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Chapter 27: Rental Demon
The closer he got, the more Kurapika wanted to retreat.
He was afraid of hearing something he didn't want to hear from Ronin. The smile on Ronin's poster felt like a thorn in his eye.
Reaching the 50th floor, he heard news of Ronin crushing another opponent.
Such power, yet he couldn't stop the Phantom Troupe from massacring the clan. This inevitably bred a seed of resentment in Kurapika's heart.
But reason told him that Ronin, like him, might not have been in the village at the time.
Images of the brutalized village flashed through Kurapika's mind. He began to feel grateful that Ronin wasn't there; otherwise, the death toll would have been 128 instead of 127.
Maybe Ronin was too focused on fighting in Heaven's Arena and didn't even know about the massacre?
If so, bringing him this cruel news...
Kurapika spiraled into internal conflict, tears flowing uncontrollably from his eyes.
Can I rely on Big Brother Ronin?
No. I should become strong on my own. I will avenge my clan and kill every single one of those monsters.
...
Ronin had no idea Kurapika had arrived.
He and Milia were in a reserved private room at a restaurant. The waiter had just finished serving the dishes.
"You want to boost your combat power to fight the Phantom Troupe?" Milia deftly cut her steak.
"Yes. My current aura capacity and mastery of Nen aren't enough to beat a Troupe member in the ring," Ronin said bluntly.
He had a plan for his Nen training.
Currently, he was still mastering the basics: Ten, Zetsu, and Ren. He hadn't even started creating his Hatsu—his special attack.
As an Enhancer, he had excellent role models.
Chairman Netero and Adult Gon.
Netero pursued the pinnacle of martial arts, combining gratitude and punching into his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Gon maximized the charging mechanic of Jajanken for a one-hit kill.
There was also Uvogin, who enhanced his body to the extreme, and Komugi, who enhanced her Gungi skills to the limit.
The common thread among the strong was simple: Specialized Enhancement.
Ronin was currently settling down, contemplating his own path of specialized enhancement.
He wasn't in a rush. He had only recently awakened his Nen. He had plenty of time to broaden his horizons and understand himself before committing to a path.
Especially since he had Ninjutsu and the Sharingan as his ultimate safety net, he was even more cautious about choosing his Nen path.
So, to fight Uvogin in the ring without using Ninjutsu, Milia—this convenient external power source—was the best option.
Milia gracefully ate a piece of steak, then looked at Ronin seriously. "I can lend you my Nen."
"Conditions," Ronin said calmly.
Behind Milia, a small, pitch-black demon with bat wings appeared silently.
It was a very abstract, almost stick-figure-like demon. As it appeared, Milia blushed slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed.
But she continued, "This is the Rental Demon. The amount of aura you need and when you'll use it will be written in a rental contract. Once both parties sign, the Rental Demon will follow you until you return the borrowed aura. Only then will it disappear.
"If the return deadline arrives and you haven't returned the aura, the Rental Demon will forcibly extract your aura to pay me back."
As she spoke, a contract appeared in Milia's hand.
"The contract specifies the interest rate during the rental period. For every minute you use my Nen, you must pay 5% of the total borrowed amount as interest. If the Rental Demon determines you cannot afford the repayment, it will quickly drain your remaining aura to prioritize paying me back." Milia pushed the contract to Ronin and explained.
Ronin took the contract and asked the question on his mind. "You said before you could lend me three to five times my own aura?"
"Yes," Milia nodded seriously. "That was based on my assessment of your aura at the time. However, after you returned from the Ochima Federation, the amount I can lend you isn't quite three times anymore. But I can still manage two times.
"However, borrowing double your aura means that if you don't end the fight within 10 minutes, the Rental Demon might judge you insolvent and drain you to the brink of death before you even win."
"So, you're actually stronger than me?" Ronin was surprised.
Milia usually didn't give off much pressure. Hearing her speak now, she was truly hiding her strength.
"You could say that. By the way, I forgot to mention—I used to be a Floor Master for a while." Milia smiled proudly.
"When you lend out your Nen, do you enter a state of Zetsu?" Ronin asked curiously.
Milia pushed her glasses up. "If you borrow too much, I might be forced into Zetsu. I'm just worried you won't be able to pay it back! So, do you want to rent?"
Ronin nodded in acknowledgment.
Lending aura carried risks if safety couldn't be guaranteed.
Ronin also pondered a question: If he borrowed Milia's Nen and then killed her, would the Rental Demon continue to collect interest, or would something else happen?
Without understanding the Rental Demon's mechanics, attacking Milia would be unwise. Protecting her might actually be the correct move.
"I'd like to ask one more thing. Digitally speaking, how much aura do I have?" Ronin didn't return the contract immediately; he was thinking.
Renting from Milia had risks.
But the reward outweighed the risk.
Also, it seemed Milia approached him because of his Enhancement affinity.
This rental ability was clearly most tempting to Enhancers.
Only an Enhancer could borrow such massive amounts of aura and effectively explode with power.
As for Milia's return? Simple. Interest!
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