Chapter 184: Master of Combat

"The bells of the end times are ringing, and we shall meet again!" 

Kaito Kuroba walked to the window, threw a smoke bomb, and transformed into a white silhouette that flew into the sky. "Goodbye, great detective!"

Kaito Kuroba took a deep breath.

He resisted the urge to punch Fujino.

Even if he tried to fight him, he wouldn't win.

Better to leave first.

"Heh."

Fujino stood by the window, calmly watching as the phantom thief Kid vanished into the distance.

If he remembered correctly, this should be a prelude to the *Magician of the Century* movie.

But why was the guy telling him all of this? 

Well, if Kaito really went against the Suzuki family, they'd probably hire him to protect their treasure.

Seems like he might make another fortune soon.

The Suzuki family was known for being very generous.

Fujino still vividly remembered how last time, Mrs. Suzuki casually handed over five million yen.

…

Early the next morning, two police helicopters landed in the villa's backyard, bathed in the red sunrise. Under Fujino's guidance, Tanaka Kikue, who had finally realized her mistakes, turned herself in.

That night, at Fujino's home.

After a long day, Fujino returned home, sat on the sofa, and opened the system interface.

A system screen appeared in front of him, flashing a message:

**[Soul Root Level Up! Current Level: 2 – New Ability Unlocked: (Soul Wings)]**

**[Detective Career Mission Detected: The Magic Gathering Murder Case]**

**[System Reward: 1 million yen, 100 Detective Reputation points have been awarded]**

"Soul Wings?"

Fujino glanced at the notification about his Soul Root upgrade.

He quickly opened the system interface:

**[Soul Root: Level 2 (0|500)]

Soul Wings: (Wings formed purely from soul energy, allowing brief flight for the Soul Root. Note: Consumes a significant amount of mental energy during use)]**

"Flight?"

Fujino stroked his chin, thinking. "The abilities gained from the Soul Root are quite incredible."

Flying has always been a dream for humanity.

Naturally, Fujino also wanted to fly.

Although he already had a grappling gun, its usage was limited.

If there was nothing nearby to latch onto that could support his weight, the grappling gun would be useless.

Even though the flying skill wasn't directly for him, being able to use it through his Soul Root was still a great advantage.

After all, he could control the Soul Root, so it was almost like he could fly himself.

Next, he turned his attention to the system's balance screen:

**[Current Balance: 5.8 million yen]**

"5.8 million yen?"

Fujino looked at the system screen, deep in thought.

His two main goals were opening a shop and upgrading his combat career. Together, they would cost about 6 million yen without the system's discounts.

Currently, he had 5.8 million yen, so he was about 300,000 yen short.

He figured the shop would cost at least 3 million yen, possibly closer to 4 million.

Opening the shop would be a gradual process, meaning it would take some time to recoup that initial investment.

After pondering for a bit, Fujino made a decision.

He would prioritize upgrading his combat career first.

**[267 million yen has been consumed for the host.]**

**[Combat Career Breakthrough]**

**[New Career: Combat Master, now available in the system's career interface.]**

"Combat Master?"

Fujino was intrigued, but it wasn't entirely unexpected.

As long as it didn't turn him into some "Rape Master," he thought it was fine.

Without overthinking, Fujino opened the system's career interface to examine the Combat Master skills:

**[Combat Master: Level 1 (0|500)

Career Skills: 

Combat Master (In the field of combat, you have made significant progress, mastering a vast array of techniques and diverse combat stances) 

Fierce Iron Fist: Level 3 (Increases host's strength by 60%; while unarmed, all attributes increase by 60%) 

Combat Spirit: Level 1 (Basic: Increases host's perception and reaction by 20%; while unarmed, gain 20% combat momentum) 

Combat Insight: Passive skill (During combat, the host has a 20% chance to predict the opponent's next move) 

Available Points: 2]**

"Combat momentum and increased attributes while unarmed?"

Fujino analyzed the Combat Master's skills, rubbing his chin. "Even the Combat Insight's chance to predict moves increased by 10%."

Of course, these were just the visible stats.

The moment he acquired the Combat Master career, numerous memories related to combat flooded his mind.

These memories seemed innate, as if they had always existed in his brain.

