"Mmm… this feels amazing…" I murmured drowsily, basking in the perfectly balanced warmth between the blanket and my body. A light chill brushed against my face, sending a pleasant shiver down to my heels as I curled the blanket between my toes.
"Mhm-hmm… agreed, Mus…" came a soft, cozy voice of a girl beside me.
"Yes…"
"…"
"…"
"..?"
".."
"."
" "
I bolted upright in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the other side.
Lying next to me was an incredibly cute and beautiful girl, her hair a voluminous natural blue — not that dyed dark-blue color some girls wear.
"What the hell happened?!Think! Think!!!W-wait, wasn't I supposed to be in the hospital right now?!"
My head was unusually clear, my thoughts sharp and fast.
"I was in the hospital after getting hit by a truck! Aaagh-ghaaa! What is going on?!"
Not that it helped me think rationally, though.
My story starts way back — in childhood…
(In the background, he's frantically searching for clothes, trying to make a getaway, having absolutely no idea what's going on.)
Since I was a kid, I've never been lucky.
As far back as I can remember, I was an orphan. According to the caretaker, she found me in a basket of cabbages.
(In reality, his biological parents abused him, but after they died in a car crash, child services made up the cabbage story to protect his psyche.)
In my teens, I was adopted by an elderly couple from another country, but they passed away not long after. According to local laws, I was considered an adult by then, so I began living alone.
(They, too, died in an accident — a blunder by special agents who failed to stop a fleeing gang of robbers. The incident was covered up. In compensation, I was granted financial aid, various privileges, and the entire estate of the elderly couple, who had no other heirs.)
A few years ago, I got hit by a gorgeous woman driving a Hummer. While trying to sweep it under the rug and negotiate with me, somehow we grew close and eventually started dating. She even helped me get a job at a major company.
(Turns out she's the heiress of a vast economic empire and pulled strings to get me into one of her group's subsidiaries. She never told me about her true status.)
I ended up liking the job and quickly settled in, finally feeling like I was accomplishing something.
But after a few years, I started longing to travel — especially to Japan. The only problem: my job was demanding and location-bound. The only upside was that I worked with my girlfriend, so we saw each other daily.
One day, I shared my feelings with her, and as if by magic, the company decided to expand into the Asian market and open a branch in Japan! It was like she was my lucky charm.
(In truth, she set up that entire branch just for him, appointing him as a lead manager and sending a reliable team so he could enjoy his "business trip-slash-vacation.")
During the weekdays, I worked, and on weekends, I explored local sights and soaked up the culture — especially anime and manga.
One day, walking out of a suburban Tokyo mall with a whole bag full of limited-edition anime merch, I was strolling down a pedestrian lane when I suddenly heard a loud, long "BEEP!" and saw blinding headlights…
I woke up in a hospital.
(The branch's upper management, terrified of the heiress finding out, did everything to hush up the incident. They succeeded and quietly transferred me to the best hospital in the capital.)
It wasn't as bad as you'd think — at least my body didn't hurt, though they did mention I was on painkillers.
I wanted to talk to my girlfriend, but my deputy told me she was caught up in a major project. I didn't want to distract her or make her worry.
Still, I wasn't exactly lonely. My hospital room was full of strange and fascinating people.
Two of them, in particular, stood out — they were famous mangaka: Kentaro Miura, the author of Berserk, and Yoshihiro Togashi, creator of Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter.
Miura had recently been hospitalized due to high blood pressure, while Togashi had been there a week already, dealing with chronic back problems.
The three of us talked often — we shared interests and that classic boyish spirit. Eventually, they moved us to a separate room, probably because we were getting too rowdy.
Not that we minded. It just gave us more space to be ourselves.
They used to joke that I'd become the unlucky "isekai protagonist" — one of those endless tropes in Japan — and we'd chat about their works, with both of them sharing upcoming arcs, plot twists, and even the planned endings.
I expected Berserk to end in something dark and tragic, and Hunter x Hunter to have a warm, satisfying wrap-up… but they totally flipped my expectations — it was the exact opposite for each of their stories.
During our last conversation, I started getting sleepy and… the next thing I knew, I woke up in bed with an unfamiliar girl.
"Crap, if she finds out I slept with someone else, she'll kill me!"
But panic hit fast, and I threw on a white shirt, black trousers, socks, and shoes, then bolted out into the street, running in a random direction at full speed.
I tried to figure out where I was, but the signs and placards around me were written in strange symbols — nothing that looked remotely like kanji or any familiar Asian characters.
"This definitely isn't Southeast Asia. Or India. And no way is it Arabic... Where the hell am I?!"
What was even weirder was that some kind of translation appeared around every symbol — on top, below, or next to them — in text I could clearly understand.
("Bragging Rights Confectionery";"Dyers' Street";"Britney Beauty Salon", etc.)
Panting and drenched in sweat, I finally saw the first person on the street as I turned a corner. It wasn't until I was up close that my brain registered how weird they looked.
