Chapter 194: Closing the Chapter
Benket was as predictable as Kurapika had calculated. He was furious about losing the Golden Throne to the "Mystery Rogue," Yahiko.
His response followed the standard mercenary playbook: he leveraged his connections to report the "theft" to the Aitli Kingdom authorities.
When the potential profit is measured in billions, even the reputation of the Rock Mercenaries isn't enough to stop a greedy bureaucrat from trying to squeeze an "unaffiliated consultant" like Ronin. They assumed that because Ronin was an outsider, he was a soft target for legal pressure.
Ronin had already prepared for the "diplomatic" arrival.
When the high-ranking Overseer and his elite tactical squad entered the ruins to demand the return of the artifacts, they didn't find Ronin. Instead, they were met by a massive swarm of giant spiders that erupted from a side-passage.
The squad took catastrophic losses and was forced to conduct a humiliated retreat.
Ronin didn't like unnecessary slaughter, but he had zero tolerance for being bullied on his own turf.
Owl's Fun Fun Cloth was capable of storing living organisms. Ronin had simply spent the afternoon "harvesting" spiders from the cliffside and stuffing them into a bundle. He released the "trap" in the narrow corridor the Overseer was using, ensuring the attack looked like a tragic biological accident.
No one could link the spiders to Ronin. In the official report, the Kingdom simply noted that the "Monster Hive" was more active than previously estimated.
Next, Ronin executed the second phase: The Decoy Extraction.
A Shadow Clone, transformed into Ronin's base appearance, exited the ruins openly under the gaze of the V5 monitors and the remaining freelancers.
The clone carried a large, bulky object wrapped in cloth—a decoy designed to look like the Golden Throne. He left the forest and boarded a civilian transport, moving with just enough "stealth" to be noticed by a professional tracker.
The heat followed the clone. The Kingdom's agents and the greedy freelancers abandoned the ruins to pursue the fake prize, leaving Ronin's main body with a clear field.
As for any potential trouble for Kurapika and the others?
"Let them come," Kurapika had said with a cold, confident smile. He had already established a secondary legal shield through Miria's corporate network.
With the central tunnel "cleared" of the immediate threat, the discovery of the two living Great Trees reached the ears of the Hunter Association.
A fresh wave of V5 specialists arrived, protected by a re-contracted Rock Mercenary unit. They confirmed the status of the trees and began a non-invasive sample harvest.
The presence of the giant serpent made the researchers nervous. Ronin watched from the shadows as they performed their scans. Seeing that the snake remained dormant and didn't react to the lights, the V5 team gathered their data and retreated to the skyscraper city.
According to Muherr's report, they had found more trees in the basements of the urban sector that still showed signs of life.
The V5 shifted their priority. It was easier to "revive" a dormant tree with organic infusions than to wrestle a living one from an apex predator.
This suited Ronin perfectly. The V5 would maintain the ruins' overall infrastructure while leaving his "Summoning Sanctum" in the central cave relatively unmonitored.
By late December, the initial exploration phase was winding down.
Ronin hadn't found any new survivors, but he had confirmed the historical narrative.
The Kurta had indeed introduced the Chimera Ants as a biological "Check" on the spider population. It was a sophisticated, if morbid, ecological management system that had functioned for centuries.
As for why this branch of the clan never left the underground? That mystery remained buried.
Ronin decided it was time to move. He left the site management to Kurapika and took Neon and Abaki with him.
The Hunter Exam.
It began on January 1st.
And for Team Ronin, it ended on January 1st.
The process was a formality. Ronin found the secret venue, navigated the initial maze, and reached the primary assembly hall.
He looked at the hundreds of applicants—mostly ordinary humans or "water-level" Nen users.
Ronin decided to take the Killua Route.
The moment the first phase was announced, Ronin didn't wait for instructions. He flared his Ren, unleashing a suffocating wave of killing intent that paralyzed 90% of the room.
Then he moved.
He didn't use Ninjutsu or his eyes. He used raw physical speed. In under five minutes, every other competitor in the hall—including a veteran "Rookie Crusher" named Tonpa—was knocked unconscious.
The only people left standing were Neon and Abaki.
Ronin turned to the stunned examiner. "Either pass us now, or we'll wait here and do the same thing to the next batch."
The examiner didn't hesitate. After a quick satellite call to Chairman Netero, the decision was made. Ronin, Neon, and Abaki were awarded their licenses on the spot.
The Association didn't want to waste the budget on a "testing" cycle that had already been rendered moot by the arrival of three high-tier pros.
Armed with his Hunter License, Ronin returned to the Mahavi Ruins.
He planned to stay there for the short term. Aside from uncovering more clan secrets, he had two primary goals left on his list:
Secure the remaining eyes held by the Kakin Princes.
Eliminate the Phantom Troupe.
The eyes in Kakin were currently protected by political armor. Ronin needed Kurapika to finalize the "Mafia Network" before they could launch a silent extraction using Abaki's Hatsu.
As for the Spiders? After the deaths of Feitan, Phinks, and Bonolenov, the remaining members had gone deep underground. Even Kurapika's intelligence web and Hisoka's "feelers" had turned up nothing.
Chrollo was hiding, likely preparing his counter-attack.
Let him hide, Ronin thought, looking at the Mangekyō in the mirror. The longer he waits, the more eyes I find. And the more eyes I find... the further I leave him behind.
The hunt was temporarily on hold, but the ending was already written.
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