Chapter 5: Post-Mortem Nen?
It was as if the movie screen had gone dark for a moment before flickering back to life.
When Muser's consciousness returned, he found himself no longer pinned to the floor by the Phantom Moon Tiger. Instead, he was standing upright, nose pressed against the wall as if being punished.
There was a gap in his memory.
I've been controlled… by that kid?
But how was that possible? He distinctly remembered shooting the child through the neck, a wound that should have quickly incapacitated him.
Could it really have been that kid? If so, he not only overcame the pain of a bullet tearing through his neck but also activated his manipulation ability and marked me with it…
At five years old?
Muser couldn't move a muscle of his own will. All he could do was stare at the wall and think. If he was going to die, he needed to learn as much as he could about the boy's Nen ability first.
There was one potential chance for him. The moment that kid marked me, I fulfilled the conditions for my own Nen ability.
If Muser could regain even the smallest bit of control, he could attach his Rear Window Bird to the boy.
I just need him to slip up, even for a moment.
Muser calmed himself, slowing his thoughts. He heard the boy's raspy voice from nearby:
"Come here."
The words meant nothing to Muser, but his body reacted instantly. Turning in place, he walked toward the voice—toward the boy standing near the tiger, which loomed protectively by his side.
The tiger growled, its tone low and threatening, as though warning Muser to behave. Blood still crusted over its injured eye, but the gunshot wound to its skull had healed completely.
When Muser reached the boy, his body moved again, dropping to its knees with a heavy thud.
What an incredible manipulation ability, Muser thought bitterly.
His eyes darted to the boy's neck, where he had shot him earlier. The wound was gone. It wasn't just healing—there wasn't even a scar, as if the injury had never existed.
The same as the tiger's…
Smack!
Muser's thoughts were interrupted as the boy slapped him across the face.
It stung but didn't faze him much. Muser couldn't help but scoff internally. Is that all a five-year-old can manage?
The boy's hand glowed faintly as he focused Nen into his palm.
Smack!!
The second slap sent Muser's head spinning. His cheek swelled instantly, blood trickling from his gums and the corner of his mouth.
"Unbelievable," the boy muttered in a language Muser didn't understand. "First, I get chased by wolves, then scared half to death by a tiger, and now some random guy tries to kill me? What did I do to deserve this?"
The boy kicked Muser a few times for good measure, then yanked off his black suit jacket and began rifling through his belongings.
Muser remained silent as the boy rummaged through his pockets, retrieving a gun, wallet, and phone.
The gun was empty. The boy tossed it aside without a second thought. Opening the wallet, he found cash, coins, and various IDs, each with a different name but the same photograph.
"Wow," the boy quipped, "I didn't expect you to have so many aliases, Mr. Thick Brows."
Still unable to understand the boy's words, Muser knelt quietly, his mind racing.
Finally, the boy pulled out a card from Muser's inner pocket.
Even before looking at it, the boy's instincts told him it was valuable. Holding it up to the moonlight, his eyes widened.
"A Hunter License?" he exclaimed, flicking the card with his finger. "Jackpot! Well, don't mind if I do. Thanks for your donation. Feeling generous? Great, I'll take a few more whacks at you!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The boy's barrage of slaps continued until his own hand started to ache.
After venting his frustration, the boy plopped onto the floor, thoroughly exhausted. "Tiger, your turn," he called out, waving dismissively.
The glowing tiger stepped forward, its hulking frame looming over Muser. Its bloodied eye and elegant stripes created an eerie blend of beauty and terror.
Muser swallowed hard. He didn't fear death, but dying without completing his mission… that was meaningless.
The tiger opened its jaws, its fangs descending toward Muser's head.
"Wait," the boy said suddenly.
Both Muser and the tiger froze.
"This license doesn't belong to you, does it?" the boy asked in a language Muser could finally understand.
Sweat beaded on Muser's forehead. He glanced at the tiger's gaping maw before cautiously replying, "How do you know that?"
The boy picked up the discarded phone and hurled it at Muser's face.
"I ask the questions," he snapped.
Muser clenched his teeth. How is he speaking my language now?
Unbeknownst to him, the moment his mind fell under the boy's control, his knowledge of language had also been absorbed.
Meanwhile, Haru's thoughts returned to a pattern he'd noticed: every time someone died nearby, a strange, hot-and-cold energy surged into his heart, causing sharp pain. This energy seemed to amplify his powers, making him stronger with each life lost.
The boy's lips curled into a wry smile. So this guy killed someone before coming here…
Shaking off the thought, Haru focused on the phone. He disassembled it, removing the battery, SIM card, and memory chip, tossing each piece into the sea.
"No need to risk being tracked," he muttered.
Muser seized the moment to speak. "You're the woman's son, aren't you? Where is she?"
The boy froze for a moment, then feigned ignorance. "What woman? What son?"
Muser studied the boy's ill-fitting clothes and improvised rope belt. This kid didn't grow naturally.
"I think," Muser said slowly, "that woman's dying thoughts created a parasitic Nen beast, accelerating your growth after her death."
Haru raised an eyebrow, but his expression gave nothing away.
Parasitic Nen beast? he thought. Interesting… but I'll let him believe what he wants.
(End of Chapter)