Leorio the Shadow Monarch - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Endless March & System Exploration

The initial surge was chaos. A wave of bodies, desperate and determined, poured into the corridor after Satotz. The air immediately thickened, filled with the sound of hundreds of panting breaths and the relentless drumming of footsteps on the stone floor. Leorio, caught in the tide, found himself swept along, his earlier resolve immediately tested by the sheer physical reality of the situation.

Satotz’s pace was deceptive. It wasn’t a sprint, but it was fast, relentless, a ground-eating stride that showed no sign of faltering. Within the first few minutes, Leorio felt the burn begin in his lungs, a familiar fire from his sedentary life back on Earth, but amplified in this unfamiliar body. Leorio Paradinight might have been young and potentially sturdy, but Rohan Mehra certainly wasn’t, and it felt like his own lack of conditioning was overriding any natural advantage the body might have possessed. His ‘1’ point in Strength and Agility felt less like a number and more like an anchor dragging him down.

He risked a glance to his side. Gon, predictably, looked like he was out for a pleasant jog, his breathing even, eyes wide with curiosity as he scanned the tunnel walls. Kurapika, running with economical grace, showed no outward signs of strain, his expression focused, analytical. Leorio gritted his teeth. Of course, the protagonists were built different. He, apparently, was stuck on hard mode.

The tunnel stretched onwards, seemingly infinite. The dim emergency lights flickered rhythmically, creating a strobe effect that did nothing to help the growing monotony. Left foot, right foot, breathe in, breathe out. The sounds merged into a dull roar – footsteps, breathing, the occasional pained grunt or muttered curse from nearby runners. The air grew staler, warmer, thick with the scent of exertion and damp stone.

It couldn’t have been more than fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, but his legs already felt heavy, protesting each impact. His borrowed suit jacket felt restrictive, the tie slightly too tight. Sweat plastered his dark hair to his forehead and trickled down his temples. He needed to check his status. Focusing inward, he summoned the translucent blue screen.

HP: 50/50

AP: 1000/1000

Fatigue: 3%

Three percent fatigue? He frowned. How far had they run? If his guess was right and he’d been running for about twenty minutes at a reasonably fast pace… maybe 4 or 5 kilometers? That couldn’t be right. His internal calculation felt off. He decided to monitor it more closely. He kept running, focusing on maintaining the pace despite the growing discomfort, pushing past the initial wall of pain into a state of numb endurance. Another ten minutes passed, the tunnel unchanging, the rhythm unbroken. He checked again.

Fatigue: 5%

Two percent increase in ten minutes? It felt like he was running faster than that calculation suggested. Maybe the fatigue wasn’t purely distance-based? Or perhaps his initial estimate was way off. He decided on a working theory: approximate it as 1% per kilometer for now. It felt about right for the effort he was expending. The tunnel in the anime was long, easily dozens of kilometers. If it was, say, 80 kilometers and then stairs… he’d be at 80% fatigue just from the running part. That left precious little margin for the climb. A sliver of worry pierced through his focus. Unless the fatigue gain accelerates on inclines… He pushed the thought away. Worrying wouldn’t help. Running would.

He needed a distraction. The physical discomfort was becoming overwhelming, a constant noise threatening to drown out his resolve. He decided to dive back into the system interface, exploring its functions more thoroughly while his body operated on autopilot.

First, the [Mall]. In the tunnel before the start, it had been empty. Now? He focused his intent, and the Mall window shimmered into view. It was still mostly barren, but two items were now listed, complete with simple icons and prices.

—

[System Mall]

Available Items:

1. [Orange Juice (Can)]

Description: Standard quality orange juice. Refreshing, slightly acidic. Contains trace amounts of potent laxative.

Price: 150 Jenny

2. [Concentrated Poison (Diarrhea Inducing)]

Description: A synthesized version of the laxative detected in Item 1. Use with extreme caution. Not recommended for consumption.

Price: 500 Jenny

[Currency: 0 Jenny]

—

Leorio blinked. The system had scanned Tonpa’s juice? And not only identified the laxative but also synthesized its formula and offered both the tainted juice and the pure poison for sale? That was… creepy. And incredibly detailed.

The prices were listed in ‘Jenny’, the official currency of the HxH world. He had zero, of course. He wondered about the pricing. 150 Jenny for a can of juice seemed… plausible? Maybe a bit expensive for potentially poisoned juice, but perhaps standard vending machine prices in this world. The note about prices adjusting based on location and situation suggested a dynamic economy within the system. Fascinating, but utterly useless to him right now without any funds. He dismissed the Mall window with a flicker of amusement mixed with unease. Having access to poison felt like a dark path he wasn’t eager to explore.

Next, he turned his attention back to his core Stats. He needed to understand exactly what they governed if he was going to allocate future points effectively. He focused on each stat listed on his main status screen, and as he did, small tooltips expanded with detailed information.

Focusing on Vitality (VIT): 5.

`Tooltip: Governs Health Points (HP) and natural recovery. Every 10 points in VIT increase maximum HP by 50. Every 1 point in VIT increases natural HP recovery by 0.1% of Max HP per minute while not in combat.`

Okay, it meant he recovered 0.5% of his Max HP per minute. That was slow, barely noticeable regeneration unless he was resting for extended periods. Getting VIT to 10 would double his HP to 100 and double his regen rate to 1% per minute. Vitality seemed crucial for survivability.

Next, Intelligence (INT): 2.

`Tooltip: Governs Aura Points (AP) and mental processing related to system functions. Every 10 points in INT increase maximum AP by 1000. Every 1 point in INT increases natural AP recovery by 0.1% of Max AP per minute. Also influences the information processing speed and memory power.`

2 INT meant his natural AP regen was a pitiful 0.2% per minute (2 AP/min). Using any AP-intensive skills would require careful management or finding other ways to restore AP.

