Chapter 9 These Ten Seconds...

The unidentified murderer met his end at the hands of Moses, and the crisis was thus averted.

However, Monica didn't feel the slightest bit of relief after surviving the life-threatening situation. She curled up, cautious as if treading on thin ice, and dared not look at Moses for more than a moment.

'How did that murderer die?'

Being completely scared and losing her ability to think, she didn't witness the process of Moses killing the man.

All she heard was the sound of a neck breaking and the thud of a heavy object falling suddenly. Following the noise, she discovered that the man had turned into a lifeless corpse.

Then, she saw Moses's smile.

Monica, who is already on the verge of collapsing, suddenly realized—

This incredibly handsome boy before her might be a monster even more terrifying than that murderer.

Moses, however, paid no attention to what Monica was thinking. He slowly retracted his smile, then sat cross-legged beside the corpse.

"Let's briefly review the situation,"

With his arms crossed, Moses tilted his head slightly and looked at the lifeless body of the man. He then closed his eyes, recalling the scene of the battle that lasted less than a minute.

Putting aside the differences in mastery of Nen, the opponent was a very cunning guy.

First, he pretended not to notice Moses's presence, then initiated a conversation with Monica, and finally, abruptly attacked Moses while in the middle of talking to gain the upper hand.

Although both were aware of the presence of another Nen user here, this guy, who took pleasure in killing, was not willing to miss any chance, even for a disguise opportunity.

'I had prepared for the possibility of being discovered in advance, but the initial plan... didn't include the 'pre-talk with the bait' process. I thought the other party would use the bait for a preemptive strike, like directly throwing her at me,'

'However, he didn't do that. Instead, he chose to use the abrupt halt in the conversation as an opportunity to attack. It had some effect, but I was already vigilant.'

'Afterward, I intentionally portrayed panicked expression to take advantage of my age, but it barely had an effect. The weapon I had hidden was also detected immediately.'

'The opponent is very sharp and cautious.'

'However, the pre-set traps accounted for all these worst-case scenarios, so the overall process didn't change.'

'My only advantage was that the opponent didn't know about the existence of my trump card, the shadow. Only by exploiting this information gap could I end the battle at the least cost.'

'What I didn't expect was the opponent's willingness to sacrifice a hand for the chance to control me. Despite having an advantage in Aura output, he opted for this ruthless method to quicken the battle's pace.'

'However, because of this… I didn't need to put on what might seem like a clumsy act in the opponent's eyes, so there was no risk of him detecting my intent.'

'Therefore, his decision actually helped me use the informational gap about the shadow to end this battle more quickly and effortlessly.'

'If it was a direct confrontation, considering the difference in Aura output and physical prowess, I would have surely been suppressed and beaten by the opponent.'

'Perhaps I could reclaim some advantage using Soul Echo, but I can't rule out the possibility that the opponent also possesses his own Nen ability.'

'In summary, the opponent is much stronger than me in aspects such as Aura output, fundamental Nen skills, physical qualities, strength, explosiveness, and so on…'

'And yet, I won with ease.'

'Indeed, using informational advantages and strategy to bridge the gap in raw abilities, thus achieving victory over a stronger opponent, might be the most interesting aspect of Nen battles.'

'The reason I feel pleasure and satisfaction from this is not just because of the thrill, but also because achieving victory over a stronger opponent is inherently satisfying.'

Moses opened his eyes, looked at the man's face, and smiled:

"It was you who allowed me to directly experience all of this. Although our contact time in the battle lasted only about 10 seconds, I'm certain that these 10 seconds will become the most valuable nourishment for my future development in Nen."

Having said this, Moses slowly stood up, brushing off the dust from his pants.

"To you, nameless murderer, thank you for our encounter."

Moses then withdrew his gaze from the man's corpse.

Winning this battle and reflecting upon it not only made Moses realize what he truly wanted, but also gave him a clearer understanding of the variables in Nen battles.

To defeat a not-so-weak opponent just after awakening his Nen…

Moses didn't become proud or complacent. It's because he knew that beyond the four fundamental techniques of 'Ten', 'Zetsu', 'Ren', and 'Hatsu', there were more advanced application techniques.

Like 'Shu', which allowed the entwining of Nen around weapons or external objects to increase its strength and attack power.

'In', the ability to hide one's Nen, which allow him to achieve the element of surprise.

'Gyo', which concentrates Aura in one place to enhance attack and defense, and the ability to see through 'In'.

'En', which expands Aura outwards from oneself perceive the covered area.

'Ken', enveloping the entire body with the maximum Aura output for the highest strength in attack and defense.

'Ryu', which rapidly manipulating the flow of Aura for quick offense and defense.

'Ko', which releases all the user's Aura and concentrates it in a single spot.

The existence of these advanced application techniques would make Nen battles even more complex and versatile.

Moses is fully aware that he's still just a novice. To better cope with the potential fights he might encounter in the future, he would exert all his efforts to continuously enhance his understanding of Nen.

At this moment, silence returned to the temple.

Moses crossed over the corpse and approached Monica.

"Monica, it's all right now."

As he spoke, Moses began to assess Monica's injuries. Her clothes were torn in several places, stained with blood. Her exposed skin also had numerous cuts from branches.

If it were only a few wounds, leaving them alone might be fine, but with so many of them, it was necessary to tend them.

"Hmm?"

After observing Monica's condition, Moses noticed that she still remained curled up, and her body visibly trembling.

"Did she get terrified? Well, it's understandable. After all, that guy infused his entire killing intent into his Aura. It's not surprising for ordinary people to be scared to death when they get too close."

Moses murmured to himself in a low voice.

He was still unaware that he might have been the one who frightened Monica.

"Can you hear me? Everything is fine now, Monica."

Moses casually patted Monica's shoulder. The force behind the pat was light, and he deliberately avoided the wounds.

However, Monica reacted as if she'd been electrocuted. Her body stiffened at first, then her eyes rolled back as she fainted.

"?"

Moses looked at Monica in confusion, wondering why she fainted so abruptly.