Confidence in judgment and swift execution.
How annoying…
It felt like he'd accidentally shown a corner of his underwear, only for someone to immediately guess its design.
The worst part was—it was just a kid who did it.
But the real issue was—
What exactly happened to this kid?
Zazan felt an overwhelming sense of unease, followed by a creeping surge of killing intent.
The mission and responsibilities were important, sure—but he couldn't stand this feeling of unpredictability and strangeness.
It was unsettling and infuriating.
Should I kill him…?
Zazan remained silent, glancing briefly at Moro's bleeding knee, his brows furrowing in thought.
The "cargo" was of high priority. For now, it was better to wait and observe.
After all, the cut on the kid's leg was enough to meet the activation conditions of his ability. It was just a matter of waiting a bit longer.
If he could remain patient for a few more minutes, his "Data Dagger" ability would kick in, allowing him to control Moro.
In that brief moment, Zazan had contemplated killing Moro but eventually chose restraint.
"You know the saying, 'third time's the charm'? I think it fits here."
Zazan's voice was calm but growing colder as he played with the dagger in his hand.
"So don't even think about running. That way, you might still have a chance to live."
"Hmm, there's also a saying, 'good advice makes you full,' and I think it fits here too," Moro replied calmly while keeping a sharp eye on Zazan's aura.
"So, I'm not running. That way, you might still have a chance to capture me."
"…"
Zazan's mouth twitched slightly.
If it weren't for the restraints of his mission and the requirements of his ability, he would have already thrown the dagger and ended Moro's life.
Moro had been observing Zazan's aura closely ever since he jumped out of the truck.
A person's emotions and thoughts often show through their aura fluctuations.
Skilled users could conceal their aura's fluctuations, but Zazan clearly wasn't that skilled.
Moro had clearly sensed the moment Zazan's initial killing intent appeared and then disappeared, replaced by a steely resolve.
This proved that Zazan's "don't harm the cargo" principle could be flexible if the circumstances demanded it.
Knowing this, Moro completely dismissed the idea of trying to escape and took a more aggressive stance.
After all, being pursued by someone holding back and being pursued by someone going all out were two entirely different risks.
There was only one option left—solve the problem head-on.
Moro willed his aura to spread evenly throughout his body.
Though he had just unlocked his aura nodes, he was quickly adapting to the flow of energy. His body and aura were becoming more synchronized with each passing second.
At this rate, he wouldn't have to worry about his energy and physical reactions becoming misaligned.
This is important… my margin for error is small.
Moro remained focused on Zazan while thinking through his options.
Both sides had their reasons to wait, resulting in an odd stalemate on the winding mountain road.
Moro was waiting for his body to fully adjust to the aura flow so he could minimize mistakes.
Zazan was waiting for his ability to activate so he could subdue Moro without a fight.
In this strange atmosphere, neither party made a move to break the silence.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes passed.
Zazan felt fully confident in his advantage. He had control over the situation, so Moro's inaction didn't concern him.
He just needed a little more time for his ability to activate.
But Moro wasn't as complacent.
He had to think through more variables.
From a purely physical standpoint, Zazan was clearly stronger.
But Moro noticed something strange after the earlier exchange—the other man didn't seem to feel any urgency.
Why is he waiting?
Moro's gaze shifted to Zazan's left hand, which was gripping the dagger tightly.
A left-handed fighter? He might be an Emitter or a Conjurer…
However, this was only a guess based on general characteristics.
Another trait of Conjurers was that they often gathered more aura in their dominant hand.
But this assumption only applied if the weapon was conjured.
When Moro first exited the truck, Zazan already had a dagger in hand.
Additionally, from the way Zazan's jacket bulged, Moro guessed he had several daggers hidden inside.
When Moro had checked inside the truck earlier, the dagger that had struck the wall was still there.
If the dagger wasn't conjured, then there was no reason to assume it had any special abilities or effects related to conjuration.
This allowed Moro to temporarily rule out the possibility of an ability that could be triggered by inflicting a wound.
While this analysis led to more optimistic conclusions, Moro had learned something crucial from his time in the antique trade.
In a world filled with deception and bargaining, whatever your opponent shows you is never in your best interest.
Even without perfect information, Moro knew one thing for sure:
The longer this stalemate dragged on, the worse it would be for him.
At this point… I might be able to skip the basics and directly use "Fraud Star."
…I think I can.
Moro wasn't entirely confident—but in situations like this, there was no time for second-guessing.
He made his decision.
As Moro's thoughts aligned, he subtly positioned himself closer to the handgun that had fallen to the ground.
At the same time, he gathered a small cluster of greenish aura in his right palm.
A faint glow, soft like a sprouting seedling, emerged from his hand.
Zazan's eyes widened in shock.
A Nen ability…?!
He only just unlocked his aura nodes…!
An alarm bell rang loudly in Zazan's mind as his astonishment turned to murderous intent.
At that very moment, Moro released the "Fraud Star."
A green energy orb the size of a marble shot out of his palm, aimed directly at Zazan's chest.
Zazan wasn't sure of Moro's full ability, but since the energy orb wasn't moving too fast, he sidestepped it.
Meanwhile—
Moro snatched the fallen handgun and immediately opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Eleven bullets shot toward Zazan in quick succession.
Zazan's eyes narrowed coldly. He leapt sideways, dodging the bullets with ease.
"P922, twelve rounds in total."
Zazan raised his dagger slightly and sneered as he walked toward Moro.
"You fired eleven shots. Did you save one because you think you still have a chance to turn this around?"
"But I'm more curious about something…"
The killing intent in Zazan's eyes grew sharper.
"Your aura… and how you used that gun… Who the hell are you?!"
Bang!
Moro fired the last bullet in response.
At the same time, Zazan threw his dagger.
The bullet and the aura-wrapped dagger crossed paths mid-air, each hurtling toward its target.
Zazan's face remained cold and emotionless.
One bullet wouldn't kill him—he could endure it.
But his dagger… would finish the job.
Then—
Thud!
Zazan's eyes widened as pain erupted from his back, followed by a powerful impact that sent him staggering forward. Blood gushed from his mouth.
"Wh-what…?"
Confusion filled his blurred consciousness.
Meanwhile—
The dagger's tip, which had just grazed Moro's skin, suddenly dissipated into thin air.
"Whew…"
Moro exhaled slowly and lowered the handgun.
Even now, he couldn't fully understand Zazan's abilities.
But one thing was certain—he was lucky this time.
Had it been a different type of Nen user, he might have already died again.