He's strong.
That was the thought running through Zalan's mind as he watched Ivan dodge the aura bullets while standing behind the shirtless man, Pat.
From the moment Ivan stepped out, Zalan had already recognized him.
Ivan Zeppeli.
Their target.
But according to the intelligence obtained from the Xi-Yu Family, Ivan was merely a beginner Nen user who had only just stepped onto the path.
Now it was obvious that the Xi-Yu Family's information contained serious errors.
The way Ivan altered his body to adapt to combat suggested an ability primarily leaning toward Conjuration, with elements of Transmutation.
Yet judging from Ivan's movements, his mastery over that ability clearly wasn't something achieved in just a few days.
That dinosaur-like dynamic vision.
That agility rivaling an actual dinosaur.
The precise and efficient use of each part of his body.
None of that looked like the work of someone who had only just begun developing their Hatsu.
"Be careful," Zalan warned, speaking with the confidence of someone deeply familiar with dinosaurs.
"I'll cover you."
After being struck by Ivan's tail, Pat staggered back several steps.
He glanced down at the red mark across his chest where blood had begun to seep through the skin.
Then he raised his head and flashed a savage grin at the Ivan charging toward him again.
The opponent is clever.
That was Pat's judgment.
Because earlier, he had already prepared himself to snap Ivan's arm.
When Ivan rushed in before, Pat had seen the man's hands poised in front of him, ready to strike.
Those sharp claws were undoubtedly lethal weapons.
Yet after dodging Pat's feint, Ivan avoided the follow-up attack entirely, instead striking with his tail and knocking Pat backward—preventing any chance of a counterattack.
That level of combat instinct…
That reaction speed in the heat of battle…
Is this what a Nen user trained by the regular military looks like?
As for the information they had reviewed from the Xi-Yu Family earlier—
Pat had already thrown it out of his mind.
The toy dinosaurs' attack couldn't continue indefinitely.
After evading the first volley, Ivan had already prepared for the next exchange.
But this time, he didn't need to charge.
Pat attacked first.
From Ivan's perspective, however, he could clearly see something strange.
Starting from the spot on Pat's chest where the tail strike had landed, the skin was rapidly cracking and drying.
It was the sign of dinosaurization.
And the speed of the transformation exceeded Ivan's earlier estimates.
In other words—
Even if Ivan didn't approach him again, Pat would likely be completely transformed into a dinosaur under Ivan's control within less than a minute.
Was it because of where the first strike landed?
That spot was close to the heart.
Ivan was certain of something.
The two most crucial locations for dinosaurization were the head and the heart.
One controlled the mind.
The other controlled the body.
Once both were fully transformed, the target would become completely subjugated.
Ivan dodged again, slipping past Pat's grasping hand.
But his gaze had already shifted to the man standing behind Pat—
Zalan.
Pat's movements were becoming faster.
Ivan could clearly feel that during the exchange.
The reason was obvious.
Dinosaurization was enhancing Pat's physical capabilities.
Ivan didn't know whether Zalan could see Pat's condition from behind.
But he knew one thing.
If he wanted to ambush Zalan, the best opportunity would be before Pat's body finished transforming.
Especially—
Zalan must not notice the change.
"Come on!" Pat roared, his demeanor now far more savage than before.
"You can't dodge forever!"
His attacks were wide and aggressive, every strike aimed directly at Ivan's vital points.
Ivan, meanwhile, relied entirely on the velociraptor's superior mobility, weaving through the attacks.
From the moment they began fighting at close range, he had never once allowed Pat to touch him.
Even as Pat grew stronger due to the transformation, he still couldn't land so much as a finger on Ivan.
Ivan could feel Pat becoming increasingly irritated.
But at that very moment, Ivan noticed something else.
The toy dinosaurs that had been circling nearby finally stopped hesitating.
As if they had spotted an opening, they suddenly accelerated, rushing toward Ivan and Pat.
Ivan noticed something important.
There was no longer aura gathering in their mouths.
Instead—
Their abdomens began to bulge slightly.
Without his dinosaur-enhanced dynamic vision, Ivan was certain he would never have noticed such a subtle change while they were running.
But now that he saw it…
He understood Zalan's plan.
Since Zalan had chosen dinosaur toys, rather than soldier models, it was obvious he had some knowledge of dinosaurs.
That meant he probably had a rough idea of Ivan's current state.
Long-range aura bullets could be dodged.
Only sudden close-range attacks or wide-area bombardment could bypass Ivan's dynamic vision.
Therefore—
By combining the toy dinosaurs' withdrawn aura and their swelling abdomens, Ivan could deduce the next step.
Zalan intended to use them as living bombs.
Once they got close enough, the toy dinosaurs would detonate from within, creating a carpet-bombing effect.
Not a bad idea.
Ivan had to admit—
It was probably the best method available for dealing with him.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Pat's attack stopped.
Because he had finally noticed something.
The skin on both his arms had begun to crack.
"You're not a Conjurer!"
Pat's expression changed.
He had already realized something.
But the moment he stopped—
Ivan moved.
Or rather…
Ivan had been waiting for exactly this moment from the very beginning.
Every dodge had been leading up to it.
The moment Pat would notice the transformation and pause, exposing a flaw.
But that flaw wasn't aimed at Pat himself.
Ivan knew that at such a critical moment, Pat wouldn't simply stop for no reason.
If Pat was smart—and Ivan assumed he was—then once he noticed the dinosaurization spreading through his body, he would understand the consequences of a full transformation.
The effect resembled a Manipulation-type condition.
A one-hit kill that activates after meeting specific prerequisites.
If that was the case, then simply standing still would be suicide.
Delaying only favored Ivan.
Which meant Pat would stop only for one reason.
To deliberately expose a weakness—
To lure Ivan into killing him with the simplest method.
Pat had already noticed that although Ivan kept dodging, he hadn't abandoned his offensive options.
Those poised claws.
That restrained tail, always waiting for the right moment.
They suggested Ivan still lacked full confidence in his ability's completion.
Of course—
That could also be a trap.
A trap deliberately staged for Pat to see.
But at this point, Pat had no choice.
Even if it was a dangerous gamble, he had to take it.
Because dragging out the fight would only benefit Ivan.
After realizing brute force wouldn't work, this was Pat's only chance.
And the timing was perfect.
With Zalan's toy dinosaurs closing in from behind, Pat exposed his opening like a perfectly braised piece of pork belly—
Inviting the hungry diner to come take a bite.
Come on.
Take it.
And the moment Ivan did—
Pat would seize his chance.
What Pat couldn't understand was when he had been infected.
Did touching Ivan and getting injured automatically trigger the dinosaurization?
If that were true—
Then tearing off his shirt earlier had basically been suicide.
But Ivan didn't care what Pat was thinking.
At this moment, he had no interest in the "pork belly" standing in front of him.
The real target he wanted…
Was the quail egg hiding behind it.
Zalan.
The one controlling the toy dinosaurs.