Chapter 192: Razor's Doubts x Gotoh's Resolve
It wasn't surprising at all...
A demon who lost its reason was ultimately just a monster. Ginta was able to regain his "self" and recover his sanity thanks to Roy's Exorcism.
It was no exaggeration to say Roy saved Ginta.
In fact... Ging, Razor, and even Ginta's close friend Zari, if put in Ginta's position, would likely have acted even worse than the naive Ginta.
Roy accepted Ginta's bow calmly. As he did in the dream, he reached out and helped Ginta up. "Tell your companion to withdraw his Nen ability."
Ginta straightened his back. His gaze moved past Roy, looking at Ging, then at Razor. Ultimately, he chose to trust Roy's judgment and boomed, "Zari!"
The [Black Curtain] trembled. A black shadow could be faintly seen, chased relentlessly by a continuous Nen line... Zari's long nose was huffing and puffing, his tongue hanging out like a dead dog's. He was exhausted and on the verge of collapse. Hearing this, it was like hearing celestial music. He roared, "Stop chasing! I surrender!"
He tumbled out of the black curtain, rolled on the ground, and collapsed. Pew~ The last Nen bullet left a crater less than a meter from his feet.
Gotoh spun the pistol, released the trigger, and as the [Black Curtain] faded and disappeared, connecting with the outside world...
The young butler merely let out a light breath. Without a word, he went to stand behind Roy.
After sustaining "Nen" output for over five minutes, Gotoh wasn't red in the face or out of breath. He looked as if nothing had happened, showing no signs of Nen depletion... As soon as he stood behind Roy, Razor glanced at him, narrowing his eyes in appraisal.
"Such lasting output capacity..."
Completely disregarding Nen consumption... does he have some other replenishment method?
Laymen watch the excitement, experts watch the technique. He had focused too much on the boy, Roy, ignoring the butler beside him. Looking now, Razor gradually noticed the difference between Gotoh and other Emitters—
He didn't care much about "conserving aura," nor did he deliberately "calculate aura." It seemed like "used" was just "used," and it would be replenished in time anyway, so he had no fear.
Razor narrowed his eyes and walked over...
Strolling slowly through the squad of prison guards sleeping soundly on the ground...
Gotoh shot a sharp glance, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and whispered, "Young Master."
Roy turned around. A large hand reached out to him. Razor took a step forward, proactively grabbed Roy's right hand, and shook it firmly. "Razor."
"Roy,"
"Zoldyck."
Though a head shorter than Razor's tall frame, the boy's calm demeanor was in no way inferior to this top-tier Emitter who could sustain the "Nen" supply for the entire Greed Island alone... Behind him, Gotoh's gaze blurred, faintly seeing Silva... The Master had this same demeanor back then. Without speaking, just standing there, no employer or target dared ignore him.
Zoldyck? Razor turned and glared at Ging again. Another piece of information he hadn't known.
Ging: "..."
Scratching his head. How did I forget to mention that?
Just as he opened his mouth to explain, Razor turned his head away directly, showing him the back of his head. Instead, he smiled gently, holding Roy's hand tightly. "The world's number one assassin family lives up to its reputation. Thank you for the rescue, Roy Zoldyck..."
"Just doing a job for money," Roy said.
Razor: "I don't care about that."
The man looked at the boy seriously, even seeing his own reflection in the boy's ink-black pupils. He said very solemnly, "From today on, you are a friend acknowledged by me, Razor."
[Notification... Detected one "Potential Believer"...]
[Potential Believer Razor thanks you for the rescue and sees potential in you...]
[Loyalty: Close Friend, Absolute Loyalty not yet reached, Trustworthy...]
[Pending development...]
The panel notification chimed...
Roy looked straight into Razor's eyes and nodded lightly. His mind moved, sensing a gaze filled with confusion, disappointment, and a trace of sadness from behind him. Roy looked back. Ginta was helping Zari up. Separated by Gotoh, Ginta's naive eyes showed a rare complexity. His thick lips moved for a long time before he finally said, "He's a criminal, a bad guy."
Implicitly reminding Roy to draw a line with Razor... Truly pure enough to see only "good" or "bad." Perhaps this purity supported Ginta's growth to this point, but it was also the reason he could easily be controlled by the backlash of his own Nen ability, becoming a vessel for the demon.
