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Chapter 385
🕑 Added 2025-02-21 16:01:04 +0000 UTCChapter 385
“We can work together.”
"I'll help you get another number plate, and you let me go."
Ponzu opened her mouth to speak but ultimately stayed silent.
Just moments ago, Ron had taken action so quickly that Ponzu hadn’t even seen his move. She knew Ruco’s abilities fairly well—among the many examinees, Ruco definitely wasn’t weak. Yet Ron had subdued her in an instant, with what looked like a casual strike.
Because the queen bee reacted so strongly to Ron, Ponzu was wary of him but hadn’t clearly understood his true power. Now, having witnessed him in action, Ponzu had a sudden thought:
Maybe joining Ron’s team isn’t such a bad thing after all. If his team is this strong, perhaps they really can help me resolve the crisis in my village. Even if it costs me something, it might be worth it.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even qualify to join a team like his. He only invited me because of the queen bee.
Ron looked calmly at Ruco.
“I never said I’d restrict your movements. All I wanted was your tag, and I’ve already taken it. Once you regain the ability to move, you can leave anytime.”
“Really?” Ruco asked, somewhat doubtful.
“Of course. Otherwise, what more use could you be to us?”
Ruco fell silent at that.
Ron took out some food. He kept a portion for himself and handed some to Ponzu. These were fruits he had picked from another area; they were ripe and actually tasted pretty decent.
Catching the enticing smell, Ruco reflexively swallowed and turned her head away.
Ponzu hesitated, then offered one of the fruits to Ruco. Halfway through the gesture, she glanced at Ron; seeing no sign of disapproval, she continued handing the fruit over.
“Thanks,” Ruco said.
“You’re welcome,” Ponzu replied.
After eating one piece of fruit, Ruco felt some sensation slowly returning to her limbs. She turned her gaze back to Ron and Ponzu.
“Thank you for the fruit. Also, for not killing me and for letting me continue as a candidate in the exam,” she said. “You two set me up as your target. You attacked me—that’s fair. I lost, so I won’t complain about you taking my tag.”
Ruco’s face clouded with regret.
“But if only you’d let me make my move a bit later…” she muttered. “I was so close to taking down Gittarackur and grabbing his tag. Then I’d only have needed three unrelated tags. Now I’ve lost track of him again, and I have no idea if I can find him in time. If not, I’ll have to wait till next year. Trying to snatch six tags is way too hard.”
“That Gittarackur is extremely good at hiding,” Ruco continued. “I only just managed to catch sight of him. But now he’s gone again, and who knows when I’ll find him next.”
“If I can’t locate him, I’ll have no choice but to come back next year.”
Ruco struggled to stand, and Ron glanced at her. “You’re Ruco, right? I think you might be misunderstanding something.”
“Misunderstanding?” she repeated, looking confused.
“Exactly. You regret that I intervened, but the truth is, my move saved your life. If I hadn’t attacked you, you’d be dead right now.”
“What do you mean?” Ruco asked, frowning.
“I’m saying it exactly as it sounds,” Ron replied. “You have the wrong idea about Gittarackur’s strength. He’s on a whole other level, far beyond you. The moment you set your sights on him, he definitely knew where you were.”
“If you’d fired that shot, he would’ve killed you. You’d never have had a chance to resist.”
Ruco’s immediate instinct was disbelief. “That’s not possible. All of us are examinees who got this far in the Hunter Exam, so our strengths shouldn’t be that drastically different. There’s no way Gittarackur is that strong. And I was at a huge distance—can he reach farther than my rifle shot?”
“I had more than one good angle to take him down.”
Ron smiled faintly. “That’s because you’re like a frog at the bottom of a well—you have no idea how wide the world outside really is. In this world, there are far stronger people than you realize.”
Ron’s expression shifted slightly. “Want to place a little bet?”
Ruco hesitated. “A bet on what?”
“We’ll bet on whether I can drive this leaf into this stone,” Ron said, holding up a small leaf.
Ruco’s eyes widened. “A leaf into a stone? That’s impossible. The leaf is soft; the stone is rock-hard. Even in soft dirt that seems unthinkable, let alone a real rock.”
“All right, so here’s the deal: if I fail, I’ll help you retrieve Gittarackur’s tag. But if I succeed, you have to promise me one thing. You in?”
Ruco considered, then nodded. “Fine, I’ll bet.”
In her mind, this was practically a guaranteed win. No way a fragile leaf could pierce a stone. And with Ron helping, capturing Gittarackur’s tag would be much easier.
Ron pinched the leaf between his fingers.
A moment later, he wrapped his aura around it.
This technique—“Shu,” part of advanced Nen training—extends one’s aura beyond the body to objects, drastically reinforcing them. Ron had mastered it to a very high degree.
Using his free hand, he lifted a stone and tossed it to Ruco.
“Check it yourself—make sure there aren’t any cracks in it.”
Ruco carefully inspected the rock. “No cracks.”
“Then give it back.”
Ruco tossed the stone back to Ron, who now held a leaf in one hand, the stone in the other. He slowly brought the leaf close.
And pushed.
Thunk!
The leaf slid into the stone as though it were clay.
Ron handed the rock back to Ruco. “See for yourself.”
Ruco caught it, examining it in detail with wide eyes, replaying the scene in her head. There was no indication of any swap or trick. After she pulled the leaf free, she could see fresh cracks on the stone—newly formed, not prepared beforehand.
She gave the leaf a gentle squeeze, and it crumbled easily in her fingers. Yet no matter how hard she pressed on the stone, she couldn’t even chip it.
Turning her gaze back to Ron, Ruco demanded, “Are you… some kind of magician?”
“No,” he answered. “It’s simply one type of power. If you want to learn it, I can teach you—after this Hunter Exam ends. Just find a nearby city and wait for me. I won’t force any conditions on you in the meantime.”
Then Ron added, “However, I do advise you not to pursue Gittarackur again. Otherwise, you’ll almost certainly die.”
Ron differentiated his attitude here from how he treated Ponzu. Ponzu needed power to save her village, and her queen bee was something Ron greatly valued. He was more forceful, requiring Ponzu to join his team.
Ruco’s situation was different. She didn’t seem to need power as urgently, and Ron was only considering whether she could fill a sniper slot in his group—he hadn’t firmly decided. Sally had limited potential, but that didn’t automatically mean Ruco was better. He’d have to see how she fared after learning Nen to make that call.
In Ponzu’s case, the queen bee alone was enough reason to have her join, even if her own talent was average.
Ron produced a small slip of paper with his number on it and handed it over.
“Here. If you survive, get in touch. Take care.”
He looked at Ponzu. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Yes, Captain,” Ponzu replied immediately, hurrying after him.
Ruco watched Ron and Ponzu leave, her expression complicated. She clenched the small paper in her hand, thoughts whirling in her mind.
