After forging an alliance with Hisoka to take on the Phantom Troupe, Allen quickly left the Republic of Padokea, the home of Heavens Arena, and officially began fulfilling one of his duties as a Hunter: capturing wanted criminals with a danger level of B-class or higher.
This was because, generally, only high-risk criminals of C-class or higher were likely to be Nen users.
Excluding those who were half-baked, genuinely proficient individuals only appeared at B-class or above.
Furthermore, many people, after being targeted by a warrant, would evade capture by changing their identity or appearance, or simply hide in some secluded area. This meant that quickly finding them in the vast population was virtually an impossible task.
This implied that only a fifth, or even fewer, of the active wanted criminals were suitable targets for the hunt.
Looking at the list of a dozen wanted criminals on the Hunter's professional website, their photos, and the expensive, recently purchased locations of their last sightings, Allen couldn't help but sigh softly, muttering to himself, "If only I had Kalluto Zoldyck's Surveillance Paper Dolls ability or Kurapika's Dowsing Chain ability right now."
Undoubtedly, his current methods for intelligence gathering, tracking, and exploration were quite limited.
Essentially, all he had was Lupos's nose, which was more sensitive than a dog's, or wandering the streets with the Track Humanoids skill activated, relying on luck.
The problem was that the small radar for Track Humanoids only had a range of two to three hundred meters.
If the target was hidden within a city, he would need to drive through every main road and alleyway several times to find them.
"Haven't you decided on your first target yet?"
Seeing Allen agonizing over the monitor for over three hours, the straightforward Bodoro finally couldn't help but ask.
After all, Allen had been sitting there for three hours; even with decision paralysis, he should have made up his mind by now.
"Hmm, I think we should spend some money and hire a professional on the Hunter website who specializes in tracking. What do you think?" Allen admitted his thoughts with an embarrassed expression.
"Me? I'm fine with it. Anything is better than just sitting here blankly," Bodoro shrugged indifferently.
"Alright. Let's do that then."
Without a word, Allen immediately posted a recruitment notice on the Hunter-only website, attaching a very attractive commission and his contact number.
In less than ten minutes, his phone's pleasant ringtone chimed.
Acting on instinct, he immediately pressed the answer button: "Hello?"
"Hello? I just saw the recruitment notice posted on the Hunter website. You're looking for an expert proficient in searching and tracking, correct?" A woman's voice came through the receiver.
"That's right. However, my requirement is that they must be able to accurately locate a specific person based on a photograph and minimal information. Is that something your ability can handle?" Allen asked directly.
It was a well-known fact that Nen users typically needed to keep their abilities strictly secret, with some never performing them in front of outsiders.
So, he didn't expect this temporary hire to demonstrate their ability on the spot, but he needed to confirm if they could meet his requirements.
"Certainly! But with one condition: I will not participate in combat of any kind," the woman on the other end of the line also put forward her terms.
"No problem. We will handle the combat ourselves. Your sole task is to find them, one by one," Allen gave an affirmative reply without hesitation.
Are you kidding?
Given his current combat power, why would he need other helpers to catch a few B- or A-class wanted criminals?
If he didn't need to steal the opponent's ability, he could simply send the broad-shouldered Bodoro in alone, which would also give him more practical combat experience.
"Negotiation successful! Send me your current location, and I will fly over to meet you right away."
Hearing that she wouldn't need to participate in combat, the woman's voice immediately sounded much more relaxed.
"Hold on."
Although Allen didn't fully understand why the other party, an Association-registered Hunter, was so afraid of combat, he didn't dwell on it. He immediately drafted a message, sending his country, city, and hotel address.
After completing all of this, he took Bodoro back to the room and began a period of special training: five days in the outside world, or fifty days in the dungeon world.
This time, their goal was no longer the low-level dungeons but heading straight for several max-level dungeons to farm gear while practicing how to coordinate with each other.
In particular, they needed to test if the Martial Artist, dual-wielding shields, could successfully hold agro on the boss.
A qualified Main Tank (MT) is one of the most crucial guarantees for dungeon progress!
If he could hold agro, Allen could output damage without worry, potentially downing the first few bosses of Molten Core quickly in one go.
In addition to this, he also paid a Conjurer to create a special iron box for storing Bodoro's Plate Armor set.
When not in combat, he could simply wear it on his back like a backpack. When needed, a gentle tug on the iron rings located on both sides would cause all the pieces of gear to automatically equip in order within two to three seconds.
Does that image sound familiar?
That's right!
This was Allen's inspiration from the Cloth Boxes of the Saint Seiya series, a small gadget created using Nen ability.
The purpose was simple: firstly, to allow Bodoro to quickly don his gear when necessary, and secondly, to prevent the exaggerated designs of the in-game armor from attracting unnecessary attention from passersby in a modern city.
By the time the five days of training were over and the two teleported back to the room from the dungeon, the Martial Artist was clad in the golden Valor Set.
At the same time, his three base attributes—Strength, Agility, and Stamina—were greatly enhanced by the equipment's bonuses. Not only did his physical constitution improve by leaps and bounds, but his Aura quantity also increased by more than twofold out of nowhere.
At this moment, he finally realized the incredible power his benefactor possessed and understood why Allen had repeatedly instructed him never to tell a third party about it under any circumstances.
Looking at the transformed Martial Artist beside him, Allen nodded with satisfaction: "Excellent! You are now finally a qualified teammate. Next, we will spend four to six months completing the last few pieces of the puzzle, and then we will challenge higher-level, more dangerous dungeons. They hold powerful monsters far beyond your imagination, and they will also drop more powerful weapons and gear."
"I look forward to that day immensely!" Bodoro grinned, his face filled with excitement and anticipation.
He felt that these dungeons, filled with all sorts of incredible enemies and monsters, were the most ideal place for training.
Coupled with the tenfold time difference and the dropped gear and potions, he was practically addicted.
"I am just as excited as you are. Come on, let's go welcome the addition of a temporary member. I believe with her help, the wanted criminals hidden across the world are finally about to face their final judgment..."
With that, Allen picked up his phone, opened the door, and headed towards the hotel lobby, their designated meeting spot.
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr-eon if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]