The adult world is too complicated, and he... will always be a big child who never grows up.
Razor felt his hand empty. Looking at the boy... Roy sighed softly, stood on his tiptoes, gently touched Ginta's forehead, and said warmly, "If I told you he isn't a criminal, would you... be willing to believe it?"
Ginta nodded vigorously. "I believe."
"Good." Roy smiled, then turned to glance at Ging. "Take it out. I don't believe you came unprepared."
The Hunter Association contracts missions from governments or corporations, essentially acting as a white glove for the V5 and other major nations to control "Nen users."
As a Pro Hunter, although not yet a Two-Star, Ging was still bound by the "Hunter Commandments"... Unless he wanted to make an enemy of the entire Hunter world, he wouldn't commit a prison break, openly opposing the Hunter Association and slapping the V5 or World Government in the face.
So, when Roy received the prison break message from Elena, he was certain... Ging must have made thorough preparations beforehand.
Sure enough... suddenly called out by Roy, Ging fished around in his pocket, pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, unfolded it, and tossed it to Ginta. "This is the 'Release Order' issued by the government. Take a look."
"Zari." Ginta took it and shoved it to Zari. Zari, looking like a skinny monkey compared to Ginta, unfolded it... It really was a release order declaring Razor "innocent and released." He nodded.
Ginta scratched his head, clearly relieved, and said bluntly, "He's not a criminal, so why were we protecting him?"
Zari was speechless, wanting to vomit blood even more than Ginta. He had literally been maintaining the [Black Curtain] while being chased relentlessly by Gotoh the whole way!
[Notification... Potential Believer Ginta, Loyalty +10...]
"Because people... like to be bitchy." Receiving the notification, Roy didn't look at Ging or Razor, just smiled and rubbed Ginta's afro.
The corners of Ging and Razor's mouths twitched simultaneously. They wanted to retort but couldn't find a reason!
As Roy said, even if Ging had shown the "Release Order" immediately, given Razor's personality, he probably wouldn't have gone with Ging without a fight. This was a signal from the strong to the strong... proving they were on the same level, in the same circle, able to play together... a necessary "bitchiness"!
"That is really bitchy," Ginta echoed "enlightenedly."
Ging, Razor: "..."
They looked at each other in silence.
Elena, watching this via "Overall Control," burst into laughter. Retracting her En, she arrived shortly after. Looking at the two men, her gaze held a touch of weirdness and mockery, making Ging and Razor feel uncomfortable all over, quietly putting some distance between themselves.
"Cough cough..."
"Roy,"
Just then, Ging coughed a few times, reminding the boy, "This isn't the place to talk. Shall we go?"
Roy didn't answer him. Instead, he said warmly to Ginta, "If you feel uncomfortable again after returning, feel free to find me."
"Negative emotions" hidden within a "life form" cannot be truly eradicated. Just like the "Good" and "Bad," "Light" and "Dark" in Ginta's cognition, they exist objectively and oppositely... neither can exist without the other...
Roy knew very well that Ginta, determined to protect his domain and taking the Hunter Exam to hunt "poachers," would eventually be emotionally hijacked by the animals and magical beasts he protected, breeding negative emotions. He anchored his existence beforehand through the "Potential Believer Panel"...
"How do I find you... aren't you willing to stay with me?" Ginta's clear yet foolish little eyes were filled with deep reluctance and conflict... Just then, Roy winked at him, keeping him in suspense. "Just call my name in your heart, and I will appear naturally."
But by then, it will be in a dream, Roy added silently in his heart.
Looking back, he nodded to Ging, and left the place with Gotoh, Razor, and Elena.
"Hey~ Roy! You must keep your word!"
Tap... tap... Footsteps fading, Ginta suddenly shouted.
The boy, flanked by Ging and Razor, followed by Gotoh and Elena, smiled slightly. He raised his right hand, waving backward with two fingers. Against a cloud on the horizon illuminated by the sunlight, refracting a rainbow arc, he gradually disappeared from Ginta's sight...
Phew~
"Exorcist... Heh, and an Exorcist from the world's number one assassin family..." Zari, having seen Roy and the others off, patted Ginta's thick arm. "Stop looking, Ginta. He said we'd meet again, so you definitely will."
