Awakening

The night was black as ink, draped heavily over an unfamiliar city.

Gasp-

A young man suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. The biting cold, the hard concrete beneath him, and the dull ache at the back of his head left him deeply uncomfortable.

Hiss-

"Fuck, why does it hurt so much?!" the young man muttered irritably. He felt as though someone had clubbed him from behind.

He opened his eyes. His pupils froze for a moment, then he quickly scanned his surroundings.

He saw a strip of night sky squeezed narrow by towering buildings, along with peeling paint and bizarre graffiti on the walls to either side.

"Holy crap, where the hell did I end up?!" The young man was utterly bewildered. This wasn't his college dorm, nor was it anywhere he recognized.

He pushed himself to his feet and looked around.

It was a dark, damp alley. The air reeked of rotting garbage mixed with evaporated urine, which was another reason he didn't want to stay on the ground.

He leaned against the cold wall and tapped his head, trying to dredge up memories he knew nothing about.

It worked. His brain suddenly felt as though a needle had stabbed into it, and a jumble of fragmented memories that weren't his surged to the surface.

The owner of this body was also named Odin, an orphan who had just turned eighteen. He'd had it worse than Odin had in his previous life, when he'd at least belonged to a family of three with both parents alive.

He had been kicked out of the orphanage after graduating from high school that year. Penniless, he'd come to this unfamiliar city alone to look for work.

Then, lacking experience, he'd been tricked, dragged into this dark corner, and robbed. He'd also taken a heavy blow to the back of his head.

As Odin reflected on this, he suddenly found some information in those new memories that left him stunned.

Every memory pointed to the same thing: this was the world of an anime he had watched in his previous life, the world called Hunter x Hunter!!

"Well, shit. I'm screwed." Odin could only grumble.

This was no cozy fairy-tale world.

This was the Hunter world, a place filled with supernatural powers, dark rules, and deadly dangers.

Never mind the bizarre Nen Abilities of Nen users, powers that could move mountains and overturn seas and were impossible to guard against.

There was also an infamous family of assassins, countless magical beasts eyeing humanity, and Chimera Ants that devoured humans. Even the Dark Continent might invade.

In a world like this, facing dangers like these, he was nothing but a helpless orphan at the bottom of society who didn't even know where he would sleep tonight.

How could he deal with any of it? It seemed he would only stand a chance if he became a Nen user himself!

"What a ridiculous start!" Odin laughed in exasperation.

After mentally bracing himself, Odin sighed. Things had already come to this. Complaining wouldn't help.

Supporting himself against the wall, he took a somewhat unsteady step forward, intending to leave the alley.

For now, he needed to figure out how to stay alive.

Tonight, he had to find somewhere that would shelter him from the wind and rain, then get something to eat.

He had searched himself from head to toe and found not a single coin. Without money, getting anywhere was difficult in any world.

"Huh?!"

As Odin took that step, he discovered that everything around him had changed dramatically in his eyes.

The world had slowed down.

No, the world hadn't slowed down. His perception and the speed of his thoughts had risen to an unbelievable level.

Odin raised his head in surprise. Outside the alley stood an old streetlight that kept flickering because of a faulty connection, and now he could clearly distinguish every flicker.

He could even see the tungsten filament inside the bulb, watching each time it dimmed and glowed hot again.

The once-indistinct sounds of car engines on the distant street now broke down into individual notes. He could even judge the direction and approximate distance of their sources.

Shifting his gaze slightly, Odin watched the tiny specks of dust floating in the air. In the faint light spilling through the alley entrance, he could clearly trace their slow descent.

In disbelief, Odin raised his hand in front of his eyes.

It hadn't changed. His fingers were slender, but they were still pale.

There was still a little dirt beneath his nails, clearly left over from this body's earlier struggle to survive.

Now, as Odin watched, he could even make out the fine hairs on his arm gently swaying.

"What... is this?"

Odin wasn't sure what it was, because he knew many things could produce this effect.

He quickly walked over to a nearby puddle, where Odin saw a symbol flash across his pupils in the reflection.

"The Rabbit Talisman!" Odin was overjoyed. With the Rabbit Talisman, he now had the means to survive in this world, and his sense of danger vanished.

This was the Rabbit Talisman from Jackie Chan Adventures, the magical power that represented super speed!

But how had it ended up inside him?

Was it a bonus that came with transmigration?

Odin's thoughts raced, but this wasn't the time to investigate.

He tried walking slowly through the alley.

From Odin's perspective, he was simply walking.

But anyone who saw what was happening in the alley would have been frightened.

A figure raced back and forth through the alley like a ghost.

After a dozen or so seconds, Odin stopped.

"Huff, huff... I'm exhausted. Why am I so tired?!" Odin panted, bracing a hand against the wall as he tried to recover.

He understood now. His speed really had increased, but his thoughts and perception had sped up too, making it seem as though nothing had changed.

He turned around and leaned his back against the cold wall, looking out beyond the alley entrance.

The colors of neon lights glimmered ahead, while the faint sounds of traffic and voices sketched the outline of a bustling yet unfamiliar world for Odin.

Odin grinned. He hadn't earned any money yet, but his mindset had already changed.

After waiting a while and recovering some of his strength, Odin got moving.

While testing the Rabbit Talisman earlier, he had figured out how to switch it on and off, so it wouldn't speed him up when he didn't need it.

But that was all. He could turn the Rabbit Talisman on and off, yet he couldn't adjust how much it accelerated him.

Right now, he needed money, food, and a safe place to stay.

Only then would he have time to understand the Rabbit Talisman and learn to control its acceleration.

In this city, Heavens Arena was one of the most direct ways he could think of to get money quickly.

The other option was to rob the rich and help the poor: rob the wealthy underground Mafia and help his own penniless self.

But that would have to wait until after tonight.

For now, he needed to find a temporary place to sleep and fill his growling stomach.

Without hesitation, Odin left the dark alley that stank of piss.

Standing on the street, he watched the occasional passersby and the various brazen stares directed his way.

The next second, Odin's pupils contracted, and then he broke into a grin.

He had spotted this body's enemies. They were actually drinking and eating snacks at a nearby food stall?