Hunter of Marvel - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Hide and Seek

The silence in the ruined paper mill was absolute, broken only by the ragged, heavy breathing of two exhausted teenagers.

Veer stood amidst the pulverized concrete and twisted rebar, his muscles trembling on the very edge of catastrophic failure. His 22,000 AP pool was practically running on fumes, his ‘Ren’ having violently drained his reserves to keep pace with Gwen’s monstrous, genetically altered physiology. Even his fatigue reached around 64%. He was battered. His ribs throbbed from where Gwen had launched him into a brick pillar, and a thin trail of blood trickled from a split in his lower lip.

Gwen was in no better shape. She stood a few yards away, her hands on her knees, her athletic wear coated in red brick dust. Her cheekbone was swelling rapidly, blossoming into a dark, angry purple, and a cut above her eyebrow was weeping blood into her blonde hairline.

But she had yielded. The sparring session was over.

Before Veer could even draw a full breath to respond, his reality fractured into a cascading waterfall of translucent blue screens.

—

[Quest Completed]

[Calculating Effort…]

[Reward: 1,680 EXP]

[Target Surrendered. Bonus Condition Met.]

[Bonus Reward: 3,200 EXP]

[EXP Threshold Exceeded. Leveling Up…]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

—

The chimes were deafening, a staccato rhythm of digital bells echoing in his mind as the notifications stacked on top of each other. The sheer volume of experience points—4,880 in total—shattered his progression ceiling. The System’s exponential curve, which had been starving him for weeks, suddenly broke wide open under the weight of the massive PvP bonus.

And then, the physical restoration hit.

It was a sensation unlike anything Veer had ever experienced. When he leveled up in the park after hours of grinding, the restoration was a subtle wave of relief, clearing the lactic acid from his limbs. This, however, was a violent, instantaneous reconstruction.

A surge of warm, golden energy flooded his vascular system. The throbbing agony in his ribs vanished in a fraction of a second. The split in his lip knit itself together seamlessly, leaving behind smooth, unblemished skin. His depleted Aura pool roared back to life, filling his core with a dense, crackling pressure. The crushing fatigue in his muscles evaporated, replaced by a hyper-kinetic vibrancy that made him feel as if he could sprint to the other side of the borough without drawing a single breath.

Across the cracked concrete, Gwen suddenly gasped, stumbling backward as if she had been physically shoved.

Her Spider-Sense was screaming.

To Gwen, Veer hadn’t just caught his breath. In the span of three seconds, the localized threat level radiating from his body had multiplied exponentially. Her biological warning system, which had previously registered him as a highly dangerous equal, was now blaring like an air raid siren, identifying the boy standing in front of her as a catastrophic, apex predator.

“What… what just happened?” Gwen stammered, her blue eyes wide, her hands instinctively raising into a defensive posture. “Your presence. It just spiked. You feel… terrifying.”

Veer didn’t answer immediately. He was staring at the final summary screen hanging in his vision.

He had jumped from Level 19 straight to Level 32.

Thirteen levels in a single, prolonged engagement. It was a staggering leap, a testament to the sheer, mathematical value of fighting an opponent whose base stats vastly outstripped his own. But the most crucial reward wasn’t the level number itself. It was the currency it provided.

[Unallocated Stat Points: 65]

Veer’s analytical mind engaged instantly. The sparring match with Gwen had been a harsh, necessary education. She had proven that in high-tier physical combat, raw kinetic output and sensory processing were king. Her Spider-Sense—her localized precognition—had allowed her to effortlessly dodge his ‘Silent Gait’ strikes when his stats were balanced. To truly contend with superhuman anomalies in this universe, he needed to heavily specialize. He couldn’t afford to be a jack-of-all-trades.

He accessed his stat allocation menu.

He dumped 20 points directly into Strength. He placed another 20 points into Dexterity. Finally, he dumped the remaining 25 points into Perception. He needed his sensory input, his reaction time, and his spatial awareness to operate on a microscopic level to counter anything resembling Gwen’s precognition.

