Chapter 141: Roy VS Botobai x The Man-Faced Ape's Deception
"I will not hold back," Botobai's muffled voice rumbled, exhaling two long dragons of air from his nostrils.
Roy leaned on his cane sword and said calmly, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Very well!" The Dragon Zodiac wasted no more words, turned, and walked into the depths of the tunnel. "Follow me."
"Young Master..." Gotoh and Kurapika looked over.
"Caw~" Roy patted Goldie's head, instructing them, "Wait for me here." He turned, sword in hand, and followed.
The two figures, one large and one small, walked into the tunnel and disappeared.
Electronic eyes embedded in the tunnel walls were everywhere, capturing their every move and distributing the feed. One of the staff members, wearing a cap, with a slightly shifty face, took advantage of a colleague's inattention, pulled out his phone, and secretly sent a text: "It's starting."
Kakin Empire, Capital City Spanto.
In the luxurious estate on Tulip Avenue, adjacent to the royal palace—the center of power controlled by the Hui Guo Rou family—where Beyond resided.
An "old" and a "young" man, one standing and one sitting, were each busy with their own affairs, ignoring one another.
At this moment, Beyond was holding a pair of binoculars, monitoring the construction progress of the "Black Whale" through the massive floor-to-ceiling window. He broke the silence first, asking the blonde boy behind him, "It's been a few days. Have you figured out why you lost?"
Pariston, legs crossed on the sofa, casually flipped through a book titled A Chronicle of Dragon-Kin, written by a "Dragon Chaser." Without looking up, he replied, "What else could it be? Insufficient strength, and a lack of intel." Not being able to win means insufficient strength. Knowing nothing about him is a lack of intel.
Pariston had replayed the encounter meticulously. He could have avoided the conflict with Roy Zoldyck. He had even made concessions at the airport, but because of that strange man, he was dragged into a fight. In other words... it was a complete accident. An accident that had cost him two bodyguards and a chess piece, all to prove that his opponent possessed "extreme playability."
Pariston thought of that indifferent face, and his heart began to itch again, an uncontrollable excitement rising.
Just then, Beyond looked back at him. "You're still missing one thing."
The boy closed the book, tossed it on the table, laced his fingers behind his head, and raised an eyebrow, waiting.
A soft buzz came from Beyond's pocket. This "rebellious son" as Netero called him, this mad adventurer who had made a Vow with his own life to reach the Dark Continent, pulled out his phone. He glanced at the message and ordered the massive television on the east wall to be turned on.
The screen lit up, clearly showing Roy and Botobai "racing" down the tunnel. Beyond, hands behind his back, studied the black-haired boy on the screen. "You also lack preparation."
"Anyone can be killed. No matter how strong they are, with sufficient preparation, they can be taken out in a single blow!"
"Even Chairman Netero?" Pariston clearly knew many of Beyond's secrets.
"Even him," the man chuckled, his voice low. "Roy Zoldyck is a fine opponent. Watch him. Gather intel on him. I look forward to the day you get your revenge and kill him!"
Zoldycks... Killing their child would surely drive the family insane. Beyond glanced at Pariston. When the boy was hunted with nowhere to run, he would have no choice but to lash himself to Beyond's war chariot and flee to the Dark Continent.
"Heh heh... I will." Pariston's eyes narrowed as he studied Roy on the screen, his body trembling. Revenge was unimportant. What mattered was destroying everything his opponent held dear, watching him rage, and then, smiling, ask him for a waltz. As for his dance partner? He'd just have to borrow that woman he cares about...
Tap... tap... Two sets of footsteps echoed from the screen, filling the luxurious room.
In the tunnel, Roy, using 'Shadow Step', followed leisurely behind Botobai. When he sped up, Roy sped up. When he slowed, Roy slowed. Finally, they could see a sliver of light from the tunnel's exit, but Botobai suddenly threw a smoke bomb... and vanished, leaving only his voice echoing.
"This stage isn't complicated. It's called 'Milsy Woods Military Exercise'. Find me before the sun sets, and you pass."
