"What's wrong, Crow?" he asked in confusion, "What happened?"
"They have violated the agreement with us."
The shadowy figure known as Crow, a gatekeeper shrouded in darkness, stood by the crystal blue orb, his eyes betraying a murderous intent.
"Violated the agreement with us?" The other gatekeeper was taken aback, then quickly turned to gaze at the crystal orb.
He scrutinized the display intently, scanning it up and down. "There's nothing...," he muttered, unable to detect any anomalies. Bewildered, he glanced back at Crow.
"There's a sixth person in their room!!" Crow stated firmly, his gaze unwavering. "My senses never fail me!!"
"They've broken the promise we initially set with them, allowing an outsider to observe and record us, leaking our information to others!!"
"Whether they did it with premeditated intent or failed to notice someone infiltrating..."
Crow said coldly, "We should terminate our cooperation with them."
"The former is a deliberate betrayal, while the latter is sheer incompetence, not realizing their secret location has been breached! Either way, humans are worthless, garbage, not a single good one among them!!"
"Is that so?" Suddenly, an unusual voice echoed from within the crystal orb.
It was Morin! The tool master Morin!! His aura was unrestrained and... provocative? The voice in the room was distinctly different from the other five, causing the dignified man and the other four to change their expressions drastically.
They hadn't sensed the source or location of this voice beforehand!!
"Who is it?" The five of them turned sharply to see Morin, having removed his [Stone Hat], standing there unperturbed. If Morin hadn't taken off the [Stone Hat], they wouldn't have even heard him.
"Who are you?!!" the stern-faced man who entered last asked with a grim voice.
This was supposed to be a meeting room exclusive to their five-member gathering, heavily guarded on the outside. Every corner, from the floor to the walls, was filled with nen for surveillance.
How did this guy bypass all those nen barriers and arrive here?!!
Not only the stern-faced man but the others shared the same thought. Their expressions were equally displeased.
The connection with the gatekeepers was exclusive to them, the V5. The basic promise of their communication with the gatekeepers was not to disclose the nature or content of their contact to anyone else. This was a demand from the gatekeepers, who preferred minimal human interaction to avoid complications.
The V5, eager to monopolize the opportunity and convenience of communicating with the gatekeepers, were more than happy to comply, avoiding any foolish announcements to the world.
But now?
The new presence in the room clearly breached their promise with the gatekeepers, just as Crow had said. Even if they didn't intend for this situation, it happened nonetheless, and they had indeed broken their promise.
Moreover, this situation arose due to their incompetence, failing to detect this human's presence in time.
To think that after painstakingly securing a cooperation agreement with the gatekeepers, it could be jeopardized by this unknown intruder at such a critical moment.
The disruption of the agreement would be bad enough, affecting their basic plans. But if it provoked the gatekeepers' anger, leading them to view the V5 as incompetent and sever their ties, that would be catastrophic!!
Without the connection to the gatekeepers, their future expedition to the Dark Continent would be severely impacted!!
This concerns V5's national policy; such consequences are unbearable for them, and even more so for us, the decision-makers!!
"Who exactly are you?!!" The dignified man's composure vanished, replaced by a dark, intense glare fixed on Morin's face.
The repercussions of severing ties with the gatekeepers were beyond what he could bear!!
"Just an ordinary resident of the Sixth Continent," Morin replied calmly.
He looked around at the five people glaring at him as if their stares could kill. If looks could indeed kill, they would have already slain Morin a thousand times over. He couldn't help but shake his head.
---
"How pitiful," Morin suddenly remarked, his voice tinged with a hint of lament.
"Pitiful?!" The man with multiple patterned ties across his chest suppressed his anger, questioning, "Who exactly are you?! A so-called ordinary resident of the Sixth Continent? What nonsense. Just a revolting nen user trying to be mysterious!" The man with the patterned ties made no effort to hide the disgust in his eyes.
"Do you even know what you're doing?!" he seethed. "If this escalates to the worst-case scenario, you'll be the villain of the entire Sixth Continent!"
"Why waste time talking? Just seize him and interrogate him harshly!" The man in military attire, with a square face twisted in a snarl, pulled out a communicator from his pocket, seemingly ready to call for backup.
In a flash, the five of them saw a white gleam streak by.
"Bang!" followed by the sound of something hitting the ground.
"My hand!!!" The military-clad, square-faced man stared blankly at his now-empty left arm. If not for the visual shock, he wouldn't have realized his left arm was gone. He felt no pain, nor did a single drop of blood spill.
"What a swift hand chop!!" The other four's pupils contracted sharply, and they instinctively retreated backward. Although they couldn't clearly see what transpired, their minds and experience allowed them to piece together the events.
Just as their comrade, the square-faced military man, attempted to use the communicator, Morin struck. With incredible speed, he closed the distance and sliced off the man's arm and communicator in one clean motion.
How did they know this so clearly? Because their eyes weren't blind!!!
Morin, who had been standing behind them, was now suddenly beside the square-faced man. His fingers were tightly together, enveloped in an astounding aura of nen.
The unrestrained aura emanating from him made their hearts tremble. His blatant display was not only a show of power to them but also to the gatekeepers watching through the screen.
He did this deliberately. It was a blatant provocation!!
Who on earth is this nen user?!!
The other V5 members felt their hearts race. They were both shocked by Morin's audacity and unnerved and angered by his affront.
They dreaded the consequences if the gatekeepers were angered by this provocation. Simultaneously, their curiosity about Morin surged.
Who is he? How did he bypass all the defenses to arrive here unnoticed? The area outside was heavily guarded by nen and protected by the Lava King. This place was constructed by the combined might of the strongest forces from the five most powerful nations.
Yet, he managed to infiltrate alone, without any organization backing him, purely on his own strength.
"I know who he is!!!" The overweight woman, hiding behind the group of men, fixed her gaze on Morin and exclaimed, "He's Morin! The tool master Morin!!!"
"Tool master? Morin?!!"
"I remember now!! He's the mentor of the Zodiac member Kastro, a disciple of veteran hunter Biscuit Krueger, and a friend of fellow Zodiac member Ging Freecss!!"
"Moreover, he's personally recognized by Chairman Netero as one of the 'World's Top Five Nen Users,' ranked alongside Netero himself."
"It's him?! No wonder he possesses such power!! Such formidable nen!!!"
"A man acknowledged by Netero, one of the world's strongest five, it's not surprising."
"But how did he get here?!"
"Didn't you hear his nickname is 'Tool Master'?! According to intel, his nen ability allows him to conjure various tools!!"
"His tools must include ones that can conceal his presence and evade detection, as well as those to withstand lava, which is why our nen didn't detect him."
"It's even possible he used a space-related tool to teleport directly here!"
The V5 representatives were no pushovers. Once the rotund woman identified Morin, they immediately shared various pieces of information about him. Clearly, they had done their homework, thoroughly understanding both renowned and hidden powerful figures worldwide.
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