Chapter 83 Game Failure!
Haze employed the technique of abdominal breathing, his internal organs working at full capacity. He intended to defeat the elder one more time—
and then find a way to prevent his rebirth.
He had just tried to destroy the ritual skull, but it was useless.
It was unbelievably tough—even his strength and telekinesis couldn't break it quickly. Any attempt to manipulate it failed completely.
Haze believed it was likely due to the ritual's rules; once the ceremony ended, it would probably be destroyed easily.
His body temperature rose, his eyes grew cold, and his speed made it impossible for the Bozwa elder to lock onto him. A dark blur flashed past a row of stone figures, and in the next instant, all the puppets crumbled into dust.
Several massive stone figures struck and swiped at him—but all missed.
The man's combat skill had reached a devastating level…
No wonder he had been considered a mortal threat.
The elder was stunned by Haze's display but quickly regained his composure.
During the ritual—he was invincible!
Indestructible.
Boom!
As shadows closed in, the nearby stone figures ready to strike suddenly exploded…
A surge of energy echoed through the chamber, lifting the elder's eyebrows as a rain of pebbles and fine dust fell. He continued using telekinesis to reassemble the shattered stones, expressionless… stepping back, preparing to retreat.
But before he could even blink, Haze's face was twenty centimeters from his own.
"It's useless… With that power, if I die again, I'll surpass you,"
the elder sneered.
Haze said nothing. His claws slashed with incredible precision—so fast they left no trace, only a dry cracking sound.
Blood instantly spurted from the elder's neck—a clean cut.
However, the strike didn't completely sever him… a thin strip of flesh still held his head.
With a regeneration speed far beyond the previous times, he instantly recovered his original form.
The elder's increased power—especially his enhanced telekinesis and energy—meant that even with his breathing technique, Haze could no longer destroy him as easily as before.
Haze had noticed the difference in the speed of his resurrection and healing—
but hadn't expected it to be that fast.
Even if he severed his opponent's head, it would regrow in an instant…
"Hahahahaha! Every time I die, my regeneration speed increases, and I evolve! In this ritual—I am a god!" The elder's shadowed pupils gleamed arrogantly.
The time between death and resurrection had shortened infinitely!
If he killed another target, the elder's resurrection speed would grow even faster.
Perhaps… it would take less than a second.
In other words, Haze had less than a second to react… There was a brief gap in mind-body synchronization—a moment like a server reconnecting after disconnection. He had to strike in that instant, when the elder's consciousness rebooted—
kill him again before he fully revived, forcing a total system crash.
But the problem was—each death shortened that interval further.
Now it was one second. The next time?
Milliseconds?
Or… faster than the transmission of a neural signal?
Could he do it?
He couldn't fail—a single mistake meant death.
And the ritual wouldn't end until all Bozwa tribesmen serving as the elder's sacrificial proxies were dead.
He had to kill the target at least ten times in a row…
Too difficult.
So difficult it bordered on despair.
A thought crossed Haze's mind.
But he didn't hesitate—he had no escape!
With that, Haze hurled his arm like a giant spear toward the elder.
Crack!
What happened next left Haze stunned.
The elder caught his wrist firmly.
"You just killed me…" a sinister voice whispered.
Haze looked up and met the elder's fierce, demonic face.
With a sharp snap, the elder tightened his grip. Haze—so confident in his physical might—was overpowered for the first time.
His mind… his martial technique, the Iron Shirt, now felt as fragile as paper.
Easily torn apart!
The elder's strength had multiplied tenfold, each evolution more terrifying than the last—
and this time…
It was a crushing defeat.
No technique, no trick—Haze realized that in sheer physical power, his opponent now vastly surpassed him.
Before he could recover, dizziness overtook him.
No pain, no awareness, unable to process anything… his brain was like a computer shutting down.
His body trembled…
he felt human again—ordinary.
A cracking noise echoed in his ears…
His eyes instinctively drifted down to his chest; his Nen… was fading.
The elder's fist hadn't pierced his heart, but it felt like clay shattered by a stone, deflating completely.
