In scenes outside of combat, the game inventory is an excellent auxiliary ability, with zero weight and zero volume, completely eliminating concerns about supplies.
As the amount of items picked up increased, to solve the problem of the inventory's preservation fees becoming a deficit, I repeatedly streamlined the items in the game inventory, keeping the preservation fees within an affordable range.
Based on experiments conducted so far, the cost of preservation fees depends on how easily an item can be preserved at normal room temperature. Items that spoil or change their original state more easily over time incur higher preservation fees, such as fruits, raw meat, ice cream, and various freshly cooked dishes.
In addition to reducing items with high preservation fees in the game inventory, I placed items with no practical value in a separate "Collectibles" section, keeping only one of each item solely as a collectible to satisfy my hoarding tendencies. This way, I wouldn't need to specially remember corresponding inventory slots, reducing the memory burden when retrieving items from the game inventory and improving the speed of item retrieval.
The few training locations that required my on-site investigation were all remote mountain wildernesses that I specifically chose to be uninhabited, and I avoided areas rumored to have ruins.
According to common understanding in fan circles, one of the Phantom Troupe leader Chrollo Lucilfer's hobbies is grave robbing. I really didn't want to encounter the Phantom Troupe, and it's best to steer clear of such heinous criminal organizations.
Although Jin Freecss, a top-tier character in the original work, also enjoyed researching ruins, and in many fanfictions, the protagonist's leveling path often involved his guidance or personal teaching, he wasn't the type of character to offer help casually.
He was always absent from the Hunter Association's Twelve Zodiac meetings, and after entrusting his own son to Mito, he paid little attention for many years. He was a very self-centered, freedom-loving individual who prioritized his own interests and disliked trouble.
At least, he wouldn't be interested in guiding someone like me who lacked any special traits. I had no need to risk encountering the Phantom Troupe to pursue a profound character who would be of no use to me.
To stay in the deep mountains and wilderness for an extended period, one must first prepare sufficient supplies. I scoured countless supermarkets and convenience stores along the way, greatly enriching the "Daily Necessities" section of my game inventory. A quantity of 999 for consumables was a basic operation. With these supplies, living in the wild for a year or a half was entirely possible.
The number of underwear, towels, and bath towels reached 999, allowing them to be treated as disposable items. I didn't need to wash them daily or dry them; I could simply discard them after use or temporarily pick them up into the game inventory, saving a lot of trivial life matters. Having money is truly wonderful!
For food, I chose compressed biscuits and dehydrated vegetables, which had low preservation fees, and bought 999 of each. I didn't buy any snacks, as I was going to focus on training, not camping. The mindset had to start with a disciplined diet.
The areas near my chosen training grounds all had water sources, but the preservation cost of water was not low, so I only bought 10 barrels of drinking water.
For long-term survival in the wild, washing long hair was also a hassle.
This meticulously cared-for long hair was of excellent quality and length. If I had it cut short at a salon, wouldn't the cut hair be recycled for wig materials? That wouldn't do! I didn't want others to use it!
Fortunately, in my "real world," to save money on haircuts, I learned to trim my own hair. The results were mediocre but passable. So, I cut my hair into a short, ear-length style myself and burned the cut hair.
The smell of burning protein was very familiar, just like in the "real world."
It felt like a significant burden was lifted from my neck. Even though hair has little weight, after cutting it, it felt like a release of burden.
With supplies, mindset, and on-site considerations ensuring all foreseeable conditions, I finally chose a place with a waterfall for both physical and spiritual cultivation.
Waterfall training has appeared in many works and is a very classic method of training.
Waterfall training, which involves meditating under a waterfall, allows one to experience the extreme sensation of gravitational potential energy from falling from a height. On the other hand, it also aligns with religious ritual requirements for purification and atonement. Besides improving one's focus and endurance, the intense impact of the waterfall's water flow can help one cast aside distracting thoughts and achieve the unity of spirit and body. Furthermore, one can also sense integration with nature, contemplate the connections between all things, and thus achieve the state of "unity of heaven and man"—this is how it's described on this world's internet, similar to the "real world."
Receiving the baptism of the waterfall, washing away the impurities of daily life, and bringing spiritual gratitude—this method is similar to Netero's daily training of ten thousand "Gratitude Punches" in the original work. I believe it should be effective, at least on a mental level. Mental state has quite a significant impact on "Nen." For someone like me, who cannot escape the traces of the "real world" and is prone to mental restlessness, cultivating a mind free of distractions is very necessary.
One of Nen's application techniques, "Ren," feels like wearing a spacesuit when used. It maintains the temperature around the skin, making one not afraid of heat in summer or cold in winter, regardless of how many clothes are worn. Some people choose to wear fur coats year-round, while others opt for hot pants and black net crop tops, all according to personal preference.
Oh, I mean, with "Ren," I don't have to worry about catching a cold meditating under the waterfall.
Apart from meditation, the basic Nen training proceeds as usual, similar to what was described in the original work, so I won't elaborate further.
Back in the day, a certain Saint Cloth warrior cultivated the ultimate technique, the "Rising Dragon," at the Lushan Waterfall, capable of making the Lushan Waterfall, which plummeted three thousand feet, flow upstream with a single punch.
Unfortunately, this move would likely belong to the Enhancement category in this world and wouldn't suit me, a Specialist.
