After Leo left the seaside fortress, he walked along the coastline toward Soufrabi.
The sea breeze had grown much cooler, carrying a damp chill as it blew against him.
Leo walked at a steady pace with his hands in his pockets, and the sandy ground beneath his feet gradually turned into a stone-paved road.
The night in Soufrabi was very quiet.
Scattered lights flickered on the fishing boats, a few fishermen were still tidying their nets at the pier, and vendors were closing their stalls, moving baskets of seafood they had been hawking all day back onto their carts; the air was thick with the lingering scent of fish and the saltiness of the sea.
Leo found a clean step and sat down, his back against a stone wall and his face toward the ocean.
In the distance, the waves lapped against the breakwater with a rhythmic sound, like a lullaby.
"BOOK."
The Binder appeared beside him at the command. He reached out to open it and found [Communication].
He took out the card and inserted it into the card slot on the first page of the Binder.
The slot made a soft click as the card snapped into place.
A moment later, the screen on the page lit up, displaying a long list of players.
Leo's gaze swept across the list.
He saw a familiar name—Hisoka.
His eyebrow twitched slightly; it seemed he had just missed the guy.
Given that guy's personality, he was probably off somewhere looking for fun right now.
Leo shook his head and continued scrolling down.
After finding Kastro's name, he tapped it and selected "Communication."
The Binder emitted a slight hum, and then Kastro's voice rang out, sounding a bit surprised.
"Master? Is something the matter?"
"Where are you guys right now? Are you free?"
"We're free. We're in Mashadora."
Leo nodded, even though the other person couldn't see him.
"Good. I'll use Accompany to fly over and find you."
He ended the Communication and took out an [Accompany] card from his Free Pocket.
"Use [Accompany]—Kastro."
The card transformed into a white light that instantly enveloped him.
In the next second, "Whoosh—!"
His figure turned into a beam of light, flying toward the distance at an incredible speed.
Soufrabi rapidly shrank beneath him, the coastline turning into a thin white edge, and the town's lights looking like gold dust scattered on the ground.
The wind whistled in his ears, and the scenery in his vision receded at high speed.
The flight didn't last long; in less than two minutes, he began to descend.
The moment he landed, Leo saw three familiar faces.
Kastro, Niko, and Goreinu were standing on the grass outside the city of Mashadora, waiting for him.
Leo didn't waste time on pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"I'm preparing to Leave the game, so I'll give all my cards to you. Also, Hisoka has entered the game; you can look for him to team up against The Bomber."
The three looked at each other, and Goreinu nodded.
"Alright, Leave things here to us."
Leo nodded.
"Mm. Remember the things I instructed you to do."
Niko put the cards in his hand into his Binder and replied seriously.
"Understood. We'll get it done, don't worry."
Leo said nothing more.
He summoned his Binder and took out all the cards inside—the spell cards seized from Nego, the Specified Pocket cards collected from hunting monsters, and the card packs purchased in Mashadora—and distributed them among the three.
Kastro took the cards and put them away one by one; Goreinu looked at the spell cards; Niko silently categorized the cards with a focused gaze.
Leo had only one card left in his hand—[Leave].
He held the card between his fingers, glanced at it, and then said softly.
"Use [Leave]."
A white light surrounded him, and in the next second, he disappeared from before the three.
Kastro stood in place, looking at the spot where Leo had vanished, and remained silent for a moment.
"Let's go, time to get to work."
Goreinu stretched lazily.
"Alright."
Niko had already opened his Binder and begun planning their next route of action.
The white light dissipated.
Leo reappeared in the second-floor meeting room of Colton Manor.
He walked to the desk and dialed the internal line. A moment later, there was a knock at the door.
Dean pushed the door open and walked in.
"Boss. Welcome back."
His voice was as respectful as ever.
Leo sat back in the main seat, leaning against the back of the chair.
"Has anything happened these past few days?"
Dean lowered his head slightly and began to report.
