"One, spider!"
Kaizen wasn't surprised by this.
Since he planned to visit the hidden place of the Kurta tribe, it was inevitable he would run into members of the Phantom Troupe.
He had seen Franklin before.
It wasn't the first time he'd noticed him, but this time, the encounter felt different—closer.
Kaizen saw the other party, but they hadn't noticed him yet. This was a rare opportunity.
At this moment, only Kaizen and Machi were nearby.
"Machi is probably under twenty years old," Kaizen mused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "But she looks younger than her actual age—small, not very mature in appearance, and her clothes don't help. Her height is almost the same as mine now."
He focused his Nen.
Two separate waves of aura condensed around his eyes.
"Her Nen level is similar to Franklin's," Kaizen thought, "but in terms of combat strength, there's a clear difference."
Kaizen understood this well. The energy of a Nen user is limited. Even with the same level of talent, where they focus their energy changes their abilities.
Gel, for example, was a good case. She was an A-rank Nen user, but two-thirds of her abilities were dedicated to poison research, leaving only a third for combat.
In a fight, a B-rank user with a focus on combat could potentially defeat someone like Gel.
"Franklin's main strength lies in his dual-machine gun technique," Kaizen considered. "His aura is concentrated on combat. As for Machi, her Nen threads were developed more for healing—using them to stitch up wounds, though they can be used in battle too."
Kaizen concluded, "So, Machi's combat ability is likely weaker than Franklin's. But of course, real battles depend on the environment and improvisation."
Suddenly, a large group of monsters burst from the sand.
Machi quickly wove a net of Nen threads.
This net would ensure her safety and allow her to trap the monsters. By manipulating the threads, she guided the force of their impacts, making the monsters damage each other.
Machi just had to maintain control.
"Smart play," Kaizen thought.
He didn't rush in. The crystal ball he had absorbed earlier was slowly gaining properties, a clear sign Machi was working in tandem with him.
One by one, the monsters fell to Machi's Nen threads, but their numbers seemed endless.
Kaizen surveyed his surroundings, his mind working.
"What's the weakness of these sand scorpions?"
The desert offered little other than sand. But since the sand scorpions moved through it, Kaizen doubted that the sand itself was their weakness.
"Cactus?"
Kaizen noticed some nearby cacti. A thought crossed his mind, and he moved closer.
With a swift motion, a dark claw cut through the cactus effortlessly. Green juice spilled from the tender plant, and the faint fragrance of the cactus filled the air. Yet, the sand scorpions showed no reaction.
Machi frowned, glancing at Kaizen.
"What's he doing?"
She didn't understand his actions.
Suddenly, the sunlight grew more intense, and the temperature above the desert soared rapidly.
With the rise in temperature, the sand scorpions started to slow down. They seemed uncomfortable with the heat and tried to retreat back into the sand.
But Machi's presence kept them hesitant.
Kaizen calmly tossed a cactus in Machi's direction.
The scorpions noticed and retreated back under the sand, abandoning Machi as their target.
A thought formed in Machi's mind.
"Is it because of the cactus?"
She wondered if the monsters feared cacti.
But something in her intuition told her that wasn't the full story.
Among the Phantom Troupe, Machi had exceptionally high talent. Before she even learned Nen, she was the only one able to see and sense aura, just like Tessia.
Despite her talent, Machi's combat ability was still a work in progress.
However, she had something special—her intuition.
Her instincts were uncannily accurate.
But for now, she couldn't think of another explanation. So, she accepted the theory that the sand scorpions were driven away by the cacti.
"Thanks," Kaizen said, waving his hand.
He didn't confirm or deny her theory.
Machi didn't press the matter further.
The two continued on their journey.
The desert seemed endless, but then they came upon a massive pyramid-like structure in the distance.
In front of the structure were two doors.
One was blue, with intricate patterns and vibrant colors. The other, red, had a simpler design.
Kaizen approached the blue door and gave it a push.
It opened easily, but Kaizen didn't enter. Instead, he glanced at the red door.
Machi tried pushing the red door but couldn't get it to budge.
"Want to switch?" Kaizen asked, a thought forming in his mind.
Machi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
She stepped up to the blue door. One push, and it opened.
Kaizen tried the red door again, but it didn't move.
Seeing this, Kaizen's suspicions were confirmed.
"Want to cooperate?" he asked.
On the other side, Machi was already making her own conclusions. She studied Kaizen for a moment, then asked, "The situation ahead might be more dangerous than what we've faced so far."
Kaizen nodded. "We have no conflicts of interest right now."
Before speaking, Machi used her intuition to assess the situation.
Her judgment led her to this.
"Agreed."
Kaizen confirmed, "The red door is likely for the Kurta people, while the blue door is for outsiders. There must be a difference."
"My Nen Beast can scout ahead," he continued. "I'll leave the main fighting to you."
Machi had no objections.
She had her own assessment of Kaizen's aura, just as Kaizen had done with hers.
She didn't believe Kaizen's strength would surpass hers.
As for the task of scouting, it made sense for his Nen Beast to handle it. After all, it wouldn't risk damaging her.
With Kaizen contributing his part, it only made sense that Machi would handle the rest.
"Understood."
The two opened the blue door together and stepped inside.
A secret room came into view.
"Click!"
A mechanism triggered, and the ground gave way.
A hole opened, something inside stirring.
The two quickly retreated, separating to take different routes.
------------
+350 chapters on patreon.com/FanficsHub