Saving Linne, the founder of the Gourmet Paradise, the best Gourmet Hunter, and a high-ranking member of the Hunter Association.
This can be considered a global achievement right?
Especially a monumental feat in the field of Gourmet Hunting.
After all, Linne importance in the world of Gourmet Hunting was immense. Paired with Akira contributions in other fields, it was more than enough to elevate him to the rank of a Three-Star Hunter.
Thus, Netero decided to bestow upon Akira the title of Three-Star Hunter.
Whether from a personal emotional standpoint or an objective contribution perspective, Akira was fully deserving of this title. Three-Star Hunters—there were no more than ten in the entire world.
Normally, it wasn't easy to rate someone as a Three-Star Hunter, and it often required meetings and discussions. But Netero was confident, this would just be a formality. Akira achievements were solid and fully deserved the recognition.
Unbeknownst to Akira, his casual actions had not only earned him a top-tier chef but also inexplicably made him a Three-Star Hunter.
*****
"So, do you have any extra Greed Island game consoles left?"
"I'm quite interested in this game."
Inside Menchi small shop, Akira was on the phone with Ging.
After healing Linne yesterday, Akira and Menchi had returned to Menchi shop. He planned to stay with Menchi for a while, but just sitting around was a bit boring.
That's when Akira suddenly remembered a special place he hadn't visited yet. It was the dream game created by Ging and his companions—Greed Island.
This game didn't require traveling around, just using "Ren" in front of the console would automatically transport the player.
It was perfect for him and Menchi to play together.
Such a unique place was likely to give birth to Pokémon and most likely, they would be Pokémon related to technology and data. But the game consoles were scarce, with most of them in the hands of the wealthy Individuals.
Akira couldn't be bothered to search for one, so he decided to ask Ging, one of the creators, directly.
Fortunately, they had shared an adventure or else it would have been awkward to ask outright.
"Greed Island? Yeah, I have some."
"I always make a few extra backups of these things."
Ging was accustomed to leaving room for maneuver, ensuring he could handle any situation with ease.
"Alright, where are you? I'll come to you."
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Akira eyes, just as he had expected—there were indeed backup consoles.
"No need to trouble yourself. Do you have a screen there? A phone should work too."
After a pause, Ging slowly spoke.
He thought it would be too much trouble for Akira to come over, so he suggested a more convenient method.
"Huh? Yeah, there's a screen. What are you planning?"
Akira raised an eyebrow, glancing at the TV in Menchi living room. He did have a screen.
But... what did that mean?
"Hahaha, see you soon. I'll introduce you to a friend as well."
Ging hearty laughter came through the phone, followed by a cryptic statement before he hung up.
Seeing that Ging had already ended the call, Akira stared at the turned-off TV, its screen pitch black when not in use.
Asking if he had a screen?
And saying he would introduce a friend?
Could it be?
Akira suddenly remembered someone, someone who might not even be considered human.
That person had only appeared briefly during the election arc, making it into the top eight of the chairman election. The reason he might not be considered human was that he wasn't alive but a resident of the digital world.
His name was: Ickshonpe Katocha. A One-Star Hacker Hunter.
From the few conversations he had during the election arc, it was clear he had no interest in the real world.
He even believed the real world wasn't genuine.
Moreover, he had mentioned knowing Ging and talked about games. Clearly, he was one of Ging friends who loved games.
So...
Was Ging going to deliver Greed Island to him through this person?
"What did Ging say?"
Menchi, standing nearby, asked with a hint of curiosity.
After hanging up, Akira had remained silent, staring at the dark TV screen. Menchi had no doubt that Akira would get Greed Island.
In her heart, her man was an omnipotent being!
"If I'm not mistaken, I might have to step into the TV in a moment."
Akira pointed at the television, lost in thought.
"But there's nothing there, is there?" Menchi was about to say that when the unpowered TV suddenly emitted a dazzling white light.
However, no image appeared, it was just a blank expanse of white.
The light was unusually bright, probably brighter than the maximum brightness setting of the screen.
It immediately felt off.
Akira thought to himself, just as he had expected. He figured that behind the screen were Ickshonpe and Ging.
"I'm going over, don't worry."
Akira gave Menchi a final word of assurance, then stood in front of the TV.
