Moro had spared one of the burly men for a reason—he wanted to test whether he could forcefully unlock Nen in someone and then kill them to see if it would help him level up quickly.
Forcing someone to unlock Nen wasn't something Moro had ever tried before, nor could he maintain a calm mind while doing it.
This process was likely to cause the burly man immense pain, both mentally and physically, as the aura nodes were forcefully opened.
But Moro had no regard for the man's suffering or "human rights."
He shoved a towel into the man's mouth to silence him, then channeled Nen into the man's body.
In an instant, violent aura surged through the man's internal pathways, tearing them open.
The forced unlocking of his aura nodes brought unbearable pain.
"Mmmph...!"
The man's face twisted in agony as his body arched and writhed like a shrimp.
Moro watched emotionlessly until the man's aura surged to its fullest, then reached out and snapped his neck.
The room fell silent.
Moro stood up and immediately looked at the energy level on his hand.
In truth, he didn't need to check.
The moment he killed the man, Moro knew—his energy level hadn't increased at all.
"Looks like it doesn't work."
Moro sighed softly, though he wasn't too disappointed.
If it had been that easy to level up, he wouldn't have expected any substantial feedback.
This was simply a very realistic outcome.
Lowering his hand, Moro's eyes filled with contemplation.
Killing someone after forcibly unlocking their Nen didn't meet the conditions for leveling up.
This meant that the target needed to be either a Nen user of a comparable level of mastery or someone who had already developed their own abilities.
If that was the case—
Would killing a stronger Nen user result in a significant level-up?
Conversely, the further he progressed, the stricter the conditions for leveling up would likely become.
"When the time is right, I should make a trip to Heaven's Arena."
Moro gathered his thoughts and glanced at the two corpses in the room.
He had anticipated that attempting to sell Senro might attract scavengers.
But he hadn't expected them to come so quickly—or so blatantly.
Thinking carefully...
In his past life, the reason he had been able to quickly seize opportunities in Yorknew City was largely due to Morena's backing.
Now, entering Yorknew alone made him appear like easy prey to the scavengers lurking in the city.
Moro pocketed the handgun, then methodically broke the limbs of the two corpses, creating a gruesome scene.
After finishing, Moro made a phone call and spent some money to summon two "cleaners."
This was another feature of Yorknew City.
As long as you could pay the price, you could hire someone to dispose of bodies.
After paying the cleaners, Moro left the room with Senro, leaving the two cleaners to handle the scene.
It was inevitable that the cleaners would spread word of what had happened.
But the brutal state of the corpses would increase the deterrent effect.
This was precisely what Moro wanted—to discourage small-time troublemakers and save himself from unnecessary hassle.
However, the fact that those two men had dared to barge in reinforced Moro's desire to sell Senro as soon as possible.
After all, with a profit margin in the billions...
It was more than enough to blind a pack of fools who didn't know their limits.
Moro had no interest in constantly dealing with these incidents—it would interfere with his training.
Night fell.
The bustling side of Yorknew City lit up the streets.
Skyscrapers towered above, and neon lights twinkled like stars.
The streets were filled with cars and pedestrians, forming a river of motion beneath the night sky.
Moro avoided the bright lights, slipping into the shadows as he navigated the maze of alleyways.
The criminal organizations in Yorknew City were different from those in other places. Crime and various gray-market activities were conducted openly.
The gangsters here wore suits and ties, unafraid of stepping into the spotlight.
This city was the absolute home turf of organized crime.
But there were always some people who preferred to do business in the underground shadows.
Moro couldn't afford to put Senro in one of the main auction houses, so he sought out an underground broker who specialized in off-the-books transactions.
"12.5 billion? No problem... I can find you a buyer and ensure there won't be any complications. But I'm taking a 15% cut."
In a dimly lit basement, the broker, puffing on a pipe, laid out his terms while tapping the table with his pipe and watching Moro's reaction closely.
The katana Senro was tied to a high-profile case involving a wealthy collector.
About a month ago, the collector had been found dead in his mansion, along with his elite security team. None had survived.
Every valuable item in the collector's extensive collection had vanished without a trace.
It was a classic home invasion and murder case. Among the stolen treasures was the famed katana Senro.
No one knew how Senro had resurfaced in Yorknew City.
What was even more surprising was that it had been sold by an insignificant thief—and bought by a young outsider.
Even after confirming the truth with his own eyes, the broker still found the situation absurd.
But that didn't matter. A deal delivered to his doorstep was a deal he wouldn't pass up.
Moro agreed without hesitation. "Fine, but I have one condition."
"Oh?"
The broker raised an eyebrow, surprised at Moro's straightforwardness. "Let's hear it."
"Front me 8 billion."
Moro met the broker's eyes directly.
The broker chuckled, thinking Moro was being ridiculous.
But his smile quickly faded.
Moro continued calmly, "In return, no matter how high you sell it for, I only want 2 billion as the remainder."
"..."
The broker's expression grew serious. Facing Moro's calm and unwavering gaze, he replied slowly:
"Using 20 million to make 10 billion with lower risk... You're making quite the deal."
"Your intel is pretty solid."
Moro remained unphased by the broker's observation. "So, what's your answer?"
"I'm a businessman—I don't turn down extra profit."
The broker narrowed his eyes.
If he didn't know that Moro was more dangerous than he appeared, he wouldn't have agreed to such a request.
As a broker, he had plenty of room to manipulate prices between buyers and sellers.
But this was fine—he was confident he could sell Senro for an even higher price. Any additional profit would be his to keep.
The deal was soon finalized.
Moro walked away with 8 billion in cash. As for the 2 billion remainder, he hadn't really expected to collect it.
The broker, experienced in shady deals, could tell Moro's intention and had agreed readily.
"By the way, can I ask—where do you get your information?"
On his way out, Moro curiously asked the broker about his information sources.
The broker smiled and handed Moro a business card.
"I heard that once you have a Hunter License, you can buy any intel you need on the Hunter website. We don't have licenses, of course, but we've got our own ways."
"Thanks."
Moro took the card and left.
The broker didn't bother watching him leave; instead, he lovingly caressed Senro, eyes gleaming.
This deal alone would earn him at least 6 billion.
As for the risks...
If he wasn't capable of handling them, he wouldn't have taken the job.
A week later.
The broker, along with his subordinates, met with a buyer willing to pay 15 billion for Senro.
The buyer was a man with burn scars covering half his face. Before the broker arrived, the man had already placed several briefcases on the table.
Seeing the briefcases, the broker naturally assumed they contained money.
He gestured, and one of his men handed Senro to the buyer.
The buyer took the katana and frowned.
The Nen aura on the blade...
It was gone.
Across the table—
The broker opened one of the briefcases and peered inside.
It was empty.
"What?"
In an instant, the broker's face changed, and he reached for his gun without hesitation.
Shhk!
A blade pierced through the broker's chest.
"Urgh..."
The broker trembled, staring wide-eyed at the blood-stained katana tip protruding from his chest. He struggled to turn around to see where the blade had come from.
What he saw defied understanding.
From the shadows behind him—
A figure wrapped in a headscarf and mask emerged, only its upper body visible. The rest of its form seemed fused with the shadow itself.
The katana that had impaled him was held firmly in the figure's hand.
The broker recognized the attire...
But before he could comprehend it fully, darkness swallowed his mind.
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Powerstones?
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen