Mido's figure landed silently on the rear hill behind Zoldyck Manor.
Zeno and Silva had already taken their leave.
Mido headed deeper into the woods.
Meanwhile, Kaizen and Maha Zoldyck returned to Maha's private courtyard.
"Sit."
The two of them sat down across from each other.
Between them stood a circular stone table.
A Gungi board had already been set.
"Fancy a game?"
"Yes, great-great-grandfather."
A butler stood quietly at the entrance to the courtyard.
This scene stirred a sense of nostalgia in Kaizen.
Back before he had even begun to learn aura, Kaizen used to sit here and play Gungi with Maha.
Clack.
A black stone landed on the board.
Outside, a breeze swept through the woods, bringing the fresh scent of pine and earth.
Kaizen let go of the weight of everything that had happened in the United States of Saherta—of his years spent wandering as a mid-tier Nen user.
For a moment, he simply existed. Still. Quiet.
As he looked at Maha seated across from him, something clicked in his heart.
"Kaizen, what's your plan now?"
"I'm thinking of heading to Gourmet Paradise. I contacted Menchi-san a while ago, but there's a waiting period, so I'll stay here at the manor for a few more days. After that, I'll make a stop at Heavens Arena."
The situation in Saherta had settled.
The parasite outbreak had been the true cause behind the destruction of Ponzu's village—and her grandmother's death.
The mastermind behind it all had been Oster.
According to the official statement from Saherta's royal family, Oster was dead.
Based on Maha's knowledge of Sarona's methods, there was a high chance Oster was still alive—just imprisoned out of sight.
"It's inevitable that the royal family of Saherta would possess S-level Nen users," Maha said.
"Otherwise, how could they be part of the V5?"
"Technology alone doesn't cut it."
He chuckled softly, but there was irony in it.
Kaizen exhaled.
"Oster had been a top-ranking official—second only to the throne. Even the young king danced in the palm of his hand. The man had real power.
"But because of what Oster did, the lives of countless civilians in Saherta were reduced to misery. He sparked the rise of the Revolutionary Army.
"Then Sarona appeared, and Oster's name... just vanished. He went from being a major player to an afterthought."
Kaizen gave a half-smile.
"Same with the 'three dogs,' the 'four beasts,' the 'six friends'—no one even remembers them now.
"That's the difference between people."
"If Tucker were here to see this... I wonder how he'd feel. Would he regret dying for Saherta? Probably. I think he would."
"The higher-ups sit above it all, looking down. Everyone else is dust beneath their feet."
Kaizen had never told Ponzu that Oster was still alive.
So as far as she was concerned, Oster was gone for good.
Which meant she had nothing left to bind her to her village.
Now, Ponzu had only one goal: strength.
...
"My trip to Saherta wasn't fruitless," Kaizen said.
"I gathered over a dozen corpses with solid Nen foundations. I tossed them into Sumas' Trial Grounds. They'll make excellent additions to the training simulations. Every ability is now part of my long-term reserves."
"Since I've already undergone the trial myself, I can't redo it."
"But Ponzu, Nina... they still can."
"And I also obtained a new Nen tool: the Hexflare Bomb."
"It's a powerful enhancement for my bomb."
"Next, I've got a few things to handle."
"First, I'll be participating in the V5's parasite research project. If it works out, it might be what Ponzu needs to make the leap to S-class. The potential payoff is huge."
"Second, I'm going to Gourmet Paradise."
Kaizen had been thinking about it ever since he learned about Linne's existence.
But once the Nen Beast, Toriko, appeared, his motivation solidified.
Fusing with Toriko had granted him a new ability—Gourmet Cells.
The tastier the food he ate, the more his body and aura would improve.
Based on his intuition, if he went to Gourmet Paradise and absorbed its traits, the Nen Beast he created would most likely be a chef.
And a damn good one at that.
With a Nen Beast like that, whenever he found rare ingredients, he could process them into exquisite meals—far more effective than just eating them raw.
It was like having a mind beast that doubled as a personal trainer.
...
"It's good that you've got your own direction," Maha said. "At this point, there's not much more I can teach you. Your growth's already exceeded my expectations."
"You've got more potential than I ever did."
"In just a few short years, you've come this far."
"Very impressive."
He paused.
"But let me offer one piece of advice. Slow down."
"Don't rush. Take your time and really experience life."
"You've built yourself a team now. Walk with them."
"Train together. Travel to new places."
"Take on a few simple jobs here and there."
"It'll do you good."
Kaizen nodded.
"Yes, great-great-grandfather. I understand."
He knew Maha would never mislead him.
He was still in a stage where his strength was increasing rapidly, but Maha wouldn't say something like that for no reason.
Kaizen suspected it had something to do with the jump from A-level to S-level.
Because at that point, it wasn't just about stacking aura.
...
"Let's leave it here for today. I need to rest."
Maha rose to his feet and headed back toward his meditation chamber.
He hadn't finished his previous retreat—he'd broken it early when he heard Kaizen might be in danger.
Now that the storm had passed, he was returning to isolation.
Kaizen made his way back to his room.
He stretched out a hand, and a doorway materialized in the air.
He stepped through, entering the space within Sumas as its minister.
Ponzu greeted him the moment he arrived.
"Captain!"
"Is everything settled?"
"Are you hurt?"
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)