As if sensing Akira presence, the TV screen suddenly emitted a strong suction force.
In an instant, Akira, a living person, disappeared from Menchi sight and appeared in the cyber world.
"Did he really go into the TV?"
A look of astonishment appeared on Menchi delicate face, and she couldn't help but exclaim.
*****
When Akira opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely blank space.
It seemed boundless, with only an infinite expanse of emptiness. Standing before him were none other than Ging... and the peculiarly shaped Ickshonpe.
"Yo! How's that? I'm quick, aren't I?"
Ging greeted Akira, they had only parted two days ago and were meeting again.
"Indeed, quite fast."
Akira nodded, very satisfied with Ging speedy delivery.
It hadn't even been a minute since the phone call and the item was already in his hands. The speed was indeed commendable. If this were on Earth, delivering packages would surely be a promising career.
"Ging, you jerk, it's all because of me okay?"
Ickshonpe, standing beside him, couldn't stand it and directly confronted Ging.
Perhaps because Ickshonpe was a resident of the computer world, he couldn't speak like a normal person. His speech now felt very mechanical.
Usually, Ickshonpe preferred to communicate by writing on a board.
"Haha, don't take it to heart."
"Let me introduce you, this is my friend, and also one of the creators of Greed Island."
"His name is Ickshonpe, just call him Old P."
Ging bypassed the issue and instead introduced Ickshonpe to Akira.
Ickshonpe appearance was very abstract, possibly because he wasn't a real person.
If Akira had to describe him, Ickshonpe looked like Mickey Mouse with the art style of a rage comic. He had round ears like Mickey Mouse, but his facial expressions were as exaggerated as those in rage comics.
On his forehead was a mark with the letters "Pe." This was why Ging called him Old P.
"Hello, Ickshonpe."
Akira didn't follow Ging lead and greeted him normally.
"You're good, unlike Ging, he's a jerk."
Seeing Akira address him by his name instead of a nickname, Ickshonpe showed an exaggerated smile.
At their first meeting, Ickshonpe had a very good impression of Akira.
"Boring."
Ging pouted and took out Greed Island from his pocket.
"Here, this is the Greed Island you wanted. I have reserves, so I'll just give it to you."
Akira casually took Greed Island, which from the outside looked like an unremarkable iron box.
"Then I won't hold back."
"Akira, do you like games too?"
Ickshonpe, who was nearby, asked Akira.
As a gaming enthusiast, he enjoyed making friends with people who loved games.
"Yes, I became interested in Greed Island this time, so I ask a copy from Ging to try it out."
After saying this, Akira suddenly thought of something and spoke in a somewhat profound and mysterious tone.
"Do you want to know about more fun games?"
"?????"
*****
In the blank expanse of the virtual world, only Ickshonpe remained here, as both Ging and Akira had left.
Ickshonpe looked at countless boards filled with images and textual explanations, his abstract face wearing an exaggerated smile.
"Akira is truly amazing."
"I must create these games!"
Akira had just described the general content of some games from Earth to Ickshonpe.
These groundbreaking games caused a huge sensation for Ickshonpe, whose concept of gaming was still stuck in the era of single-player games.
So games could have so many variations?
The most complex game he had encountered before was Greed Island and he thought no game could surpass that.
Greed Island was indeed good, but in Akira view, its true appeal lay in the ability to transport real people into the game world. This was something that couldn't be done on Earth, as it involved "Aura."
Apart from that, the items in the game were just set up in a peculiar and bizarre way. In other aspects, many masterpieces on Earth could surpass it.
Akira mostly informed him about game genres to broaden his thinking.
For example, gacha games, competitive games, and the like.
*****
With another flash of white light, Akira figure reappeared before Menchi.
"Are you back?"
Menchi hurriedly approached, feeling inevitably worried since Akira had been gone for so long.
"I'm back, and I brought something with me."
Akira raised the "iron box" in his hand.
Only then did Menchi realize that this unremarkable box was the legendary Greed Island, which could fetch an astronomical price.
"I chatted with a friend for a while longer. Now, let's try out this legendary Greed Island."
Akira placed Greed Island on the table and handed a ring to Menchi.
"This is the ring you'll need to use during the game. Let's put it on before we enter."
After mentioning that they would be entering together, Ging conveniently gave them two rings. Since he had already given them the game console, he might as well provide the full set.
