The Nen Battle - Part 2 - The Blast Of Nen - Chapter 23

Mavel moved alone, without anybody following or assisting him.

He picked up a cigar from his pocket, lit it, and took a few deep breaths from it.

After a long exhale, he murmured to himself,

"Here I go."

Crossing the street, Mavel approached the Three Blue Hotel.

Before even stepping off the sidewalk, he had already activated Zetsu, concealing his presence completely.

No one would sense his aura.

He passed through the lobby without gathering attention, moving silently and naturally.

"The lead said that the target is in one of the rooms from 100 to 120. Twenty rooms."

"My mission is to pinpoint the target and then transport myself with a combatant. Alia or Ertis. Most likely Ertis."

Mavel began climbing up the stairs.

The hotel was quiet—too quiet.

The lack of people disturbed him.

He didn't like the pressure that crept into his chest with each step.

Still, he calmed himself down.

"In any case, against any danger, I can change locations with Alia or Ertis. It should not be a problem."

Arriving at the hallway of the first-floor rooms, he moved to Room 101 and pushed the door gently.

The old door creaked and made a crunching sound as it opened slowly.

Inside the room, a young woman sat on the ground.

Mavel paused at the doorway and commented to himself,

"Oh."

He stayed still for a moment, then whispered again,

"What to do?"

Mavel stood still by the half-opened door of Room 101, eyes locked on the young woman sitting calmly on the floor.

Nothing in her posture signaled fear or surprise.

She wasn't lounging or resting like someone simply staying at a hotel.

She was meditating.

That detail alone unsettled him.

If she had been just sleeping or even sitting on a chair, moving in an ordinary way, he would've simply backed off and gone to check the other rooms.

But this wasn't that.

The door had opened from the outside, without her permission.

Still, she didn't flinch.

Didn't even lift her head.

"Nah," Mavel thought. "I don't like it."

He narrowed his eyes and considered grabbing her. But instinct pulled him back.

"No."

He couldn't risk entering the room.

"Entering without invitation may be some kind of activation condition for a Hatsu. If that's the case..." He clicked his tongue silently.

"I can't risk it. Not now."

He let go of the doorknob and slowly and carefully pushed the door shut again, just as quietly as he had opened it, making it seem as if nothing had happened at all.

Then, stepping away, he finally let out a breath.

With a smooth motion, Mavel touched a small device hidden near his ear.

The earplug communicator clicked alive as he activated it and spoke quietly.

"Nakis. I checked Room 101."

The line buzzed for a moment.

"Report," Nakis replied calmly.

"There's a woman meditating inside. Didn't react to the door opening. Didn't move. The room looked empty otherwise. No signs of travel or residence. Just her. But she's… off."

He paused before continuing.

"If she were an ordinary civilian, she'd have reacted. But she didn't even flinch. Either it's controlled, trained, or it's some kind of Hatsu. And…"

Mavel glanced back down the hallway toward Room 101.

"… I got a bad feeling. I didn't step inside. No aura leaking, but that doesn't mean it's safe. I'm pulling back."

There was another small pause before Nakis responded.

"Good. Don't engage."

A moment later, Nakis added,

"Leaving someone like that alone is better than triggering something you can't understand. If it's dangerous from the start, it's not worth it. Keep moving. Check the rest quickly, then return."

"Understood."

Mavel deactivated the earplug and turned from Room 101 entirely.

Mavel then moved to Room 102.

This time, it was just a guy sitting down and eating some food.

The man looked shocked at first but then simply told Mavel to go away.

Mavel nodded and did exactly that, stepping back and closing the door.

"Yeah, this is an ordinary response," he thought to himself as he moved along.

He continued with Room 103, then 104, 105, 106, and finally 107.

All normal.

"Except for Room 101," Mavel reminded himself.

It lingered in his mind like an itch he couldn't scratch.

"Everything else was normal. Expected."

Seven rooms down. Thirteen more to go.

He took a breath as he walked toward Room 108.

Quietly.

Calmly.

Still under the effects of Zetsu, still invisible to any passive aura detection.

But in his mind, he knew the risk was growing.

"Each room I check increases my chance of being found. Increases the chance of getting caught in something."

He stood before the door of Room 108.

His fingers reached for the doorknob.

He turned it slowly.

The door creaked open.

At that moment his danger sense erupted.

Like a blade to the chest, his body froze, eyes wide.

An instant later, a blast of aura exploded from inside the room.

Mavel was thrown back, crashing onto the floor of the hallway.

He felt the pressure tearing through the surface of his chest, his limbs weak from the impact.

He couldn't breathe properly.

The shockwave still echoed through his body.

His vision blurred, but his mind stayed sharp.

He didn't hesitate.

Barely able to whisper, lips dry and voice weak, he mouthed the words in his mind.

"Changing place with Ertis."

In a blink, he activated the transportation link between him and Ertis, set earlier.

Mavel disappeared from the ground vanishing and in his place appeared Ertis, fists already clenched, body ready.

The operation had changed.