Then, Agility (AGI): 1.

`Tooltip: Governs bodily coordination, reaction speed, flexibility, and the ability to change movement direction efficiently. Does not directly increase maximum running speed, but allows for better acceleration, deceleration, and maneuvering.`

This explained why he felt clumsy but could still technically keep up a steady forward pace. Raw speed seemed more tied to inherent physical limits or perhaps STR/stamina, while AGI was about finesse, dodging, weaving – things he definitely lacked right now. Essential for combat and navigating complex environments, but maybe not the top priority for this specific endurance phase.

Sense (SEN): 1.

`Tooltip: Governs the acuity of the five primary senses (Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch) and influences subconscious perception, danger intuition (Sixth Sense), and information gathering.`

His senses felt… normal. Human average, perhaps slightly dulled by the fatigue and the oppressive environment. Higher SEN would likely mean sharper hearing, better vision in the dim light, maybe even picking up subtle clues or sensing hostile intent sooner. An intriguing stat with broad applications.

Finally, Strength (STR): 1.

`Tooltip: Governs raw physical power (lifting, striking force) and contributes to physical resilience and damage resistance (Durability). Influences stamina depletion under heavy load.`
His weakness personified. Low STR meant weak attacks, low carrying capacity, and likely contributed to how quickly his muscles fatigued under the strain of the run. It also impacted durability, meaning he probably couldn’t take a solid hit. Increasing STR was essential for basic survival and any form of physical combat.

He absorbed the information, the rhythmic pounding of his feet a metronome marking the passage of time and the flow of data into his mind. He had a clearer picture now. His current stats were terrible for combat or agility, but his decent starting AP pool (thanks, system?) and slightly elevated Vitality offered a sliver of hope. He needed points, desperately. Stat points to bolster his weaknesses, Skill points to level up his Job skills. And the only way to get those, it seemed, was through quests.

Speaking of which… he mentally tabbed over to the [Quest Log].

1. [Permanent Daily Quest: Path to Strength]
Objectives:

– Push-ups: [0/100]
– Sit-ups: [0/100]
– Squats: [0/100]
– Running: [8.2/10 KM] (Updating…)

…

2. [Main Scenario Quest: The First Hurdle]
Objective:

– Successfully pass Phase 1 of the 287th Hunter Exam. (In Progress)

…

A small smile touched his lips, quickly swallowed by a gasp for air. The run was counting towards the daily quest! 8.2 kilometers logged already. It wasn’t much, but it was something. A tangible measure of progress beyond just surviving Satotz’s pace. He hadn’t even reached the 10km minimum for the daily reward yet, but seeing the number tick up, even fractionally, felt good. It anchored the abstract goal of ‘getting stronger’ to the immediate, painful reality of the run. He resolved, somehow, someway, to complete that daily quest every single day once he had the freedom to do so. The unknown reward was too tempting, and the stat gains too necessary.

He risked lifting his head, blinking sweat from his eyes, and scanned the runners around him.

None of these guys looked weak, and they are running normally.

He saw faces he vaguely recognized from crowd shots in the anime – Nicholas, programmer type, he is perfectly okay right now… maybe he will start feeling fatigue after 20 kilometres mark; Todo, the massive wrestler, pounding along with sheer brute force; the Amori brothers, sticking close together, their identical faces set in determination.

Then, further ahead, weaving through the runners with an effortless grace that was almost insulting, was a flash of white hair. Killua Zoldyck, on his signature skateboard, moving as if gravity were merely a suggestion. He looked bored, occasionally glancing back, perhaps searching for someone interesting.

Seeing the prodigy move so easily while Leorio felt like his own legs were turning to lead was humbling, terrifying, and weirdly inspiring all at once. That level of power existed in this world. And he, with his system, theoretically had a path to reach heights maybe even Leorio couldn’t have dreamed of.

He also spotted Hisoka, unmistakable even in the dim light. The magician wasn’t running; he was gliding, his steps light, his expression serene, almost predatory. He seemed to be treating this marathon as a leisurely stroll, occasionally flicking cards between his fingers. Leorio quickly looked away, feeling a chill despite the heat of exertion. Keep distance. Rule number one.

He refocused on Gon and Kurapika, still running relatively close. Gon shot him another encouraging grin. Kurapika offered a slight, almost imperceptible nod, a silent acknowledgment of their shared struggle – though Leorio suspected Kurapika’s struggle was far less intense than his own. Still, their proximity was comforting, a small island of familiarity in this sea of desperate strangers.

The tunnel stretched on. Black, grey, the occasional flickering light. The roar of footsteps continued, a constant, hypnotic rhythm. Left foot, right foot. Breathe in, breathe out. Check Fatigue: 12%. Check Daily Quest: 9.8km… 9.9km… 10km!

A tiny, almost imperceptible chime sounded only in his mind, accompanied by a system notification.

`[Daily Quest: Path to Strength – Running Objective Complete (10/10 KM)]`

`[Overall Quest Completion Pending Other Objectives]`

He hadn’t finished the whole quest, not by a long shot, but hitting that first milestone sent a jolt of satisfaction through him, momentarily overriding the pain in his legs. Progress. It was possible.

He settled back into the rhythm, his mind clearer now, armed with knowledge about his system and a renewed sense of purpose fueled by the small victory. The tunnel remained unchanged, an endless, oppressive tube leading into the unknown. His body screamed for rest, his Fatigue percentage slowly climbed, but his spirit, the transplanted soul of Rohan inside Leorio Paradinight, held firm. He would keep running. He had to. The first phase was far from over.