Your Head's Held Too High

He turned the card over and saw a line of faint, barely visible text.

[The Hierophant Upright] Buff Card.

A Buff Card? Did that mean it could give someone a positive buff? Then there should be Debuff Cards too, which could give someone a debuff.

But what was the Hierophant's buff effect?

With the Hierophant Card's effect active, Su Wu spent half a day in District 12 and eventually reached a rough conclusion.

So far, he had identified three effects of the Hierophant. First: it enhanced his ability to persuade people with words.

He could verify this by the way the children and Sid believed whatever he said.

Second: it attracted little boys and earned their affection.

The boys in District 12 were looking at him with eyes full of adoration, which proved that.

It didn't seem to have any special effect on little girls.

Third: it made people feel compelled to offer him things.

Well, Sid had already run back to get the savings he called his hidden stash.

The children holding food and trying to offer it to him proved this effect too.

He hadn't discovered any other effects yet. Perhaps he wasn't using the card the right way.

But the Hierophant Card's second effect was to make little boys like him more? What kind of sick joke was that...

Looking at the second effect, Su Wu wore a blank expression, though his thoughts were in disarray.

And the third effect was practically designed to make people give away everything they owned.

Just look at these children, who had no money and might not even have enough to eat after leaving the Church, yet still wanted to give him the food they'd been saving.

As someone who'd received a good education and had a Schrödinger's moral compass, he felt—

This ability was really fun.

But Su Wu had no interest in the food the children had hidden away and couldn't bear to eat. He waved them off and looked at Sid, who was hurrying back.

The man held a battered wallet that had clearly seen plenty of use. With an eager air, he took out the cards inside.

"These are all my savings. Take them. You'll definitely need them." Sid tried to stuff everything into Su Wu's hands.

"And this, too. You can get a hundred million by using this Hunter License as collateral. You might need that as well..." He looked completely bewitched, as if he didn't even want to leave himself a pair of underpants.

That Hierophant Card... really was too wicked.

Su Wu put on a show of reproaching his own ability.

"You can keep your Hunter License. What's the PIN for your bank cards?" The white-haired, blue-eyed boy's wicked amusement was plain in his smile as he casually took Sid's bank card.

Sid actually had five bank cards. Who knew how much money was in them?

"The PINs are..." Sid obediently told him the PIN for every card.

"Mm-hmm. I'll take them, then." Su Wu nodded, then made a few solemn gestures with his hands. "May God bless you." He patted Sid on the chest and discreetly slipped the cards back into his clothes. Then he took the backpack Sid had prepared for him, dug up the things he'd buried beneath the church, and left Meteor City without hesitation.

He felt no attachment whatsoever to the place where he'd first spawned and spent several months.

Su Wu hadn't realized at first that the way out was in District 13 because the endless garbage heaps had been distracting him.

The Six Eyes kept analyzing all that trash. The sheer volume of information made him want to get away as quickly as possible.

Even now, as soon as he arrived in District 13, the Six Eyes began analyzing the garbage on their own. At least he'd become adept at stuffing paper into his nostrils to block the nosebleed before it started.

Following the garbage heaps out to the edge, he found only a low wall that wouldn't stop anyone from getting past it.

Meteor City was already far behind him.

The air gradually grew fresher, no longer carrying the faint, sour stench of decay.

[The host has left the starting point, Meteor City. Main quests are now available—

Quest 1: Find the Seven Great Beauties.

Quest 2: Explore the current world.]

[Current world exploration progress: 0.1%]

[Once the main quests are complete, you may travel again.]

The Seven Great Beauties?

The first three names that came to Su Wu's mind were Chrollo, Hisoka, and Illumi.

But he quickly shook his head. No, no, the Seven Great Beauties weren't people. They were things. But he only remembered the Kurta Clan's scarlet eyes; the other six had completely slipped his mind.

Looks like he'd have to get a Hunter License first. It would make both exploring the world and finding things easier.

A world exploration rate of 0.1% was pretty irritating. Was it because he'd only been wandering around Meteor City? Did this mean he had to travel the whole world?

What a pain.

Su Wu took out the other two cards he'd drawn earlier.

[The High Tower Reversed] Debuff Card.

[The Sun Upright] Buff Card.

There were no specific details about their effects on the back, but a line of numbers was counting down, reminding him that he'd better use the cards soon.

But he was curious about what would happen if he didn't use them.

Three minutes remained on the cards' countdown. He decided to wait and see.

Three minutes later—

A white-haired old man, frail with age yet brimming with energy, began walking with a blank expression.

Now he knew what happened if he didn't use the cards before the countdown ran out.

Both cards would be used on him.

He'd also learned part of the effects of the two cards.

[The High Tower Reversed] Effect 1: Aging.

[The Sun Upright] Effect 1: Increased energy.

Using the two cards together showed him what it meant for things to feel completely incongruous.

His body was old and his movements stiff, yet his energy seemed endless. It felt like wearing clothes that didn't fit, tight and uncomfortable everywhere.