It was a short figure in a business suit — nothing too strange — except for their head: a giant green sphere that looked like a bean, a pea, or maybe even a peanut M&M.
"You're just in time for the start of the exam. Come, it's about to begin," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.
We entered a building and wove through a maze of corridors, catching snippets of bizarre spy-like code phrases before arriving at an elevator.
Still catching my breath and trying to process everything, I watched as my "Guide" pulled out a flip phone and made a call.
"Hello, Chairman. I'd like to inform you the exam is about to begin. I'm currently escorting the final participant to the first test site. Please read the speech I prepared for you. You have to say at least something from it during the final phase!"
But soon, a busy signal cut him off. The call had been dropped.
"Ehhh…" he sighed, flipping the phone closed, then turned toward me and handed me a round white plastic token marked with the number 468.
"Here, this is your personal identification badge for the duration of the Hunter Exam. I strongly advise you not to damage or lose it. It may play a crucial role in certain exam phases. Without it, you might not be allowed to continue..."
I only half-listened, distracted as I inspected the token. Despite looking like plastic, it felt strangely metallic to the touch.
I was slowly starting to regain my senses — though the absurdity of the situation kept mounting.
"This is insane. I just ran out of a random building, and now I'm part of some kind of exam?This can't be real…Wait — it's a dream! A crazy, messed-up dream! I'd never cheat on my girlfriend…"
The elevator doors slid open. The floor indicator above read [B50] — fifty levels underground.
"Yep. Definitely a dream.Since I'm aware of it now, I might as well enjoy it.Who knows? Maybe I'll get some sort of unforgettable experience or inspiration out of it."
We stepped into a massive underground space shaped like a hangar, filled with various objects and structures.
The whole place was packed with people — spaced at least a meter apart from each other.
As we entered, I saw out of the corner of my eye that my guide once again pulled out his phone. A chime echoed through the chamber.
"Your attention, please. Registration for the Hunter Exam has closed. This year, there are exactly 468 participants. Good luck to you all. The first phase will begin in two minutes."Then he returned to the elevator and vanished.
"Hunter Exam? That sounds… familiar…Wait… isn't that from Hunter x Hunter?Huh… come to think of it, I do recognize a few familiar faces here."
Ponzu — the girl chemist with the beehive hat, the three Amori brothers, Bourbon — the snake charmer, and other familiar, iconic characters.
Wait a second… is that… Hisoka?!
A chill ran down my spine like an ice-cold jolt of clarity.
As if sensing my gaze, Hisoka turned toward me, narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, and gave me a warm smile.
"M-mama… Being under his gaze is horrifyingly uncomfortable!"
Another wave of goosebumps swept through my entire body. I quickly looked away and tried to disappear into the crowd.
"Mic check, mic check. This is the examiner for the first phase of the Hunter Exam. First off, congratulations to all who made it this far and passed the preliminary screening tests."A distorted voice echoed from all directions.
"Before we begin the first phase, here's a word of advice: always stay vigilant and aware. Now, please approach the wall bearing your number. Numbers 1–300 are on the left side of the elevator, and 301–600 on the right."
A few minutes later, everyone was standing before stone slabs labeled with the numbers from our badges.
Thud.
The slab with my number suddenly sank into the floor, revealing a small chamber about five meters by three. Glancing around, I saw the same thing happening to others.
"Please step inside. Once the rooms are sealed, you will receive instructions for the first phase."
Gradually, participants began entering the rooms, and the entrances sealed behind them one by one. Taking a deep breath — or maybe two — I stepped into mine.
Thump.
The wall behind me closed, and a speaker overhead came to life.
"Please step up to the semicircular recess in the wall and press your back firmly against it. The test will begin once you're in position."
Looking toward the corner, I saw a curved indentation in the wall and a semicircle marked in yellow paint on the floor, complete with outlined footprints indicating where to stand.
As I approached, I noticed various puzzles and schematics on the walls — riddles, diagrams, odd illustrations — but I only skimmed over them in passing. If something didn't click immediately, I moved on to the next.
After about a minute of casual scanning, I stepped into the semicircle and pressed my back against the curved wall. A panel slid shut in front of me, sealing the corner completely.
I was just about to start panicking when small lights lit up on either side of the room, and the examiner's voice echoed from above.
"I hope you remembered and understood the clues. You'll now be transported to the next location for Phase One. Good luck."
In the next instant, a strong rush of air and water poured in from above, saturating the chamber with oxygen.
Just as I began to think I'd drown at this rate, the floor dropped out beneath me, and I plunged downward like I'd been thrown into a water park tube ride.
"Aaaahhh!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, completely losing my sense of direction.
I was flung up, down, spun in loops, spiraling left, then right.
And that insanity went on for a solid thirty minutes.
Whatever was in my stomach came out in the first minute. After that, I just lay there — crumpled at the bottom of a new room.
A now-calmer stream of warm water washed over my back, draining beneath me through a grated hatch.
My body had gone limp from the sheer shock, and my voice was gone from non-stop screaming — every second had been more terrifying than the last.
