HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

Biscuit spent most of the day trying to get Chrollo to remove his earrings, using every trick in the book, both directly and indirectly. But despite her best efforts, she couldn't get him to part with them.

In the end, Chrollo smiled gently and said it was getting late, so he was going to head back to his room to sleep.

After he left,

Biscuit sat in place, clenching her fists, her mind full of frustration.

Damn it.

What kind of luck was it that, in a single day, she encountered both the Crystal Feather Bone and the Liquid Ore, two of the Seven Beauties, only to find that both were already claimed?

Was this good luck or bad luck?

"Sleep, sleep." Cyr picked up the drowsy tiger cub, which was yawning, and made her way upstairs.

Meanwhile, the tavern's patrons below sat upright, making not a single sound. They looked like a group of expertly crafted puppets, silently performing a mute play.

It wasn't until Biscuit, dragging her skirt in frustration, followed Cyr upstairs that everyone in the tavern breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The four of them, who could casually chat in front of the pile of frozen corpses, made the others terrified of becoming the next ice sculptures.

"Boss! Can I still check out now?" someone ran up to the bar, inquiring of the bartender who was also the tavern owner.

"Checking out is fine, but no refunds," the man replied with a sunny smile, cheerfully polishing a glass.

A shady businessman!!!

Those who wanted to check out quickly shrank back, no longer bringing up the subject.

At 2 a.m., Cyr was woken by a series of explosions. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and the scent of alcohol evaporating in the smoke.

Thick black smoke poured in through the door cracks, making the snoring white tiger on the floor sneeze uncontrollably.

A faint airflow stirred inside the tiger's horn, dispersing the smoke that had come at them.

Beasts were born with inherited skills, and as they grew, their abilities became more refined.

"…I can't even get a good night's sleep," Cyr muttered, standing up to put on her clothes, washing up leisurely before grabbing the tiger cub and heading outside.

As soon as he opened the door, a wave of hot air and smoke rushed in, and crimson flames had already spread down the hallway, the walls blackened from the fire.

There were heavy footsteps both above and below, accompanied by occasional screams of pain.

People staying in the rooms adjacent to Cyr's, as well as the ones across the hall, had also stepped out of their rooms.

These people were all well-dressed, not the kind who rushed out of their rooms in a panic wearing whatever clothes they grabbed.

"Seriously, what's all this noise in the middle of the night?!" Biscuit shouted, hands on her hips, her tone aggressive.

Girls need their beauty sleep! Did these people not understand that?!

"…" Chrollo, holding a book, had apparently been reading all this time without sleeping. He didn't speak but instead gazed with deep, thoughtful eyes at the stairs leading down.

"...Seriously, now there's nowhere to stay," Cyr sighed as she walked down the stairs.

On the stairs and the floor below, there were several people lying crookedly, some with broken arms, others with broken legs.

The common factor was that they were all alive, but unable to move.

And each one had a bomb strapped to their bodies, with a countdown ticking away.

The countdown was moving fast.

Seeing the four people coming down, their eyes instantly lit up.

They struggled, dragging their bloody bodies toward the four, repeatedly bowing their heads in desperate pleas.

"Please, save us—"

"Please, I beg you, save me—"

Cyr glanced at the bombs strapped to their bodies. With every bow and plea, the countdown seemed to speed up, but there was still a lot of time left—over four thousand seconds.

"This bomb's countdown is way too long, isn't it?"

And unlike normal bombs, this was a Nen bomb.

So typical disarming methods wouldn't work on it.

But what was the point of such a long countdown?

Was this a limitation of the ability, or was there some other reason?

If so…

"This ability is pretty useless," the white-haired youth said dismissively, ignoring the pleas around him. After a brief inspection of the bomb, he straightened up, his tone filled with disdain.

Though, it was still slightly better than his Law Wheel, which could only be used once every two days.

His Nen ability seemed to have become somewhat useless too; it was now purely a support-type ability.

Although there were many Tarot cards, he still hadn't drawn a high-damage card.

Should he add more restrictions and oaths to make it usable every day? But that would increase the limitations, wouldn't it?

Ah, what a hassle.

When it came to abilities, Satoru Gojo and Sukuna already seemed to be perfect, with no real weaknesses.

The combination of high offense, high defense, and rapid healing was unbeatable.

Meanwhile, the people who had been waiting for help were on the brink of madness. They stopped bowing and began staring at the four of them with eyes full of urgency, even tinged with hatred.

"Come on, think of a way to save us!"

"Aren't you strong?"

They urged, complained, and a chorus of voices filled the air, creating an unbearably noisy atmosphere.

"I won't save anyone, but I can help you by making sure you die before the bomb explodes." The white-haired youth stood calmly in place, only glancing at them out of the corner of his eye, too lazy to even look them in the face.

If he had to give a reason, it was because he hadn't slept well and couldn't be bothered to save anyone.

"Talking to adults like that and expecting us to save you? A bunch of lowly scum," the blonde youth added, speaking without any courtesy, his words dripping with malice.

"I can't remove other people's abilities," Biscuit said, shaking her head.

Nen abilities could only be dealt with when one understood the exact situation.

But since they didn't even know what triggered the bombs, how could they talk about disarming them?

Plus, they didn't even know where the bombs' owner was.

Nearby the Roshan Mountains, the trio finally reunited.

"Leaving so many bombs behind, that white-haired kid definitely won't escape." The blonde man smiled, his expression showing both cunning and greed.

A direct confrontation? No, he could feel the dangerous energy emanating from the youth.

A head-on battle wasn't in line with his cautious style; it was better to find an opportunity to injure him severely and then take the spoils.

Although he spent most of his time on Greedy Island, the real world still required attention.

Moreover, they were working on behalf of the crows, so no matter how big the mess, someone else would take the blame. The reward would be cards from the game.

It was a win-win deal.

The three of them placed their thumbs together, speaking in unison—

"Release."

In the inn.

"The time is definitely too long. This likely means the other side has another way to directly detonate the bombs," the dark-haired man said calmly.

It shouldn't be "likely"; it should be "certain."

The moment his words fell, the bombs on the people's bodies, which had been rapidly counting down, immediately stopped, and the numbers reset to zero.

In the next instant, several bombs exploded simultaneously.

At the same time, explosions could be heard from the outside world, continuous and unrelenting.

The entire street was blown to bits, filled with thick black smoke.

Even above the mine site, columns of smoke were rising into the air.

"Looks like we're camping now," Cyr remarked as he stood in mid-air, observing the thick smoke below. There wasn't a speck of dust on him, his tone filled with resignation.

Biscuit, Chrollo, and Maro's figures appeared from different directions.

"My skirt—" Biscuit looked at the hem of her skirt, now torn, and fumed.

"…What bad luck," Chrollo sighed, a little dust on him as well.

No matter where they stayed, they always ended up in such situations.

°°°

If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon

Link: Patreon/Moziel