Especially since he was still wearing the Hierophant's outfit. He looked even more like a proper old pope.

In this state, he didn't even want to use Cang to move at high speed. He hurried toward somewhere people lived instead.

The sensation of his soul and body being mismatched lasted for twenty-four hours.

The Hierophant's clothes were the first to disappear. A little while later, his body finally returned to normal.

His skin was smooth and firm, and he was still a beautiful, tender-looking boy of twelve or thirteen.

He touched his face and let out a long sigh of relief.

He was a little afraid of aging. At least for now, he wasn't mentally prepared to face growing old.

On top of that, he was afraid of marriage and having children. He could say that he hadn't escaped a single one of the things young people these days feared.

Of course, none of that stopped him from finding his abilities very interesting.

After all, he could use these cards on other people too. He'd try them on someone else next time.

Judging by when he'd drawn the cards, they seemed to have a time limit of half an hour. He had to use a card within that time, whether on himself or someone else. If he didn't use it on another person within half an hour, its effects would apply to him instead.

The card effects could also stack, but since every draw was random, their effects were far too unpredictable.

If he remembered right, there were seventy-eight Tarot Cards in total. Every random draw could produce a different combination of effects, and after drawing three cards, he'd have to wait twenty-four hours before drawing again.

It was an ability that felt very difficult to control.

Tarot Cards had always been associated with the laws of nature. They were also known as a treasury of nature's mysteries.

If so, then he'd call his Nen ability—

"Wheel of Law." He settled on a name for his ability.

"Now I can get moving." He perked up and finally used Cang to travel.

There was a small town called Gordo on the edge of the Gordo Desert. At first, it had been a marketplace where caravans traveling through the desert came to trade. Gradually, it had grown into a town with a permanent population.

The town wasn't large, but it had plenty of people. Caravans leading camels passed through regularly.

"I can't quite remember how the Hunter Exam goes." Su Wu walked along the stone-paved road, trying hard to recall the original story.

He only remembered the characters and a few locations. He'd forgotten most of the actual exam.

Though he hadn't even finished watching the anime.

"I think the Hunter Association hires ordinary people and even magical beasts to act as guides. To find the official exam site, you have to get in touch with a guide or something..." As he thought, he raised his head and looked around.

There were plenty of ordinary people, and plenty of camels, too. Magical beasts... he didn't see any.

He'd first appeared in Meteor City on January 8, 1997, and it was now December 25, 1997.

He had to reach the official Hunter Exam site by January 7, 1998, and register in person. He thought he had to sign a death waiver, too.

In 1998, he'd be taking the 286th Hunter Exam. Gon and Killua had taken the 287th in 1999, and he still remembered where that one was held. But he'd have to wait another year for it.

He wouldn't need a Hunter License a year from now anyway.

To him, a Hunter License was just a ticket that would let him travel and see the whole world.

Most of the people in town were adult men, each about six feet tall, armed with knives and guns. They all looked like gangsters or bandits.

Women and children were rare. Even the women were burly, with arms thicker than Su Wu's thighs and fierce expressions. Though coarse cloth covered them to protect them from the wind, sand, and blazing sun, the harsh environment had still left their skin rough and dark.

The children were all like little dark-skinned monkeys, and most of them stayed within the small patch of ground outside their own homes.

Fruit shops, weapon shops, antique shops, clothing shops, pubs, inns...

The places seemed quiet, but the Six Eyes detected gazes watching him from every direction.

Su Wu stood out in the town. He was like a soft, fluffy white lamb among a flock of black goats.

"Kids these days are getting into this sort of business now?" A few burly men gathered together and looked at the boy's skinny arms and legs, sneering.

"Look at that pale skin. Who knows what rich family's little darling he is? Probably dreaming of becoming a Hunter, too."

"Look at the tattoos on him. You think they're fake, meant to scare people?"

The burly men stood by an alley with their arms crossed, leaning against one another as they laughed and talked. They got louder and louder, not caring at all that the person they were talking about could hear them.

When Su Wu heard the words pale skin and tattoos, he turned to look at them.

So they'd been talking about him all along.

"What are you looking at, kid? Go home and drink more milk. Maybe you'll grow taller." When the burly men saw that the boy had noticed them, they weren't the least bit nervous. Instead, they casually mocked him even more.

They even took a few steps forward as a group to show off their power, closing in on the boy.

The men were between six foot three and six foot seven, tall enough to look down at Su Wu, who still had a boy's build. Their towering bodies surrounded him, blocking out the sun behind them and casting the small area into shadow.

A few people in a nearby caravan looked over, apparently wanting to stop things from getting worse.

Surrounded by the men, the boy's expression was cool. He merely lifted his eyelids and looked at them indifferently.

An invisible pressure descended along with the boy's gaze.

"Your heads are held too high," he said calmly.

This patch of ground seemed to separate completely from the bustling world around it. The sounds of the people nearby vanished, leaving only the sound of their own hearts pounding.

