Balaril.
An ancient manor.
In a bright, empty hall.
There were no tables or chairs, only dozens of round cushions laid neatly on the wooden floor.On each cushion sat a figure silent, expectant.
Among them were the quarreling father and son Hiro had seen earlier at the airship terminal.
"Ryder," the pale, skinny father whispered, turning to his son beside him."Once you've experienced it yourself, if you still think I've been deceived… then I'll leave here with you."
The young man, Ryder, clenched his fists and glared at the figure seated at the head of the hall a thin, short-haired old man clad in a tattered white robe.
"Fine," Ryder hissed. "I'll expose that fake master's tricks right here and wake you up myself!"
The so-called "master" sat motionless on his cushion, a sickly pallor to his cheeks yet with his back straight and his expression calm. His thin lips curled into a gentle smile, his gaze sweeping the gathered disciples with a sage-like kindness.
He looked like a man of wisdom. A man who had transcended the world. A savior to the desperate.
At least, that's what the followers in the room believed.
But the truth? He was nothing of the sort.
No one knew his real name anymore because he'd claimed to have forgotten it long ago. Of course, that was a lie one of many carefully crafted to add mystique and elevate his status in the eyes of the gullible.
This was no saint who saved souls. He was just another man chewed up by fate and forced to survive by any means necessary. Even if it meant becoming a demon.
The old man rose slightly, still seated cross-legged, and addressed the room in a calm, resonant voice.
"Welcome, everyone… to the latest seminar of the Spiritual Practice Association. I am the founder… the Master."
His tone was even and steady, yet carried just enough weight to command attention a skill honed through years of watching, studying, and imitating the speeches of true leaders and orators.
"I am pleased… to see so many of you who have returned to my side faithful, unshaken, choosing to trust me once again. For this, I applaud you."
The Master clapped his hands together slowly, ten times, in a deliberate rhythm.
"But what makes me even happier," he continued, "is to see so many new faces. I know many of you may feel lost… angry… perhaps even in the darkest hardship of your lives. But I promise you this if you are willing to walk forward together with me, nothing will stop you. You will touch the very essence of your soul… and find true happiness."
As he finished, the old disciples erupted into applause, some even with tears of fervor glistening in their eyes.
The newcomers, like Ryder, however, only stared at the Master coldly, suspicion written plainly across their faces.
The Master pressed on, his voice rising and falling with carefully crafted cadence.
He spoke of the "truths" of life. Of detachment. Of spiritual cleansing. Of transcending suffering.
Each word carefully chosen to strike the hearts of the vulnerable. To draw them deeper. And with every point, his loyal followers would clap and nod, murmuring words of reverence.
But to Ryder, it was all nonsense. The same platitudes he'd seen printed in dozens of cheap self-help books from street vendors. How could his father fall for this drivel?
No this was more than just talk. There had to be some trick. Some underhanded, sinister method.
Finally, the Master raised a hand, and the room fell silent.
"Now, I believe… you all have gained some new insights into your lives. But that alone is not enough."
He straightened slightly, his eyes sweeping over the crowd.
"To truly purify your soul, you must take action. The first step… is to awaken your mind. Awakening is the foundation of spiritual practice. Our older students here have all experienced it themselves… and now it is time… to choose a new student to step forward… and experience it firsthand."
The old disciples instantly straightened, their eyes shining with expectation. And the newcomers froze, unease prickling in their chests.
The Master's thin, bony finger began to drift slowly over the crowd…
Until finally...it stopped. Pointing straight at Ryder.
"You… come forward."
"Master, please choose my son!"
The pale, trembling father suddenly stood up, his voice hoarse yet full of hope. Reid Ryder felt a deep pang of sadness in his chest as he saw the eager faces of those around him, all recommending their own loved ones to the Master, fighting for the chance at this so-called "awakening."
And now… his father, afraid Ryder would miss such a "great opportunity," was doing the same desperately trying to help him.
Ryder bit his lip.This scene was all too familiar.
Throughout his childhood, his father had always tried to give him "the best."Even when it meant sacrificing everything of his own.
This time… it's my turn to help you, Dad.I'll save you from this nightmare, no matter what it takes!
Ryder clenched his fists, his resolve firm.
"Yes, Master! I'll do it!"
Before the Master could even respond, Ryder stepped forward boldly and walked toward the center of the hall.
Immediately, two burly men in white robes stepped forward, shielding the Master with practiced movements but the Master calmly raised a hand and shook his head.
"Let him through."
The guards stepped back.
"Very good," the Master said, a faint smile on his lips."You are the first student today to experience the awakening of the mind. Young man… what is your name?"
"Ryder."
"Very good, Ryder. Please, sit here in front of me your back to me, facing everyone in the audience."
Ryder did as instructed, sitting cross-legged on the cushion. The Master's calm voice rose again, this time addressing the crowd.
"The minds of men… are always clouded by endless evils confusion, greed, hatred, fear. We must open the mind… we must create a channel that leads directly to the soul. Only then can true practice begin. Only then can the heart be purified."
The crowd nodded reverently, many closing their eyes as though already feeling some deep truth wash over them.
"And now…"
The Master placed his long, cold hands on Ryder's head, his tone soft but commanding:
"Ryder, relax. Let go of your resistance. Allow me to guide you."
His fingers began to knead Ryder's scalp, tracing deliberate, practiced paths along his temples, the crown of his head, the nape of his neck.
Ryder narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Hmph.Is this it?Just an ordinary head massage?"
He scoffed inwardly, already planning how he would call out this scam in front of everyone.
"Let's see what your trick really is!"
But…As though sensing Ryder's skepticism, the Master's eyes glimmered, just for an instant, with a knowing light.He'd seen countless young men just like Ryder before too clever for their own good, too stubborn to see the truth.
