Chapter 126: The Shelved Contract
Maha's hand was reattached, but the old man looked uncharacteristically disheveled. No one had expected Ronin to leave such a "parting gift" in the hotel room.
The explosive force of that blue orb had rattled even his ancient bones.
"That was a loss," Maha said, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looked at Illumi. "I was supposed to be the support, yet I ended up being the primary tank. You, the lead on this contract, didn't even break a sweat."
"I didn't expect him to have a high-level teleportation ability ready," Illumi replied. He didn't sound disappointed, merely analytical. "He was prepared for us."
"If you encounter him alone, don't expect to walk away with a win," Maha warned, his tone unusually grave.
He saw potential in Illumi, and he didn't want the family's eldest son to be thrown away on a botched contract. This mission had exceeded Illumi's current pay grade—a hard lesson in professional humility.
Ultimately, the resolution of this conflict would fall to Silva and Zeno. Once they finished off Chrollo Lucilfer, the man who hired Illumi, the whole mess would resolve itself through the termination of the employer.
"Are you done with him then?" Illumi asked.
"My old bones aren't built for a war of attrition," Maha declined flatly.
He wasn't an idiot. Ronin had clearly held back; if the boy had intended to kill, he wouldn't have just taken a hand—he would have aimed for the head. Ronin had given the Zoldycks "face" by allowing an exit. Chasing him now would be a breach of professional etiquette, making the family look desperate.
"Then the contract is officially shelved," Illumi noted with a hint of regret. He had a few more tricks to annoy Ronin, but after two failed attempts, he realized that "annoying" Ronin wasn't the same as "killing" him.
The boy's defense was so dense it required a strike from Maha just to crack it. Without that level of penetration, an assassination was impossible.
Furthermore, Ronin's mastery of Enhancement was elite. Illumi had finally confirmed his theory: Ronin was a Specialist.
But unlike most Specialists who leaned toward the "lower" categories like Conjuration and Manipulation, Ronin focused entirely on the "upper" three: Enhancement, Transmutation, and Emission.
He could use all three at 100% efficiency.
Those eyes... they really are a cheat code, Illumi mused.
He narrowed his eyes. As long as someone killed Chrollo, his personal success rate remained 100% via contract termination. But a part of him still wanted to be the one to put a needle in Ronin's brain.
Hisoka arrived at the manor a few hours later.
Under Ronin's Mystical Palm Technique, Hisoka's injuries vanished at a visible rate. This only added to the Magician's fascination. Ronin seemed to have a tool for every scenario.
A Swiss Army Knife of a Specialist, Hisoka thought.
However, Hisoka was only seeing the tip of the iceberg. He hadn't seen Ronin control Owl with Puppet threads yet.
If he looked closely at Ronin's build, he'd see the "Ninja" archetype: Ninjutsu handled the Transmutation and Emission, while his natural affinity handled the heavy-duty Enhancement.
"What's your next move?" Ronin asked after finishing the treatment.
"I'm going to find Chrollo," Hisoka said, relishing the lingering ache of his healing muscles. Since he couldn't beat Ronin yet, he needed a fresh distraction.
Chrollo remained his "perfect fruit."
Plus, Chrollo was a vault of secrets. Hisoka wanted to see if he could squeeze any info out of the Spider's Head regarding Ronin's growth.
Ronin nodded. Having Hisoka stick to Chrollo like Bungee Gum was the perfect way to keep the Troupe off-balance.
"You'd better hurry," Ronin said cryptically. "I have a feeling Chrollo's clock is ticking."
"I won't give you his coordinates," Hisoka said, seeing right through him.
"I don't need them. As long as I keep moving forward, Chrollo will eventually be forced to come to me. Even if he isn't 100% ready, he won't be able to stay in the shadows forever once his family starts disappearing," Ronin said with absolute certainty.
He refused to believe Chrollo could remain indifferent while his Meteor City brothers were picked off one by one.
"A race, then," Hisoka proposed. "If my fight with Chrollo falls through, I'm coming back for a rematch with you."
"That depends on your strength. If you're still at this level, I'll just let Kurapika handle you," Ronin said, gesturing to the blonde boy in the corner.
Hisoka's gaze shifted to Kurapika.
In this room, besides Ronin and Neon, both Kurapika and Shizuku interested him.
Especially Kurapika.
The boy was a Kurta, just like Ronin. Did he possess the same explosive growth and versatility?
Judging by the chains on his hand, he was likely a Conjurer. That implied a toolkit of specific, restrictive abilities.
Another interesting fruit...
"Don't look at me. I have zero interest in fighting you," Shizuku said the moment Hisoka's gaze landed on her.
Hisoka turned away, bored, but the predatory glint remained. He didn't care if a target was interested; he only cared if the hunt was fun.
Shizuku wasn't a priority, but Kurapika... Kurapika looked delicious.
I wonder... if I killed these two, how much more powerful would Ronin become? Would he finally reach 'perfection'? The thought was intoxicating.
"I suggest you abandon that line of thought," Ronin said coldly, reading the Magician's expression. "If you try to touch them, you won't live long enough to see the result."
Hisoka laughed, undeterred. He was truly fearless.
He flexed his arms. The Mystical Palm hadn't fully restored him; as Ronin warned, he needed a few days of rest for his cellular integrity to stabilize.
"I'm leaving. I look forward to the next time we surprise each other," Hisoka said, his eyes lingering on Ronin.
He accepted the loss, but the hunger in his heart only grew sharper.
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