At the end of the inner city in the Harim Ruins.
There stood a massive, pitch-black door, surrounded by thick, inky Death Nen. It looked as though it was made entirely of ink, suffused with an oppressive aura. The door stood tall and proud, blocking the way for anyone who came close.
If the Death Nen outside was like a disordered black fog, this door was like a thick, solid block of ink.
It had become so dense that it had solidified!
However, in front of this imposing door, the usual deathly stillness had vanished. Instead, the area was filled with a lively commotion.
"Well... Should we just leave like this?"
The young man, Pete, with a middle part and large sunglasses, spoke, his tone carrying a hint of gloom.
"Is there another option? Can you exorcise the Nen?"
The leather-jacketed woman glared fiercely at the door, her voice laced with frustration and resentment.
...
"Well... I know a little..."
The six of them all turned in unison to look behind them.
What should have been a place engulfed by Death Nen, suffocating and oppressive, now began to shake violently, like boiling water.
A few seconds later, a handsome, younger man smiled as he walked out from the midst of it all.
He was surrounded by a semi-transparent "plastic wrap" that isolated him from the Death Nen.
Behind him was a humanoid Nen beast, exuding an aristocratic vibe.
It was none other than Link and Shanaido.
As Link advanced further into the inner city, he realized that the end of this area wasn't truly the end.
This could be deduced from the progress bar, which had stopped at 80%.
The real endpoint was likely beyond this large door.
The others noticed Shanaido next to Link and, being Nen users themselves, quickly recognized her as a Nen beast.
The six people gathered their attention on Link, noticing the absence of Death Nen around him.
A Nen Exorcist?!
"Bro, are you a Nen Exorcist?" The leather-jacketed woman looked at Link with a half-believing expression, but still couldn't help but ask.
"I'm no Nen Exorcist, but I have some means to keep the Death Nen at bay and avoid its effects," Link replied.
His words lifted the spirits of the others who had been tortured by the Death Nen. They all stepped forward eagerly, as if they had just seen the dawn of victory.
After some explanation, Link finally understood the full story.
The man with glasses, the leather-jacketed woman, and the hip-hop guy were siblings.
They had met Pete and his two bodyguards outside the ruins, and all of them decided to team up to explore the deeper areas of the ruins, considering the potential dangers ahead.
However, the major problem with this temporary team was the lack of a Nen Exorcist. They had been relying on their own Nen to push through, exhausting their resources along the way.
The journey wasn't very long, or else they wouldn't have made it this far.
Even so, their Nen reserves were nearly depleted.
Link examined the door carefully, and now he understood why no one had reached the end before.
It was because this dark, ominous door, emitting powerful Death Nen, was blocking the way.
The Death Nen on the door was at least ten times stronger than the one floating outside in the air.
While the group had been able to resist the outer Death Nen using their own Nen, this door was beyond their capability.
One touch and they might be consumed by the Nen instantly!
While listening to their explanation, Link had also been using his Pokédex ability to scan the others.
The results were reassuring. Most of them were C-level in terms of power, except for Pete, who was B-level, and the hip-hop guy, who was B- level.
This level of power posed no real threat to him or Shanaido.
However, the siblings' Nen abilities were a bit unusual, which caught Link off guard, but overall, their strength wasn't much to worry about.
As they sized up Link, Link also took note of the six of them.
Pete and his two bodyguards were dressed in standard black suits.
Perhaps because of his experience with Pierce, Link instinctively thought of gangsters whenever he saw people in such outfits.
The two bodyguards had standard crew cuts and looked quite ordinary.
Pete, with his middle part and large sunglasses, hid his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking beneath his dark glasses.
Link didn't need to guess to know this person was likely hiding something, either his eyes were problematic, or there was something wrong with him.
The former could be a cover for an eye condition, while the latter suggested he was concealing his true intentions.
The two bodyguards each carried a large leather backpack, while Pete was unburdened, walking freely.
Among the siblings, the man with glasses was the oldest, the leather-jacketed woman was second, and the hip-hop guy was the youngest.
The man with glasses was thin, with slanted eyes, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He wore an ordinary white shirt and leather shoes with a layer of light gray dust on them.
He looked like an average office worker in a crowd, except for that sharp, observant gaze.
The leather-jacketed woman stood about 1.7 meters tall, with a mature, authoritative look on her face and a hint of nobility in her brows. She wore a black leather outfit and held a long whip, which had barbed ends, giving her the appearance of a "queen."
It wasn't just for cosplay. Under Link's focused gaze, he realized the whip was entirely made of Nen energy.
It was clear that it was a product of materialized Nen.
Lastly, the hip-hop guy had the most striking appearance. He was dark-skinned with thick eyebrows.
He wore a red hip-hop-style outfit and carried a large hiking backpack.
What caught Link's attention the most were his thick knuckles, with tough calluses, indicating that he wasn't an ordinary person.
"Brother, if you can help us avoid the Death Nen's interference, I promise that all the spoils will be split 40% for you. How does that sound?" Pete spoke first, his words filled with sincerity, but Link couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about him.
With a sly grin, Link's eyes narrowed with a playful gleam.
Since their strength wasn't much to worry about, he might as well play along.
"Alright," Link nodded and started walking toward the door.