The essence of Nen is life energy, which almost every person and every creature possesses to some degree.
The only problem is that most of this life energy is unconsciously dissipated. Only after opening all the Aura Nodes and learning Ten can one truly manipulate this power.
Therefore, theoretically, anyone is a potential Nen user, and thus, potential food for the Red Dragon.
In the following period, Allen's hunting targets were no longer limited to the relatively scarce Nen users. Instead, he included all criminals who had committed heinous crimes in his sights, forcibly opening their Aura Nodes to compel them into becoming Nen users, before killing them and feeding them to Vaelstrasz.
Although most of these newly awakened Nen users had pitifully low Aura volumes and couldn't develop any decent abilities, their advantage lay in sheer numbers.
Especially in densely populated megacities, all kinds of horrific murders occur almost every day, meaning the Hunter website perpetually has an endless supply of wanted criminals.
It's just that most Bounty Hunters disdain chasing such common prey.
But Allen didn't mind at all; any individual judged to have committed malicious murder was unceremoniously sent into the Red Dragon's belly.
No trial!
No forgiveness!
There was only slaughter and death!
In just over a month, he harvested the lives of hundreds of wanted criminals, completely stripping them of the right to stand trial and receive a lawyer's defense.
This style of brutal and merciless execution shocked and worried the entire Hunter Association's management, and even Pariston Hill, who was planning to cause trouble, completely halted all his minor actions.
He wasn't entirely sure if, by provoking Allen, the latter would simply choose to find an opportunity to kill him.
As someone who preferred to rely on his wits to create and solve problems, Pariston was highly reluctant to get into a fight inexplicably, especially against a terrifying 'Hunter' who was completely unreasonable and would use every means necessary to kill a confirmed 'target.'
Fortunately, this scalp-crawling slaughter only lasted for a little over a month, finally ceasing completely by late August.
More accurately, Allen boarded an airship for the journey back to Yorknew City, leaving him no time to bother the wanted criminals anymore.
After all, before the Underground Auction began, he had to meet with the rising Mafia boss, Marcus Cabrelli, to deliver the precious auction items he had promised this year and, while he was at it, discuss "who could become the new ruler of the Mafia Syndicate if the Ten Dons suddenly all dropped dead."
Of course, besides that, the two most important things were hunting the Shadow Beasts and the Phantom Troupe.
After the airship landed, the two men wasted no time. First, they went to a clothing store to shed their worn and somewhat shabby clothes, changing into the most expensive suits.
Bodoro, however, was clearly wearing formal professional attire for the first time. He felt uncomfortable all over, constantly tugging at the shirt collar that choked his neck as he complained softly: "Damn it! This collar and tie make me feel like I can't breathe. Do we really have to dress like this?"
"Bear with it. The person we are visiting is likely to become the new leader of the Mafia Syndicate, so we must dress formally to show respect. Furthermore, we are going to be frequenting high-end venues, and your usual martial artist casual wear isn't suitable; it draws too much attention."
Saying this, Allen led the way into the familiar hotel and, guided by two men who seemed to be either bodyguards or thugs, once again arrived at the private room on the top floor.
Marcus Cabrelli, who had been waiting for some time, immediately stood up, opened his arms, and laughed heartily when he saw Allen: "Hahahaha! I finally got you here! You know, the Underground Auction starts in just over a week, but the most anticipated precious lots still haven't arrived. It makes me feel a bit uneasy and anxious."
"Don't worry, I'm here now. Also, did you prepare the item I asked you for on the phone last time?" Allen countered with an equally friendly smile.
"Of course! There, it's in that box." Marcus pointed meaningfully to the black reinforced case placed on the table behind him. "I spent a fortune and pulled quite a few strings to get my hands on that thing. So, I demand that there be a few more of those amazing potions in this auction batch."
Allen nodded without hesitation: "No problem. I'll take the items out right here, is that alright?"
"Hold on! You, and you, step outside for a moment."
Marcus immediately ushered his bodyguards and subordinates out.
Once everyone had left and the door was closed, Allen dumped the contents he had prepared in his backpack onto the floor.
Instantly, a large quantity of weapons, equipment, and potions piled up, covering the entire table and the surrounding floor.
The Healing Potions, in particular, which were double the amount from last time, immediately made Marcus's eyes gleam. He instantly pounced on them, hugging them to his chest and savoring the inexpressible surge of vitality.
It took several minutes before he finally spoke, a look of utter satisfaction on his face: "Allen! Partnering with you may be the best decision I've ever made in my life! You know what? Over the past year, the entire Mafia Syndicate, and even the entire dark underground world, has gone crazy because of the liquid contained in these small vials. There have been no less than a hundred incidents of fighting and robbery sparked by them."
"Oh? And have you faithfully kept your promise to keep my secret?" Allen asked, sitting on the sofa with a half-smile.
"Is that even a question? If this secret were to leak, do you think I'd still be alive?" Marcus rolled his eyes impatiently.
But Allen clearly didn't believe his statement and continued to probe: "Has no one inquired about the source of these items?"
"Of course, they have! Some people even sent me death threats! But I survived them all! After all, they wouldn't dare move against me easily before figuring out the source of these precious items, or they might lose me, their only supply channel. So, in a way, I've placed my own life in your hands," Marcus explained with a complicated expression.
Because he understood that the reason he was still alive and his position within the Mafia Syndicate was steadily rising wasn't due to his own strength, but because he controlled the sole channel for an important, rare, and irreplaceable resource.
As long as this channel wasn't discovered and seized by a second person, he was safe.
But if the reverse were true, he might be torn to shreds by the jackals preying on him from the darkness within a matter of hours.
Regrettably, control over this matter was not in his hands, but in the hands of the boy sitting before him, who looked only about fifteen years old and had a pair of beautiful violet eyes.
"Heh, don't worry, as long as you keep your promise, I will keep mine. By the way, I happen to have an interesting piece of news. I wonder if you'd be interested in hearing it? As a friendly hint, this is important information related to the auction, the Shadow Beasts, and the Ten Dons, you could even call it a prophecy. If played right, you might just ascend to the position you've always dreamed of, becoming the new leader of the Mafia Syndicate."
As Allen's words left his mouth, Marcus's pupils instantly widened, contracted, and widened again. He shivered uncontrollably, as if struck by some intense stimulus.
It took a while before he fully processed the subtext and heavy implications in the sentence, exclaiming excitedly: "Something like that… how could I not be interested! Come on! Tell me everything! I swear that if things truly go as you say, once I become the ruler of the Mafia Syndicate, whatever you want, I will go to any length to get it for you..."
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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]