White smoke filled the exit. Roy stopped, let Goldie open its beak, and spat a stream of fire to clear the path. The crow, though small, had a long breath. The jet of flame expanded, instantly becoming a large fire that burned the smoke away.
"A good Nen Beast," Beyond remarked, his eyes immediately drawn to the crow on Roy's head.
Pariston propped his chin on his hand, frowning. He had no memory of this fat crow. Could it be that, in addition to "Magnetism" and "Swordsmanship," Roy Zoldyck is also hiding a "Nen Beast"? The boy's mouth curled. This is getting more and more interesting.
On the screen, Goldie burped, letting out a puff of black smoke. The tunnel exit was clear. Roy gripped his cane sword, stepped out... and was met with a hail of gunfire!
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Bullets rained down, seemingly timed perfectly for his exit, the firepower even more intense than Gotoh's. The cameras captured it all—a dense storm of live ammunition.
In the barbecue restaurant, the two old men, having had a nap and some afternoon tea, were back to slurping noodles and watching TV. On the screen, in a wide-open field, several trenches had been dug. In the nearby forest and swamp, "soldiers" in camouflage, their faces painted, were hidden, manning machine guns or holding assault rifles, all firing at Roy. Anyone else would have thought they'd wandered onto a battlefield!
"A 'One-Man Army'. Hohoho... Botobai is an army unto himself," Netero slurped his udon, empty plates stacked high beside him. Enhancers weren't just "simple-minded"; they were also "bottomless pits" when it came to food. Zeno wasn't as bad, but he wasn't far off. Perhaps because of Roy's "curse," the old man was in a bad mood and wanted to eat to feel better. He'd ordered several more plates of grilled meat and was silently stuffing his face, his eyes glued to Roy.
'One-Man Army' must be Botobai's Nen ability. To maintain so many Nen Beasts and control them all to fire simultaneously, he has to be either an Emitter or a Manipulator! Now, it was time to see how Roy would respond.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
The bullets were wrapped in Ten, a far cry from the ordinary rounds the mafia had uselessly fired at Uvogin.
BOOM!
Roy even saw an officer, shouldering an RPG, fire a rocket straight at him!
A smile touched his lips. 'Guns and bullets'... 'rockets'... they're all just 'metal chunks' packed with 'gunpowder'! And as long as it's 'metal', it can't escape the judgment of 'Magnetism'!'
Roy didn't even draw his blade. He simply held out his free hand and pushed. [Magnetism: Repel!]
His milky-white Aura instantly transformed into a transparent "Magnetic Wall," freezing the bullets and the rocket in mid-air. Then, with a violent shove...
Swish... swish... BOOM!
The bullets flew right back where they came from. The rocket, on a perfect return course, exploded, blasting the officer who fired it to bits!
[Notification: "Life Energy" +1... +1... +1... +5... +1...]
As the "soldiers" in the trenches, forest, and swamp fell, Roy, to his surprise, heard a continuous stream of notifications. He looked up. Every time a soldier fell, a transparent spirit emerged. These spirits varied in size, the largest and most solid one belonging to the unlucky officer he'd just blown up.
'These are... the 'spirits' Botobai rescued from terrorists.'
Roy, pensive, didn't absorb them yet. He advanced, holding his "Magnetic Shield," and calmly walked into the next hail of gunfire.
Kakin Empire.
Beyond, in his study, watched the boy casually reaping Botobai's "subordinates" like grass, his eyes filled with admiration. "A transparent shield? An air wall? Something that can reflect bullets... a decent Nen ability."
But... that's not it. "It's magnetism," Pariston said, his eyes glued to Roy, ripples in his pupils. "You've only seen its repulsive side. In reality... it can also attract!"
Just as the words left his mouth, the camera angle changed. Roy leaped into a trench, his hand outstretched. [Attract!]. He grabbed a soldier from several meters away and crushed its neck. [Notification: Life Energy +1...] A transparent spirit emerged and flowed into Roy.
One, two, three... eight... ten... As the minutes ticked by, the trenches, the jungle, the swamp, were filled with images of Roy. Wherever there was a "soldier," he was there!
