A/N: So I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm changing the perspective of the novel. From today onwards the MC does not know about the plot.
I know it's a rather sudden change, and it might not make sense for you. But I just feel like having an MC that knows the future just makes it harder to write.
So if you hate the change, you are welcome to drop the book ✌😁
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From the rooftop above, Biscuit Kruger's teeth were clenched in frustration. Her yellow eyes glinted with sharp focus, and she muttered under her breath, her voice barely carrying over the distance.
"What a gem…" she growled. "But someone has already polished this gem before I did."
Her lips twisted into a determined smirk, a fire igniting in her expression. "But… although the gem has been refined, it's yet to be polished to its fullest."
The thought made her pulse quicken. She had found someone of immense potential, someone that could one day rival the strongest of Hunters, but he was raw, untested, and unrefined. And that made this moment all the more exciting.
Back on the street below, Yuzuki moved casually toward Taro's fallen body. His icy-blue eyes swept over the scene as he scratched the back of his head, a half-bored sigh escaping him.
"Man… what a disappointment," he muttered under his breath. "Well, I guess I'll just take his body and complete my contract."
Biscuit, poised to descend and reveal herself to the boy, froze mid-step. Her sharp eyes caught a sudden movement, a shadow, a presence. She held herself back and muttered to herself.
Wait… that's not him. That's someone else.
A voice, deep and commanding, sliced through the quiet of the night.
"Stop right there."
Yuzuki's steps faltered. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. The voice had weight to it.
There, standing a few meters away, was a man dressed entirely in a cow-spotted outfit. The black-and-white pattern of his clothing was bizarre, almost comical, but his presence was undeniably commanding.
Biscuit's sharp eyes widened. Mizaistom? she whispered, recognizing the figure.
The man's gaze, steady and calculating, landed on Yuzuki. "Boy… I'm going to need you to step away from that body."
Yuzuki's brow furrowed. "Huh? Why? And… who the hell are you?"
Wait… this man's Nen… Yuzuki thought, tilting his head. It's stronger than mine. Which means… he could bypass my Infinity.
The man, sensing Yuzuki's hesitation, drew an identification card from his pocket and held it up. "I'm Mizaistom. A double-star Crime Hunter. And that man on the ground? He was a target of mine."
Yuzuki blinked, slightly taken aback. "Crime Hunter? What are you talking about… Cow Man?"
Mizaistom's lips twitched, hinting at a faint smile. "I just told you. I'm Mizaistom, not 'Cow Man.' Now listen carefully. Hunters are individuals officially recognized by the Hunter Association as capable of surviving where normal people cannot. They explore uncharted lands, hunt dangerous criminals, uncover lost ruins, track rare beasts, recover forbidden knowledge, or pursue obsessions so extreme they'd destroy anyone else. That's basically the gist of it."
Yuzuki straightened, a spark of curiosity igniting behind his calm exterior. "I've… never heard of such a thing. And what does that have to do with me taking my bounty?"
Mizaistom's expression turned firm, serious. "Unless you can prove to me that you are a Blacklist Hunter, I cannot allow you to do anything with that body."
Yuzuki's eyes narrowed, a flicker of irritation flashing across his pale face. "Huh!? Why the hell do you care what I do with this body?"
He's gaze sharpened. "I call bullshit. You just want to take my kill and claim the bounty as your own, don't you?"
Mizaistom's tone remained unwavering. "I have absolutely no interest in personal vendettas. Like I said, if you can provide your Blacklist Hunter license, you may take the body wherever you want. Without it… I cannot allow it."
Yuzuki's smirk turned into a confident grin as he shifted into a battle stance. "Well… I don't have your so-called Blacklist Hunter license. But that's not going to stop me. I'm still taking that body. You'd better not get in my way."
Mizaistom's eyes glimmered, and he produced a yellow card from his deck. "Please… don't act hastily. Because if you do, I will be forced to act. I beseech you… don't move."
Yuzuki's grin widened, and he lunged forward, ready to strike, when suddenly the world seemed to shatter around him. A translucent, grid-like cage erupted from the ground, binding him in mid-air. Nen energy coalesced into a precise pattern of interlocking lines, forming a jail-like prison that locked his movements completely.