Something flowed from his eye sockets… from his mouth and nose, too.
Blood?
He must've looked terrible…
He couldn't… let Hisoka see him like this…
In that moment, absurd, almost comical thoughts bubbled up in his fading mind—not fear, not dread of death.
"You're right! I just want to live… People are selfish. If I had the guts, I'd have gone to the royal city to kill that bastard king. Even if I died after the ceremony, the Bozwa tribe would vanish—but at least we'd have had our revenge! But… only a fool would do that. I can live a long time…"
The elder grabbed Haze's broken arm, lifted him, and dragged him forward.
He watched Haze's fading breath with satisfaction.
Even at such close distance, Haze could no longer hear the elder's words… He could only vaguely make out that arrogant face swaying in front of him.
The world of Hunters really is too dangerous…
I've come so far… isn't it enough? I've done everything I could.
So this… is what dying feels like. I should fear it… so why am I not afraid?
As a transmigrator… what a failure.
At the edge of death, Haze's self-criticism continued.
"I can resurrect… can you? People always pay for their ignorance and recklessness!"
Then, as if in one last burst of willpower, Haze's senses sharpened again.
He heard the elder's final words—and was hurled through the air like trash.
Below, a group of stone figures, already in position, raised their weapons and impaled him—leaving his broken, bleeding body suspended.
Resurrection?
Too bad… he hadn't obtained any new gear, heroes, or consecutive rune skills—otherwise, he might've lived…
With that final thought, darkness swallowed Haze's consciousness completely.
The Bozwa elder—known as Chief Ike—looked down at the scattered stone golems and the Nen energy flowing through his body. That limitless power fascinated and intoxicated him.
It was glorious.
For the first time as a mere Nen user, he felt a divine sensation—the feeling of being the world's creator.
Unfortunately, it was merely a side effect of the ritual… one that would vanish once it ended.
He could only enjoy it while it lasted.
"Too weak…" Ike said coldly, gazing at Haze's limp body.
That man had indeed been powerful—without the ritual, in the past, Ike would've been killed with a single strike.
In fact, the first time Haze had slain him—it had been effortless.
But now… someone of that level was no longer a threat.
It was exhilarating.
Ike was still basking in that thrill when a sudden noise came from afar.
He looked up to see a blocked passage burst open violently—revealing two figures.
It was Hisoka and Kanji.
"They didn't run?" Ike muttered. Then he smiled. "Perfect… I get to play a little longer."
As Hisoka and the others rushed underground, they saw Haze's body suspended in the air, pierced through by stone weapons.
The blood dripping from him formed thin, gleaming red lines…
his aura—almost nonexistent.
"Dead…"
Kanji's eyes widened, and she collapsed to the ground, cold dread washing over her.
They had run as fast as they could…
and still arrived too late.
As for Hisoka—his expression froze.
Then darkened. His eyes locked onto the elder.
His teeth ground together with a terrifying sound…
his face twisted, filled with a chilling murderous intent.
Though he could feel the elder's overwhelming aura, Hisoka didn't flinch.
His fruit—had been stolen.
And it was the one from the very top of the tree!
All this time, Hisoka had restrained his desire to pluck the Haze fruit—because to him, it was special!
Haze's presence awakened his own potential, made him stronger. Hisoka wanted to see how far Haze could go, how much pressure he could endure.
The stage had been perfectly set… a magnificent "performance."
It was supposed to be just the two of them.
It didn't matter who died in the end.
The Haze fruit had incomparable value and meaning.
Watching Haze's growth from immature to mature—it was a pleasure, an anticipation of its exquisite flavor. Haze was his inspiration… everyone else was merely a side dish.
The two of them, growing together…
Even if there were only one fruit on the tree—Haze alone would suffice!
Hisoka's imagined stage—his dream of tasting the Haze fruit—collapsed completely in that instant.
He released his aura recklessly—
with only one thought in mind: kill the elder.
Kill the bastard who had destroyed his dream!
Kanji, standing nearby, was utterly terrified. She felt Hisoka had turned into something else entirely—
like a demon.
