Chapter 13: Risk

Page 1/3

Forcibly opening the mind of the burly man, then killing him afterward, to test whether this could enable a rapid upgrade. This was precisely why Moro had deliberately left one alive.

However, Moro had never attempted forcibly opening someone’s mind before and likely could not do it with a calm state of mind to pry open the burly man’s essence points peacefully. Such forceful intrusion would probably bring some malevolent taint, causing the burly man to endure both mental and physical agony during the process.

But Moro cared little for the burly man’s rights.

He stuffed a towel into the burly man’s mouth, then summoned his aura, pouring it violently into the man’s body. Instantly, the aggressive aura rampaged inside him. While violently prying open the essence points, it inflicted unbearable pain.

“Ugh, ugh...!”

The burly man’s face contorted, his body arching and writhing like a shrimp. Moro watched expressionlessly, and once the man’s aura manifestation reached its peak, he reached out and snapped the man’s neck.

The room fell silent.

Moro stood and immediately checked the level displayed on the back of his hand.

In truth, there was no need to check.

At the moment he killed the burly man, Moro’s manifested aura level remained unchanged.

“Looks like it’s no good.”

The level had not risen. Moro sighed softly but was not overly disappointed. If this method could quickly upgrade him, he probably wouldn’t receive any feedback at all. This was a very realistic outcome.

Moro lowered his hand, his face thoughtful.

Killing a target whose mind was forcibly opened did not satisfy the conditions for upgrading.

In other words, to meet the conditions for leveling up, the target must be a Nen user of “roughly equivalent cultivation”? Or perhaps a Nen user who had already developed their abilities?

If that were true—

Would killing a powerful Nen user allow one to leap up many levels at once?

But correspondingly, the requirements for upgrading would become more stringent as one advanced.

“When the time is right, I’ll take a trip to the Sky Arena.”

Moro gathered his thoughts and glanced at the two corpses in the room.

He had considered that trading Senra might attract the attention of some Hounds, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon and so blatantly.

Now that he thought about it carefully…

Before his rebirth, his ability to snatch a slice of cake so quickly in Yorknew City was largely due to the backing of Melena.

Now, going solo into Yorknew City, to certain Hounds he was naturally an easy prey.

Moro put away his pistol, then twisted the limbs of the two corpses with his bare hands, creating as gruesome a scene as possible.

After finishing, he dialed a number and paid to summon two scavengers.

This was another feature of Yorknew City—anyone with enough money could hire people to dispose of corpses.

After paying, Moro left the room with Senra, leaving the scavengers to clean up.

It was predictable that once the scavengers took the bodies away, the outcome would be leaked.

And the horrific state of the corpses would invisibly increase the deterrent effect.

Page 2/3

This was exactly what Moro wanted to see, at least to suppress some petty schemers and save himself some trouble.

However, the fact that those two burly men had barged in so boldly only intensified Moro’s desire to sell Senra quickly.

After all, the profit margin was in the billions—enough to blind a group of overconfident fools.

Moro had no intention of dealing with such matters every day, as it would interfere with his cultivation during downtime.

Night fell.

The prosperous side of Yorknew City was on full display.

Skyscrapers clustered, lights intertwined like a dragon.

The streets were crowded with cars, resembling a waterfall of stars pouring from the sky.

Moro avoided the light and slipped into shadows, weaving through the labyrinthine alleys.

The gangs in Yorknew City were unlike the norm; whether crime or various gray industries, everything was brazenly out in the open.

They wore suits and were unafraid of the spotlight.

This city was the absolute stronghold of the underworld.

Yet some preferred to conduct their dealings in the dark underground.

Moro certainly couldn’t put Senra up at major auction houses, so he found an intermediary specializing in underground business.

“Twelve hundred and fifty million, no problem... I can find you a buyer and guarantee no complications, but I’ll take a 15% cut.”

In a basement room, the intermediary, smoking a pipe, stated his terms, tapping the table lightly while watching Moro’s reaction.

The Senra blade involved a wealthy collector with a notable background.

About a month ago, the collector was found dead at home, and his top-tier security guards were all killed as well.

None of the priceless collections the collector had amassed remained.

It was a classic home invasion murder and robbery, with the Senra blade among the stolen treasures.

Yet somehow, it had recently surfaced in Yorknew City.

What was more astonishing was that the seller was a low-profile petty thief, and the buyer was an outsider—a young boy.

Even the intermediary, who had personally confirmed the news, found it somewhat absurd.

But it didn’t matter; business delivered to his door was business to bite into.

Moro agreed to the intermediary’s terms swiftly: “Fine, but I have one condition.”

“Oh?”

The intermediary raised an eyebrow, surprised at Moro’s decisiveness. “Go on.”

“Advance me 800 million.”

Moro looked the intermediary steadily in the eyes.

The intermediary chuckled, thinking Moro was presumptuous.

But the smile quickly faded.

Moro continued, “On this basis, no matter what price you negotiate, I only owe you 200 million in the final payment.”

“...”

The intermediary’s smile vanished, his expression sobered as he met Moro’s calm, steady gaze slowly.

“Making twenty million to take on a risk that could be worth a billion? You’re making a killing.”

“Your intel is quite reliable.”

Hearing the intermediary mention twenty million, Moro remained unmoved and pressed, “So, what’s your answer?”

“I’m a businessman. Who would refuse more profit?”

The intermediary narrowed his eyes.

If he hadn’t known that Moro was not as harmless as he appeared, he wouldn’t have agreed to such terms.

Page 3/3

After all, as an intermediary, he had plenty of operational leeway between buyer and seller.

But this was fine; he was confident he could sell Senra for a higher price, and the extra margin would be his earnings.

Soon, the deal was finalized.

Moro received 800 million immediately, and as for the 200 million final payment, he never intended to collect it.

Having done many shady deals, the intermediary could naturally read Moro’s intentions, which explained his prompt agreement.

“By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, where do you get your intel?”

As Moro left, curiosity struck about the intermediary’s information channels.

The intermediary smiled and handed Moro a business card.

“I heard that once you get a Hunter’s License, you can buy any intelligence on the Hunter website. We don’t have licenses, but we have decent info channels.”

“Thanks.”

Moro took the card and turned to leave.

The intermediary didn’t watch Moro’s back but fondled Senra, his eyes gleaming.

This deal would net him at least six hundred million.

As for the risk of selling...

If he didn’t have the capability, he wouldn’t have taken this business.

One week later.

The intermediary, accompanied by several henchmen, met the client willing to pay 1.5 billion for Senra.

The man had half his face scarred from burns.

Before their arrival, several briefcases had already been placed on the table.

The intermediary assumed they were filled with money.

Raising his hand, one henchman approached and handed Senra to the man.

The scarred man frowned slightly.

The aura on the blade... was gone.

Across the table, the intermediary opened the briefcases, only to find them empty.

“Huh?”

His expression shifted instantly. Without hesitation, he drew his pistol.

“Pfft—”

Suddenly, a sharp blade pierced through the intermediary’s chest.

“Ugh...”

His body trembled as he stared at the bloodied blade protruding through his chest, struggling to look back to see where the sword had come from.

Then he witnessed an inexplicable, eerie scene.

From the shadows behind him—

A figure wrapped in a headscarf and mask emerged, terrifyingly showing only the upper half of their body, the rest seemingly fused with the darkness.

The samurai sword piercing his chest was held firmly in that person’s hand.

That attire...

The intermediary realized something, then his consciousness was swallowed by darkness.