Alas, I wish I had a finishing move too! The game inventory is purely an auxiliary ability, so I can't rely on it.
I can only diligently practice the fundamentals of "Nen" and enhance my base character stats to barely get by.
Melos, you have to believe that when you level your character to the maximum and your character panel is sufficiently high, even basic attacks can become effective offensive measures.
To escape restlessness, I started by slowing down my pace of life. I worked when the sun rose and rested when it set. When the sun went down, my day's training ended.
I removed the wet dress from my waterfall training, retrieved the bath towel, dried my hair and body, put on clean clothes, then wiped my left foot first, put on my left shoe, then wiped my right foot, put on my right shoe, and stepped onto the bank in a refreshed and dry state.
I had already lost one eagle and didn't want to lose a second. I usually kept New Orleans in the game inventory. I would take him out every morning and before sleeping, letting him stretch his wings a bit, and he could also keep me company and drive away loneliness.
Animals are different from humans; they don't have so many complicated thoughts, so I can be very relaxed when interacting with them.
If there were a favorability system, my favorability towards New Orleans would definitely be higher than towards Killua.
Hmm, favorability towards Killua is 40, and towards New Orleans is 50, something like that?
What about my favorability towards Silva?
10, that seems a bit low.
20, too much.
Taking the middle ground, let's say 15.
Taking a bite of a compressed biscuit, I picked up New Orleans and stroked his smooth feathers, and then I thought about my favorability towards Kikyo. Rounding up, it's probably 10?
What am I thinking?! An RPG game should be about the NPC's favorability towards the player, not the player's favorability towards the NPC. I got it backward!! But I don't know the NPC's specific favorability towards me! Can't I just look at it in reverse myself?!
Looking at the water surface from the bank, my short, ear-length hair in the reflection is also very cute! Of course, being good-looking means any hairstyle suits me!
Melos in the reflection reminded me that today is the 52nd day of my training here.
"They might have forgotten you already."
She smiled at me mischievously.
"It's good they're not coming," I replied with my lips. "This is a long and arduous training, and it allows me to calm down. I don't want anyone to disturb me."
My willpower and concentration are insufficient.
A comfortable and leisurely environment can make me lazy and complacent, just like the daily electric shocks before sleep. Only ascetic practices, akin to self-punishment, can temper my mind, make me feel fulfilled, and eliminate anxiety.
This feeling has made me addicted. Let alone a year or a half, even ten or eight years before I emerge from seclusion seems fine.
Asceticism, endure!
I will work hard in silence, then amaze everyone!
The daydream is over, the biscuits are eaten, it's time to sleep. I picked up New Orleans into the game inventory. I'll dig a hole to sleep in, like Illumi in the original work. It's safe, and anyway, the waterfall training during the day washes my whole body, so I don't worry about being covered in mud.
Day 99.
I like the number 9. There is no true perfection in the world; 9 is the closest number to perfection.
Sensing a gaze is a mysterious thing.
The approaching person hides their aura using "Zetsu," but the observing gaze is difficult to conceal.
It's probably like a professional's sixth sense. With time, one can instinctively perceive others' gazes upon oneself, including the feeling of being monitored by electronic devices.
Just as Illumi in the original work could sense when he was being targeted by a sniper, and Zizgoll could sense when he was being spied upon, Killua's ability to sense Chimera Ants nearby was almost as effective as "Gyo." Anyway, it's a very bizarre feeling, like unseen tentacles sticking to the skin, bringing a sticky, uncomfortable sensation. Now I've become more sensitive to cameras as well.
Is the person friendly or an enemy? No matter who it is, I don't want to be disturbed.
Not wanting to expose my game inventory ability, as I got up from under the waterfall, I casually picked up a pebble from the water and held it in my hand as I walked towards the bank.
As my feet touched the grass on the bank, the approaching person abandoned their hidden stance and emerged from behind the trees.
"It's me," he said, raising his right hand to greet me. "Long time no see, Sister. Your hair is shorter."
Illumi, the Zoldyck's junior sales representative and primary tool, a veritable brick moved wherever needed. It was entirely expected that the Zoldycks would send him to find stray cats and dogs.
The first few days after running away from home, I wanted to be found; that period of lingering has passed. Now, I hope they don't disturb me.
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I tossed the pebble back into the water, pondering how I was found, and...
"Pregnant?" Illumi tilted his head. "A sister or something."
"..." Is that something a person would say?!
Escape immediately or defeat Illumi? Which one to choose?
"Even Milluki has gone bad and ran away from home," Illumi said with a troubled tone. "This won't do. As an older sister, you should set a good example for your younger brothers, right?"
"..." Even a shut-in chose to run away from home. Just how terrifying must Kikyo's methods be to make Milluki lose weight.
"But it's okay," Illumi stopped about two meters away from me and extended his hand. "Mother is no longer angry with you, Sister. You won't be punished upon returning, but the 'sister' might need to be dealt with. You understand, right? The Zoldycks cannot keep anything of unknown origin."
"..." What are you imagining on your own?!
Faced with a multiple-choice question, it's still better to choose the second option.
"You've got one thing wrong, Illumi," I replied with lip-sync. "Not 'sister,' but dragon and phoenix twins, both a sister and a brother."
"Eh—impressive," Illumi said with slight surprise. "With whom?"
Without answering his question, I turned my hand into a claw and lunged at him.