The breakthrough to Combat Master felt similar to breakthroughs in other careers.

It not only raised the skill caps but also provided additional benefits.

After some thought, Fujino allocated the two available points.

**[Fierce Iron Fist: Level 4 (Increases host's strength by 80%; while unarmed, all attributes increase by 80%) 

Combat Spirit: Level 2 (Increases host's perception and reaction by 40%; while unarmed, gain 40% combat momentum)]**

Fujino saw Fierce Iron Fist and Combat Spirit as the physical and mental aspects of combat.

Fierce Iron Fist focused on attack power, while Combat Spirit enhanced reaction and perception, along with a subtle sense of intimidation.

Intimidation in combat was a tricky thing.

In real-life fights, Fujino knew all too well how crucial it was to make an opponent feel overwhelmed. If you could, you were halfway to winning the fight.

…

Late at night, Fujino lay in bed.

With a thought, he activated his Soul Root, donned his assassin robe, and slipped out of a third-floor window.

Having gained the new flying ability, of course, he wanted to try it out.

The night in Beika City was alive with flashing police lights and the wail of sirens, filling the air with the energy of a thriving metropolis.

Fujino cruised the streets on his motorcycle, driven by his Soul Root.

Soon, on a nearby rooftop, he spotted a shadowy figure.

The figure wore a ninja outfit, with a dark blue top and a black-and-blue headscarf covering his face.

What was even more astonishing was that the ninja silently leaped from one rooftop to another without making a sound.

"Whoa, that's some serious parkour."

Fujino was taken aback by the ninja's seemingly superhuman ability.

But he quickly regained his composure.

In the Conan world, strange things like this were surprisingly normal.

Suddenly, a system notification rang out, interrupting his thoughts: "A new career mission has been detected. Please check your system."

"A system mission?"

Fujino was briefly surprised before opening the system's mission interface.

A career mission appeared:

**[Detective Career Mission: The Phantom of Edo

Mission Objective: Capture the Phantom of Edo 

Mission Reward: 1 million yen, 100 Detective Reputation points]**

"Phantom of Edo?"

Fujino studied the system interface, recalling the ninja's name.

He had seen this name in the newspapers recently.

Phantom of Edo.

Of course, not the *Grim Reaper* Conan, but a thief known as the Phantom of Edo.

This Phantom of Edo was a thief who traveled across Japan.

He was called the Phantom of Edo because his theft methods resembled those of thieves from old Japanese period dramas. He often used agility to rob and escape, scaling walls and leaping across buildings to evade capture.

"A thief who kills when his identity is exposed?"

If he remembered correctly, this guy was the serial killer in the Traveling Theater Murder Case.

The Phantom of Edo's true identity was a member of the traveling theater troupe.

His nationwide theft spree was due to the troupe's tours across the country.

In the case, he killed because the troupe leader had discovered his true identity.

Frankly, Fujino had no respect for this kind of scum.

At least the Phantom Thief Kid had some style.

Though a thief, Kaito only targeted the rich.

But the Phantom of Edo? This guy would rob regular people, and when caught, he would try to kill to silence witnesses.

"Since the system has given me this mission, I might as well take care of this potential murderer."

After a moment's thought, Fujino put away his motorcycle and used his Soul Wings to take off. His white robe fluttered in the wind as he flew toward the Phantom of Edo.

…

The Phantom of Edo leaped from one rooftop to another.

He scanned his surroundings, searching for his next target.

Soon, he spotted tonight's prey under a streetlamp.

A woman walking alone.

She had short hair and wore a sharp-looking business suit.

From what he could tell, she was likely an office lady who had just finished working late.

Yes, a perfect target for a robbery.

Quickly, he made his decision.

He would knock her out, take all her money, and disappear into the night.

Tonight, he had already stolen over 500,000 yen, but it wasn't enough to satisfy him.

Let's see how much this woman was carrying.

…

On the other side, Fujino had been tailing the Phantom of Edo and noticed the woman he had targeted.

"Well, this should be interesting."

Fujino stood on the rooftop, grinning mischievously as he watched the woman.

That woman was none other than Miwako Sato, whom he fondly referred to as the "

Most Beautiful Policewoman."