He confirmed the distribution.

The physical adaptation was agonizing but brief. His bones felt as though they were vibrating at a microscopic frequency, growing denser, heavier. His muscles didn’t expand outward into grotesque bulk; instead, they tightened, the fibers weaving together like braided steel cable. The world snapped into terrifying clarity. The dust motes floating in the morning light slowed down, his eyes tracking their chaotic, swirling paths with absolute ease.

He dismissed the allocation screen and opened his full panel.

—

Name: Veer Pratap Singh

Level: 32 (488/561)

Affinity: Specialisation

…

HP: 350/350 [Recover 0.2% per minute]

AP: 35,000/35,000 [Recover 0.2% per minute]

Fatigue: 0%

…

STR: 34

DEX: 39

VIT: 20

INT: 23

PER: 46

…

Skill: Ten Lv3(36%), Zetsu Lv3(9%), Ren Lv2(79%), Gyo Lv1(79%), Silent Gait Lv2(65%), En Lv1(35%), In Lv1(96%), Shu Lv1(34%), Ken Lv2(65%), Ko Lv1(34%), Ryu Lv2(32%)

…

[Quest]

[Inventory]

—

He scanned the skill list. His aggressive use of advanced aura techniques during the fight had yielded solid proficiency gains across the board, but only ‘Ryu’ had actually crossed a threshold, ticking up to Level 2. It was acceptable. His raw stats were now the primary weapon.

“Are you going to answer me?” Gwen’s voice broke through his concentration.

Veer blinked, dismissing the blue interface, and focused on her. Gwen was staring at his face, her jaw slightly slack. She took a step closer, pointing a shaking finger at his mouth.

“Your lip was bleeding,” she said, her voice rising in pitch. “I literally punched you in the mouth five minutes ago. You were bruised. You were sweating. And now… you look like you just woke up from a ten-hour nap. How did you heal?!”

Veer offered a small, infuriatingly smug smile. “I told you. My powers operate on the logic of a video game. Have you ever seen a game character carry lingering injuries after a level up? Their HP decreases when they take damage. But as soon as that HP pool is restored or expands, the physical vessel recovers instantly.”

Gwen stared at him, the sheer injustice of the situation washing over her. She touched her swollen, throbbing cheekbone and winced sharply. “That is cheating,” she declared loudly, her voice echoing off the rusted metal walls of the mill. “That is absolute, literal cheating! We both fought! We both got hurt! Why do you get a magic reset button and I have to look like I got hit by a bus?”

Veer let out a dry chuckle, walking over to where he had dropped his backpack. “Calm down,” he said, picking up his towel. “You are a genetically modified anomaly. You have an accelerated cellular regeneration rate now. You aren’t going to heal in three seconds, but one night of sleep is going to be enough for your body to metabolize the trauma and repair the tissue. By tomorrow morning, that bruise won’t even exist.”

Gwen crossed her arms, still glaring at him, though some of the tension had left her shoulders. “It’s still cheating.”

Veer ignored the complaint. His mind was already moving to the next objective. The 4,800 EXP yield was intoxicating. If he could replicate that, he could push his stats into the stratosphere before his flight to the Middle East.

He focused his intent, calling upon the System to generate another sparring Quest against Gwen.

The interface flickered into existence.

—

[System Notification: New Quest Generated]

Objective: Engage in a sparring match with the Anomaly (Gwen Stacy).
Time Limit: 1 Hour.
Reward: EXP will be dynamically calculated based on combat effort.

—

Veer stared at the text, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

The System was ruthless in its balance. The bonus payout had been a one-time exploit, a reward for punching vastly above his weight class. Now that he had matched Gwen’s level, the System viewed her as an equal. Sparring her again would yield standard, grinding experience. It was depressing, but entirely logical.

He dismissed the screen, mentally calculating his new combat standing.

