abruptly collapsed, slamming shut like a door in our faces.

Confusion and a prickle of unease washed over me.

Something was wrong.

"Kasimir?" I called out, turning towards the flamboyant merchant, only to find him standing motionless, his eyes glazed over and unfocused. Minutes ticked by, each second stretching into an eternity as we waited in tense silence.

Finally, Kasimir blinked, his eyes regaining their usual sparkle. "My friends," he began, his voice laced with an uncharacteristic gravity, "I have been presented with a most lucrative opportunity."

He explained that a powerful primordial being, one of the entities that resided in the highest echelons of the multiverse, had tasked him with a mission.

Three champions, chosen by this being, had been sent to a world known as Hunter x Hunter.

Our task was to interfere with their progress, to act as obstacles and disrupt their plans.

"Hunter x Hunter?" I echoed, the name stirring a vague memory. "I only managed to catch a few episodes of that anime before..." I trailed off, the unpleasant memory of Earth-Bet's demise resurfacing. "Well, before things went south back home."

"It's a world filled with powerful hunters, dangerous creatures, and a complex system of Nen abilities," Kasimir explained. "These champions are formidable opponents, but with your combined skills and knowledge, I believe you can pose a significant challenge."

Rem leaned closer, her brow furrowed in concern. "And what exactly are these champions supposed to be doing in this Hunter x Hunter world?"

"Their motives are unknown," Kasimir admitted, "but it is clear that their actions will have far-reaching consequences for the fate of that world. It is your task to disrupt their plans, to sow chaos and confusion, and ultimately, to prevent them from achieving their goals."

I frowned, "twenty mid-Quality spirit stones~" he sang, displaying enough wealth to purchase things I still couldn't fathom.

Rem and I exchanged a hesitant glance. The reward was tempting, no doubt, but the idea of interfering with the lives of others, of causing chaos and disruption for the amusement of some higher power, left a bitter taste in our mouths.

"I appreciate the offer, Kasimir," I said, my voice firm yet respectful, "but I don't think this is something we can do. We're not in the business of causing harm for someone else's entertainment. Since they are the champions of the one calling for us to mess with them, it just sounds like a messed up situation."

Rem nodded in agreement. "Our priority is to protect those we care about and to fight for what we believe in. This mission goes against everything we stand for."

Kasimir sighed, a hint of disappointment flickering across his face. "I understand," he said, his voice laced with a touch of sadness. "It was a long shot, I suppose. But I had to try- We're still stuck connected to that world, though, and leaving it will require much more than 20 Mid-Quality Spirit stones."

I facepalmed, "Great, so now we're stuck in a world I barely know anything about and-"

"You could always purchase the knowledge of the world!"

I paused, nodded and spoke up. "Alright, how much for full knowledge of the story that takes place in this world."

"Too much, my friend, because after a certain point it becomes something called Hard-Relay divination. Most stories end before their time, and this story has never made it past a certain point." Kasimir was going to continue.

"How much for something extremely affordable that doesn't slam into divination or whatever?" I ask, starting to frown.

"10 Large gold for knowledge up to the Chimera Ant Arc ending." He said, smiling happily.

I hand him 10 for each of us and Kasimir retrieves two balls of light.

He throws them directly to our heads.

I have to resist the urge to dodge and succeed, receiving enough info that it would make this easy.

Then I scowled, realizing based on Hisoka's personality test, I would certainly be a conjurer, basically a discount ass enchanting merchant who can make his own items but is the only one who can use them- Utter garbage.

Rem, the absolute bag of sugar and brute force would definitely be an enhancer.

I had no reference for Nen, so I couldn't enchant something to alter it or even interact with it.

I guess I had to spend some money.

"Hey, Kasimir, how much for something to change our Nen talent and my Nen category?"

Kasimir smiled happily, "Indeed, follow me, I have just the thing!"

We followed him and space warped and twisted, shelves moved and parted, reality twisting until we stood in front of many multi-colored vials.

