The air inside Hunger Hell crackled with tension.
Shun Kaien stood still, his breathing measured, ignoring the roar of the prisoners behind him.
Before him, Vice Warden Hannyabal gripped his trident, his stance unwavering, the smirk on his lips hiding a predator's patience.
Shun checked the system silently.
System Notification:Synchronization active.Possession Tokens Remaining: 6.Remaining Session Duration: 47 minutes.
He wouldn't waste it this time.
He had learned his lesson.
"Gate of Life, open."
He didn't scream it.
He whispered it.
The surge of strength and speed exploded through his body, but he kept it tight, contained.
His skin flushed red, his heart roared inside his chest, but his focus sharpened.
System Notification:Current State: Gate of Life activated.User stamina burn rate increased.
Hannyabal's expression shifted the moment Shun moved.
Faster.Sharper.
Hannyabal tried to react.
Too slow.
Shun's fist crashed under the man's chin, sending him flying into the air.
But Shun knew the blow wasn't enough.
He chased.
A single kick sent the Vice Warden plummeting back to the stone floor.
Crack.
The shockwave rippled through the level, silencing both sides for a heartbeat.
System Notification:Target eliminated: Hannyabal.Reputation Points gained: 15,000.Total Reputation Points: 33,500.Possession Tokens Remaining: 6.Remaining Session Duration: 46 minutes.
Shun stood above the crater.
He didn't pose.
He didn't speak.
He simply turned.
The prisoners surged forward, driven by bloodlust, pouring into Level Four—Blazing Hell.
But as they reached the level's threshold, Shun halted.
His eyes narrowed.
Dead bodies littered the ground.A thick, suffocating violet gas filled the air.
Shun recognized it instantly.
Poison.Magellan.
He withdrew without hesitation, stepping back into the cover of Level Three, keeping to the shadows.
Prisoners screamed and died by the dozens as the gas rolled over them like a suffocating wave.
Shun opened his system interface.
System Notification:Shop Accessed.Available Reputation Points: 33,500.
His eyes flicked over the options.
Might Guy was useless here.His body couldn't resist gas or contact poisons.He needed something... immune.
At first, his mind went to Hanzo, but dismissed it just as quickly.
Magellan's toxins invaded through the skin itself.Hanzo's respirator wouldn't be enough.
His fingers hovered over another name.
Sasori.
Puppet body.Immune to toxins.But the price...
50,000 Reputation Points.
Too high.
He scanned again.
Chiyo.30,000 Points.Less potent, but her puppetry skills were what he needed.Her ability to fight through mechanical proxies—safe, distant, immune to contact poisons.
Shun clenched his jaw.
A hard choice.
But necessary.
System Notification:Redeem Character Template: Chiyo?Cost: 30,000 Points.Remaining after Redemption: 3,500 Points.Confirm?
Yes.
System Notification:[Chiyo] synchronization template acquired.Possession Tokens applicable.Current Tokens Remaining: 6.
He closed the shop.
Footsteps echoed in the poisoned haze.
Shun's eyes sharpened.
Magellan.Descending.
The Warden's form emerged from the purple fog, towering, his body wrapped in lethal toxins, his very breath tainting the air.
Shun didn't speak.
Neither did Magellan.
This wasn't a conversation.
This was a killing ground.
And the clock was ticking.