The main purpose of the ring is to allows them to use two keyword spells [book and gain] in the game.
It can be said to be a very important item, second only to the Greed Island game console itself.
"Wait a moment, we have to enter one by one."
From the original work, since there is only one receptionist, Eta, and the rules must be explained fully.
So, the next person can only enter after the previous one has passed.
Menchi nodded obediently, curious about what the game would be like.
Right now, Menchi didn't know that Greed Island was actually a real place somewhere in the world.
Akira focused his breath and stood before the Greed Island game console, using "Ren." As streams of Aura made contact with Greed Island, Akira disappeared from the spot.
*****
"Is this Greed Island?"
Akira looked around, finding himself in a space filled with black and white patterns, with a large gate in front of him. Walking down the passage, Akira met the receptionist of Greed Island—Eta.
"Welcome to the world of G-I."
Before Akira appeared a machine floating in mid-air, with the adorable Eta sitting on it, wearing a receiver.
'So this is the legendary Akira… Ging even specially sent a game console for'
Looking at the handsome Akira, Eta recalled the information Ging had just conveyed to them.
The so-called "them" refers to all the creators who stayed in the game to maintain order.
It was said that an extraordinary person had arrived.
This was the first time Ging had shown such concern for someone.
While recalling Ging words, Eta system-like speech continued.
"Do you need an introduction to the specific gameplay?"
"Sure, give me a general overview."
Akira decided to listen a bit, even though the original work had a more detailed introduction, he had forgotten much of it over time.
...
"Alright."
"That concludes the introduction to Greed Island gameplay. Please explore more detailed content during your playthrough."
"You may proceed down the stairs over there."
As Eta finished her last sentence, Akira fully recalled the specific introduction.
With a slightly sympathetic glance at Eta, Akira then walked down the stairs. Leaving behind only one sentence.
"It must have been tough staying here all these years, hasn't it?"
Eta stared blankly at Akira retreating figure.
What kind of person was Akira?
At this moment, Eta curiosity about Akira reached its peak.
"Tap, tap..."
Akira descended the spiral staircase and stood on the soft grass, gazing into the distance.
This was the starting point of Greed Island, G-I Island. It was akin to places like Pallet Town in the Pokémon games. The endless grassland stretched as far as the eye could see, and the fresh scent of green grass wafted into his nostrils.
Akira didn't move forward immediately but stood there waiting for Menchi to come out.
Before long, Menchi arrived descending from the stairs just like Akira.
"Is this Greed Island? It's amazing, just like a real place."
Looking at the picturesque scenery, Menchi couldn't help but marvel.
"It is indeed impressive, but unfortunately, this isn't a game world."
"It's the real world."
"Huh??"
Akira officially revealed the truth about Greed Island to Menchi.
Now, probably only the creators knew.
Greed Island was actually located somewhere in the real world, not the virtual world people imagined.
"So that's how it is? They used Aura to transport people to a specific location in the world?"
After Akira explanation, Menchi finally understood why everything seemed so real.
Because this was indeed the real world.
"Generally, we need to spend some time collecting cards since they are very important here."
"But it seems we don't need to waste time now."
Akira seemed to sense something and smiled meaningfully.
Following Akira gaze, a streak of white light descended like a meteor in front of the two. It was a scruffy man with dreadlocks, wearing yellow clothes.
He was the same scoundrel who appeared before Gon and his friend in the original story, specializing in bullying newcomers.
"New faces, huh? I wonder how many cards you have?"
The scoundrel sized them up and spat.
Akira coldly watched the scoundrel without making any moves.
Seeing this, Menchi also remained silent, indifferently observing the clown.
"Whatever, let's see what cards you have."
As the scoundrel use his ring, a book suddenly appeared in front of him.
This was the book used to store cards. Before the scoundrel could make his next move, his pupils suddenly contracted and he wanted to speak but couldn't make a sound.
His throat was being choked!
"You seem quite arrogant!"
Looking at the scoundrel whose neck was tightly gripped by Lucario, Akira sneered.
"Now do you know who's the hunter and who's the prey?"
With that, Akira approached the scoundrel and swiftly emptied all the cards from his book.
This was why Akira hadn't eliminated the scoundrel from the start.
Because he still had some use...
------------------------------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator