Chapter 410: Episode 67

"It's a pity that Nine-Ye gave it his all. Why don't you try not to win the next match?"

Killua's sudden proposal left me puzzled, but after hearing his reasoning, I was convinced. It is said that this time was just to collect information on the match format, and it is safer to try again after preparing countermeasures.

"I think so. Of course, if an opponent of the first match's level appears in the next match, I think it will be difficult for capture groups other than us... But maybe we can win 8 times, you know?"

"This face is impossible. Well, rather than winning or losing quickly, winning and losing in moderation is more convenient for collecting information, but ultimately, we must avoid winning 8."

If you are lucky enough to win and obtain the SS-rank card you are looking for, the next thing you have to wait for is which group will possess the card. Although there are only 3 cards for "One-Pyeong Coastline," there are 6 groups for this, with 16 people in each group. I can foresee friction.

Following Killua's strategy, we checked the match format and rules, then lost the match. Other groups seemed to be serious about this, but they eventually reaffirmed that winning 8 matches with the current members is unrealistic. At the very least, it is reckless to enter a match you have never seen before without prior information.

"Come back, I'll let you do as you please in this town for the time being."

As planned, it ended with this party's defeat. To try again, it would be necessary to change party members, but there is no problem even if 1 out of the 15 party members is replaced. Since there are 16 people here, if one person leaves, we have 15 people, which is still possible. This means you can accept the challenge again now.

"Ah, but we're already out."

It can be said that the preliminary goal of preventing the Genthru Group from clearing the game has been achieved. As long as the humans here do not leak any information, it is unlikely they will meet the condition of gathering 15 companions. Even if they knew, it would require a certain level of ability to win 8 matches. Even if you only collect numbers, you cannot win the match.

On the contrary, the conclusion is that it is best to shelve it for now, because if you get the card here, the Genthru Group might steal it. The temporary joint party will be dissolved here, and each group will leave this place separately.

In the end, only our Gon group and a gorilla-like person who didn't form a group and participated alone remained.

"You guys are going to continue this event, aren't you?"

It was already late at night, so the strategy meeting was postponed until tomorrow. We returned to the city of Soura and checked into a hotel. We prepared two rooms for Gon and Killua, and for Biscuit and me, respectively.

Why. It should be fine for each of us to have a separate room, but should we be careful about moderation even in the game? But I cannot accept Biscuit and me being in the same room. Mainly as a mental health issue.

Sure enough, as soon as Biscuit entered the room, she started changing into her loungewear without paying any attention to my eyes. Well, if it were just changing clothes, it wouldn't matter if I didn't see it at the time. Six also changed into the yukata prepared in the room, but this was not good. The yukata was not worn tightly, and even with a slight movement, it felt as if one could see through the gaps. Biscuit deliberately dressed sloppily to tease me.

What a master. I said I could stay in a place like this, so I was going back to my own room. I know what people my age do when they have a sleepover. I'm sure they had a great time with a pillow fight. A pillow reinforced with En would be good training before bed.

However, he was unexpectedly refused entry. I was told to join Killua with a blushing face. Even though I brought a pillow. With nowhere to go, I had no choice but to go to the room of Golainu, who was staying at the same hotel.

I should have changed rooms, but I was too shocked to turn back. Being someone who is usually good at talking, I couldn't have a lively conversation with him, whom I barely knew, so I just went to bed. I knew this wasn't an atmosphere for a pillow fight.

Golainu let me use the bed because I was sleeping on the floor, but I couldn't be that shameless. I told him not to worry because I would practice Meditation with him until morning. Golainu's expression was as if to say, "What on earth is he doing?", but he didn't ask me about any specific circumstances.

For the time being, I would be sharing a room with someone I met for the first time, so I was careful to be able to react if anything happened during Meditation. But late at night, when I was half-asleep and deep in thought, he threw a towel over my shoulder. I sincerely apologized and thanked him for not suspecting me.

The next morning, after checking out of the hotel, we went to a Chinese restaurant for breakfast and discussed the topic, "Razor and the Fourteen Devils."

"Excuse me, 3 Mapo Tofu, 4 large Fried Rice, 2 Oil Chicken, 3 Xiao Long Bao, 4 Shark Fin Soup, Sweet and Sour Pork, Eight-Treasure Vegetables, Dandan Noodles, Peking Duck... I don't know. For now, please give me four of each."

How much do you intend to eat in the morning? Moreover, except for me, everyone else seemed to accept the order without hesitation, but I don't know if all Nen users are gluttons. I ordered a salad.

"A girl?"

Seeing that others were in good shape, I felt it would be lonely to eat salad alone, so I added almond tofu.

"A girl?"

As far as I am concerned, since Six is made of Aura, it is the bug itself that needs nutrition. Even if it is a salad, it is enough to put it in a backpack and feed it. The body of this insect can withstand rough food. In addition, sunbathing can further reduce energy consumption, and if you have a small amount of water, you can fast for about a month without any problems.

However, since the human-bodied Six has a developed sense of taste, it is not useless in terms of dining. Just as I was picking at the succulent almond tofu with a spoon, Golainu, who had just formed a joint team, began to speak.

"Then, even if we don't clear the Genthru Group for the time being, I want to obtain 'One-Pyeong Coastline' as soon as possible."

"Don't have trouble distributing the cards."

Everyone wants a card. Due to the existence of the Genthru Group, it was decided to shelve it for the time being, but since a way to obtain it has been found, a challenger will appear someday.

Perhaps the person who proposed to keep it was also aware of the problem of trading around the three cards. It is also possible that they pretended not to touch it so as not to disturb the situation, but were actually moving in the direction of capturing it behind the scenes. This is what we are doing now.

Genthru must be frantically looking for "One-Pyeong Coastline." If you use the Magic Card "God Eye," the effects of "Analyze" and "List" for the 99 designated cards can be used any number of times. If you look for the person holding the card in the Trade Shop, you can find the name, so you will check it frequently.

If the pirate incident is caught, it is better to think that the enemy will know the information in the near future. Now is not the time to distribute cards. With collaborators, you must build a relationship where you can have a solid discussion about what happens after obtaining the card and compete with the Genthru Group. Killua thinks it is impossible for other capture groups to have such thoughts before acting.

Actually, if everyone cooperates, it would be better to ignore the pirate incident, but it will definitely stop Genthru and the others, but since someone has appeared, I want to capture it first. Are you in a prisoner's dilemma-like situation?

"There are five members here, so to win eight, we must recruit at least three more."

"Even so, being able to smoothly win 8 is a story, right? Even if I can't hire a few members to make up the numbers, I hope some users can have a little leeway."

Although we were able to confirm the match format and rules for nine matches in yesterday's match, not all matches were disclosed. Especially the captain's subordinates are just a bunch of pirate bosses, it won't be that easy. Just by looking at him, I knew he was at a different level than the other pirates. I don't even know what kind of match he will bring.

"Well, speaking of my acquaintances, there are enough skills to entrust this project... The only ones I can think of are the Balam brothers or Sasuke. The Balam brothers hate working with others, so it's difficult to recruit them. Sasuke doesn't even have a reward. If you pay, you can rent him, but this is too tricky. He will definitely want a card, and he might ask for more."

"Torima, should I check as a candidate..."

Looking at the activities of the capture squads that participated in the event last night, to be honest, I didn't feel they were that strong, but even so, they are the ones who truly conquered this match and are at the forefront. The difficulty of this event can be said to be quite high because their level as players is so high.

Gathering a large group of people with abilities stronger than this is not an easy task. Moreover, it has been decided that the three reward cards will be distributed to Gon and Golainu, so only one card is left. It seems that players who can be hired with money alone will not be a force. It is becoming increasingly difficult to convince myself.

"Are there any other acquaintances? If you look for a strong person among the players you haven't met yet and negotiate with them, you won't have any prospects."

"I don't know anyone, but I only know one person who looks strong."

"Really? Who is it?"

"Mr. Tsezgera."

"Ah, well, that's how it is..."

Tsezgera seems to be the strongest candidate among the Hunters hired by the millionaire Battera to be called the game clearer. Battera has earned enough trust as a judge for the player selection meeting, and before the Genthru Group appeared, it was a capture group that established a strong position.

As a reward, they are very likely to cooperate with "One-Pyeong Coastline." If possible, this is a person you don't want to give the card to.

"However, can't you just say something convenient? Considering it realistically, there is no doubt that they are the most suitable team for cooperation."

Besides his ability, he is an opponent who can be expected to cooperate after obtaining the card. Dealing with the Genthru Group, which is also about to clear the game, the Tsezgera Group should spare no effort to stop the capture. There is also speculation that if the two groups can be induced into a confrontational structure, with luck, they might crush each other.

