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Chapter 88: The Next Choice
Nen gathered at Ronin's fingertip, quickly forming a number.
"3," Neon answered instantly from the side, looking up from her handicraft.
She was fiddling with a pair of bat wings she had brought back earlier—wings she had harvested from the Shadow Beast, Bat. She intended to turn them into a specimen. She enjoyed the process.
Ronin couldn't quite understand it, but he respected it. At least the specimen Neon made from the remains of Phantom Troupe Member #11, Uvogin, was quite artistic. And if necessary, it could be used to create an Edo Tensei Uvogin. That item was currently displayed in the room's cabinet, marking Neon's first artistic work. To achieve this, she had not only signed up for classes in Yorknew but also used the Hunter license rented from Kurapika to find instructional videos from professional Hunters on the official website. She was fully committed.
Kurapika, looking somewhat helpless, began doing push-ups while maintaining his Ren. "If I were in Chrollo's shoes, I would also pause the hunt against us. Our meeting at the Yadan Hotel, the presence of Muhuell and his mercenaries, and your recent continuous breakthroughs... all of this lowers Chrollo's estimated success rate for killing us. Based on the personality analysis you provided, we know he possesses extremely strong insight and analytical skills, and his operational style is watertight. Faced with a situation where he can't crush us with 100% certainty, his best move is to retreat briefly, accumulate strength, find a flaw, and then return to deal a fatal blow."
"So, we have three choices." Kurapika's breathing was becoming ragged. Combining physical exercise with Ren and mental exertion was making his head spin, but he persisted.
"One: Ignore Greed Island and gamble that Troupe members will still come out to contest the Scarlet Eyes. We use that as an opportunity to ambush scattered members and reduce their numbers.
"Two: Buy Greed Island as well, enter the game to find the Troupe members, kill them inside, and achieve our revenge while thinning their ranks.
"Three: Ignore the Troupe's actions, systematically collect the Scarlet Eyes, and build our strength while waiting for them to return, then crush them completely."
Ronin fell silent. The Nen on his finger shifted rapidly, shapeless and chaotic, mimicking his thought process. Kurapika and Neon stared intently at his hand, both using Gyo to focus on his finger. Compared to Neon, who was busy with her specimen and didn't need to expend Nen, Kurapika was struggling. A puddle of sweat had formed on the floor beneath him. He was nearing his limit.
Just then, the number on Ronin's finger settled on 1.
"1!" Kurapika shouted instantly.
"Hmph." Neon huffed, putting down her tools and joining the push-up session.
"Actually, entering Greed Island to find them is also a good choice. Basically, anything that lets us reduce their numbers early is great," Ronin said, voicing his hesitation.
Kurapika's first option was conservative. The second was aggressive. But compared to taking the initiative to attack immediately, Ronin preferred to secure the remaining 16 pairs of Scarlet Eyes outside Kakin first. Assuming each pair provided 5,000 aura points, 16 pairs would push his total aura to nearly 130,000. And that wasn't counting the improvements from his own training during the collection period!
An aura capacity of 130,000 might still be far from the Ant King and his Royal Guards, but against anyone else, it was top-tier. Especially for an Enhancer-type with 130,000 potential aura points—the explosive power of his attacks would be terrifying!
From his fight with Uvogin, Ronin estimated Uvogin's aura was at most around 40,000—similar to Ronin's current level. Even if Uvogin had three years to train with full effort, his aura would likely only increase by 20,000 to 30,000. Biscuit explicitly stated while training Gon that extending Ren by just ten minutes required a month of training.
Ronin had experienced this during his three months of training. Even with Lightning Release Chakra Mode stimulating his body, Weighted Rock Technique assisting his workout, and Kurapika providing rapid recovery, his aura had only increased by about 5,000 in three months. Normally, raising one's aura by 600 to 800 in a month of full-effort training was considered the limit! Furthermore, aura wasn't something that could be increased infinitely. Effort, talent, and aptitude all influenced growth. And training wasn't just about raising capacity. Developing Hatsu, honing Nen techniques, and gaining combat experience were equally important.
Gon and Killua raising their aura by tens of thousands in a month was practically cheating. It just went to show how powerful Biscuit's Nen ability was for assisted training, and how ridiculously talented Gon and Killua were. Combining those factors with a fierce desire to get stronger created Gon's insane progression speed. It was too hard to replicate.
As for how Kurapika could kill Uvogin after only learning Nen for six months... well, his Vow and Restriction were too harsh. His ability was custom-made to kill the Troupe. He had gambled his life and future to obtain that power!
"Let's hear your suggestion," Ronin said, handing the decision back to Kurapika. With 45,000 aura, he was already at the level of an elite Troupe member. So, aside from the third option, Ronin could accept whatever Kurapika chose.
"I plan to do both," Kurapika said. "It's impossible for the Troupe to clear Greed Island in the short term, but there is a probability they will find cards to heal injuries. Either way, entering and clearing the game will bring us benefits. So, we have time to complete Option One first. We will collect the Scarlet Eyes as quickly as possible. If we spot the Troupe during this time, we turn the tables and hunt them. If we don't encounter them, we use the time to find a way into Greed Island. Buying the game is unrealistic; we don't have enough money."
Ronin knew why Kurapika said they were short on cash. After securing Raymond's identity as a Ten Don, their wealth had increased, but not as much as Ronin had imagined. Raymond only had about 10 billion Jenny in liquid assets.
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