Chapter 33: Conditions x Spiders x Movements

Should I invest time and effort into Kastro and Calista?

From the moment the match ended until now, Morrow had already made his decision.

He could devote time and energy to this matter—provided there was something to gain.

Morrow walked ahead, leading Kastro and Calista directly to the 200th floor.

After advancing to the 200th floor, fighters had to register before midnight on the same day, otherwise they would be considered to have forfeited their qualification.

Taking the elevator to the 200th floor, Morrow followed the wall signs to the registration area.

However, after only walking a short distance, a wave of killing intent surged toward him from ahead.

This killing intent wasn't particularly strong.

But there was no doubt it was directed at Morrow.

Facing the sudden aura of hostility, Morrow remained expressionless and continued forward.

There were clearly multiple people releasing this killing intent, though none of them went too far—it was, at most, a small warning.

Of course—

If Morrow weren't a Nen user, this killing intent infused with aura wouldn't have appeared here at all.

After all, a newcomer who didn't understand Nen was essentially a walking victory counter.

If the fighters on the 200th floor saw one, they'd be eager to welcome them—why would they ever think to scare them off?

Like thick smoke, the aura of killing intent poured out from both sides of the corridor's turn, filling the path leading to the registration area.

This level of aura was as insignificant as air to Morrow.

But for Kastro and Calista behind him, it was an entirely different experience.

Though they were merely collateral damage, they still felt as if they had been plunged into the icy depths of the ocean.

"What in the world…"

Kastro and Calista felt a bone-deep chill, each step forward as heavy as if their legs were filled with lead.

But—

They had to keep going!

Seeing that Morrow showed no intention of stopping, the two gritted their teeth and forced their heavy legs to move, barely managing to keep up.

Morrow never looked back, but he could hear Kastro and Calista's labored breathing.

"Not bad."

Muttering to himself, Morrow deliberately slowed his pace.

Even if it were him, he might not have handled it any better than they did.

Soon, Morrow arrived at the registration hall and swept his gaze across the surroundings.

People stood at the corridor turns leading to various areas, as well as by the walls where vending machines were placed.

Their eyes were all fixed on Morrow.

Naturally, Morrow paid no attention to these opportunistic Nen users. He walked straight to the registration counter and completed the sign-in process under the receptionist's guidance.

Matches above the 200th floor operated on a declaration system—within a 90-day period, fighters could choose any day to compete.

For now, Morrow had no intention of declaring a match. After finishing the registration, he took the now sweat-drenched Kastro and Calista to their newly assigned room.

"How did it feel?"

Once inside the new room, Morrow looked at Kastro and Calista, both of whom were slightly pale.

Negative emotions infused with aura were, for ordinary people, an unavoidable mental assault.

Kastro's expression was grave. "It felt like I couldn't breathe. When I walked forward, I could clearly feel resistance."

"My experience was similar… like walking underwater." Calista wiped the sweat from her neck with her hand, frowning as she said, "Was it those people near the registration area...?"

"Exactly, it was their doing."

Morrow looked at the two of them calmly and said, "However, their target was me, not you. It's just that the power of 'Nen' poses too great a threat to ordinary people. Even a slight ripple of it is enough to render you helpless."

"Nen...!"

Kastro and Calista perked up at once.

Their firsthand experience just now had only deepened their longing for this unknown power.

At this moment, all they wanted to know was whether they had the potential to learn this power themselves.

"Mr. Morrow, can I learn—"

"With proper training, anyone can master this ability."

Morrow already knew what they were about to ask and cut them off directly.

Without waiting for their reaction, his tone suddenly turned serious. "I can help awaken this power within you, but I have one condition."

"Hmm?"

Kastro and Calista fixed their gazes on Morrow without blinking.

Meeting their questioning looks, Morrow continued, "I must kill someone within a year. That person is extremely powerful, so... I'll teach you Nen, but in return, you must 'assist' me in killing that person. This might cost you your lives."

At this point, Morrow paused briefly, subtly observing their reactions—and saw not a trace of hesitation.

"Of course..."

He added immediately, "Even if you refuse, it's fine. I'll still tell you the secrets of 'Nen.' As for how to awaken this power, you'll have to figure that out on your own."

"Mr. Morrow, I have no problem with that!"

As soon as Morrow finished speaking, Calista declared her resolve without hesitation.

This time, she was quicker than Kastro.

Kastro followed right after, saying, "I have no problem either."

In their eyes, the moment Morrow led them into the so-called world of 'Nen,' it was equivalent to forming a master-disciple relationship.

And whatever the master asked of the disciple, the disciple had no right to object.

"Good."

Morrow smiled.

Compared to Calista, Morrow understood Kastro better.

But in his view, Calista's temperament wasn't bad either.

His reasoning was based on the day of the preliminary matches when Calista, seeing how young he was, deliberately held back her strength during her first attack.

Morrow raised a finger to his chin, thinking to himself: Kastro is an Enhancer, while Calista is likely an Emitter type... But to confirm their exact Nen types, we'll need to use Water Divination.

As his thoughts circled back, Morrow skipped the lengthy introduction about Nen and suddenly asked them, "Are you afraid of death?"

Faced with Morrow's abrupt question, Kastro and Calista naturally answered that they weren't.

And so—

Morrow directly used forced Nen awakening to help Kastro and Calista open the pores of their bodies.

In an instant, massive amounts of aura, like steam, surged from Kastro and Calista's bodies. Uncontrollable, it shot upward in pillars from their heads before swiftly dissipating.

"This is... the power hidden within me!"

Kastro's eyes reflected a bright light—whether it was aura or sheer exhilaration was impossible to tell. Calista, however, looked solemnly at the rapidly dissipating aura above Kastro's head and murmured, "If it isn't controlled before it completely drains away... he'll die!"

—--

Not far away.

Morrow watched calmly as the two forcibly opened their aura pores.

Losing aura from the body wouldn't kill them.

But if they failed to master Ten and allowed their aura to keep draining for too long, there was a risk of sudden death from overexertion.

Still, the likelihood was low.

Morrow had told them that losing all their aura meant instant death to pressure them into learning Ten faster.

He had no choice...

After all, his time was precious.

Buzz—

His pocket suddenly vibrated with an incoming message.

Morrow took out his phone—it was a text from Argo: "The Phantom Troupe has surfaced. They've raided the Navis National Treasure Museum."

"So they've begun their move..."

Narrowing his eyes, Morrow read the message.