Afraid of missing the best opportunity to snag Hisoka's badge number.
However?
A dozen sharp nails suddenly shot out from behind Hisoka, all embedding themselves in Gittarackur's face, completely breaking his attack.
Splat?
The spear fell to the ground, and Gittarackur's lifeless body followed suit, collapsing powerlessly.
"What... was that?!"
Gon, watching this unfold, couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Sorry,"
Gittarackur, also known as Illumi, emerged from the forest, rolling a nen nail between his fingers.
"I let him slip away when I wasn't paying attention."
"Liar?"
Hisoka gave him a slight smile: "Did he beg you to let him fulfill his 'last wish before death'?"
Illumi nodded, "As a member of an assassin family, you shouldn't harbor unnecessary sympathy for your enemies. I shouldn't have to teach you that; you know it yourself."
"But he was already a dying man, and... he was truly pitiful."
Illumi tilted his head, pondering.
"After all, he had just challenged Morin, the Tool Master."
"Oh?"
Hearing this name piqued Hisoka's interest.
"What happened?"
"Are you now more interested in your deputy leader than your leader?"
Illumi retorted with a question. "Since joining the Phantom Troupe, I've noticed your interests change daily."
"Ho ho ho!!"
Hisoka chuckled, remaining silent.
Meanwhile, in the nearby woods.
"Hisoka? Phantom Troupe?!"
Gon's pupils suddenly contracted.
From their conversation, he gleaned a lot of explosive information.
Especially the point that caught his attention the most:
"Morin, he's a member of the Phantom Troupe?! And the deputy leader?!"
Gon was shocked! A kind of indifference that seeped from the bones.
Upon hearing this news, Gon's grip on his fishing rod nearly faltered.
If not for his upbringing in the mountains, merging with nature, his breathing might have become erratic, alerting Hisoka and the others.
"Hisoka is a member of the Phantom Troupe, and Morin too, as the deputy leader!!"
Gon's mind was a jumbled mess: "What is going on here?!"
Unaware of the full story, he could only forcibly calm himself, listening to the conversation between Hisoka and Gittarackur.
"He just went to challenge your deputy leader and was ignored."
Illumi pointed to Gittarackur's body on the ground.
"Ho ho ho, as expected."
Hisoka twirled the playing cards in his hand, "Although I haven't interacted much with that man, I can sense it."
"He is indifferent to this world and the people in it compared to me."
"An indifference that seeps from the bones."
"I even suspect he doesn't see us as real people."
Hisoka squinted slightly, expressing his feelings about Morin.
To be honest, Hisoka's assessment of Morin was quite accurate.
Because?
Compared to the living people in the Hunter world, Morin often treated them more like NPCs in an anime or game world.
Naturally, he wasn't overly concerned with many people's lives and deaths.
When disturbed, he might not mind if he was in a good mood, but more often, he wouldn't hesitate to send someone spiraling into oblivion.
"Listening to you, it does seem that way."
Illumi recalled carefully, nodding slightly.
"His perception of life seems similar to our family's."
"Simultaneously, his strength is undeniably formidable."
"Isn't it?"
Hisoka chuckled, "So now I have two targets within the Phantom Troupe."
"First, to challenge our leader."
"After surpassing him, next is my deputy leader, dear Morin!!"
---
As if lost in a delightful reverie, Hisoka's entire body began to tremble involuntarily.
"Is that so? There's something I should remind you of."
Illumi cast a glance at Hisoka, who was in an abnormal state.
"Even though your deputy leader, the Tool Master, is very strong, the leader ahead of him is no slouch either."
"Not to mention facing your deputy leader, defeating your leader is already quite a challenging task."
"I know."
Hisoka licked the corner of his mouth, his gaze fixed on Illumi, "So when the time comes, I might need you to provide me with some assistance."
"I can, but..."
Illumi returned the gaze.
"I understand your rules."
Hisoka's lips curled into a grin, "I won't shortchange you on the funds to hire you."
"That's good~"
Illumi nodded slowly, "Contact me when the time comes."
"But just to clarify..."
Illumi shook the nen nail in his hand, "I can help you deal with your leader, but not that deputy, Morin."
He explained, "In our family, his commission level is the highest."
"You can't afford that price."
In fact, the entire Phantom Troupe's price had risen because of Morin.
But?
Who would have thought Hisoka is one of his few good, friends, good, partners?!
This little favor, Illumi could help with if possible.
But when it comes to Morin...
Hisoka would have to rely on his own luck~??
"His strength is formidable, I have reminded you before, right?"
Illumi asked.
"Yes, recognized by the world's strongest, Netero, as one of the 'Five Great Nen Users,'" Hisoka's smile grew more intense and terrifying, "which means one of the five strongest people in the world today."
"Exactly."
Illumi nodded.
"Alongside Chairman Netero, our family elder, and two Zodiac Hunters from the Hunter Association, your Phantom Troupe's deputy leader is among the 'World's Top Five.'"
"The Tool Master, Morin."
In the dense forest nearby.
Gon was almost numb from the barrage of shocking information.
From the exchange between Hisoka and the examinee named Gittarackur, Gon gathered the following information:
First, the two knew each other from before, and the mysterious Gittarackur might have strength on par with Hisoka, with an unknown background from a mysterious family.
Second, Gon confirmed that Hisoka is a member of the Phantom Troupe, targeting both the leader and deputy leader of the troupe.
Third, Morin, like Hisoka, is also a member of the Phantom Troupe!! And a central figure, the deputy leader!!!
Fourth, Morin is indeed very strong!!
Originally, Gon only had a vague notion of Morin's strength.
Familiar with Chairman Netero, a mentor to the Hunter Association's higher-ups, even Hisoka had to avoid him.
That was Gon's previous impression of Morin's vague strength.
Even more than Morin's strength, what left a deeper impression on Gon were the series of tools Morin brought out, like the "Guiding Angel."
In Gon's mind, Morin's identity as a Tool Master weighed more heavily than his identity as a strong person!!
But now, through the conversation between Gittarackur and Hisoka, Gon gained a clear and direct understanding of Morin's strength: One of the five strongest people in the world!!
A world-class powerhouse alongside Chairman Netero of the Hunter Association!!!
Such a title suddenly made Gon feel the disparity from the world.
Though he didn't fully understand what the "Five Great Nen Users" meant, or perhaps it was another title.
It didn't hinder Gon's understanding of Morin's strength.
One of the top five standing at the world's pinnacle!!
Gon suddenly felt that Morin was so far away at this moment.
A towering mountain rose from the ground, separating him from Morin.
Morin stood at the mountain's peak, while he could only stand at the foot, looking up at Morin, who seemed to reach the sky.
Despite Gon's simple nature, he still considered Morin a friend he could talk to.
He wouldn't treat Morin differently after learning about his identity, holding no prejudice.
But the innate awe for the strong would surely make Gon unable to interact with Morin in the same way and attitude as before.
Especially since Morin was suspected to be one of the culprits involved in the Kurapika clan massacre.
If the Phantom Troupe truly annihilated Kurapika's clan, then Morin and Kurapika...
Gon's thoughts drifted momentarily.
But soon~
Read 140 chapters ahead at:
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