"Everything is normal. Leader Vivian handled official business for a few days, and Young Miss Sophia and the others are still pursuing wanted criminals; they haven't encountered any danger. Additionally—"
He paused.
"At the ranch, over thirty-five thousand creatures have been collected."
Leo nodded, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
"Mm, not bad. I'll go there tomorrow."
Dean acknowledged and withdrew. The door closed softly behind him.
Early the next morning, at Colton Ranch.
An excited howl came from the sky, the sound bright and crisp, carrying clear joy.
Xiao Qing was circling in the clouds, its body shimmering with a green luster under the sunlight.
Not having seen it for a while, it had grown a bit larger, and its wingspan was wider.
"Whoosh—"
Xiao Qing dove down and landed beside Leo.
It nudged his arm with its head, its whiskers rubbing against the back of his hand, and let out "awoo" sounds from its mouth.
Leo smiled and reached out to pat its head.
"I know, no need to rush."
He walked to the fence and raised his hand; several miniature Nen Bullets shot out from his fingertips.
Those Nen Bullets precisely pierced the vitals of the livestock one by one, and blood soaked the ground.
Xiao Qing let out an excited howl and rushed forward.
It opened its mouth and breathed fire onto the carcasses lying on the ground.
The temperature of the flames was very high, and the delicious aroma of roasted meat quickly filled the air.
It couldn't wait to eat the roast meat.
Leo picked up the pace.
His hands moved simultaneously, and Nen Bullets poured out like a rainstorm.
One, ten, thirty, fifty—his movements grew faster and faster, so fast that those creatures died before their screams could even escape.
Three days passed in a flash.
When Leo was tired, he sat on the fence to rest, and when he was hungry, he ate a few bites of Xiao Qing's fire-roasted meat.
On the evening of the third day.
The tattoo on the back of his hand emitted a wave of warmth.
[Rank: 81 (11%) → 82 (6%)].
Leo withdrew his hand and glanced down at the back of it, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
Beside him, Xiao Qing had collapsed onto the ground, its belly round like a blown-up balloon.
It lay sprawled out with its wings half-spread, its tongue lolling out, and its eyes full of satisfaction and exhaustion.
After eating for three days straight, it was completely stuffed.
Leo finished harvesting the last batch of creatures, clapped his hands, turned to look at the collapsed Xiao Qing, and smiled.
"Xiao Qing, do you still want to eat? There's more here."
Lying on the ground half-asleep, Xiao Qing heard Leo's words and managed to lift its head, shaking it.
Its movements were very slow, like the reaction of a stuffed person hearing "have another bowl."
It puffed out a tiny flame from its mouth, then buried its head back into its wings and lay down comfortably again.
Seeing this, Leo laughed out loud.
This fellow had been feasting without any restraint for the first part, and after eating for three days, it was probably tired of it.
He walked over to Xiao Qing and sat down beside it, leaning against its warm body.
Xiao Qing's scales shimmered in the sunlight, and the body temperature beneath them was very warm, like a giant heater.
Half an hour later, Leo stood up and brushed the grass clippings off his pants.
"Let's go, time to head back."
Xiao Qing let out a howl, struggled to climb up from the ground, spread its wings, gave a sudden flap, and soared into the sky.
It circled in the air once and then flew toward Colton Manor.
Leo watched its retreating back, stepped forward, and followed.
At this very moment, on another continent, in a small border town.
This town was hidden among the mountains in the northeast corner of the continent; its name couldn't be found on any map, and even few locals knew of its existence.
The town wasn't large, with only one main street lined with low stone houses whose roofs were covered in moss.
A wooden sign stood at the town entrance, the words on it already blurred and illegible.
The residents of the town were mostly the elderly and children; the young people had long since left this isolated place.
But in this town, three people were hidden who shouldn't have been there.
Purgatory sat in the corner of a dilapidated house, eyes closed, breathing very lightly.
He wore a grey robe that had been washed until it was pale, with frayed edges at the cuffs.