Slash!
Hisoka shot forward like a rabid beast—
charging straight for Ike.
He tore through several stone figures in his path. Even as weapons were hurled his way, he didn't dodge.
Seemingly reckless, in truth he was pushing his limits for one reason—
to create an opening.
Bang! But then Hisoka's expression changed drastically—
the elder he'd been charging at suddenly appeared beside him and kicked him hard in the stomach.
Hisoka coughed blood, eyes wide in disbelief.
Like a kite with its string cut, he was sent flying backward—faster than he'd come—crashing into the stone wall.
Ike lowered his foot slowly. He had controlled his strength—he didn't want to kill Hisoka in one blow.
He wanted to play. He wanted to savor this new power.
The red-haired madman was almost as strong as the one he'd just killed…
An entertaining toy.
"As for the other one…"
The elder turned his gaze toward Kanji, who was sitting frozen near the cave entrance.
A stone man suddenly leapt and landed atop Kanji's head. Its sword swung down—and with one motion, split him in two.
Crash!
Rocks fell from the wall where the hole had opened.
Ike looked down calmly. A sticky telekinesis had attached to his feet, holding him in place.
"Was that the response I gave earlier?" the elder realized suddenly.
Using telekinesis to pull himself toward Hisoka, he soared through the air, increasing his speed again.
But just as he neared Hisoka and was about to strike with his cards—
The sticky telekinesis beneath Ike's feet dissolved easily, and his massive hand clamped onto the back of Hisoka's neck, crushing down.
Hisoka's torso smashed into the stone floor, embedding deep into the mud.
"Hahahaha!"
The elder laughed wildly.
Grievously injured, Hisoka barely lifted himself from the ground—then, holding cards between his legs, struck at his opponent's knees.
But the elder stepped on his hand.
Ike didn't exert force this time; instead, he stepped back and mocked, "Go on, show me what else you've got…"
Time passed slowly. In ten minutes, Hisoka fell again and again. No matter how many hits he took or how much the elder mocked him—he always stood back up.
Even Ike had to praise him.
Though Hisoka and Haze had left the same impression, Hisoka's willpower was stronger—
but that was all.
Everyone has limits…
even Hisoka.
After a final, weak struggle—he collapsed.
That was because Ike had allowed him to last that long; otherwise… Hisoka would've died instantly.
"You and him—you're what people call geniuses… I know there are many like you beyond Eastern Goda. You have talent and understanding of Nen far above normal people, your training speed is terrifyingly fast… truly enviable."
Ike bent down, grabbed Hisoka's red hair, and lifted him from the ground.
Hisoka was battered and bloodied, but still conscious… Hearing the elder's words, his half-closed eyes revealed a mocking smile.
That darkened Ike's face.
"...Weaklings… are… pathetic…"
Hisoka's lips barely moved, whispering those words.
Hearing them, the elder's expression twisted—
as though struck by something deep inside.
He pinched Hisoka's cheek hard, as if to crush his skull.
"Game error… process…"
"Unable… to repair…"
"Game… crash… crash…!"
Suddenly, a series of glitching sounds echoed through the silent chamber.
Ike immediately turned toward the source—and saw a small, human-faced icon flickering in the air, blinking in and out, trying to materialize but failing repeatedly.
Finally—it dissolved into pixelated fragments.
"Hmm?"
The elder froze, dropping Hisoka and turning toward the corpse—still impaled by weapons, long since dead.
Then he noticed—the corpse had stopped bleeding long ago.
"Welcome… to your… death."
As Hisoka fell to the floor, a surge of Nen power—burning like a furious black flame—appeared before his eyes, radiating an ominous aura.
Beneath his closing eyelids, a familiar figure—wreathed in dark Nen, riddled with broken weapons—landed heavily and slowly straightened up.
Hisoka saw the person's eyes—glowing red like torches.
He let out a faint chuckle, his heart trembling at the sight, though his body was too weak to express it.
He closed his eyes with satisfaction.
(End of Chapter)