Chapter 5: Post-mortem Nen?
It was as if the movie screen had gone dark for a moment before lighting up again... When Musse's self-awareness returned, he found himself no longer pinned by Lumin, but standing upright, nose pressed against the wall, as if being punished.
His memory had a gap... He had been controlled... Was it that kid?
But how was that possible? The kid's neck had been pierced by a bullet, he should have been losing consciousness soon. In that state, he couldn't possibly activate a Manipulation Type Nen Ability...
If it really was that kid, it meant he not only endured the excruciating pain of a bullet through his neck with incredible willpower but also successfully activated the unknown Manipulation Type ability he had marked on my left temple...
He's just a five-year-old kid, how could he do that?
Musse couldn't control his body, forced to face the wall, his mind racing.
Even if he were to be killed, he had to gather intelligence on this kid's Nen Ability...
Right, when the kid set a Manipulation Type ability on my face, he also fulfilled my Manipulation Type activation condition, I touched him.
If I could gain even a sliver of autonomy, I could attach 'Rear Window Bird' to this kid...
I must wait patiently for the slightest lapse...
Musse cleared his mind, calming down completely. Soon, he heard a raspy young voice from one side, "Come here."
Though Musse couldn't understand a word of what the boy said, his body turned right, sliding along the wall, moving toward the boy, Arthur, who had spoken. Lumin, like a bodyguard, stood beside the boy, glaring at Musse, growling threateningly.
Musse noticed Lumin's eye, still covered in dried blood, but the bullet wound on its skull seemed to have healed.
Even now, Musse couldn't understand why he had lost.
He soon found himself standing before Arthur, unable to move, like a puppet.
"A bit tall, huh?" Arthur gestured at Musse, speaking in his incomprehensible language.
The next moment, Musse suddenly knelt before Arthur with a thud!
What a powerful Manipulation Type ability... Musse thought, his gaze drifting to the boy's neck. The bullet wound had healed, just like Lumin's skull wound! Aside from the remaining bloodstains, there wasn't even a scar, as if he had never been shot.
"Slap!"
Arthur slapped Musse hard, interrupting his thoughts.
Heh, such little strength, just a five-year-old kid after all... Musse wasn't much affected, even feeling like... His expression changed, unable to laugh anymore.
Arthur gathered a bit of Aura in his small palm, then backhanded another slap.
"Slap!!!"
Musse was dazed by the much heavier slap, his other cheek instantly swelling, blood seeping from his skin, mouth, and gums.
"Seriously, is there no end to this? I transmigrate inexplicably, chased by wolves, scared by tigers, and almost executed by you, some random guy! Isn't this too much?" Arthur complained in his native language, shaking his stinging hand, "Is there no law? No justice? I'm just a kid, what did I do wrong?"
The more he spoke, the angrier he got, Arthur kicked Musse several times.
He unceremoniously tore open Musse's black suit, rummaging through his pockets, finding a bunch of odds and ends: a gun, a wallet, a phone...
The gun was out of bullets, and he didn't know how to use it, so Arthur tossed it aside.
Opening the wallet, he found a lot of cash and coins, along with various IDs with different names, all with Musse's photo... Arthur couldn't help but look at Musse, his face swollen and bloody, teasing, "Who knew, with those thick eyebrows, you had so many aliases?"
Unable to understand Arthur's language, Musse remained silent, kneeling before him.
Finally, Arthur found a card in Musse's inner suit pocket.
Just by touch, he had a feeling he had found something good.
Glancing at it in the moonlight, Arthur flicked the card with his finger, delighted, "Oh, a Hunter License? Didn't expect a bonus. Alright, I'll gladly accept your tribute. Feeling good, I'll give you a few more slaps! Haha."
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!...
Arthur swung his small hand in a series of slaps, hitting until his hand hurt, still feeling unsatisfied, kicking the guy in front of him.
Damn it, without provoking anyone, he had faced one life-threatening situation after another. If he didn't vent his frustration on this guy, he'd never feel at ease.
After venting, giving the man in black a good beating, not causing significant injury. For one, Arthur's small arms and legs had limited power; for another, if he injured him severely, the 'Star Mark' on his left temple would trigger its passive effect, starting to heal, which would leak information to the enemy, something Arthur didn't want.
Arthur plopped down on the floor, "I'm exhausted, tiger bro, your turn."
He waved his hand, seemingly ignoring Musse's fate, playing with the most valuable prize, the Hunter License.
"Roar..."
Lumin stepped forward, its eye covered in dried blood, half its face stained, its fur pattern glowing like one of the seven wonders, appearing both terrifying and beautiful.
Musse couldn't help but swallow.
He wasn't afraid of death, but dying without achieving anything was too meaningless, especially before completing his final mission for the prince...
Lumin's jaws opened, closing in on Musse's head, unable to dodge or resist.
"This Hunter License doesn't belong to you, does it?"
Behind Lumin, the boy's question came in a language Musse understood, the world common tongue!
Cold sweat beaded on Musse's forehead, he glanced at the threatening tiger jaws, considering, then decided to show some willingness to cooperate, answering, "How did you know?"
Arthur grabbed the phone beside him, smashing it into Musse's face.
"Now I'm asking you, not the other way around." Arthur coldly stared at Musse. Perhaps because language and literacy were internalized as Musse's bodily instincts, when Arthur successfully activated the 'Star Mark' to control Musse, Arthur naturally gained the ability to communicate in the Hunter World's basic language and script.
Earlier, when the gunshot echoed in the night, a familiar strange aura had drilled into his heart... Arthur had a preliminary conclusion: whenever a life form died nearby, a strange aura would enter his heart, causing the heart pain.
In other words, the person before him had shot someone before coming here.
Either this person was a licensed hunter, or the person he killed was. A fifty-fifty guess, Arthur had assumed the latter, nothing more. But he had no interest in answering the enemy's questions.
At this point, Lumin had wandered a few steps, retrieving the smashed phone.
Arthur sighed, are you a cat or a dog?
Suddenly, he had a thought. Though he didn't know if the Hunter World had satellite tracking, it was better to be safe... He took the phone, dismantling it, removing the battery, SIM card, memory card, anything detachable, then tossed them out the cabin window into the dark sea.
"The license is mine, you can take it." Musse, still kneeling, asked, "Who are you? Where's that woman's child?"
"Look at you, just because it's not yours, doesn't mean I won't take it?" Arthur replied expressionlessly, "Who is that woman, and who is the child?"
"That child is you." Musse risked saying, seeing no reaction on Arthur's face.
Was I wrong? Musse remained expressionless, observing Arthur's clothes: the pants were loose, tied with a string to stay up, the legs rolled up, the shirt also ill-fitting, the short sleeves almost long... clearly a makeshift outfit.
Musse slowly said, "I guess, that woman, in her dying moments, filled with worry and resentment over her infant's impending death... her corpse gave birth to a strange Nen, which attached to you, accelerating your growth into your current form..."