The man led us to the rest of his allies, who were waiting on the steps in front of us. I noticed Puhat was among them, and a girl with blonde hair wearing a dress was looking at us innocently. She looked young, and she could be strong, too, since she entered Greed Island with us.

"Is this everyone?" The man asked.

"Yeah. Everyone else turned me down flat." Someone with gray hair replied.

"Alright, then. Let's begin." A tall man with blond hair announced.

"Just now, another player was found murdered. He arrived with the rest of you. His stomach exploded. It was the work of the Bomber." The man explained.

"The...B-Bomber?" Lizzy faltered.

"His victims aren't killed by spells. No spell in this game is capable of injuring people. So don't worry. You won't be harmed or killed by any spell cast on you." The blond reassured us.

"I told them earlier that there are 40 spell cards in all. The one that was cast on two of them was an inspection spell. It has to be either Trace or Cling. In short, once the enemy uses one of these on you, he will instantly know everything about you." The man with scruffy hair explained.

The guy from earlier used Trace on my sister and Killua. Which is why...

"Some players choose to wait near the starting point to cast these spells on new players. As soon as a player obtains a valuable card, they'll show up and steal it. In some cases, they just kill their target." The blond carried on the explanation.

"Like the guy who just died? I won't be that easy to kill." Puhat arrogantly remarked.

"No, someone else killed him. By a radical type of player who hunts players. The man who died, was killed by someone called the Bomber."

"The Bomber." Gon repeated, the tension evident in his tone.

"There are only three ways to acquire spell cards. You know what they are?" A man with dark blond hair held up three fingers, indicating the three different ways to collect spell cards.

"You find them yourself." Gon answered.

"You can also trade with other players." A man with dark skin and hair added.

"Or simply steal them." Killua concluded.

"Those are the three possible ways to acquire spell cards. However, the number of players stealing from others has increased." The dark blond man stated. "That's because of the increasing difficulty in obtaining cards and the card conversion limit. Players who can't obtain cards themselves often choose to steal from others. Players who refuse to give up their cards are killed. Their ring disappears and their cards are lost. But it increases the conversion limit for that type of card. If you kill a player, you can't take their cards. That rule was meant to prevent players from killing each other."

"But now, it's backfiring. It's been over ten years since the game was first released. If no one can find a way to beat it, the killing will only continue. That's why we're trying to end this mess! We need more allies to help clear the game! We need your help." The man with scruffy hair pleaded.

We stared at him, thinking about whether we could join them or not. Before we could make our decision, Puhat spoke up.

"How do you plan on obtaining cards? One, find them. Two, trade for them. Three, steal them. Which are you gonna do?" He smugly asked.

"Steal them." The man picked the third choice.

"I have to assume that we'll be using all three methods, but the third will be the primary method." The dark-skinned man stated.

"Hold on. So you're still gonna use force?" Puhat questioned his decision.

"No we're not! We won't use violence to achieve our goal!" The man snapped.

"Spells. You'll just use spells, right?" The dark-skinned man asked.

"Correct." He nodded, and Puhat scoffed. "There are certain cards for taking others' cards, as well as cards that defend against those spells. We'll plan to monopolize those kinds of spell cards. We'll use the very same card conversion limit that's been frustrating players. It's the only way to clear the game."

"I've met many players, and they've all reached the same conclusion. Every card you find will be taken from you eventually. Because this game is based on players taking cards from each other. We take cards while mitigating our risk of losing our own cards." The dark blond man told us.

"You're leaving out something important, aren't ya? Once you clear the game, how are you gonna split the reward money?" Puhat asked.

"That's a good point. Mr. Battera hired all of you guys, right?" A chubby guy replied.

"So you knew who we were when you found us?"

"Yeah. Mr. Battera also hired us to play this game, too."

"That means the reward will be 50 billion Jenny. We'll split it between everyone who helps us." The man with scruffy hair asserted.

"Currently, we have 53 players, two months to collect the remaining spell cards, and one month to get the cards we need. We can finish the game in three months." The dark blond stated.

"Of course, if you decide to join us, we'll remove the spells that were cast on you." The tall blond guy told us.

Killua, Lizzy, and I looked at Gon for an answer, who seemed to disagree with the whole idea of stealing cards to win.

"I'm in." Puhat raised a hand. "I don't like the idea of splitting the reward, but I do like the idea of clearing the game in three months."

"What about you?" The tall blond guy turned to the dark-skinned man.

"I have a question. If I get an SS rank card on my own, what's my cut?" He asked.

"An SS rank? It's about 500 million." The man with scruffy hair answered.

"Okay, I'm in." He said.

The man then turned to us. "What about you kids? Are you in?"

We waited for Gon to answer, and he looked down.

"Sorry guys." He apologized, stunning us.

"For what?" Killua tilted his head in confusion.

"I'm out. I'm playing on my own." The dark-haired male turned around and left the group, with us following him after.

"Well, you heard the boss. I'll pass." The silver-haired male waved them goodbye.

"Thanks for inviting us anyway! Bye!" Lizzy shouted in her cheerful voice and ran after the dark-haired boy.

