Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely

Chapter  1: The Hunter Test Site

“Where is this place?”

Lorraine opened his eyes, bewildered as he looked around.

This… this seemed to be a private room in a restaurant. He was sitting on a chair at the dining table. But how did he end up in such a place?

He distinctly remembered staying up late last night, binge-watching anime until past three in the morning. Exhausted, he had fallen asleep. How did he wake up here?

Wait a moment!

This dialogue… why does it sound so familiar?

Lorraine fell into deep thought.

“Holy crap! Did I just transmigrate?” Lorraine exclaimed, his face filled with shock.

In ten transmigration novels, six or seven protagonists woke up saying these exact words. How could he not recognise it?

“If I really transmigrated, then this place is…” Lorraine’s heart tightened. He hurriedly scanned his surroundings, hoping to find some useful clues.

Suddenly, a small screen on the wall directly in front of him caught his attention.

“59, 60, 61…”

Lorraine stared at the numbers increasing steadily and felt the faint sense of weightlessness he had already noticed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I’m not in a restaurant’s private room. I’m in an elevator going downwards?” Lorraine’s face was full of question marks.

It wasn’t the fact that he had transmigrated into an elevator that puzzled him. For him, it didn’t matter whether he ended up in a private room or an elevator. The real issue was…

An elevator resembling a private room in a restaurant—this plot… he knew it well!

Just last night, he had binge-watched the beginning of Hunter x Hunter for the third time. There was a scene that matched this perfectly.

So…

“Did I transmigrate into the Hunter x Hunter world? Is this the elevator to the Hunter exam venue?” Lorraine’s mind buzzed with confusion.

Looking at his familiar hands and the pyjamas he was wearing, Lorraine’s heart sank. Though there was no mirror or other evidence, he was convinced he had transmigrated into someone else’s body.

But the real problem was…

How did he end up as a participant in the Hunter exam? With his level of physical fitness, could he even survive?

What on earth is going on here?!

However, Lorraine wasn’t overly worried about his safety. After all, the first phase of the Hunter exam involved running a minimum of 80 kilometres. The chances of actual combat were slim.

With his current physical state…

This was the classic case of: If I’m weak enough, no one will bother killing me!

b(｀○｀)d

The real issue at hand was this:

He had transmigrated. He had actually transmigrated. And it seemed he had entered the world of Hunter x Hunter, a two-dimensional universe!

Superpowers—no, Nen—a true supernatural force, was now within his reach!

“Wait a second, do I have any perks as a transmigrator?” Lorraine suddenly remembered that transmigrators often came with cheat-like abilities.

“System interface…” he murmured softly.

In the next instant, a semi-transparent panel suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

“Holy crap, it actually exists!” Lorraine’s face lit up with joy. He couldn’t believe he had successfully activated his cheat on the first try.

Now he, too, was a transmigrator with a system!

Everyone knew there was a world of difference between a transmigrator with a cheat system and one without.

[Level 100 God System]

Name: Lorraine

Level: 0 (0/1)

Attributes: Locked

World: Hunter x Hunter

“Level 100 God System…” Lorraine marvelled at the majestic name of his system. “Level 100 God. It looks like a classic monster-killing and levelling-up system!”

Though not the most effortless system configuration, it was definitely among the best.

“Attributes locked… does this mean the system unlocks after reaching level one?” Lorraine pondered as he studied the interface.

Leveling up seemed straightforward enough. Judging by the experience bar, he needed just one experience point to advance.

While Lorraine was engrossed in studying the system, a soft ding sounded. The elevator shuddered gently and came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived,” Lorraine muttered, momentarily stunned. He hesitated slightly before stepping out.

To be honest, after awakening his system, Lorraine had contemplated quitting the Hunter exam to quickly level up and unlock his cheat abilities.

But now that he was at the exam venue, it would be a shame not to experience the Hunter exam firsthand!

Even if it was just to passively observe the first phase, it would still count as participating, right?

“You know, this transmigration is pretty considerate. At least I wasn’t thrown here barefoot. They even brought my slippers from beside the bed!”

Lorraine, wearing his pyjamas and flip-flops, muttered sarcastically as he stepped out of the elevator.

Honestly, if he hadn’t discovered the system, Lorraine would have forfeited immediately because of his ridiculous attire. But now, he could play along for the experience.

Yet, the moment he stepped out of the elevator…

“Ahhhh—”

A blood-curdling scream pierced the air.

Lorraine instinctively shivered.

“What the heck?”

Not far away, a man was kneeling on the ground, screaming in agony. Both his arms were reduced to stumps, with only the bases remaining.

“That’s… Hisoka?”

Lorraine froze for a moment before recalling the plot.

This was Hisoka’s iconic entrance scene!

“So, I arrived at the venue after Gon and the others,” Lorraine realised.

Still, thanks to Hisoka’s dramatic performance, no one seemed to notice his arrival.

Lorraine didn’t mind. He stood against the wall, quietly observing the scene. Occasionally, he glanced at the walls and ceiling of the underground passage surrounding Hisoka.

As a dedicated fan of Hunter x Hunter, Lorraine had often discussed Hisoka’s debut trick with fellow enthusiasts.

The general consensus was that, in the manga, Hisoka used Bungee Gum to stick to the man’s arms before slicing them off in an instant. He then retracted the Bungee Gum and hid the severed arms on the ceiling.

In the anime adaptation, Hisoka added a touch of flair with Texture Surprise, creating small illusions.

Though Lorraine couldn’t spot the severed arms, his theory felt spot on.

“Tsk tsk, Hisoka really doesn’t care about revealing his abilities,” Lorraine mused.

While most Hunter exam candidates didn’t understand Nen, it was easy to deduce that the Hunter Association examiners were present nearby.

Using such flamboyant Nen abilities to bully ordinary people—any experienced Nen practitioner could instantly deduce Hisoka’s power.

But then again, Hisoka never cared about hiding his abilities.