Boom!
A rock over a meter tall shattered explosively, crumbling into fragments that scattered across the ground with a continuous clatter.
Morrow gazed at the shattered remains of the rock, his eyes flickering with surprise.
Merely advancing from Lv2 to Lv5 had increased the power of Shooting Star by roughly 10%.
This was unexpected, an unforeseen boon.
Retracting his aura, Morrow recalled the Hearth Ability of the Nen user from last night.
A power that converted damage into fuel to enhance one's own strength; such an ability was far more complex than simple damage transference and undoubtedly required at least two Limitations.
For instance, the upper limit of absorbable damage would naturally be weaker than the user's own defensive capacity.
Based on this...
Morrow was certain that with his current Lv5 prowess, he wouldn't have to worry about his attacks being absorbed if he faced that Nen user again.
This was the absolute advantage brought by sheer aura output.
As his thoughts wandered, Morrow's gaze inadvertently fell upon the Tree Rings tattoo on the back of his hand, stirring a momentary wave of complicated emotions.
After Death Rewind, he had gained a Nen ability that allowed him to seize the initiative at this point in time, standing now at a crossroads of fate.
The path he should choose was obvious.
Though he was deeply grateful to Morena for her initial salvation and her subsequent unreserved aid, he could never accept her goal of annihilating all humanity and destroying the world.
Thus, he had resolved to sever all ties with her.
Yet, as he directly experienced the benefits of leaping several levels, Morena's image inevitably surfaced in his mind once more.
Morrow didn't know the origin of the Tree Rings tattoo, but this leveling ability undoubtedly stemmed from Morena's power before his rebirth.
It had imprinted itself upon this reborn world like a brand upon his soul.
Morrow exhaled softly.
What if...
No. There were no what-ifs.
Their values were irreconcilable, destined to lead them down divergent paths. From now on, they would only ever be strangers.
Shaking his head, Morrow dismissed thoughts of Morena and instead focused on analyzing the leveling mechanism of the Tree Rings tattoo.
In the original Etude of Love, killing an ordinary person granted one level, while killing a Nen user granted ten.
But the Tree Rings tattoo was different; it couldn't level up by killing ordinary people. Moreover, the levels gained from killing Nen users varied based on their strength.
A standard-level Nen user would only grant a single level.
The difficulty of leveling between the two was incomparable.
However, in exchange, the rewards from leveling the Tree Rings tattoo far surpassed those of the original Etude of Love.
The key difference likely lay in their core principles...
The original Etude of Love was designed for proliferation, so its leveling difficulty was low, allowing rapid ascension to Lv100 and the ability to spawn new subordinates.
The Tree Rings tattoo, however, emphasized individual enhancement, making leveling far more arduous; so much so that reaching Lv100 would be nearly impossible.
Yet precisely because of the immense benefits of each level, the ceiling of this ability had been raised significantly.
Judging by this heightened ceiling, it was clear that the higher the level, the steeper the difficulty.
It might even reach a point where only opponents like Netero could provide meaningful progress.
Furthermore, even if one miraculously reached Lv100, it was doubtful the Tree Rings tattoo could ever spawn subordinate users.
Having roughly figured out the mechanism behind the Tree Rings' leveling system, Morrow still held onto the hope of reaching Lv21.
Perhaps, just like the original Etude of Love, once the level exceeded twenty, he could awaken a Nen ability that perfectly suited his needs.
If not, Morrow wouldn't force it.
I need to reach Lv21 as soon as possible...
Morrow traced his fingers over the Tree Rings tattoo.
Killing Feitan was something he had the initiative in, the only pressure he faced was the urgency of time.
But last night's ambush had brought a real, tangible sense of crisis to his doorstep.
Even though he now knew the forces and motives behind the attackers, his current strength clearly didn't allow him to act as he pleased.
Even if he had the capability to kill Nolan right now, he wouldn't act immediately.
Because he had to account for the Ten Dons' retaliation afterward.
So what he needed to do was ensure that, by the time he made his move, he would have the means to take down the Ten Dons as well.
Exactly.
After deciding Nolan's death was non-negotiable, the Ten Dons had also been factored into Morrow's calculations.
Buzz...
The phone in his pocket vibrated softly, no longer ringing as an incoming call alert.
Morrow took out his phone and pressed the answer button.
"Big spender, there's new progress on the Phantom Troupe bounty."
Argo's voice came through the phone.
"Oh?"
Morrow waited for her to continue.
Last night, he had received the compiled intel Argo sent him.
The man named Clyde was indeed connected to the sword Senro.
But Morrow didn't care much about that. In this incident, he had merely bought the sword and sold it immediately; he had nothing to do with the wealthy man's murder.
The other piece of intel was the Phantom Troupe bounty Argo was now mentioning.
She had already identified the specific target of the bounty, the Troupe's No. 8 member.
Moreover, the bounty had been issued to multiple parties, and several people had already taken it up by now.
If there was any further development in the intel, it was likely the Zoldyck Family's involvement.
"I found out the person who issued the bounty paid a hefty sum to hire an assassin from the Zoldyck Family!"
Just as Morrow had guessed, the new development Argo mentioned was Silva Zoldyck accepting the assassination contract.
"Mhm, got it."
Morrow replied indifferently.
Argo sounded puzzled. "You don't seem surprised at all."
"Should I be?"
"Uh..."
Argo was momentarily at a loss for words.
Morrow walked toward the off-road vehicle parked by the desolate roadside as he spoke into the phone:
"Keep an eye out in the near future and see if you can track the Phantom Troupe's movements. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll likely have a collective operation soon."
"Big spender... where did you get this info?"
Argo didn't bother hiding the surprise in her tone.
She couldn't help but suspect Morrow might have secretly spent money to find another informant behind her back.
Not that she cared about the money.
It was just that this lack of trust felt like a slight against her capabilities as an intelligence agent.
Unaware of Argo's thoughts, Morrow casually replied as he settled into the driver's seat of the off-road vehicle:
"That's none of your concern. Just contact me immediately once you track their movements."
"Yes, sir!"
Argo responded in a playful, exaggerated tone, then tried to press Morrow further about his source, only to hear the call disconnect.
Ugh, this guy...
He always hangs up as decisively as if he's running late for a date.
Argo stared at her phone with a constipated expression.
—--
The endless stretch of road stretched out before him. Morrow drove the off-road vehicle along the straight road.
After last night's incident, he shifted his focus to improving his strength, which meant he could no longer continue scavenging in Yorknew City.
He planned to go to Heavens Arena.
That place was outside the Gambino family's sphere of influence, making it much easier to handle.
More importantly, it would help him enhance his own abilities.
However, Morrow had no intention of disguising himself or hiding his identity.
Once he arrived at Heavens Arena, he would openly show his face, sending a clear message to Nolan:
Want to kill me?
Then come and try.
Morrow wanted to see...
Would the people Nolan sent succeed in killing him, or would those who couldn't defeat him only make him stronger?