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Chapter 156: Temporary Separation
Ronin had his own ideas about clearing the game, but he knew better than anyone that it wasn't a short-term goal. After taking everything into consideration, eliminating three Phantom Troupe members had already made this trip more than worthwhile.
He still hadn't told Kurapika about the situation over at Muhuell's end. His plan was to go check things out himself first. If necessary, he could have Kurapika rush over. If not, Kurapika could temporarily stay in the game with Shizuku and the others to boost their strength. He seriously doubted the Phantom Troupe would choose to enter the game and launch a sneak attack like they did.
Given Kurapika's capabilities, if the Troupe actually made that move, he would definitely have countermeasures ready. As far as Ronin was concerned, if the Troupe actually made that call, it wouldn't be much different from throwing their lives away. After all, to confirm whether Troupe members had entered the game, all they needed to do was station some people at the starting point and make sure they knew what the members looked like.
As far as Ronin knew, the exact moment Phinks was killed, Kurapika had hired people to watch the starting point. It would be one thing if the Troupe didn't know about the deaths of Phinks and the other two. But once they found out and chose to enter the game, Kurapika would spot them immediately. Even if the Troupe entered the game, discovered the observers, and disposed of them, it would be useless.
Once an observer's name darkened on the Binder, it would immediately alert Kurapika, who checked the Binder regularly. Perhaps this was the difference between Kurapika and Phinks's group! If Shalnark had been among those who entered the game back then, he probably would have set everything up in advance. He would never have let a situation happen where Ronin could sneak up on them completely unnoticed.
Or perhaps—Ronin thought about Feitan's situation—Shalnark had known about the choices Feitan and the others would make right from the start. Among the three deceased members, if anyone was going to adopt a retreat strategy, it would have been Phinks.
While Ronin pondered these hypotheticals, Kurapika was busy receiving the seven newly arrived players. Ronin had already given Kurapika a heads-up about Genthru's information, so he wasn't the least bit worried that Kurapika would get blindsided by him.
Kurapika had no intention of taking everyone along to clear the game. After clearly expressing this point and explaining that he wouldn't be laying people off on Battera's behalf, he sent off a portion of the relieved players. Nickes and Genthru happened to be among the three who stayed behind.
As for the other person, his goal was the same as Nickes's: to invite Kurapika and the others to join their organization's team, proposing a split of the rewards. Greed Island was too difficult. It wasn't a game that one or two people could easily clear, no matter how strong they were. This was the core of their argument.
And the reason the man issued the invitation with such confidence was because he clearly knew that Kurapika and the others were also employed by Battera. It was just a pity that he was destined to fail. Nickes still wanted to insist a bit more as the other man left.
"Our team has already collected quite a few Designated Slots cards. If we can clear the game, we plan to split the prize money evenly. You don't have to join our team, just don't become our enemies when the time comes. It would be great if we could help each other out."
Nickes's proposition was a bit naive. This was the first thought that crossed both Kurapika and Ronin's minds upon hearing him. Splitting the prize money equally was the kind of naive plan only an idealist could concoct.
A group brought together by such a scheme would inevitably clash in the end. Either individuals would take the cards and run, or small factions would splinter off from the main group. Ronin didn't know if Nickes was truly naive or if he harbored his own hidden agenda. But Genthru had obviously joined them with the intention of stealing the cards, making a run for it, and wiping out the entire team.
And there wasn't really a flaw in his logic. After all, once he stole the cards and bolted, everyone in the team would stand against him as his enemies. Naturally, blowing them all up was the best solution.
"I apologize. If we truly intend to clear the game, we will do it independently. We don't need outside assistance." Kurapika answered with absolute decisiveness.
This was essentially telling Nickes that if their side really decided to clear the game in the end, both sides would be competitors. Don't expect their side to show any mercy.
Nickes didn't look too pleased, but his expression carried more resignation than anything else. He turned his head to look at Genthru, wanting to see if this companion—who had been so eager to tag along—had any better suggestions.
But Genthru merely smiled and stayed completely silent. Because in such close proximity, Genthru sensed danger. It was a visceral, screaming warning from his intuition. If he chose to try any little tricks, he would absolutely die!
Genthru trusted this intuition implicitly, especially when he caught the hint of amusement flashing in Ronin's eyes. It made him even more afraid to make a move. Ronin was strong. Stronger than anyone he had ever faced. Even just maintaining the state of [Ten], the other man exerted a massive amount of pressure on him. If possible, he did not want to make an enemy of him.
After Nickes and Genthru left, Kurapika turned to Ronin. "Was he frightened?"
"Yeah." Ronin shrugged. "I purposely released some unfriendly aura toward him. He's probably spooked. Besides, the current situation isn't really suitable for him to make a move anyway."
"True," Kurapika nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, just be careful of him once I leave," Ronin reminded him.
Even though Ronin had told Kurapika long ago about his plans to head to the Ateli Kingdom alone, Kurapika was still a bit worried.
"Actually, I don't necessarily have to train here," Kurapika said.
"There's no rush to collect the Scarlet Eyes right now. Under these circumstances, we naturally need to take our own actions. We can't let the Phantom Troupe dictate everything." Ronin shook his head. "Just take them and train hard here. If it lays a good foundation for clearing the game, even better."
Although he hadn't yet figured out which cards to take out of the game, if he could actually achieve the first clear, he wouldn't mind doing it.
"Alright," Kurapika agreed.
And Ronin was actually opening up a new path here. After all, the information Muhuell provided contained matters related to the Kurta Clan. If the remaining Scarlet Eyes were truly difficult to collect now, he wanted to know if there were other Kurta Clan villages in the world besides their branch.
If they existed, he would have a new channel to acquire the Scarlet Eyes. Of course, he wouldn't slaughter the Kurta people like the Troupe did, but as long as there were new villages, there would always be a way to obtain new Scarlet Eyes. Furthermore, Ronin also wanted to know the absolute limit his eyes could reach after fusing with the Scarlet Eyes!
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