Chapter 50: Dreams
Minutes later, in the shattered and devastated plaza, Sato was sent flying by Haze's kick, his body twisting through a cloud of smoke. He crashed to the ground like a ball, blood spurting from his mouth.
Immediately, a dark shadow descended from the sky again… like a cloud of ink.
Ignoring his broken body, Sato forced himself to roll, using all his strength to launch a beam, dodging the Arboreal Demon's attack. The deafening sound, flying dust, and hurled stones struck his back, worsening his injuries. With his skills, he had to focus entirely to evade the two monsters. The "rule" of 100% hit probability represented the limit of his abilities.
Because… the attacks of the two monsters were far too destructive and had an extremely wide range!
Bang!
But he had barely moved when Haze approached and landed a powerful punch to his chest.
At that moment, Sato's eyes bloodshot, and he finally cried out in pain.
"This guy… isn't affected by the two monsters' attacks… Even if the monsters' hands hit him, they wouldn't hurt… What kind of Nen ability is this? Although I saw through his 'limitations,' I… overlooked them, only scratching the surface… His Nen ability is even more complex than I suspected… There's some 'rule' or factor subtly influencing everything…"
Sato's mind spun in a whirlwind.
It was the first time since his debut he had encountered a Nen ability so mysterious and unfathomable.
It completely upended his understanding of power.
So complex… even his experience only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.
"I created them… with my Nen… my own Nen… Do you know how Haze it took me to make them? How much time it took!"
Amidst the dust, Haze trudged toward where Sato struggled to stand.
"Yes, this is a game… with game rules. As the creator, I can do certain 'things' and enjoy 'special benefits.'"
"But whenever I exploit this natural advantage, the 'game world' signals collapse, forcing me to improve and adjust it little by little, slowly and laboriously."
"My telepathy is a massive project, and it's agonizing… I'm trying my best to privatize the 'game world' into a private server, which links to my GM identity and original intentions… But private servers bring instability backdoors, glitches, fragility, virus infestations. When facing a true master, the functioning and restrictions of the 'rules,' including mandatory effects, may become ineffective… and the situation turns unfavorable… Sigh…"
"So, to prevent exploitation, I maintain stability and fairness… I'm temporarily disabling 'fairness' through maintenance, turning it into a neutralized private server. But patching it every time is a hassle… In the future, once the game world is complete, fully stable, and materialized into reality, I won't be able to do this… I can adapt 'justice' rules for my benefit, and I have ideas, but I'm never satisfied… Not perverted enough…"
Hearing the approaching voice, Sato's pupils shrank as he suddenly realized… these are the rules! The game rules!
"No wonder…"
With a whistle, Haze stood before him and, with a hand gesture, cleared the dust from the air.
The two monsters seemed to have ceased attacking.
"Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"
Haze looked at the disheveled ninja in front of him, revealing his true form, and smiled.
"I think… you're very capable. Maybe you can give me some good advice."
Sato remained silent. He knew… he had no chance of winning.
Haze revealed all this because… Sato was destined to die, leaving no survivors.
No one would reveal his secrets… unless the other person was already dead.
He tried attacking the two monsters, but from the game's perspective, their health bars were too thick… he couldn't finish them quickly… If Haze hadn't attacked, there might have been hope.
Surviving this Haze was, honestly, quite impressive.
"Hehehe…"
Sato laughed, but the sound stuck painfully to his wounds, twisting his face. He stared at Haze.
"Do you hear me? The fact that you developed this kind of Nen means you are far superior to me, at a level I can't even imagine… Do you need to ask me?"
Sato thought. Haze's abilities were definitely beyond what he could achieve alone. He must have many powerful helpers.
"Brainstorming… everyone has a different perspective…" Haze replied.
With the system, the solution he offered was indeed the best possible.
Sato didn't know much about Haze's abilities, but what he had said gave him an idea.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes… your ability… I wouldn't have believed anyone could do this… It's already crazy, what more can you ask for?" Sato said sincerely.
"No, no, no… You think it's crazy because you haven't seen some of the most terrifying creatures of this world, including certain species and the unknown…"
Haze shook his head.
"What I have to do isn't enough…"
"Then… I can only wish you the best… though I don't think it's possible," Sato said firmly.
"Really… no suggestions?"
Haze was disappointed.
Sato didn't answer. The man wielded his knife, unleashing telekinesis… not against Haze.
Instead… he slit his own throat.
He committed suicide… without begging for mercy, without protest… He knew his fate and chose to die on his own terms.
