Chapter 6: Butch
Kai didn't commit to Muser's "Post-Mortem Nen" theory, true or not.
He had far too little intel.
He had no idea if the woman who was supposedly his new mother was a Nen user. And as for this guy in front of him, he knew less than nothing about his true identity.
Most importantly, Kai's Star Marker only allowed him to control a target's body, not their mind.
He could make Muser say whatever Kai wanted him to say, but he couldn't force Muser to reveal intel that only Muser knew.
Kai knew his own limits. Trying to interrogate a trained killer like this was way too risky. One wrong move, and he'd end up spilling all of his secrets.
He thought about the loot he'd already scored—a pile of cash and a Hunter License. That was more than enough.
Yeah, let's just stop here.
With that, Kai let out a small laugh. "What an imagination. That baby was crying its head off the whole way. I got sick of it, tied a rock to him, and tossed him in the sea. When your buddies show up tomorrow, you can tell them to go fishing for him."
"My companions are already dead," Muser replied, giving Kai no opening to gather intel. The next second, his body, still under Kai's control, rose from its knees and stood up, following Kai from behind.
Kai hadn't expected the bluff to work. Even if Muser had answered differently, Kai couldn't verify it. And no matter what Muser said, Kai was going to assume he had more associates on the way.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and led the way, bringing Muser to a small, windowless room in the cabin.
"Get in," Kai ordered. "And don't come out without my permission."
As Muser obediently stepped into the cramped room, he marveled once again at the kid's bizarrely powerful Manipulation ability.
From his own first-hand experience, the kid could either completely suppress his consciousness for total control or allow him to remain aware while following commands. It was too convenient, too perfect.
And an ability this perfect... Muser sat down on the floor, watching the door swing shut. ...must have a powerful Restriction!
Slam. Kai shut the door, and the cabin was quiet again, save for the distant sound of the waves.
"I can move."
Inside the darkroom, Muser realized he had control of his body. "He has three modes!" he whispered, the pieces clicking into place. "Full suppression, verbal commands... and simple remote control. Before he shut the door, he was just using that last one!"
It was even more perfect than he'd thought.
But, unfortunately for you... I'm a Manipulator, too. When you touched me, I also touched you. In that instant, we both met our activation requirements. Muser raised his hand, pressing his palm against the inside of the door. As a child, you're a prodigy. But you should have killed me immediately... Rear Window Bird!
So, how do I kill this guy?
Kai frowned as he walked away from Muser's new cell.
The man had a Star Marker on him, which meant he had a passive healing factor. Kai himself had benefited from it—his neck had been shot clean through, and it had healed in minutes. It had made him more tired, but it was proof that his ability's "healing" was incredibly potent.
Is there something wrong with my Hatsu when it's so good at healing that I can't even kill my own prisoner?
As he walked, the big tiger padded over to him. That guy called it a Pale Moon Tiger. What a lame name. Kai reached out and gently peeled the thick, dried blood scab from the tiger's healed eye. The tiger blinked its good-as-new eye and affectionately nuzzled his hand.
"Pale Moon Tiger is just your species name, right?" Kai said, scratching the tiger's head. "That's no good. I'll give you a real name. From now on... you're 'Butch.' Haha."
Butch, of course, had no idea what the name meant, but he seemed to like it, rubbing his head against Kai's cheek.
"Alright, alright, that's enough. What happened to that cool, aloof attitude you had at the start?" Kai scolded. "Hold still a sec."
Butch blinked innocently.
Kai reached under the tiger's soft belly. If you parted the fur in one spot, you'd see a rose-gold pentagram.
(Hidden Rule of Star Marker: The mark is automatically dispelled if Kai touches it.)
Butch took a step back, dodging Kai's hand.
Kai took a step forward. Butch retreated again.
"What, are you addicted to being controlled?" Kai chased him, and Butch ran, the two of them playing like a kid and his dog.
Finally, remembering he had work to do, Kai and Butch wandered back to the main cabin entrance, where he had "Kai-Wolf" hiding in the shadows.
Kai restored the wolf's consciousness, then pointed down the hall. "You stand guard here. If that guy leaves the room for any reason, you kill him."
The wolf growled in understanding, then bounded back down the hall, finding a dark corner where it could watch the closed door.
Kai touched the back of his own neck, right where his own Star Marker sat under his shirt collar.
"I wonder what the limit of this healing is..." he muttered. "Can it heal a beheading? What if my heart is destroyed? How bad does the wound have to be before it fails? Hmm... maybe I'll use that guy in the room for some tests tomorrow?"
He felt the Hunter License in his pocket. Killing a murderer should be fine if I have this, right? I remember this thing comes with a lot of perks.
Crunch.
He stepped on something. Looking down, he saw the small branch from earlier.
He picked it up and sat down just inside the cabin doorway, where he'd have a clear line of retreat. Butch, acting perfectly human, let out a yawn, swished his tail, and lay down behind him.
Kai leaned back, resting comfortably against the tiger's warm, glowing fur.
He stared at the branch, plucking a leaf from it...
This branch... it had grown from the single leaf he'd used for his Water Divination.
A single leaf had become a branch. He didn't even want to think about what was next. Was it going to take root and grow into a tree?
This wasn't just unscientific; it was Nen.
Kai's expression grew troubled. His thoughts drifted back to the moments just before Muser had arrived, when he had woken up from his short-lived blackout...
"Did I get taller?"
Kai had looked down at his clothes. The sleeves and pant legs... they all seemed a little shorter.
He'd stood next to Butch and the wolf, comparing his eye level to theirs. He was, without a doubt, taller.
He'd figured it out: Every time something died near him, that strange, hot-and-cold aura drilled into his heart. When his heart couldn't take any more, he'd pass out. And when he woke up... his body would have undergone a massive, instantaneous growth spurt.
Was this a blessing... or a curse?
(End of Chapter)