[Texture Surprise] is a ability that allows one to transform aura into a paper-thin illusion of various textures.
By adding imagination to your aura, you can mimic all sorts of appearances—but only those as thin as paper. The illusion falls apart the moment someone touches it.
This is Hisoka's ability, used as a subtle yet effective tool in battle.
Then there's Chrollo's ability, The Skill Hunter.
It allows him to steal other people's Nen abilities—but only under four strict conditions:
He must see the target's Nen ability with his own eyes.
He must ask the target a question about their Nen and receive a direct answer.
The target must place their hand on the book's palm print.
And all of these must be completed within one hour.
The additional conditions required to use stolen abilities, and the purpose of the Bookmark, won't be explained in detail here.
Ronnel already had a more efficient and flexible way of acquiring Nen abilities, so this one wasn't especially useful to him.
Just as he was organizing the two abilities he'd recently obtained, his phone suddenly rang.
Glancing at the screen, he saw the name: Ging.
"Hello? What is it? I heard some of the people who got kicked out showed back up at the base. What—did you get kicked out too?"
"I kicked them out, thank you very much."
On the other end of the line, Ging looked down at the three unconscious men sprawled on the floor—courtesy of him and Pariston. He rolled his eyes.
"Then why are you calling me?"
"There's someone here who wants to talk to you. Decent guy."
With that, Ging tossed the phone to the man standing nearby.
"That's Ronnel on the other end. Have a nice chat~"
The "elf prince" Muherr was a mercenary hired by Beyond. He was loyal and professional.
Ging had only gone through the motions earlier—his usual way of testing newcomers.
After he and Pariston took down the three hotheads, Ging and Muherr sat and talked for a while.
The result? Ging had labeled him: "pretty good guy."
"Hey. Muherr here. Mercenary, hired by Beyond."
He went straight to the point.
"I've heard you've made a name for yourself in the mercenary world."
Ronnel responded from the other end.
He didn't bother with pleasantries or flattery—he had indeed heard of Muherr's reputation.
While digging for intel on the Thousand-Ears Society, he'd inevitably come across some big names in the mercenary world—Muherr included.
"It's an overrated name," Muherr replied calmly, without arrogance or false humility.
"Even if Boss Beyond has granted you certain privileges, as a fellow mercenary, I'd like to know what you bring to the table to deserve them."
His voice grew more serious.
But what Ronnel said next made him freeze.
"I can get in touch with Beyond."
"You… You can contact Boss Beyond?!"
Muherr's tone turned sharp, skeptical.
Beyond was currently under heavy surveillance by both the Hunter Association and the V5. Except for Kakin royalty, nobody could get near him—he was being watched around the clock by at least two members of the Zodiacs.
"How exactly do you plan to reach him under those conditions?"
"Relax. I've got my ways. He's my partner, after all. I have a pretty good idea what he's thinking for his next move… even behind bars."
Ronnel chuckled on the other end of the line.
...
Muherr was quiet for a while. Then he continued:
"If you can really contact Boss Beyond right now, under these circumstances… then nobody at the base will dare question you."
"Whether they do or not doesn't matter to me."
"Is that so…"
Muherr paused, then sighed. A thought struck him, and he added:
"By the way, I came across some intel that might be useful for your next step."
"The princes of the Kakin Empire are hiring bodyguards at high salaries. The job is to protect the princes during the voyage and respond to any dangerous incidents that arise."
"Oh?"
Ronnel smiled. He'd already anticipated this.
To counter the Hunter Association's vetting process, Kakin had released public recruitment notices for royal guards. The pay was generous.
But Ronnel knew the truth—being a "bodyguard" was just a nice way of saying assassin.
Just like with the Thousand-Ears Society, you might not even get to see the prince in person.
The most recent updates online revealed that the guards were being recruited for the succession war. Their duties, status, and risks were entirely different from ordinary missions.
"The information's solid," Muherr added, noting Ronnel's skeptical tone. "It was posted on the Kakin Empire's official website. This isn't some shady backdoor deal—it's fully public. Six princes have issued recruitment announcements so far."
"I get it. Once I board the ship, I'll contact Beyond and keep you posted."
Ronnel ended the call.
He gazed out the window, watching white clouds drift across a vivid blue sky. A soft chuckle escaped him.
"Phantom Troupe, royal guards, a succession war... Things are really heating up. I wonder—can the Ant King's absorption ability steal the power of the guardian spirit beasts too?"
"Camilla Hui Guo Rou, which can bring people back from the dead… and Benjamin, who can copy Nen from others… If I get involved before we even reach the Dark Continent, I could walk away with an incredible haul~"
He smiled to himself.
"Such an interesting game. Should I play too?"
Ronnel was genuinely intrigued by what lay ahead.
But this recruitment news didn't bode well for Kurapika and the others in the Hunter Association.
It likely meant that those followers of Beyond—eliminated during the Hunter test—were planning to sneak onto the ship by signing up as guards.
Their goal? Continued contact with Beyond. And maybe even a way to break him out.
Kurapika, whose driving mission was to retrieve the eyes of his fallen brethren, couldn't help but feel a fresh surge of unease as he received the news.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)