His eyes widened in shock. What the hell just happened? he thought, struggling against the invisible force.
Mizaistom's boots hit the pavement softly as he approached, calm and measured. "I warned you," he said quietly, almost kindly.
Yuzuki gritted his teeth. "What kind of… weird Nen ability is this?"
Mizaistom tilted his head, observing the boy with interest. "Oh, you know about Nen, yet you don't know what a Hunter is. Which means… you've unlawfully learned Nen. And that, young man, is a problem."
He pulled a small book from his side, scribbling notes in rapid, precise strokes.
Looking back up at the still-confused Yuzuki, Mizaistom's voice carried authority and weight. "My Nen Ability is called Cross Game. I use colored cards to impose rules on people within a defined space, acting as a judicial system. Blue… allows entry. Yellow… detains. Red… forces removal. Currently… I am using Yellow on you."
Yuzuki's eyes narrowed, his hands flexing slightly against the invisible Nen prison that held him. "Damn it… let me go!" he barked, frustration bubbling in his tone.
Mizaistom's expression remained calm, almost serene, as he folded his arms. "No can do. You've committed two crimes," he said firmly. "Unlawful bounty collecting and unlawful learning of Nen. I'm afraid… I'm going to have to take you in."
Yuzuki blinked, taken aback. "Huh… you mean, like… jail or something?" His voice had that mix of incredulity and irritation only a kid could pull off.
Mizaistom nodded. "Yes. Of course. You will receive a fair trial."
Yuzuki's face contorted in disbelief. "Man… is this a joke?"
"I don't make jokes," Mizaistom said flatly, his tone carrying the absolute weight of authority.
The tension was thick, heavy enough to feel like a storm pressing down on the streets of Draymoor. Then, cutting through it, came a small, sharp voice that seemed almost to tinkle above the atmosphere of danger:
"Now, now, Mizaistom… can you not cut him some slack?"
Both Mizaistom and Yuzuki's heads turned sharply toward the voice. Yuzuki's eyes widened. A kid? he thought, scanning the figure perched above, her pink dress fluttering slightly in the breeze, her yellow double ponytails bright against the city night.
Mizaistom's reaction was completely different. His entire posture shifted, a rare flicker of respect, and maybe even warmth softening his usually unyielding demeanor. "Miss Bisky," he said with a calm, deferential tone. "It's good to see you."
Bisky's small form stepped forward, her expression firm yet gentle. "It's good to see you as well, Mizaistom," she said, her voice confident but light. "Like I was saying… the kid made a mistake. Can you not give him a warning or something?"
Mizaistom's gaze flickered to Yuzuki, scanning him as if weighing the boy's worth against the rules of the world. Then, with a heavy sigh, he relented, though his voice carried the weight of an unbending law. "Fine… but only because it is you, Miss Bisky. I usually never bend when it comes to the hand of justice."
Yuzuki blinked at the exchange, still trapped in the Nen grid, utterly shocked. This kid… this tiny little person just made this guy back off… with words?
Mizaistom turned back to Yuzuki, his voice crisp and authoritative. "You, boy… if you still want to be a bounty hunter, then go. Take the Hunter Exams. Enlist as a Blacklist Hunter. Only then… will you have the authority to collect bounties freely."
Before Yuzuki could respond, Mizaistom pivoted and ran, his movements so swift that in the blink of an eye he disappeared into the night, leaving only the faint echo of his presence.
Yuzuki's icy-blue eyes tracked the spot where Mizaistom had vanished. Then, reluctantly, he turned his gaze toward Bisky. She stood there, small but impossibly composed, her bright hair swaying lightly in the breeze, her yellow eyes calm and calculating.
She… she actually made that guy back off, Yuzuki thought, sweat forming at his temples despite the cool night air. And that aura… that pressure… this person is not simple. She's… a monster.
A shiver ran down his spine. And in that moment, he realized something important: the world he had stepped into was far bigger, far stranger, and far more dangerous than he had ever imagined.