"Hey, can I have a moment?"

When the talk of recruiting Tsezgera was about to end, Gon raised his voice. Gon opened his folder and checked the list of players he had encountered before (if they are within 20 meters, the system will record them as an encounter). Mention one of them.

"I'm curious who this 'self-proclaimed' Chrollo is."

That person, Chrollo Lucilfer, is the leader of the Phantom Troupe and has an A-rank bounty. If it is true, it seems that even a veteran Professional Hunter cannot compete with him. However, it is well known that this is not the real person, but an alias. You can freely set the name used in the game.

I don't know who that person is, but "Chrollo" seems to be the fated partner of Gon and the others, and it seems they can't help but worry. Especially Gon, he looks like he can't help but go see him in person to find out. Driven by this opinion, everyone here will head to the self-proclaimed Chrollo.

If the recruitment negotiation goes smoothly after actually meeting and confirming the ability, then it's fine. I don't think it will go smoothly, but anyway, I don't have any other ideas, so trying it might be a good idea. If it fails, just change the negotiation partner to the Tsezgera Group.

And by the time the discussion ended, the plates that had been piled up on the table were all eaten. What's wrong with these people's stomachs? Even though my insect body was still eating shredded cabbage. After checking out and leaving the shop, we immediately used a Spell Card to fly to where Chrollo was.

"Use 'Companion'! ChrolloLucille!"

While eating cabbage in my backpack, I flew through the sky using Magic, being transported at high speed.

"Gugugu, as expected, I understood it when I prepared for battle..."

G...

"Just as I expected..."

Google search...

"You are becoming more and more delicious..."

What is this perverted yarrow?

The person who calls himself Chrollo, flying via "Companion," is a player named Hisoka. He seems to be an acquaintance of Gon and Killua. Gon and the others reacted as if they had encountered an unpleasant opponent. As soon as we met, Hisoka emitted an ominous bloodlust.

This person also suddenly flew to Hisoka's side while he was bathing, without contacting me, so I can understand why he was angry, but I don't understand why he puffed up his crotch. As I observed with a blank expression, Killua covered my eyes with his hand.

It seems he is a person who needs all kinds of attention, but he does not seem hostile to the point of immediate enmity. When Biscuit made a request to fight together as a party, he accepted without asking for any compensation while he was out with him, because he was free.

Is he really okay? Gon and Killua do not seem to fully trust him yet, but they think a temporary cooperative relationship can be established to investigate Hisoka's movements, and decided to welcome him as an ally.

"I saw it, that is Love City Aiai."

After passing through the forest with the spring in "Accompaniment," led by Hisoka, we arrived at a nearby small town. There was a castle decorated with huge heart-shaped objects, and the castle town spread out around it.

I don't have any particular business in this city, but some Spell Cards allow me to move to cities I have visited before, so I decided to collect them.

"This city is full of strange encounters; walking around won't be boring."

Just like in manga or novels, this seems to be a place where one can experience encounters between men and women. No matter where you go, people drop glasses, student IDs, handkerchiefs, etc. At corners, girls with toast in their mouths ambush you like thugs (you can get to know each other by colliding and arguing), and women about to be gang-raped appear as frequently as you see vending machines (if you help them, they will get to know each other).

That is to say, everyone in this small town is a resident of the game, and no matter how many real encounters there are, they are nothing more than simulated experiences. It seems that a designated card can be obtained in this town, but for now, I should prioritize "OneTsuboCoastline." I try my best not to interact with the citizens.

"Wuaaaa!! Sorry, my Chappy!"

I did it, but it came from the other side. A dog rushed toward us aggressively, and the owner holding the leash was dragged by the dog toward Six.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

It was good to sense it and pick it up before it was attacked, but the dachshund was paddling wildly in mid-air. Letting it fall to the ground like this would surely lead to another attack, but throwing it further away is a bit of a pity.

"I can't believe shy Chappy is so attached to me..."

Hurry up and take this dog away. When a boy asked if he wanted to go to a nearby park to play with Chappy, Killua grabbed the dog from Six's hand and returned it to its owner.

"You shouldn't go out with these kinds of trivial encounters."

Saying this, he pulled Six's hand in a bad mood and started walking forward. It is indeed not the time to play, but don't be too angry.

"No, I think Killua's reaction is also quite on point..."

"Dasa."

Any unnecessary incident is a waste of time, so I decided to move to a less popular place. Discuss future policies.

With the addition of Hisoka, the party now has six members. We also need nine people, but at least two must be strong enough to win the game against the pirates.

There is also expectation; if there are two more people, I can find them by searching, but I still decided to follow through and request the cooperation of the Tsezgera group as planned. I don't want to waste time here, ahead of other capture groups or leaking information to the Genthru group.

However, clumsiness should be avoided when negotiating. Even if it is a top-tier card collection strategy group, an alliance must be established on an equal footing. There is no guarantee that the story will go as smoothly as when Hisoka, who is not obsessed with clearing the game, became a companion.

Golainu insisted on only revealing the acquisition information of "OneTsuboCoastline," and at least 5 billion Jenny should be requested as insurance. I decided to leave the bargaining to Golainu, who is used to negotiations. The rest is how to get in touch with Tsezgera.

Thanks to Hisoka, it seems to have worked. He has met Tsezgera. To be precise, we passed each other within a distance of 20 meters in the game. If this condition is met, even if you don't have a conversation, the system will consider that you have "met," and the other party's information will be recorded in the Binder.

If you have met someone before, you can use the "Contact" Spell Card to get in touch with them. Up to 3 minutes of communication can be conducted through the Binder. Gon gave Hisoka a "Contact" card to use.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Tsezgera?"

"You don't even need to check it."

"... Which one? Unfortunately, I don't remember their names."

Hisoka used the card, but Gon and Killua took the call. I intend to discuss the details of the negotiation later, so for now, I just need to make an appointment to meet. However, Tsezgera seems to be wary of this, and it seems difficult to get approval. While I was waiting for the story to end, Hisoka sat next to me.

"Hey, you seem to have a good relationship with Gon and the others, but have you met in this game?"

He spoke to me in a friendly way, but the Aura wrapping him was extraordinary. At first, I thought Hisoka was a good person because of his cooperative attitude, but it didn't take long for me to realize that he is the kind of person who can never be called decent.

Aura has a temperament corresponding to its owner's spirit. It is a personality unrelated to strength, as variable as a fingerprint. However, usually, it is just a slight characteristic, and you don't care about the quality of the aura. If it were a normal person.

"You know, just by looking at a person, I can understand that person's strength, and imagine how many points out of 100 they can get in their own way; it's very interesting."

I have never seen anyone with so much Aura. Hisoka never hides the intimidation of his sludge-like temperament, lashing out at me. This is also a skill that only gives me directionality; the people around me didn't notice it at all. Based on this alone, I can guess that he is an amazing user.

"But I'm not sure about your score. It looks strong, wanting to eat it right away, but it also looks best to wait until it matures a little bit. At first, I thought it was a Specialist type, but it seems a little different. Strange, she is the type I have seen for the first time."

That gaze, inserted like a knife, was accompanied by a bloodlust that could cut his throat at any time. I don't know why this killing intent is directed at me, but in any case, it is annoying.

That's what I thought, but I could still understand Hisoka's mood to a certain extent. Maybe this is meaningless. The instinct to just want to fight. He is just following his desires at the level of a normal person breathing. Stopping it would be as painful as holding one's breath.

Suddenly, I couldn't believe it myself, but I started to feel something, not just annoyance at Hisoka's killing intent.

"Gugugu... I like that kind of aura. Are you inviting me? I can't stand it."

Thanks to my Training, I have become stronger than before. I have a feeling that I want to check its strength. It might just be because he became distracted and arrogant.

But I am very clear that I am immature. Biscuit certainly gave appropriate guidance, but there was no killing intent there. As a leader, this is a matter of course, but I felt dissatisfied there.

And I don't want to kill Biscuit either. First of all, I shouldn't have such thoughts, but recently I found myself thinking about it all the time. I even feel that my obsession with not doing so is cultivating a completely opposite feeling.

"Maybe our meeting in this small town is fate. Don't you think we will have a wonderful love?"

If I have the opportunity to fight a strong person who is trying to kill me with all their might, what I get after that will be death, or even greater power. When I find that I have no choice but to fight with all my might, I will be forced to make the decision to take another's life.

My former self could not imagine it. I couldn't bear the preparation for killing. But now there are things worse than killing. There is an instinct surging from the depths of my chest, wanting to depict that feeling. When I cross the final line, I...

"Duel (date) with me."

I feel it is not even half finished.