He thought to himself, silently activating his ability:
Nen Ability: [Emotion Regulator] Activated!
Mental energy surged from the Master's fingertips, flowing invisibly into Ryder's mind as he continued his gentle massage.
Deep in Ryder's brain, a psychic "seed" took root its threads branching like roots through his mind, binding to the very fabric of his thoughts and emotions.
In that moment, the installation was complete.
From now on, this seed would slowly drain Ryder's life energy, subtly respond to the Master's commands, and artificially regulate Ryder's emotions bending them to the Master's will.
"Ryder," the Master's voice rang out. "How do you feel? Do you feel as though the haze shrouding your soul has been lifted? Do you feel as though truths that once eluded you have suddenly become clear? Do you feel… happiness?"
Ryder opened his mouth, ready to refute him but the words died in his throat.
Suddenly Clarity.
It was as if his mind had burst into light, like a dam breaking and releasing a flood of understanding.
The things he'd just heard those seemingly ordinary platitudes about life now shimmered in his mind like jewels of wisdom.
How could he have thought they were common sense?These weren't clichés they were profound truths!Why had he been so blind before?
"I… I understand now…!"
Ryder's lips curled into an almost blissful smile, his eyes shining.
"I finally… understand!This… this is the meaning of life!"
The expression on Ryder's face changed from calm, to shock, to realization, and finally to joy and satisfaction. Everything was written so clearly on his face that the audience could see it at a glance.
He hadn't even spoken yet, but his eyes and demeanor had already given the answer everyone was waiting for.
So this is how Father felt… I really misunderstood him before!
The Master smiled faintly, as if reading Ryder's thoughts. "Ryder, it seems you've personally felt the benefits of awakening your mind. Very good. Next… I will teach you how to expel the evil that clings to your body. Only by eliminating the evil… can you and your family achieve true health and happiness."
The Master gently helped Ryder to his feet and guided him to a table at the front of the hall. There sat a golden disc, gleaming under the soft light shaped in a way that suggested something sacred and untouchable.
"Ryder, this is the Divine Disk. It reveals the evil lurking within worldly possessions. Place something material anything precious to you on it, and you will understand the truth: All suffering comes from attachment to worldly things."
Ryder, his mind clouded by the Master's ability, suppressed his last flicker of doubt and thought to himself: Why not try it? What harm could it do?
He placed his wallet onto the golden disk.
The Master leaned close and whispered in his ear: "Focus your mind… Look carefully at what's on the disk… and you will see the terrible evil that clings to it."
Ryder froze. Then his eyes went wide he cried out and fell backward onto the ground.
Fear twisted his features. He gasped, voice trembling: "I see it… I really see it… It's black… it's so terrifying! Master, please save me!"
To Ryder's eyes, the wallet on the golden disk was now shrouded in writhing black smoke, as though it would transform into a monstrous, man-eating spirit at any moment.
The Master's voice was calm and soothing: "Don't be afraid. That's why our Spiritual Practice Society exists to save people like you."
At his signal, one of the burly attendants pressed a button on the wall. A circular black opening, about a meter across, appeared inside it burned a bright, roaring flame.
"Ryder," the Master intoned solemnly, "this is the Holy Furnace. All evil can be purified here."
"Master, please purify it! Please purify it for me!" Ryder begged.
The Master nodded, a kind smile on his face. "Very good, Ryder. You've taken the first, most important step."
With a grand gesture, he cast the wallet into the Holy Furnace.
Ryder's eyes lit up as the black mist around the wallet seemed to dissipate. A wave of pure relief washed over him he felt light, joyful, as though the weight of his sins had truly been burned away.
"My sins… they're really gone! What a miracle!"
Ryder fell to his knees and bowed repeatedly in the direction of the Holy Furnace.
Of course… what he didn't see was that his wallet had simply slid through a hidden mechanism and landed in a money-filled safe behind the wall.
That night, in a quiet hotel room in Balaril…
Hiro and Illumi sat side by side on the bed, a laptop open in front of them, streaming live video of the seminar hall.
The camera feed showed everything happening in crisp detail thanks to the tiny hidden cameras Illumi had Mi Ji plant beforehand. Ordinary people would never notice such devices.
The two watched in silence as Ryder's "purification" played out.
"The target of this job is Luther," Illumi finally said, his cold voice cutting through the quiet."His Nen ability seems to manipulate emotions and induce hallucinations.And from your observation just now, it's also possible he has some method of siphoning energy from his victims."
Hiro nodded faintly, watching the screen as he listened.
"This man is 38 years old. Five years ago, he was severely injured on the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena during his baptism match injuries that should have been beyond saving.After leaving the hospital, he disappeared. Three years ago, he resurfaced here in Balaril, reinvented himself as the founder and Master of the Spiritual Practice Society.He's gained a very strong local following."
Illumi's gaze narrowed as he added: "As you can see, he's nothing but a conman using Nen to manipulate and drain money from ordinary people."
At this, a drawling voice chimed in from the corner of the room:"Hmph. What's so hard about dealing with garbage like that? Did you really need to bother me for this?"
It wasn't Hiro who spoke but the tall man leaning against the window, idly stacking a tower of poker cards.
Hisoka.
Illumi didn't even glance at him."Hisoka, shut up. I didn't ask you to come. You invited yourself. So stay out of this."
Hisoka chuckled, his grin widening, his narrow eyes glinting with mischief as they shifted to Hiro. "Oh? But when I heard your big brother would be here… I couldn't resist. Things are much more interesting now."
Hiro ignored Hisoka completely, his attention still fixed on the laptop screen. He spoke calmly to Illumi: "So… what's the real challenge with this job? Why call me in?"
Illumi's eyes flickered his expression still blank, but his tone unusually solemn. "That," he said, "is exactly what I want to explain next."