He pulled two vials of a sparkling rainbow hue from the top shelf and placed it on the display table.

"Before I present to you these wonderful treasures, might I ask what Affinity you want?" He asked with a curious lilt in his voice.

"I'll take the enhancer category. Hitting harder and going faster is always best."

Nodding, Kasimir comes down from the top of the ladder with a Glowing neon green vial.

"You can definitely afford these, 50 low quality spirit stones each for the one in 100 billion Nen talent that the Ants king had- times 10. Think using Nen to traverse an entire city in a single year of training, and smashing said city into bits instantly in another 2 years. This is the best Nen talent possible. 100 more low quality spirit stones for the Nen category change and enhancement to 300% affinity."

I try to haggle but Kasimir won't budge on the price. "I am already giving you a favorite customer discount."

Shrugging I nod, hand him the 200 low quality spirit stones, and give Rem hers.

We drink them, The enhancer potion tastes like a Lime flavored Warhead candy at maximum sourness. I shudder.

The Nen talent tastes like, why do I know that this tastes like competence and confidence. That's not even a flavor!

At least it shouldn't be.

I steal a glance at Rem who has a baffled look on her face while staring at the empty vial.

"Kasimir," I began, "we need to train. Is there a room similar to the enchanting chamber, where time moves differently?"

Kasimir stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Hmm, I believe I have just the thing. My personal hyperbolic time chamber. However," he cautioned, "it's not quite as stable as the enchanting chamber. Time flows differently within its confines but its conceptual link to the dragon ball world is problematic, it can only maintain its integrity for a maximum of six days. You must promise to exit after five days, or risk being trapped within a collapsing pocket dimension."

Five days in a hyperbolic time chamber.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to make significant progress in our Nen training.

"We accept the risks," I said resolutely, handing him five low-quality spirit stones as payment.

Kasimir nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Very well, then. Follow me."

He led us through a series of winding corridors, the walls adorned with strange symbols and flickering lights. Finally, we arrived at a nondescript door, its surface smooth and featureless.

With a flourish, Kasimir opened the door, revealing a stark white room that seemed to stretch into infinity. "Welcome to my humble abode," he announced with a playful bow. "Enjoy your stay, and remember, five days only!"

He winked and closed the door behind us, leaving Rem and me alone in the vast emptiness of the hyperbolic time chamber.

We immediately began our Nen training. It took us a mere two minutes to unlock our aura nodes and awaken our Nen abilities, thanks to the potent potions we had consumed earlier. The next day was spent mastering the basic techniques: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.

Rem, with her natural affinity for Enhancement, took to Ren with remarkable ease, her aura radiating with power and intensity.

I, too, found myself drawn to the Enhancement techniques, my body responding instinctively to the flow of Nen. The potion had completely overwritten my previous Conjuration abilities, but I felt no sense of loss. Instead, a newfound sense of power and potential surged within me.

The remaining four days were dedicated to refining our Ren and exploring the possibilities of Enhancement. Rem focused on enhancing her physical strength and speed, her movements becoming increasingly swift and powerful.

I experimented with different applications of Enhancement, strengthening my senses, bolstering my defenses, and channeling Nen into my sword strikes with Shu, increasing their force and precision.

As the fifth day drew to a close, we emerged from the hyperbolic time chamber.

We had made remarkable progress in a short amount of time, and we were now confident in our abilities as Enhancers.

With a nod, we exit through the portal, stepping out into a long green tunnel of an extremely massive size, behind them an illusion of an elevator door closing.

A man, with obvious dwarfism and a dark green tinged skin tone handed the two of us badges.

It seemed I was number 4 and Rem was number 5.

My eyes darted to a silver haired young man who was training Ren, along with a woman with extremely long blonde hair that reached her rear, her face a soft and cute shape and almost glowing green eyes, and a shoulder-length brunette woman with a sharp but attractive face with even sharper hazel eyes.

I noticed her mouth was proverbially on the ground looking at the two of us, well, specifically Rem.

I shrugged, and decided to approach.