Level Up

Human beings—

A species particularly prone to developing twisted desires.

From these distorted cravings arise countless methods to satisfy them, all built upon the foundation of indulgence. Such behavior is often collectively referred to as depravity.

Torture, cannibalism...

In the world of Hunter x Hunter, such acts are alarmingly commonplace in the hidden corners where sunlight never reaches.

Some carry out these acts in secret, while others are driven by an overwhelming urge to share them.

With the advent of the information revolution, the establishment of global communication networks, and the rapid advancement of smartphone and computer technologies, humanity was able to connect across vast distances in real-time.

As a result, shadowy corners of the web emerged—gray zones that provided platforms for individuals with twisted exhibitionist tendencies to showcase and exchange their darkest impulses.

The video Argo found came from one such platform, specifically one devoted to sharing torture footage.

This video confirmed Moro's suspicions.

Had it not been for his encounter with Morena upon entering this world, with no power to resist, his fate could have been far worse than the person depicted in that video.

But what truly stoked his fury was not the content of the video itself. Rather, it was the realization that the mastermind behind this "menu" was hellbent on erasing every last trace of them.

A deep anger burned in Moro's chest.

If it weren't for his clever use of the Deceptive Shooting Star's restrictive mechanism—

With his current level of nen ability, he could never have killed the sniper from over a kilometer away.

And without the carefully crafted tactical applications of Shooting Star, he wouldn't have survived his recent battle against the nen user now lying beneath him, even with the disadvantage of a nen ability counteracting his own.

If there had been even a slight deviation from fate, Moro might not have survived to take Argo's call.

This reality deepened his gratitude for choosing to focus his nen training on manipulation alongside emission, rather than pure emission and enhancement.

Had he prioritized raw power, he wouldn't have had the operational flexibility necessary to neutralize counter-nen users early on. And without that flexibility, he'd have been far more vulnerable in the battle just now.

This affirmed Moro's decision to pursue a path blending emission and manipulation—a choice that complemented his personal style and strategic thinking.

Although the pure emission-enhancement route offered superior offensive power in the mid-to-late game, it lacked the critical maneuverability Moro needed to survive the early stages.

With time, as he refined Shooting Star's mechanics and evolved his skillset, Moro anticipated creating abilities that incorporated high levels of mobility—something far more difficult to achieve through pure emission-enhancement techniques.

Additionally, the Shooting Star's second-phase power-doubling mechanism could partially compensate for the raw power disparity inherent in his chosen path.

"Step by step," Moro reminded himself.

"Every piece of the nen puzzle must be carefully laid. Haste and blind assumptions are the greatest enemies of progress."

Nen required a deliberate, disciplined approach. Moro resolved to treat its growth like building a tower: brick by brick, with thoughtful consideration for each step.

At the heart of his plan was leveraging the Timewheel Tattoo's unique leveling mechanic, which allowed him to sidestep the innate limitations imposed by natural talent.

Moro exhaled, collecting his scattered thoughts, and looked at the Timewheel on the back of his hand.

Lv. 5

Two kills, and his level had jumped from Lv. 2 to Lv. 5.

Through his experience, Moro could clearly sense the substantial growth in both his manifest aura and potential aura.

"So, leveling efficiency is directly tied to the strength of the target."

This level-up was both expected and surprising.

It explained why his earlier attempt to forcefully unlock the nen of a weaker individual had failed.

The target beneath him was far more formidable than the knife-throwing nen user he encountered before. Both in terms of manifest aura and the completeness of his ability, this enemy had been on an entirely different level.

This gap in power directly contributed to Moro's Timewheel skipping levels.

Moro placed a hand over the tattoo.

This was his edge—the source of his confidence to persist despite a world filled with those blessed with greater talent.

He suppressed the turbulent emotions swirling within and picked up his phone. After a brief hesitation, he decided not to delete the disturbing video. Instead, he redialed Argo.

As the line connected, Moro rose to his feet.

Facing the evening wind sweeping across the plains, he said, "Argo, I need to take care of some loose ends. Regarding the intel on that other guy, Clyde—organize it into a report and send it to me."

"No problem," Argo replied, her voice uncharacteristically subdued.

To gather this information, she had been exposed to numerous cruel and horrifying videos.

After a pause, she steadied her voice and continued:

"I've also made progress on the Phantom Troupe bounty case. I'll include that in the report as well. But before that—there's something you need to know."

"I'm listening."

"Big client, I've handled a lot of risky jobs, but dealing with the Mafia? That's an entirely different beast."

Her tone shifted, betraying a trace of fear—a stark contrast to the confidence she displayed when taking on the Phantom Troupe job.

"The Mafia… they're vindictive and brutal. If they see you as a threat, they won't stop at just killing you. They'll go after your family, your friends—anyone connected to you. Then they'll broadcast their deaths online for the world to see. So, I need to make it clear: I won't dig too deep into the Mafia side of things."

"Understood."

Moro paused, acknowledging her apprehension. He wouldn't force her to go beyond her limits.

"Just do what you're capable of."

After ending the call, Moro leaned down and lifted the corpse at his feet.

Even in a world of nen, corpses could reveal significant clues—particularly about nen type or ability traits. Though Moro doubted Nolan's team included anyone with nen expertise comparable to a master like Biscuit, destroying evidence was still a good habit to maintain.

Dragging the body toward the blazing wreck of the car, Moro paused to consider one thing.

If this corpse were equipped with a live feed or listening device...

"I've been careless."

Frowning, he dropped the body and carefully inspected it.

After a thorough search, he found no surveillance equipment.

Relieved, Moro reflected on his earlier oversight. He had taken Argo's call while still sitting atop the corpse. Had there been any active devices, Argo herself might have been placed in jeopardy.

He shook his head and threw the body into the flames before retrieving the sniper's body to dispose of it as well.

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