"Stop!" a furious roar finally halted Roy's "rampage." Botobai could no longer stand by. He emerged from a thicket, his face dark, and yelled, "You brat, you don't know when to quit! If I let you keep this up, all my 'children' will be gone!"
His towering figure blocked out the sun, the opera mask contorted in rage. Botobai strode forward, grabbed one of Roy's hands... and suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He looked down.
At some point, the cane sword Roy held had silently left its sheath. It was aimed perfectly at his heart, and had pierced right through it.
"Aaargh!" A pained cry. The white blade went in, the red blade came out.
In Kakin, Pariston, who had just been summarizing Roy's abilities to Beyond, raised an eyebrow. He never thought the boy would be so bold as to kill an examiner during the Hunter Exam, right under the Association's nose! As expected of the Zoldyck heir... always surprising, always doing the unthinkable!
"Heh heh heh... HAHAHA!"
"Beyond, you'd better hold me back, or... I really won't be able to stop myself from going to find him!" Pariston's shoulders shook with laughter. Beside him, the older man stroked his thick beard, unmoved. "You're celebrating too early," he said coldly.
"Botobai... is not that easy to kill." Clearly, Beyond recognized Botobai Gigante.
And he was right.
On the screen, "Botobai" seemed stunned that Roy, a candidate, would attack an examiner. As far as he knew, attacking an examiner meant immediate disqualification! Did this kid not care about his Hunter License at all?
Schlick. The cane sword was pulled free. As the "body" lost its support, "Botobai" staggered and fell. He heard a mocking voice drift over...
"A monkey is still a monkey. Just because you know a few 'transformation' tricks, don't think you're actually human."
"You..." "Botobai" glared at Roy, his head lolled, and he died, reverting to his true form... a Man-Faced Ape, just like the one that had impersonated the examiner Satotz in the original story!
[Notification: "Life Energy" +2... [Magical Beast Encyclopedia] updated...]
[Man-Faced Ape]
[E-Rank Magical Beast]
[Racial Talent: "Deception" (Note: Can observe and transform into humans to deceive others.)]
[Aura Output: 10/100]
[Potential Aura: 25/100]
[Talent Fragment "Deception" extracted. Current: 1/5]
[Note: Collect five fragments to redeem one "Deception" talent. Unique. Extras are void.]
Hm? Did it drop 'loot'?
Roy glanced at his panel. A new understanding dawned. His "panel," based on the "Gate of Cognition," was quietly evolving as he explored the world and as his "Physique" and "Nen" grew. Before, when he was weak, he could never have "perceived" the talents of others. But now... whether it was a "Nen Beast," "Magical Beast," or even a "Demon," once recorded, the Encyclopedia could analyze and extract its "Talent."
The question was... where to get the other four "Deception" fragments?
Fwoosh! Two suns ignited in Roy's eyes. He scanned the nearby bushes.
Cheep! Cheep! Several monkey-like shrieks were heard. A few other Man-Faced Apes, seeing "Botobai" fall, had intended to grab a piece of the action. But the moment they met Roy's fiery gaze, they panicked, turned their red butts, and fled into the depths of the Milsy Wetlands.
"Target's tough! Run!" When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.
Unfortunately, running never solved anything. As the apes scattered, Roy caught several, lopping off their heads.
[Notification: Life Energy +2... Talent Fragment "Deception" extracted...]
One, two, three, four... In less than three minutes, he had all five. The panel flashed, and a stream of "information" flooded Roy's mind.
The boy stood amidst the monkey corpses and Botobai's "soldiers," a path of blood behind him. He closed his eyes, savoring the new knowledge. With a thought, he activated [Deception]... and transformed into Gotoh.
Visibly, his body shot up several centimeters, his cane sword vanished, his clothes and shoes changed... even the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose were identical to Gotoh's!
In Kakin, in the restaurant, and... in the depths of the Milsy Wetlands, Botobai... as well as Beyond, Pariston, Netero, and Zeno... all saw this, and froze!
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