Kaizen's eyes twitched slightly.
Then, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
There weren't many guests inside. As he entered, all eyes turned toward him. The front desk clerk glanced at him and spoke.
"Go down the hallway to the end."
"Take the elevator to the second floor."
The clerk was also a Nen user.
Kaizen nodded and walked down the passage. At the end of the corridor, there was a door. He opened it and found an elevator inside.
Stepping in, he pressed the button to descend.
"Ding!"
The elevator doors slid open, and Kaizen stepped out onto the second floor.
Two pairs of eyes immediately locked onto him. At first, they seemed surprised, but upon sensing his aura, their surprise faded.
Kaizen was nearly twelve years old now. However, compared to Gon and Killua, he didn't have the same youthful energy.
After all, he was a transmigrator—an adult soul inhabiting a child's body. This gave him the demeanor of someone in their early teens.
A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Nen user with decent aura control was impressive, but not shocking.
At a table, a young man sat across from an older man.
"Welcome," the young man said with a smile. "Please sit down. We'll begin once our last participant arrives."
Kaizen nodded and took the seat indicated. It was clear the young man was the host.
His aura felt vaguely familiar to Kaizen.
"It's somewhat similar to the people around Morena..."
...
Half an hour later, another figure appeared.
Kaizen frowned slightly.
The middle-aged man who walked in seemed just as surprised to see him.
Kaizen recognized him.
He was one of the Floor Masters of Heavens Arena—a mid-tier one.
Kaizen had watched this Floor Master fight in a past tournament. He was stronger than Yoneda Doppo, a C-rank Nen user.
At Kaizen's previous level, their strength would have been comparable.
But now?
Kaizen had far surpassed him.
His growth over the past two years had been far faster than any Floor Master's.
Only one chair remained. Without hesitation, the young man sat down.
"Good. Everyone arrived on time."
"That means all three of you qualify for the next operation."
"Let's introduce ourselves."
"I'm Larkin, from the Kakin Empire's Aiyi family."
Larkin gestured to the older man first.
"Introduce yourself—your Nen main ability."
The old man cleared his throat. "I'm Jili. My ability allows me to manipulate inanimate objects for combat."
Larkin turned to Kaizen.
"I'm Kaizen, a Conjuration. My main ability involves a Nen Beast."
Publicly, Kaizen always claimed to be a Conjuration.
Even Zeno and Silva only knew him as a Conjuration.
The only one who knew his true nature was Maha Zoldyck.
"I'm Mond. My ability involves freezing."
Larkin nodded.
"Very well. Let's move out. The car is waiting."
"I'll brief you on the way."
With that, Larkin pressed against the wall, revealing a hidden passage. He walked through first.
"Follow me."
Jili went in first, followed by Kaizen and Mond.
A commercial vehicle was parked at the exit.
The four of them got in.
The driver took the wheel while the rest sat in the back.
"Do you all know about the Kurta Clan?" Larkin asked.
Jili nodded. "I know a little, but go ahead and explain."
Kaizen and Mond shook their heads.
Kaizen actually knew quite a bit—but from his past life's memories, not this one. Revealing that knowledge would be risky, so he stayed silent.
"Alright, I'll summarize."
"The Kurta Clan is a unique ethnic group. Their blood differs from ordinary humans. When they become enraged, their eyes turn red."
"These Scarlet Eyes are considered one of the Seven Most Beautiful Things in the world."
"They're immensely valuable."
"Because of their worth, many people target the Kurta, hunting them down to steal their eyes and sell them for immense wealth."
"As a result, the Kurta live in seclusion."
"They constantly relocate to avoid detection."
"Finding them is extremely difficult."
"Moreover, they're powerful."
"Nen users are a rare breed. They don't teach just anyone—only trusted individuals."
"The Kurta Clan, however, is deeply connected to Nen."
"This means their village likely has a high concentration of Nen users."
"Maybe dozens. Maybe more."
"On top of that, their settlement is heavily trapped."
Larkin continued, "Our mission is to recover Scarlet Eyes."
"We've narrowed down the possible location of their hideout."
"Next, we'll scout the area. Whoever finds their settlement first will receive a hefty reward."
"After that, you may participate in the hunt itself."
"For each pair of Scarlet Eyes, our Aiyi family is offering 500 million Jenny."
Kaizen's eyes flickered slightly.
The price... wasn't that high.
For an assassination job involving Nen users, rewards typically weren't cheap.
And there were multiple Nen users in the Kurta Clan.
In other words, obtaining a pair of Scarlet Eyes was no easier than killing a seasoned Nen user—perhaps even harder.
Of course, that assumed the Kurta warrior and the hunter were evenly matched.
The reward for a single Shadow Beast member was already over one billion Jenny.
And during the Yorknew City arc, the Phantom Troupe had bounties of 10 billion Jenny per member.
"However, if you include ordinary Kurta without Nen abilities, the price evens out," Kaizen thought.
"Most people don't understand the true strength of the Kurta Clan."
"And not all of them are Nen users. Even regular Kurta can awaken Scarlet Eyes..."
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