One second, the magical-beast gorilla was still wondering what Ronin had done to it. The next, it felt as though its head were splitting apart. The entire gorilla collapsed to the ground, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.
Ronin did not torture the magical-beast gorilla for long before stopping.
But when the gorilla climbed back up from the ground, the way it looked at Ronin was already filled with fear.
It did not know how the other party had caused that pain that seemed to come from the soul itself, but it knew one thing clearly: it could not resist.
It's over!
That was the only thought in the magical-beast gorilla Lance's mind.
Odo and Veronica, who had witnessed the entire thing, had the exact same thought.
"What's your name?" Ronin did not shift his attention to the two of them. Instead, he patiently questioned the gorilla.
The gorilla, Lance, simply sat down on the ground.
"Lance. That is my name."
"How long have you lived here? Do you have any advice on reaching the coastline?" Ronin raised his hand and pointed into the distance.
Lance could not help widening its eyes, because from Ronin's gesture and question, it had already understood what Ronin intended to do.
"You want to go outside?"
"You know about the outside?" Ronin was somewhat curious.
"Of course. I was originally eliminated and sent here," Lance said directly, without any embarrassment. "Lord Gatekeeper didn't take a liking to me at all. He said I was too weak, and even if I were sent outside, I would only become food."
While Lance was speaking, Ging had already brought the others closer.
After hearing Lance's words, everyone present could not help looking at it curiously.
"Why are you looking at me like that? This place you humans call the imaginary continent isn't far from where Lord Gatekeeper is in the first place. Occasionally, powerful magical beasts born here will also go to Lord Gatekeeper to try their luck.
"If Lord Gatekeeper takes a liking to you and you become a guide, that's naturally the best outcome. Even if he doesn't, just receiving some guidance from him is enough to benefit you greatly. If you're careful, it can even be enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life."
At this point, Lance could not help sighing.
Perhaps it had bullied others too often, causing it to forget caution. It had even started taking pleasure in bullying people.
That was why, after discovering unfamiliar faces like Ronin and the others, it had impatiently jumped out.
If it had been a little more cautious and had not clashed with them, perhaps it would not have ended up enslaved.
Thinking of this, Lance even raised its hand and slapped itself hard across the face.
The corners of Ronin and the others' mouths twitched as they watched. There were magical beasts with rather high intelligence, but now it seemed Lance clearly was not one of them.
Still, with its strength, it was more than enough to serve as a fighter.
"So if I want to go outside, you'll be responsible for leading me. Take me to see the Gatekeeper," Ronin ordered directly.
Lance looked somewhat helpless, but could only nod honestly.
As for more information about the Gatekeeper, Ronin was not in a hurry to ask. After all, the manga had once mentioned that the Gatekeeper was also not a true human, but a magical beast.
He just did not know what kind of magical beast it was.
Ronin turned his gaze toward Odo and Veronica.
"Now then, tell me. How do you two want to die?"
"Huh?"
Veronica had already prepared what she was going to say, but when she suddenly heard Ronin handle the situation in such an unreasonable way, she was completely stunned. Cold sweat immediately began pouring from her.
"We don't want to die." At the critical moment, the towering Odo spoke calmly.
"If you're willing to tell me everything you know, I don't mind letting you go. You know, I'm not someone who enjoys killing," Ronin said with a faint smile.
But in Odo and Veronica's eyes, that smile was even more dangerous than killing intent.
"Whatever you want to know, we'll tell you everything," Odo promised.
By now, Odo had already confirmed that the people V5 had stationed on the imaginary continent could not possibly stop this group. So he might as well say what needed to be said. In any case, he did not know any truly classified information.
"Are you members of V5?" Ronin asked.
"Yes. Veronica, Regson, whom you killed, and I are all from Saherta," Odo answered honestly.
"And the other person?"
"He was a newcomer. We weren't familiar with him," Veronica said.
"So the two of you chased after us to avenge Regson?" Ronin continued asking.
Odo's expression turned bitter.
"Yes. But now we have completely given up on that idea."
"Then do you think there's any difference between your actions and that gorilla's?" Ronin spread his hands.
His meaning was already very clear. Since they had made the same choice as Lance, they had to face the same punishment.
"Do we have any other choice?" Veronica still wanted to struggle a little.
But the moment she asked that question, chains wrapped around her body.
Kurapika had made his move.
"I didn't say no!" The white-haired girl's face paled. Before the chains could tighten, she quickly explained, and tears of fear appeared in her large eyes.
"What is your ability?" Kurapika did not loosen the chains. Instead, he asked the key question.
"I'm a Conjurer. Through interrogation, I can make someone vomit out their internal organs, and each organ can give one correct answer." Despite her sweet appearance, Veronica possessed an ability that was completely cruel and at odds with her looks.
"My ability is War Ancient Tree. By injecting Nen into trees, I can control awakened treants to fight," Odo said, giving an answer that also did not quite match his appearance.
This was clearly an ability combining Manipulation and Emission.
But no matter how one looked at it, both of their abilities had quite a bit of potential.
"I'll plant the same Caged Bird Seal on both of you. Don't think about resisting. Once the mark is planted, I can kill you at any time with a single thought," Ronin warned.
Odo and Veronica did not dare resist in the slightest.
Lance, who had been listening to everything from the side, had already fallen into despair.
The number of people in the team increased.
Along the way, Ging and Kurapika followed near the two humans and one beast, constantly asking about things Ronin had overlooked or had not asked.
Ronin simply listened and did not seize back control.
He understood his position within the team. When necessary, he could make the final judgment. But in many matters, he also needed his two strategists, Ging and Kurapika, to make decisions.
Kurapika was meticulous in his thinking, while Ging clearly intended to guide him. Ging could always use his rich experience to give better judgments at critical points. These were all things Ronin was happy to see.
As for Neon, Abaki, and Shizuku, they were like Ronin, focusing more of their attention on keeping watch.
However, according to Lance, as long as they avoided a few special monsters, reaching the coastline on the other side of the continent would not be difficult for the team.
The true difficulty of going outside lay in the trial given by the Gatekeeper.
~~~
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