I lay there, dazed, staring at an electronic timer that read 55 minutes. I only somewhat came to my senses when it ticked down to 40.
"If dreams really mean something… what the hell is this supposed to mean?"
With trembling limbs, I pushed myself to my feet and found a tablet built into the wall. Beside it were a pack of rice crackers and a bottle of isotonic drink.
[ Hope you remembered the clues — because your task is a game of Spot the Difference!After leaving this room, you'll enter a nearly identical one, except it'll have added objects or altered details! 1/3 ]
[ But stay sharp!You only get two chances, and there are 200 actual differences hidden — mixed in with ten times as many decoys!If you guess wrong twice, you'll be disqualified. 2/3 ]
[ But don't be too afraid — to advance to the next phase, you only need to find one discrepancy!Your travel time here may have ranged from a couple of minutes to nearly an hour.You have 90 minutes total for this test, so better hurry!Take the tablet with you to photograph your findings. 3/3 ]
After a quick snack, I glanced at the timer — 36 minutes remaining.
With a sigh, I pressed the button to unlock my room.
The chamber beyond was already buzzing with at least 50 people — maybe more, but it was hard to tell at a glance. There were clusters around the elevator and along the walls.
Thud.
The door beside me slid open, and I saw a familiar face — Bodoro, the old martial arts master who got killed by Killua in the final stage of the Hunter Exam.
He looked around, gave me a passing glance, then turned his gaze upward. Without hesitation, he pulled out his tablet and snapped a photo of the ceiling — now green instead of brown — before clicking his tongue in frustration.
"Already taken. At least they didn't burn one of my attempts," he muttered, then walked toward the center.
"So even if a discrepancy is already found, as long as it's not marked as an error, your attempt is safe.That means the first ones here had a serious advantage.And luck… luck is one of those elusive qualities the Hunter Exam embraces and rewards."
The clues in the first room had been hard to decipher, and honestly, I didn't remember a single one. I didn't even get the chance to memorize the surroundings — I'd arrived right at the tail end of it all…YOLO?
"Man, if only I'd thought to snap photos of those clues with this tablet…"
Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation — like I'd lost something — and the tablet began to glow with a soft white haze.
Startled, I shook it, half-expecting it to explode in my hands. When it didn't, I cautiously flipped to the next page.
"No way! These… these are the exact clues from the walls!Some I'm seeing for the first time — maybe they were hidden, or maybe I've somehow been given access to clues from other rooms?Too bad… I still can't make sense of them…"
I scrolled through every one, but nothing clicked. Glancing at the timer near the elevator, I realized I only had 20 minutes left.
"I need to find someone smart. Someone who can help me solve these clues… someone smart… Oh!"
I spotted Ponzu walking near the wall.
From the original story, I knew she was serious, composed, and a skilled chemist. Partnering with her would greatly improve my chances.
Wasting no time, I approached from the side with a light smile and offered her my hand.
"Hey, want to team up?"
She looked at me seriously, then glanced at my hand. Without changing her expression, she simply walked away.
"Oof… that was brutal.Well, at least she didn't chew me out…Wait — how do I even look right now?"
Back in the elevator, I'd realized — this wasn't my body. And if this was a dream, then technically I could look like anyone.
"Man, I hope I look like Ryan Reynolds. Or Ryan Gosling. They're both solid choices…Wait, am I mixing them up?"
Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, I caught up to her.
"Excuse me, Miss! Let's form an alliance!"
"Hah…" she sighed, glancing over. "If you want to team up with me, it needs to be mutually beneficial.From the looks of it, you can't even handle the first phase.So tell me — what good are you? Kindly back off and—"
Before she could finish, I raised the tablet to her face, swiped through a few pages of the clue images right in front of her, then quickly tucked it away against my chest.
"How's that for alliance potential?" I asked with a grin.
She glanced around swiftly, then leaned in and whispered:
"Where did you get those? And why did you come straight to me? You could've passed the test by now on your own."
"To answer your questions…" I scratched my head awkwardly. "Honestly, I can't solve them.You just seemed smart and reliable.As for how I got them…Let's just say I got lucky."
"Hm…" She pierced me with a long, calculating look, thinking it over in silence for a good ten seconds.
"Alright. But only for this test.I can promise I won't intentionally target you in the next phases."
"A bit sad, but sounds fair," I said, handing her my tablet."So, did you manage to memorize any of the wall clues?"
She calmly flipped through the images, giving each no more than ten seconds of attention.
"I solved one — but someone already used it. Before you found me, I was trying to figure out the rest based on rough guesses.After about five minutes, the walls started closing in, so I had to run for the exit — which turned out to be a maze."
"Hah, a maze? I had a thirty-minute ride down a water slide…"
"Well, that explains why you haven't passed yet.Seems like the Hunter Exam puts a heavy emphasis on luck.Some participants probably won't even get the chance to take part, simply because of when and where they show up."
And I was lucky too… since I ended up meeting you, Ponzu thought, casting him a quick sideways glance.