"I'll also decline the offer. I will do what my friend thinks is best for us." I smiled and ran away to catch up with the others. We eventually reached him as we're strolling around the streets.

"Hey, what was that, Gon? Why did you reject them?" Lizzy asked.

"Yeah, they could help remove the spell that was cast on Killua and Lizzy. The fact that a ruthless player killing countless other players is upsetting to me. We could do something to help." I reasoned with him.

"Will you explain why you declined their offer?" Killua asked.

Gon took a deep breath and turned to us with a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry guys, but I guess I just couldn't take it anymore."

"Okay, but I still don't know why you're apologizing." He gaped at him, unsure of why the boy apologized to us.

"You did nothing wrong, did you?" Lizzy said.

"It's because...you two will be stuck with that spell for a while. It's all my fault." Gon's voice was filled with worry as we stared at him.

"Hey, I get it now. It's no big deal." The silver-haired male reassured him.

"It's only an inspection spell, so there's nothing to worry about." Lizzy had a bashful look, slightly blushing from the way he worried about both of them.

"There is. The three of you are only playing this game to help me find my dad. Lizzy, you're the one who wanted to help me a lot. I didn't realize I would put you in danger. If in any way you get hurt, I'll be the one responsible." Gon looked into her emerald orbs, the redness on my sister's cheeks intensifying every second she looked into his hazel ones.

All of a sudden, she wrapped her arms around him, and the boy was taken aback by the sudden action. Killua and I widened our eyes at the touching scene.

"You have to stop worrying about me, you know? You're beginning to turn into Lynn." She said, and a tick mark appeared on the side of my head, my eyes looking like dots.

Oh, this. This just makes me so angry! Why couldn't I get a moment like that with Killua? After I would've told him how I feel? Gosh, why do I feel so jealous?

They parted and stared into each other's eyes before Killua broke the silence. "So, anyway, why were you so mad?"

"What was it that ticked you off?" I asked, being considerate.

"It's because...they were saying nothing but mean things about Ging's game, and how it's all based on killing players and stealing cards. That really ticks me off. I want to do what Ging said, and just enjoy the game. When I first started, I knew it wouldn't be easy. I wasn't afraid because...I thought I figured that all the players seriously enjoyed the game. People have actually died here, but the game itself is not scary and frightening. The scariest thing is that players kill others just to get cards."

"I thought about the same thing. It's only a game, yet players have to rely on their malicious instincts to get what they wanted. Thinking about it just pisses me off. Why do some people always have to be this way?" Lizzy clenched her fist in anger. "It's not fair for us to be drawn into this sort of mess that everyone else wants to get out of. Ging created this game for every Hunter to enjoy, and I won't be afraid to have fun here!"

We stared at her, emboldened by her words. Killua crossed his arms and spoke up. "I have to agree with both of you here. Killing is wrong. But what if two players each put forth a card, and the one who wins the battle fairly gets to keep them both?"

"Uh, that's okay." Gon agreed.

"See? When that guy casted a spell on Lizzy and I, and when those guys start their plan, they're just following the game rules." Killua simply stated, and the dark-haired boy nodded.

"So we shouldn't be worrying about everything that's been going on. As Lizzy said, we won't be afraid to enjoy the game, even if we have to take some risks." I assured him.

A smile stretched across Gon's pure and innocent face. "Everyone. Thank you."

Killua gasped and widened his eyes in surprise, as well as Lizzy. I hummed and gave him a puzzled stare.

"I'm glad you three are here with me. No...I'm really glad I met you guys in the first place!" He shouted out, causing both Killua and Lizzy to blush in embarrassment.

"Cut that out, you idiot! It's embarrassing!" Killua turned around and started walking away.

"Yeah, I...I..." Unable to find her next words, Lizzy ran away, hiding the redness on her face.

"Hey! Lizzy, wait!" Gon chased after her while I started moving towards Killua.

"Couldn't take the compliments, huh?" I said.

"Tch." He turned his head away, scowling.

After Gon had caught up with Lizzy, me and Killua reached them and walked together in the streets, completely unaware of someone watching us from a distance.

We watched as the boys competed in the final round of the rock-paper-scissors tournament, and Killua being victorious, won the Sword of Truth. This card belonged to one of the specified slots, which meant we still had 99 more cards to go.

"The problem is...how are we gonna protect the card?" Gon asked.

"We have no defensive spell cards, which will make it impossible to keep our card from getting stolen." I stated, gazing at the card in Killua's binder.

"You're right. We should get some right now." Killua said.

"Hey, you kids! Hold up!" A voice shouted from behind us, and we turned to see a man pointing at us. "Hand over the Sword of Truth! I don't want to be rough with you, so just do as I say!"

"No way, idiot." Killua scoffed, and we continued walking.

"W-Wait a minute! Book!" The man summoned his binder, as well as we did. He smirked at our move.

"Ha! You're bluffing! I already knew that you just started playing this game. You have no defensive spells, and all you have in your specified slots is the Sword of Truth." He pulled out a card. "This is Thief. This card lets you steal a random card from another player's specified slots." He explained. "Take this! Thief on! Attack Killua!"

