Su Wu slept from noon on the twenty-eighth until the morning of the twenty-ninth, when the sound of the room-service attendant knocking to deliver breakfast woke him.
Still not fully awake, he opened the door barefoot and bare-chested, yawning as he did.
"Excuse me. Your breakfast service." The attendant's eyes flicked over the black markings on the boy's chest and abdomen. He quickly lowered his head, wheeled the cart into the room, and quietly left.
The exquisite, lavish breakfast more than lived up to the hefty room deposit he'd left at the front desk yesterday.
The luxurious bed had been comfortable to sleep in, too. He wasn't picky, but his time in Meteor City had nearly made him forget how comfortable his old life had been.
"Ah... I'm just in time for breakfast." After washing up, he sat by the bed and enjoyed his meal. Then he rinsed his mouth again and got dressed.
A train ticket lay beneath the tray on the dining table. He'd asked the front desk to reserve it for him yesterday.
The ticket had been paid for out of his room deposit, too.
That was why he'd chosen a luxury hotel: good service and no hassle.
His gaze rested on the ticket for a moment before he looked away and turned on the TV in his room.
"...The train leaves this afternoon. There's still plenty of time."
He might as well watch the news on Hunter World's television channels.
"...The body of the one hundred and thirty-second woman murdered by serial killer Kleiber Fal in the Kallio Republic has been found. Kleiber remains at large, and the bounty on him has risen to one hundred million Geni..."
"The bombing in the Sigrudo Republic has been confirmed as the work of the Class A criminal organization Flock of Crows..."
"The 286th Hunter Exam is about to begin. Viewers hoping to become Hunters, don't miss it..."
Cases from across the continents that the public was allowed to know about appeared on the news. They even cut away to commercials, such as announcements about the Hunter Exam.
He wondered if the Hunter Association had paid for the spot.
The white-haired boy watched for a while, then lay back down. Listening to the news playing on the TV, he drifted off to sleep again.
When he woke up once more, he quickly packed his things, ate lunch, and left the hotel with his bag on his back.
Of course, before leaving, he'd tried his Nen ability—Wheel of Law—once more, hoping to figure out what the different cards did.
He'd drawn three cards whose effects were still unknown.
[The Emperor Upright] Buff Card
[Reverse Wheel of Fate] Debuff Card
[The World Upright] Buff Card
He used the Emperor and the World buff cards on himself right away, and in an instant, his appearance changed—he suddenly had a crown, a cloak, and a scepter.
The Emperor was a card that came with a wardrobe change, just like the Hierophant.
The World's effect, however, seemed to have somehow increased the energy within his body.
Dressed in such extravagantly ostentatious clothes, he followed directions to the station and finally boarded the train to Banato Port.
The station was well-equipped and looked fairly new. It was also packed with passengers.
"Let's see. My seat's here." He walked along, checking the numbers until he found his seat. He sat down casually, glanced at the small, uncomfortable seat beneath him, then looked at the noisy passengers chattering all around. With a silent sigh, he simply closed his eyes, deciding that if he couldn't see them, they couldn't bother him.
He should've told the front desk to book him a luxury carriage, even if it cost extra.
The life energy of everyone around him was within the range of ordinary people. No one stood out.
There were, however, several people in the luxury carriage up ahead whose life energy was considerably greater than an ordinary person's.
The unused Wheel of Fate began its final three-minute countdown. Su Wu casually tossed it onto an ordinary-looking man nearby, folded his arms, and waited leisurely to see what the card would do.
Five men sitting to Su Wu's left seemed to be a small group. Even on the train, they acted as casually as if they were at home or in a private venue. Holding alcoholic drinks, they laughed, clinked glasses, and chatted about all kinds of things.
From whose wife they'd slept with and which hot-tempered beauty they'd forced themselves on, to shady ways of making money.
Amid the laughter, one of the men suddenly noticed the white-haired boy sitting not far away.
The boy's outfit was flamboyant, and strange, ominous black markings covered his face. He'd attracted everyone's attention as soon as he boarded. Now those large, bright, azure-blue eyes were quietly watching them.
Or rather, they were watching one of the men in particular.
"Hey, that weird kid's staring at you." He forced a stiff smile as he warned the man beside him. Even the hand holding his drink had gone stiff. For some reason, under that gaze, he could no longer laugh and joke naturally.
The boy's eyes were beautiful and serene, yet cold, even indifferent. Still, they gave off an imposing air that made anyone think twice about acting up.
"Huh? Weird kid? Staring at me?" The man looked puzzled. He couldn't connect those words, so he turned around to see this so-called weird kid.
But as soon as he turned, he collided with something hard, and scalding liquid poured over his head.
"Ah!" The attendant, whose teapot had been knocked over when the passenger suddenly turned, screamed.
"It's hot, it's hot!" The man who'd been doused with hot water jumped to his feet and rushed toward the restroom.
His mind was focused entirely on cooling the burn with cold water.
He'd barely run three meters when he stepped on a banana peel a child had tossed on the floor. He slipped and flew several meters, crashing into the carriage door.
"...Pfft..." Su Wu laughed with relish as he watched the man's whole string of misfortunes.
So that was what the Reverse Wheel of Fate did: it brought bad luck.
Then the upright Wheel of Fate should bring good luck.
But misfortune came in many forms, and so did good fortune.
Bad luck and good luck were both hard to pin down. Their effects would vary depending on when the card was used.
Maybe this was the most unpredictable card of them all.
"What are you laughing at? Are you making fun of us, brother?" Hearing the commotion, the unlucky man's friends hurried over to help him up, then shouted at the white-haired boy who'd laughed.
The young men were strong and looked vicious. The other passengers didn't dare get involved.
People living in this world knew all too well what could happen if you got involved in a dangerous situation.
"And then?" The white-haired boy's smile was faint, his bearing haughty and superior.
"What are you going to do?" he asked, sounding almost expectant, as if he wanted to see what the ants would do next. He showed not the slightest fear or concern.
"You brat..." The men were all so angered by the boy's dismissive attitude that they clenched their fists.
"Silence." Su Wu turned the Emperor's scepter in his hand and suddenly spoke, as if struck by inspiration.
In an instant, the entire carriage fell silent. Everyone shut their mouths.
"Kneel." He looked at the men and spoke carelessly, as if testing something. The scepter in his hand lightly touched the floor.
If he wasn't mistaken, the Emperor card's ability should be able to...
The men looked horrified as they discovered that neither their bodies nor their mouths were under their control. Their knees bent involuntarily, their bones cracked, and they fell heavily to their knees in front of the boy.
Ah, so it really could make people obey his commands to the letter.
"Interesting." Su Wu held the Emperor and the World cards between his fingers and smiled with keen interest.
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