Why not just develop the seventh sense while you're at it? What are you, a Saint Seiya character?
Liam kept his expression neutral. "Fair answer. Very on-brand for an Enhancer."
Wing tilted his head, confused. What does that mean?
Liam waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, we're skipping the restaurant. We already asked the staff to deliver food later."
Wing understood. John Smith wanted to keep practicing. "Then I won't disturb you."
He left quietly, closing the door behind him.
From beginning to end, Shizuku sat motionless in the armchair with her back to the door. Eyes closed. En spreading outward in a two-meter bubble. Completely focused.
Maybe that's why she learned it so fast, Liam thought. Zero distractions. Pure concentration.
He watched her face for a moment. Shizuku's eyes opened, noticing his gaze. Confusion flickered across her features.
Liam smiled. "It's nothing. She probably didn't even realize Wing was here. Keep going."
Shizuku nodded and closed her eyes again.
Wing brought Hart to the restaurant. Martial artists from every school had gathered, eating and drinking like it was a social mixer. Several of them spotted Wing and waved him over enthusiastically.
Shingen-ryu had status. Prestige. After all, its Founder and Grandmaster, Netero, was universally recognized as the world's greatest martial artist.
Hart loved this kind of atmosphere. He beamed as the other martial artists spoke to him, answering questions eagerly, practically glowing with excitement.
Everyone boasted about their respective schools' unique techniques. Shared anecdotes. Discussed tomorrow's competitions. Since the conference had three categories—strength, skill, and will—everyone was particularly fired up about the first test of strength. No one wanted to start off at a disadvantage in something as straightforward as raw power.
Strength, strength, strength. Wing ate his meal quietly, thinking. Aura itself is power. But Sky Master said we wouldn't be comparing Nen abilities. Can Nen and aura be separated? Can aura and physical force be separated? I don't know what method we'll use tomorrow for a 'simple contest of strength.'
Unless Sky Master wanted everyone to enter Zetsu. Consciously or forcibly. But that wasn't something anyone would willingly agree to.
Naturally, many of the thirty-plus awakened martial artists had thought of the same thing.
Tetsuro had definitely considered it. Which was why his competitive fire burned even hotter. A martial arts competition without Nen abilities? Just pure technique? There's nothing more aligned with my goals than that.
"Where's John Smith?" He suddenly noticed the absence. Neither John Smith nor his girlfriend were anywhere in the restaurant.
Wing glanced around at the crowded, boisterous hall. He opened his mouth to answer. Then closed it. He took another bite of food and said nothing.
Tetsuro understood.
The martial artists here are too weak. With John Smith's personality, he probably isn't interested in socializing with them.
"The stars are so bright."
Night had fallen. Liam and Shizuku walked through the villa gardens side by side.
The air at the summit was crisp. Refreshing. The night sky seemed impossibly close, like you could reach up and touch the stars. The entire universe felt within arm's reach.
Liam stared upward. What's the universe like in the Hunter world? This planet has sunrise and sunset. So it probably has an Earth-moon system. Does it rotate in a solar-system-equivalent galaxy?
He shook his head. Pointless speculation.
"So it's a competition of strength, skill, and will," Liam said. They found a pavilion in the middle of a small lake and sat down. "Without involving Nen abilities. How does that even work? Do we rely on willpower alone and not use techniques? Or do we avoid using aura entirely? Or does Sky Master seal everyone's aura and force us all into Zetsu?"
He looked at Shizuku.
"Then I'll forfeit," she said simply.
Zetsu was a completely defenseless state. It was only useful in specific situations. Hiding your aura to lurk undetected, assuming you weren't caught in someone's En. Or entering Zetsu to speed up aura recovery.
But Shizuku would never put herself and Liam in such a dangerous state simultaneously for some weird martial arts competition.
"We'll see what happens tomorrow." Liam rubbed the ring on his index finger. "I'm more curious about the art exhibition on the front side of the mountain."
He looked through the vast night toward the front peak. Lit airships hovered and landed in the darkness, ferrying guests to the exhibition grounds.
"Is Suzaku here?" Shizuku followed his gaze.
"No." Liam frowned. "I'm not sure what he's up to."
The Moon Mark on Kurapika's Ring C wasn't registering anywhere near the front mountain complex. That much was certain. It was night, and Liam's Moon Mark ability had perfect signal strength. No mistaking it.
As for why Liam didn't know Kurapika's exact situation? Simple. They rarely communicated through the rings lately. Kurapika wasn't the type to proactively ask for help or support. He was used to handling things alone. And Liam? He'd gotten used to using the rings to chat with Shizuku. Suddenly switching to private conversations with Kurapika felt awkward. Intrusive.
Anyway, with Kurapika's current strength and the Star Mark, he'll be fine.
After entering Scarlet Eyes mode, Kurapika's aura more than doubled. He could even surpass Shizuku. That advantage was massive. And it wasn't just the raw power boost. When Kurapika activated his Scarlet Eyes, he became a Specialist. His trait ability, Absolute Time, let him use all six Nen categories at one hundred percent efficiency.
The aura surge wasn't even part of Absolute Time. That was racial talent. Kurta Clan genetics.
After all, aura itself was affected by mental state. Extreme sadness, despair, determination, rage, excitement—any strong emotion could cause aura to fluctuate wildly.
The Scarlet Eyes weren't causing Kurapika's aura to surge. His endless rage manifested the Scarlet Eyes, which triggered the surge.
"We'll contact him tomorrow," Liam said finally. "If he's not here by then, I'll have Jaku guide him up the mountain quietly."
In another city, Kurapika stared at his employer with an expressionless face.
The man was a painter. Disheveled. Drunk. Absolutely insufferable.
"Don't worry about it. He's an artist. It's normal," said the silver-haired, square-faced amateur Hunter hired alongside Kurapika. He laughed carelessly. "Kurapika, after you take a few more missions like this, you'll realize this is pretty tame."
"Don't talk to me," Kurapika said without looking up. "You're disgusting."
The silver-haired Hunter choked. Displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he said nothing more.
Over the past few days, he'd come to fully understand this rookie's strength. It's bizarre. Even if this kid named Kurapika started learning Nen right after being weaned, there's no way he should've developed this level of power at his age.
It had taken most amateur Hunters years just to open all their aura nodes. The first and most basic step.
Kurapika ignored him. Tomorrow, I'll finally reach Sensui Mountain. The art exhibition. The painter who bought the Scarlet Eyes.
Soon.
An endless plain stretched under moonlight. Grassland as far as the eye could see.
A single peach tree stood in the center, alone. Silent. Petals drifted on the night wind, swirling like snow.
Shadows moved across the grass. At first glance, they looked like flickering will-o'-the-wisps.
But up close, they were something else entirely.
Figures. Dozens of them. Moving like zombies. Shambling. Aimless. Their faces were recognizable—the thirty-plus martial artists from various schools who'd climbed the mountain earlier that day.
Liam was among them. He wandered without purpose, eyes vacant, like a ghost. Then something shifted. Awareness sparked. He snapped awake.
He turned his head.
Shizuku stood beside him. Her eyes were lifeless. Empty. She moved with the same zombie-like shuffle, drifting past him without recognition.
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