Hungry Ghost stood by the window, pulling back the curtain just enough to create a thin slit, vigilantly observing the activity outside.
He had a massive build, standing two meters tall with large, thick hands.
His brow was furrowed, and his gaze swept back and forth across the empty street.
Shura sat cross-legged on the floor with a map spread out before him, his finger tracing lightly across it.
He was more mature and steady than Purgatory and Hungry Ghost, with a tall frame and long hair.
They had been hiding here for over a year.
To evade the pursuit of their enemies, they had been extremely cautious, never appearing before the public.
Food was stolen from the town's small shop under the cover of night, and water was drawn from the stream outside the town.
They lived like rats—alert, cautious, and avoiding the light.
Today, a commotion that shouldn't have been there came from the town entrance.
Hungry Ghost's fingers suddenly tightened, crumpling the curtain fabric in his hand.
"Someone's coming."
His voice was kept very low.
Purgatory opened his eyes and stood up wordlessly.
He walked to the window and looked out through the gap in Hungry Ghost's hand.
A group of people dressed in black walked in from the town entrance at a leisurely pace.
The leader was a tall, thin man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a dark suit.
Beside him, a man in black held a palm-sized pointer.
The pointer rotated and then pointed steadily in their direction.
"That's right, this is the place."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the empty street.
"Very close, probably within a five-hundred-meter range."
The man in glasses nodded and waved a hand to the subordinates behind him.
"Go, find them."
The six subordinates behind him immediately dispersed, rushing toward various directions in the town.
Their movements were crisp and efficient, without a hint of hesitation.
Hungry Ghost's expression changed.
"Enemies?"
Purgatory didn't speak, but simply walked to the wall and picked up a dagger.
Shura put away the map, stood up, and loosened his wrists.
In less than five minutes, six people with guns surrounded them from all directions, trapping them in a dead-end alley.
The end of the alley was a high wall covered in moss, with broken glass embedded along the top.
People also stood on the roofs on both sides, blocking all escape routes.
The three of them stood back-to-back, watching the people surrounding them with vigilance.
The man in glasses walked into the alleyway with a composed pace and a gentle smile on his face.
He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light in the sun.
"Descendants of the Dark Shadow, found you at last."
His voice was soft, as if he were talking to himself.
He waved his hand.
"Be a bit more polite; don't frighten our distinguished guests."
The six people around them immediately moved aside, clearing a path.
Hungry Ghost summoned his courage and took a step forward, shielding Purgatory and Shura behind him.
His body blocked the way in front of them.
"Whatever it is, come at me! Don't hurt them."
The man in glasses—Sterling—shook his head with a smile.
"No, no, no, we won't hurt you. Rather, we have something we'd like your help with. This matter is something only you can do."
Hungry Ghost didn't even think about it.
Sterling explained patiently.
"I know about you, the Descendants of the Dark Shadow. We haven't come to capture you; we've come to help you. Do you really want to spend your whole lives hiding? Don't you want to see the colorful world outside?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three tense faces.
"If we wanted to take action, would you still be standing here unharmed?"
Shura stepped out from behind Hungry Ghost and stood beside him.
His voice was much calmer than Hungry Ghost's.
"Then tell us first, what is it you want us to do?"
Sterling smiled and stepped aside slightly, pointing toward the alley entrance.
"I forgot to introduce myself, how rude of me. My name is Sterling."
Sterling said very politely.
"This is not the place for a conversation. Would you mind leaving here with us first?"
The gazes of the three met for a brief moment.
Hungry Ghost gritted his teeth, Shura frowned, and Purgatory remained expressionless.
Then, Purgatory took the first step and walked out.
As he passed by Sterling, his gaze was fixed straight ahead, without giving him a single look.
Hungry Ghost and Shura looked at each other and followed.
Sterling watched their retreating backs, the smile on his lips deepening.
"Let's go."
He turned and followed them.
The six subordinates behind him followed silently.