The man said deeply, "There isn't a single Zoldyck who isn't eye-catching. In fact... you won't even need to look for him. Maybe one day, news of him will be spread all over the world!"
"Mm!" Ginta nodded absently but firmly.
One last look... Roy and the others were already far away...
Four came, five left. That evening, as the sun set, they drove to Vebis and found a random hotel to stay in.
8:00 PM.
Gotoh served Roy dinner and was ordered by Roy to eat with him. After the meal, summarizing the gains and losses, he occasionally stole glances at Roy, hesitating to speak...
"Say what you want to say. Do I need to teach you that?"
Roy finished his dinner, pulled out a tissue, wiped his mouth slowly, and glanced at Gotoh.
The young butler pushed up his glasses. Hesitating, his gaze firmed, resolving himself. "Young Master, I have a presumptuous request. Please allow it."
Saying this, Gotoh placed his right hand on his chest and knelt on one knee. "I want to fight that man!"
"Which one?"
"The one we broke out."
"Razor?"
"Yes!"
"Reason?"
"He is also an 'Emitter', and... I can feel he is stronger than me!"
"So?"
"I want to test my limits!"
Gotoh looked up at Roy with burning eyes. "I want to become stronger. I want to clarify the gap and truly help the Young Master!"
Silence. The neon night view outside the window was quiet...
Roy said nothing. He crumpled the tissue into a ball and flicked it... The paper ball followed a beautiful parabolic arc into the wastebasket...
Gotoh swallowed hard before hearing the boy say softly, "I have no reason to refuse."
Roy stood up, took Gotoh's arm, and helped him up. "If you want to fight, fight. Since you've made up your mind,"
The boy's gaze hardened. "Then hit him hard!"
"Yes!" Gotoh straightened his back again. He took out the [Infinite Pistol] from his coat and handed it over... Roy accepted it, knowing his mind was made up to test his limits without relying on external objects. He turned and left...
The boy leaned against the dining table, half-sitting on it, quietly watching him close the door and leave. Click, he pulled the slide back. Under the neon lights outside the window, he silently played with it, silently waiting...
About an hour later, the door opened.
Gotoh returned.
He was carried back by Razor in one hand...
"It's a pity he didn't bring that pistol."
The man laid the unconscious butler flat on the sofa nearby. Next to Roy, he sat on the dining table, casually grabbing a handful of his spiked hair. "With the pistol, he could have lasted ten more minutes."
Roy shook his head. "He wouldn't bring it."
"I know he wouldn't." Razor bared his chest, letting out a breath. "Honestly, he was quite tricky."
Razor lifted his tank top, revealing several dark bruises on his chest and ribs. He said with approval, "Look, these are his masterpieces."
The man changed his tone, glancing sideways at Roy. "As the price for helping you train your subordinate, shouldn't you pay me a reward?"
"You said we're friends. Who asks friends for rewards?"
"Even brothers keep clear accounts!"
"Fine. Say it. What do you want?"
"The secret to that guy's endurance." Razor pointed at Gotoh, looking at Roy with burning eyes. "I want to know how he recovers Nen so quickly..."
During the prison break battle, Razor had noticed Gotoh's anomaly. Fighting him personally just now confirmed it... The opponent mastered a method for rapid "Qi recovery"!
If Gotoh's understanding and cultivation of "Nen" weren't lacking, the outcome of that fight might have been uncertain!
At least, in terms of "stamina" and "recovery speed," Razor admitted he was inferior to Gotoh...
"It's 'Breathing Style'." Roy organized the "Water Breathing" into a booklet and tossed it to Razor. Razor stared blankly at the words Water Breathing clearly written on the title page. He turned his head to look at Roy again, only to hear the boy say indifferently, "What, isn't this what you always wanted?"
Razor recovered after a moment, gripping the booklet. "Just didn't expect you'd give it to me so easily."
The man got off the dining table. "I thought you'd favor your subordinate and wouldn't want to give it to me."
He stood with his back to Gotoh, his tall figure overshadowing the boy. He narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you afraid I'll leave him even further behind?"
"No." Roy ignored Razor, walked around the man, took a blanket from the bed, and covered Gotoh. He laid his body flat to make him sleep more comfortably, saying softly, "Sooner or later, Gotoh will surpass you. Giving it is giving it; it's no big deal."
Razor: "..."
You brat... look at me when you talk!
☆☆☆
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