It was as if some great terror was about to appear.

A nameless sense of foreboding suddenly seized one of the men. Without thinking, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing..." The other men sounded annoyed, but before they could finish, they lost their chance.

Something irresistible had abruptly cut off their words.

All that followed were one agonizing scream after another.

"Swish—" "Aaaahhhhhh—"

The men who had been standing were split in two by invisible blades that seemed to fall from the sky. Their halves toppled in opposite directions. Their internal organs were sliced apart, and bloody chunks fell to the ground. The contents of their undigested meals spilled from their severed intestines, which stretched farther and farther as their upper halves crawled across the ground.

Those who hadn't died yet clutched the lower halves of their bodies, crying and trying to piece themselves back together.

Hearing the screams, the man crouched on the ground hadn't yet opened his tightly shut eyes. Only when warm liquid splashed onto him did he open them in terror. What he saw was a scene like something from the depths of hell.

He looked down at himself. His body was splattered with his companions' blood, bright red and scalding hot.

Though he was still alive, he might as well have been dead.

He stared in shock, then stiffly turned toward the culprit. The beautiful, slender boy glanced at him and curled his lips into a playful smile.

"You made the right choice."

He gazed up at the boy, his eyes filled with fear, and understood what he meant.

If he hadn't been fast enough to drop down and prostrate himself on the ground, he would now be one of those severed figures on the ground, wriggling like worms.

As he looked up at those blue eyes gazing down on them, a warm stream flowed between his legs, soaking his pants and the ground.

[Congratulations, host. Your compatibility with the character Sukuna has increased.]

[Current character compatibility: Gojo Satoru 20%, Ryomen Sukuna 20%]

Hearing the system's prompt, Su Wu's mood improved. He kindly decided to spare the lucky fellow who'd made the right choice.

He hadn't been deliberately trying to raise his compatibility by acting like Gojo Satoru or Ryomen Sukuna. He was a cosplayer, but that didn't mean he wanted to play someone else every moment of his life. The fact that the characters he cosplayed were all alternate versions made it clear that he just liked to have fun.

If he hadn't gotten an initial twenty percent compatibility bonus from looking like Gojo Satoru, his compatibility with Sukuna was clearly higher.

His nature leaned more toward Ryomen Sukuna.

"Hey, you over there! Want to join our caravan?" someone called loudly. Su Wu ignored him.

Only after the man called again.

"Hey, white-haired boy with the tattoos! Want to join our caravan?"

The clear reference made Su Wu look up at them.

A dark-skinned man in a white robe and white head wrap was waving at him enthusiastically. He wore a gold necklace around his neck and jeweled rings on both index fingers. The whole man glittered with gold and had the air of a wealthy man.

The rest of his group was dressed the same way.

They looked familiar—like the people from that country where everyone wore a piece of cloth on their head and was supposedly the richest in the world.

When the man saw that Su Wu was finally paying attention to them, the caravan leader grinned broadly, showing a row of white teeth.

"Kid, want to take a look at our job?"

Could this guy be a guide hired by the Hunter Association, like the captain of the ship Gon had boarded? Maybe he was an examiner, too.

Thinking this, Su Wu walked to the front of the caravan.

"A job?" He looked at a recruitment notice hanging from one of the camels.

The text above roughly meant—

[Guards wanted to escort a caravan through the Gordo Desert. Meals and lodging provided; pay negotiable.]

The white-haired, fair-skinned boy wore a simple sleeveless shirt and carried a white backpack. Mysterious, strange tattoos covered his face and arms. He half-lidded his blue eyes, which seemed capable of beguiling anyone, as if deep in thought.

The leader beside him waited quietly for him to decide.

After thinking for a moment, the boy asked, brimming with excitement:

"Can I ride a camel?"

Huh?

A hint of surprise showed on the leader's face, but he quickly nodded, delighted. "Of course! You can ride for as long as you want!"

"Then there's no problem. Let's go." Su Wu agreed briskly and urged him on without even asking how much it paid.

"Okay, everyone! We've got all the guards we need. Get your things together—we're getting ready to set out!" The leader turned and shouted toward a nearby spot.

At once, groups of adults emerged from the surrounding inns.

They carried all kinds of weapons: guns, bows and arrows, machetes, spiked clubs—you name it.

They all looked fearsome, one more vicious than the next.

Only Su Wu had a backpack and empty hands, like an elementary school student on a field trip.

PS: [This chapter combines two chapters.]

Known information so far--

Nen ability—[Wheel of Law]

Owner: Su Wu/Sil Devil

Rule 1: Each draw can randomly yield only three cards of different types.

Rule 2: A card must be used within half an hour of drawing it.

Rule 3: A draw can be made only once every twenty-four hours, and the card's effect also lasts for twenty-four hours.

Known cards can be used together. Other conditions have yet to be figured out.

PS: If you spot a problem, point it out in the comments. If your suggestion makes sense, I'll happily fix it.