Chapter 144: Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken and Rokushiki - Tekkai
After deactivating [Setsuna], Kaito's heart was still pounding violently, but his face was a mask of pure ecstasy. That speed, that power… it was intoxicating. Even the feeling of danger, of his body being on the verge of collapsing as he climbed to higher stages, was a thrill. He could feel that Stage 2 was not his limit. In his berserk state, he was sure he could handle Stage 3. However, the intense backlash meant that for every stage he climbed, the duration became shorter. He estimated he could maintain Stage 1 for about thirty seconds. Stage 2 would decay to about ten seconds. And Stage 3 would likely only last for a few moments.
Furthermore, [Setsuna] was an ability that only accelerated his body; it didn't improve his senses. Although he was born with exceptionally sharp dynamic vision, everything still became a blur when he activated it. He had a feeling that he couldn't even properly control his direction at Stage 2. Of course, he knew this was just because he wasn't used to the speed. With his physical stats, after some practice, he should be able to master the lower stages.
He placed a hand over his racing heart. He had an overwhelming urge to find someone to fight. He wanted to push the limits of [Setsuna] in a real battle.
Knight-chan didn't interrupt, simply watching as the Reincarnator savored the joy of his newfound power.
"Knight-chan," Kaito asked suddenly, "how far am I now from the [Strong] tier?"
It was a bold question, one that normally wouldn't be answered. But whether it was because he had a good rapport with her, or because he had just "spent" an S-rank evaluation here, she actually gave him an answer.
"The Nexus's rankings are rigid. But combat is not. The enemy won't just stand there and let you kill them just because they are [Strong] tier and you are [Mortal] tier, will they?" she said, vaguely affirming his own strength. Then, she put on a mock-serious expression. "When you break your first attribute limit and enter the second tier, the Nexus will send you to me for the advancement quest. But for someone like you… I think you'll fuse another trait before that, won't you?"
She gave him a playful smile. Kaito nodded, acknowledging her charm. In any case, her appearance was far more pleasing than that of the old, white-bearded man next door. Even a person like him was more willing to interact with her.
When Kaito walked out of the [Rank Management Office], a crowd of info-brokers had already gathered. Before he could even speak, someone was already at his side.
It was the [Black Butler]. "Did you really kill [Kalpa] and [Bad Kid]?" he whispered.
Kaito didn't speak, but his silence was all the answer the broker needed. "Sell this information to me," he said immediately. "I'll give you a 30% cut."
The other brokers, seeing [Black Butler] make his move, also started shouting offers. But Kaito just waved his hand, a mocking smile on his face. "You have to be faster next time, gentlemen. Mercenary Tao only accepts the first offer!"
The other brokers weren't fools. They could see that [Mercenary Tao] was likely a client of [Black Butler], and that the two had worked together before. Reincarnators always preferred to work with a fixed partner; information was too precious.
[Black Butler] walked with Kaito back toward the Stall District. By now, Kaito's stall was flooded with offers. The items he had put up, from the [Silver Story Equipment] to the [Compound V], were all high-value, and they were drawing a huge crowd.
"Just now, a rumor started that [Kalpa] and [Bad Kid] had fallen," Black Butler explained. "If you give the information to me now, I can release it proactively. It will prevent others from digging too deep." This was another effective way to protect oneself: to control the narrative by leaking the information yourself, satisfying the curiosity of other teams. It was a business [Black Butler] specialized in. He had approached Kaito for this very reason. At the same time, he gave him a friendly warning.
"Bad Kid is one thing, but Kalpa's identity is a bit special…" He trailed off, clearly hesitant to say more.
But Kaito just smiled. "You mean the rumor that he's the follower of a [Peerless] Reincarnator?"
[Black Butler] froze. "You knew?"
Kaito nodded. "Not only do I know, I can confirm it. He used a powerful ability that a low-tier Reincarnator shouldn't possess, and he even spoke the name of that [Peerless] one. So, is the information valuable enough now?"
[Black Butler] was ecstatic. Information involving a [Peerless]... this was on a completely different level from the death of a simple veteran! "Of course. The price at least doubles."
After asking a few more key questions, he looked around, and then vanished. The next second, Kaito received a system message.
[Message from TT65562877 (Black Butler): Be careful. Flame Fiend is looking for you. I'm not sure if it's related to the Peerless one.]
Kaito smiled. This [Black Butler] really was meticulous. For information involving a [Peerless], he wouldn't even speak it aloud, instead paying the fee for a private message. That was probably how he had survived so long as a broker.
[Flame Fiend]… he had a long history with that one. He now knew for certain that his very first trial mission had pitted him against a team that included both [Moon Fiend] and [Flame Fiend]. Even for a [Sin] card trial, the difficulty had been absurdly high. He thought about his other [Tarot] card, and how its activation had also been strange.
He sent a reply to [Black Butler]. [I want to know if there are other types of special Reincarnators besides The Chosen. Deduct the fee from my cut.]
The reply came back quickly. [Special Reincarnators? You mean the survivors of 9527? I will look into it. Price to be discussed later.]
Kaito looked at the reply. As expected, the broker's mind was always working. He had immediately connected his query to Kaito's last hunt. Because Kaito had only confirmed the deaths of Kalpa and Bad Kid, but had never said what happened to the [9527] survivor. And both of them had tactfully avoided any mention of the [Card].
Kaito realized that he wasn't the only one gathering information. He, in turn, had learned a lot from the reactions of [Black Butler] and [The Intestine Hunter].
First, the survivors of [9527] were not simple. [Intestine Hunter]'s hunt had likely ended in a dismal failure.
Second, [9527] must still be hiding something of extremely high value, and that was the reason they had split up, even using [Heartless] and the [Card] as a decoy. The logic was simple. If the three survivors were nobodies, a monster like [Intestine Hunter] wouldn't have been defeated. After his own fight with Kalpa, he knew that the truly famous Reincarnators all had a few tricks up their sleeves. A player like [Heartless] would have been eaten alive. Therefore, one of the other two survivors, [Providence] or [Flawless], had to be an extremely talented rookie who had managed to repel her. And that person was the one holding the true treasure of the fallen [9527] team.
Tsk. There really are no simple creatures in this place, Kaito thought. He was once again glad he had come here. Only a place like the Infinite Space could gather so many interesting humans and, through its gladiatorial missions, force out the greatest potential of every outstanding individual.
Kaito ignored the stares of the brokers and walked through the high-end section of the bazaar. [Tsukishiro]'s stall was already gone. Perhaps that [Gene Targeting Optimizer] had been just as precious to him as the dragon arm had been to Kaito. Many items in the Nexus were like that: a treasure to some, but a priceless, world-changing artifact to others. Like the [Art of the Undead Reincarnation] still in his own inventory.
Kaito was looking for a high-attack-speed ability to combo with his [Death-Taint]. After a full circuit, he hadn't found anything perfect. The closest was a scroll for [Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (B)]. He also saw a Sumo technique called [Hundred Crack Slap (C+)]. The former was decent, but the latter was not to his satisfaction.
He left a bid on the [Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken], offering to trade from the items on his own stall. It was a high-speed punching technique, but he knew its true essence was hitting pressure points to make the target explode from within. It was a technique that combined speed and precision. But his own [Death-Taint] didn't require such precision. So, he wasn't willing to pay a high price for it.
He checked his remaining Dwell Time. He decided to return to the real world first, to give the rumors time to ferment and to let the offers on his items pile up. He had already decided to liquidate most of his assets before the next mission to get the abilities and items he truly needed.
And as it happened, back in Myanmar, there might be another Reincarnator waiting for him.
But just as he was about to leave the Nexus, he received an unexpected message.
[Message from DD99115435 (Providence): Mr. Tao. Heartless used your werewolf lineage item. I think we need to make a deal.]
Attached to the message was the information for an ability scroll.
[Rokushiki Fragment - Tekkai (B-): One of the essential body-hardening techniques from the world of One Piece and its derivatives.]
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Guys We cross the 900 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1000 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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