At least… he demonstrated the dignity and consciousness of a ninja.
"What a pity! I hoped you could destroy the two wild monsters to test the double upgrades, red and blue…" Haze said, turning and walking away.
Elsewhere, Brown's only telekinesis user had just killed the Swamp Frog and Razorback.
To create distance and stay within the monsters' attack range, one needed that kind of speed and strength. Clearly… this Nen user was much weaker than Sato.
The Tenth Elder was an ordinary man, also restrained by him, forcing the Nen user to focus on protecting him.
After the monster vanished, the man dragged Brown, preparing to flee, when a hand pierced his chest from behind.
The man's eyes widened in disbelief… Had the battle between Sato and the other two really ended so quickly?
Haze freed his arm from the viscous body… his face slightly fatigued.
"You…"
Elsewhere, Brown, the Tenth Elder, paled, somewhat confused.
He stood frozen… Haze had reached him, revealing that Sato was dead.
The person he trusted most… had finally been defeated. Although he refused to accept it, it was a fact.
"I can give up! I can give you the position of the Tenth Elder! Everything… everything!"
At that moment, usually distant and calm, Brown revealed a mercenary and petty side, panic spreading through his body.
"Don't you understand? I told you from the start, I don't care about you…" Haze said calmly.
As he turned to leave, a dark shadow rose and passed over the Tenth Elder's body.
In the next instant… Brown's flesh exploded, leaving only the lower body as he collapsed.
"I'm a little tired. I need to go back to sleep…"
Haze walked away, yawning, smiling ironically.
… The Tenth Elder, Brown, was dead!
The news spread quickly through the country's underground, causing an uproar…
Even more… mafia groups worldwide were stirred by the news.
After all, these were the Ten Donss…
As expected, the other nine of the Ten Donss intervened. However, the new leader was Haze, former head of the Shield family, not Brown's chosen candidate. His support surprised everyone.
Especially mafia organizations in the Republic of Bartochia they knew Brown had sent armed forces to eliminate the Shield family before his death… but key figures like Shield Lily and Haze were nowhere to be found.
With the matter resolved, they understood the situation… a war between the Shield family and Brown, the Ten Donss!
Details of Brown's death were unknown to the outside world… but theories and rumors abounded, all pointing to Haze.
The Ten Donss had done an excellent job suppressing information, trying to minimize public opinion and hide the truth. Brown's death slightly affected the prestige of the Ten Donss.
Overall, the impact was not severe.
And as the other Ten Donss had spoken, Haze's rise was inevitable. Even if lower members had complaints, they could only endure.
Additionally, the Fields family gained some reputation after this war.
A month later, Haze and stewards David and Lily moved into the palace formerly owned by Brown.
"Master, Brown's armed forces have been taken, and there are practically no rebels, nor industries… The gangs in our jurisdiction are severely damaged, and recovery will take a Haze time. Several family representatives want to see you…"
"Go and deal with them…" Haze said indifferently.
"Yes." David nodded.
The Ten Donss also wanted him to meet them soon. After all… he was new. They only wanted to hear his opinion. He had just assumed the role, so needed time before responding.
Haze smiled indifferently, looking at the woman in the wheelchair. He could clarify things… but would not return afterward. He would find a way to hand over the Ten Donss' position to David…
The elderly butler was startled.
"Don't worry, I'll let you be the official head of the family… I don't like trouble," Haze explained, seeing the misunderstanding. The butler exhaled in relief.
Clever Shieldlily understood.
"You want to be a hands-off boss, hidden behind the scenes?"
"Really want to? At least being one of the Ten Donss gives status and resources…"
"I'm not interested… David being one is no different from me. I stayed in the gang for a reason… and the delay exceeded my budget," Haze said bluntly.
His goal had been achieved.
"Indeed… Even now, if you don't know me well, you don't seem like a gangster… You're doing well."
Lily nodded softly.
"Let's do it this way. I've decided."
Haze applauded.
"Not even the Ten Donss can stop you. May I ask what you're going to do?"
Lily blinked, curious.
Although they had known each other for some time… she and David didn't know much about Haze's background and identity. They only knew he had been at a place called Heavens Arena.
Haze rarely mentioned himself.
"What are you going to do…"
Haze thought for a moment and then smiled:
"Dream…"
Dream?
The steward and Lily were stunned. They had not expected this answer.
"I have something to do today, so I'll leave first. Greetings!"
(End of Chapter)
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