But before he could cast the spell, Gon took the card from his hand. "Haven't you trained at all, mister? Nice try." The boy threw the card back at him, who appeared dumbfounded.

"Next time, I won't give it back." Gon walked back to where we were, our books now dispelled.

"You must be an amateur." Killua said, observing the man.

"It's surprising to see you in a game made for Pro Hunters." I remarked, causing the man to sweat.

"But hey, we learned something, didn't we? How the Thief card works, right? It won't work until you finish the chant." Lizzy innocently stated, holding up a finger.

"Damn! That only works on the weakest players!" The man exclaimed in disbelief. We turned around and began to walk away, but a voice stopped us.

"Exactly." A tall, muscular man stepped out from a corner, carrying a book. Several other men surrounded us, carrying their books as well. We tensed up, realizing there was no way to protect the only card we had in our specified slots.

"If you want a card, you just take it from someone. Only fools participate in tournaments." He pulled out a card, smirking cunningly. "Understand, kids?"

Well, it looked like we had no choice.

"Ugggghhhh!! Why did they have to take our card? Damn it!" Lizzy stomped her foot on the hard concrete, then sat back down on the stairs next to me.

"Exactly. They really piss me off." Gon grumbled, punching the step he was sitting on.

"Calm down, you two. It's obvious that those guys were pros. At least we didn't have to use any force." I crossed my arms and sternly stared at the two upset kids.

"Fine! Then I will start focusing on collecting lots of spell cards!" Gon insisted.

Killua stood up and smiled. "In that case, we should head to Masadora, the City of Magic."

"Sounds like a plan." Gon agreed, standing up along with my sister and I.

"Alright! Let's go!" Lizzy cheered, not feeling upset anymore.

"Those four Gargaider cards netted us 120,000 Jenny." Killua said as the four of us exited the trade shop where we had sold our cards.

"I know. They were pretty valuable." Gon replied. "We don't have to worry about money now. Oh, let's go buy some food and water, then we can start for Masadora!"

"Yeah!" Lizzy giggled, agreeing with him.

"First, we'll need a map and directions to Masadora." I suggested.

We then went to another store where the map was sold. We took a look at two different maps - a blank one and a completed one.

"The one with information costs 650,000, while the blank one only costs 20,000." Killua stated as he observed the price tags.

"I wonder which one we'll get." I placed a finger on my chin, thinking about what to buy.

"I say the blank one!" Gon said. "That way, it'll be more fun filling it in ourselves."

"You're so positive, it's painful." Killua sarcastically stated, and the dark-haired male grinned.

We bought the blank map and Killua used Gain to convert the card into an item. His smile dropped as he gaped at it.

"Wow. This doesn't tell us anything." He flatly stated.

"Way to waste money on something we'll never use." I sighed, mentally facepalming.

"Then let's ask for directions." Gon said.

"Head north for 80 kilometers. After you pass by the mountain, you'll reach a lake. You're gonna have to follow that lake for a little while, and then you'll get to Masadora." The NPC explained.

"If we hurry, we can do like 80 kilometers in a day." Killua said.

"Uh-huh." Gon nodded.

"Assuming you survive." The male NPC continued his explanation. "That mountain is crawling with bandits. Even worse, after you pass the mountain, you'll encounter hordes of monsters."

"There's bandits?" Killua asked, beaming.

"And monsters, too?" Gon added, sharing the same expression as his best friend. They looked at each other, getting all excited.

"Now it's sounding like an RPG!" The silver-haired male breathed in a thrilling sensation.

"I wanna see these monsters!" Gon exclaimed.

"You guys are crazy." Lizzy muttered under her breath. We ran out of the shop, eager to go to Masadora.

"All right! Let's move out!" Gon shouted, but before we started moving, a voice called out to us.

"Wait, please!"

It was the blonde girl from earlier. She ran to us with a pleading look on her face. "I beg you!"

"What?" Killua stared at her, not amused hy her appearance.

"Please let me join you guys, if you don't mind." She pleaded.

"Uh, no. Sorry." He declined her request.

"Aww. May I ask why not?" She showed him her puppy eyes, trying to persuade him to let her join us.

"You'll only slow us down." He coldly answered, and I whipped my head to him.

"Killua! Don't be so rude!" I scolded him.

I noticed her offended expression, and I sighed. "Sorry about him. You can join us if you like."

The girl's eyes sparkled with delight. "Really?"

"Tch. Let's go." The ex-assassin turned around and started leaving along with Gon. I scowled at his disdainful behavior and followed them. Lizzy gazed at her for a moment before leaving with us.

"Hey! Hold it right there—I mean, please! I'll try very hard not to get in your way!" She started following us, much to Killua's annoyance. I ranted on about his rude and disrespectful attitude and how he should apologize to the young girl. Killua only ignored me and held his hands behind his head.

Thanks to some information we had received, we were on our way to Masadora, the City of Magic, to buy some spell cards to help us keep our cards safe from other hostile players. The thrilling adventure was just getting started...