Even with his new, heavily bolstered stats, his baseline physical strength (STR 34) was still lower than Gwen’s raw, un-enhanced spider strength. If they arm-wrestled right now, she would still pin his hand to the concrete. However, that was only his baseline.

If he activated ‘Ren’, doubling his physical attributes, his functional Strength would spike to 68. He would finally out-muscle her. More importantly, doubling his new Dexterity (39) to 78 would make his movement speed utterly incomprehensible to the human eye. When combined with the sensory processing of his Perception (46) sitting at a doubled 92 under ‘Ren’, he would be an absolute nightmare in close-quarters combat. Gwen’s Spider-Sense might warn her the punch was coming, but her body simply wouldn’t be fast enough to get out of the way.

He was finally a powerhouse.

But the System wasn’t finished with him. A golden, pulsating icon appeared in the top corner of his vision.

—

[Milestone Reached: Level 20 Surpassed]

[Nen Affinity Confirmed: Specialisation]

[Action Required: Host may now Choose or Create a primary Hatsu ability.]

—

Veer’s heart beat a slow, steady rhythm. This was the moment. This was the tool he had been waiting for to make the ‘Iron Genesis’ Quest viable.

He didn’t need to invent something from scratch. He had spent the last month running permutations, analyzing the vast database of ‘Hunter x Hunter’ abilities for the perfect tactical asset. He didn’t need a destructive Hatsu—his bare hands, augmented by ‘Ren’ and ‘Ko’, were destructive enough. He needed utility. He needed infiltration. He needed the ultimate logistical advantage.

He mentally selected his choice from the System’s archives.

‘Hide and Seek.’

The signature ability of Knov, the elite Hunter. It was an Emitter and Conjuration class ability, perfectly accessible through his Specialisation affinity.

By simply placing his hand on any flat surface—a wall, a floor, a door—and drawing a circular Nen symbol, Veer could generate an invisible, undetectable portal. That portal linked directly into an artificial, pocket Nen dimension.

In the canon of the anime, Knov’s dimension was a sprawling, four-level mansion containing twenty-one completely separate rooms of varying sizes, with a maximum of thirty-two entry points. The portals were absolute; they could not be detected by normal vision, technology, or even advanced Nen sensory techniques like ‘En’. During the Chimera Ant arc, Knov had effortlessly bypassed the most terrifying security network on the planet, planting portals directly inside the Royal Palace without a single guard noticing.

It was the ultimate infiltration tool. It bypassed borders, locked doors, and military perimeters. Furthermore, it served as a flawless defensive panic room. He could step through a portal, pull his equipment or allies inside, and vanish from reality. He could even use it offensively, dropping an imperceptible portal beneath an enemy’s feet and trapping them inside an isolated, windowless room within the dimension indefinitely.

A new screen populated with the parameters of his choice.

—

[Hatsu Selected: Hide and Seek]

Type: Specialisation (Emitter/Conjurer properties)
Current Level: 1
Capacity: Due to the Host’s current proficiency, the pocket dimension is currently restricted to a single, secure Level 1 room (10×10 meters).
Portals: Host may maintain a maximum of two active entrance/exit portals simultaneously.

—

Veer nodded slowly. It was exactly as he expected. According to the System’s rigid progression logic, Knov’s mastery of the ability in the anime was representative of a Level 3 Hatsu. Veer wouldn’t get the sprawling, four-story mansion with thirty-two rooms right out of the gate. He was starting at the bottom.

But a 10×10 meter secure pocket dimension was more than enough.

It meant he could stockpile weapons, medical supplies, and rations perfectly safely. It meant he didn’t have to carry a massive, suspicious duffel bag through international airports. He could walk into a heavily guarded Ten Rings camp in Afghanistan completely unarmed, find a quiet wall, draw a circle, and pull an assault rifle directly out of the ether.

