Hunter: I Became Stronger After Death

Midnight struck, and the rain intensified.

Inside the antique shop, Moro carefully stored away the jade figurine.

This figurine was his most significant find in recent times. With just a bit of effort, it could be sold for a handsome price.

That was essentially how the shop made its profits. Most of the revenue, however, was handed over to Morena. For Moro, the primary focus remained the lingering Nen energy within antiques and handcrafted artifacts.

After placing the box containing the jade figurine into a cabinet and closing its door, Moro glanced at the tightly shut shop entrance, then at the clock on the wall. Midnight had passed.

"Saisin should be back by now."

Thinking about his diligent employee's impending return, Moro set about boiling a kettle of water.

Saisin was the shop's only employee. Reliable and hard-working, he never complained or resisted, making him incredibly easy to exploit.

That morning, Moro had sent Saixin to meet a client. If all went well, he should be returning with several handcrafted items.

Now that the first ring of the Wheel had been filled, even though there were no discernible changes, Moro still planned to continue absorbing Nen. Perhaps it might trigger the activation of the second ring.

In any case, extracting Nen from antiques or artifacts wouldn't diminish their sale value.

Moro brewed tea with the hot water and poured it into Saisin's thermos. Then, he sat on the sofa, waiting.

Once Saisin returned, Moro planned to examine the collected items for any traces of Nen energy—and then make his escape before dawn.

The only question was how Saisin would react.

Would he resolutely pledge loyalty or take the money and walk away?

Given Saisin's personality, it was probably the former.

Moro's lips curved into a faint smile as he gazed at the rain-splattered shop door.

Time ticked by silently.

Half an hour later, amid the sound of rain and wind, Moro heard an additional noise. Recognizing Saisin's return, he rose to his feet with a mild smile on his face.

Creak.

The door swung open.

A tall, broad-shouldered man with a rugged face casually walked into the shop. It was Saisin.

His black suit was drenched from the rain, and he was carrying two boxes in his hands.

"Boss, a big haul tonight!"

Saisin closed the door behind him with one hand, his rough features breaking into a delighted grin.

Moro's eyes flicked briefly to Saisin's right foot as it stepped into the shop. His smile faltered slightly but returned to normal almost instantly.

He pointed to the counter beneath the cabinet, where the thermos of tea he had prepared was placed.

"Good work. I made you some tea."

"Heh, the boss is always so thoughtful. No wonder those two sisters next door are completely smitten with you."

Saisin set the boxes down and walked over with a wide grin.

Moro raised an eyebrow but didn't react to the teasing. Instead, he asked casually, "Why are you back so late?"

"The rain was too heavy, and I got held up on the way back."

Saisin picked up the thermos, opened it, and took a swig of tea.

"Yeah, this rain… it's really something."

Moro's eyes remained calm as he watched Saixin's profile. Slowly, he reached for the gun at his back.

Although both he and Saisin were Nen users, they habitually carried firearms. Many situations called for a gun's utility.

For instance, right now—

Moro abruptly raised the gun and aimed it beside Saisin.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three consecutive shots.

The first bullet intentionally missed, while the next two were aimed directly at Saisin's lower back.

Saisin's pupils contracted as he instinctively leaped aside, narrowly evading the bullets aimed at his back.

"Boss?"

After dodging, he turned to Moro with confusion written across his face.

What greeted him was Moro stepping in with a close-range elbow strike.

The confusion on Saisin's face evaporated instantly. At the last moment, he raised his arm to block the strike.

Thud!

The clash of elbow against forearm produced a heavy, muffled sound. The impact, bolstered by Nen, sent visible ripples through the air.

Saisin lost the upper hand. Despite blocking the attack, he was still forced backward, retreating all the way to the shop's floor-to-ceiling window. Though his body didn't touch the glass, the outward Nen aura surrounding him did.

Crash!

Under the pressure of Nen, the window shattered completely, and rain and wind surged into the shop.

Standing with his back to the storm, Saisin stared at Moro, his face expressionless.

"How did you figure it out?"

"I started with a hunch."

Moro kept his gun trained on Saixin, his brow furrowed. "But now I'm certain."

"Heh."

Saisin chuckled sheepishly, understanding why Moro had deliberately missed his first shot.

Moro's frown deepened. His voice grew colder.

"Drop the clumsy act."

"How disappointing. I thought I'd blended in perfectly."

Saisin slowly dropped his grin and asked curiously, "So, what gave me away? How did you notice something was wrong so quickly?"

"When you walked in, you led with your right foot."

Moro's eyes glinted with icy clarity. He wasn't joking.

Saisin was an ardent believer in divination and would obsessively follow his daily horoscope. Today's fortune had instructed him to always lead with his left foot when entering or leaving buildings to avoid bad luck in the coming week.

Moro knew this because Saisin never stopped sharing his divination theories, endlessly trying to convert him.

"Ah, I see…" Saisin murmured, his expression flat.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Moro emptied his magazine. Amid the thunderous gunfire, bullets streaked toward Saisin.

Annoyance flickered across Saisin's face as he twisted his body, dodging the incoming shots while creating more distance.

Based on the intelligence he'd gathered, this antique shop owner was an Enhancement-type Nen user. So after Moro's second attack, Saisin made the calculated decision to stay out of his reach.

This would serve two purposes: denying Moro the chance to land a close-range attack and giving Saisin's allies time to intervene.

More importantly—

His transformation ability required a brief period of concentration and space to deactivate.

Without deactivating it, he couldn't utilize the full potential of his Nen.

Saisin retreated into the street, expecting Moro to pursue him. Instead, he saw Moro remain inside, as though his earlier aggression had been nothing more than a façade.

Cautious and reserved, huh?

Saisin smirked to himself. This made things easier. Now he could safely deactivate his transformation.

Standing in the pouring rain, Saisin raised his left hand, rhythmically twirling his index finger as he hummed a light tune.

Inside the shop, Moro tossed aside his empty gun and watched as the fake Saisin began his peculiar movements. He was puzzled at first but quickly realized the man was likely deactivating some kind of transformation ability.

Under Moro's gaze, the Nen surrounding the imposter surged and spun. Within seconds, his appearance underwent a dramatic change.

Saisin was gone. 

In his place stood a bald, shirtless man wearing only boxer shorts. His frame was smaller than Saisin's, and his body was riddled with holes of varying sizes.

Seeing the transformed figure, Moro's pupils contracted.

The Phantom Troupe's…

Bonolenov?

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