And more importantly, the scaling potential was terrifying. Once his ‘Hide and Seek’ ability leveled up past Level 3, surpassing Knov’s original framework, the versatility would be unparalleled. It would essentially function like Minato Namikaze’s Flying Thunder God jutsu from ‘Naruto’—instantaneous, undetectable spatial displacement.

The bigger the ability, the harsher the restrictions the System placed on it. A purely destructive ability like Netero’s Bodhisattva would drain his AP dry in seconds. ‘Hide and Seek’ was subtle. It was quiet. It was perfect.

“Are you zoning out on me again?”

Veer blinked, the golden interface fading from his vision. Gwen was standing a few feet away, her arms crossed, looking at him with a mixture of annoyance and genuine exhaustion.

“I was finalizing my progression,” Veer said smoothly. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Gwen let out a hiss of pain as she tried to stretch her shoulders. She reached up, gently touching the deep purple bruise radiating across her cheekbone. “Well, your progression is great. Meanwhile, I look like I just got jumped by a street gang.” She looked down at her dusty, torn athletic wear and sighed heavily. “I can’t go home like this.”

Veer paused, his tactical mind instantly seeing the problem. “Captain Stacy.”

“Yeah,” Gwen said, a grimace twisting her features. “My dad is the Captain of the NYPD. If I walk through the front door with a black eye, a busted lip, and bruised ribs, he isn’t going to ask nicely what happened. He’s going to lock down the borough. And if he finds out I was hanging out with you… he’s going to arrest you just on principle.”

Veer ran a hand through his dark hair, feeling a rare spike of logistical annoyance. She was absolutely right. George Stacy was a highly protective, influential cop. If Gwen showed up battered, the resulting police investigation would completely shatter Veer’s carefully constructed low-profile cover. He couldn’t afford NYPD detectives knocking on his apartment door before his scheduled flight to the Middle East.

“You’re skipping school,” Veer stated, rather than asked.

“Obviously,” Gwen said, rolling her eyes. “I can’t let teacher see me like this either. They’ll freak out.” She looked at Veer, a stubborn, demanding light in her eyes. “I need a place to crash until this accelerated healing you promised me kicks in. A place where my dad won’t look.”

Veer let out another long, heavy sigh. He was rapidly losing control of his perfectly isolated environment. But the risk of Captain Stacy was too high.

“My apartment,” Veer said, turning toward the chain-link fence. “My roommate, Mark, leaves for school at seven-thirty. He won’t be back until late afternoon. You can rest there. But you stay away from the windows.”

Gwen’s expression softened slightly, relief washing over her bruised face. “Thank you. I owe you one.”

“You owe me several,” Veer corrected dryly, leading the way out of the abandoned mill.

The walk back to the apartment was quiet, the two superhuman teenagers navigating the waking streets of Queens while sticking strictly to the shadows and alleyways to avoid drawing attention to Gwen’s battered face.

They reached the rundown brick building. Veer unlocked the door to his apartment, finding the living space completely empty. The lingering scent of cheap coffee confirmed Mark had already left for the day.

“My room is down the hall on the left,” Veer said, dropping his bag by the door. “There are clean towels in the bathroom. The first aid kit is on my desk. Clean the cut above your eye, keep ice on your cheek, and sleep. The cellular regeneration requires rest to metabolize.”

Gwen nodded, looking around the cheap, sparsely furnished apartment with mild curiosity. “You’re really going to school? After everything we just did?”

Veer turned toward the door, checking his watch. “Maintaining a routine is essential for a cover story,” he said simply. He grabbed his worn canvas school backpack. “Besides, I will be skipping school for a very long time starting next week. I need to keep up appearances until then.”

He didn’t wait for her to ask what he meant by that. He stepped out of the apartment, locking the deadbolt behind him.

The morning air was fully warmed now, the chaotic noise of New York City in full swing. Veer adjusted the straps of his bag, perfectly resuming the hunched, slightly limping posture of a broken scholarship student, and went to school.