Chapter 36: The Resentment Tool

"Of course!"

The Rift Maniac charged at Kaizen with wild abandon.

Kaizen didn't move.

Seeing this, the Rift Maniac lunged, aiming to strike—but Kaizen shook his head.

"You can't even see what's around me, and you still think you can kill me?" Kaizen said, his voice calm.

A memory stirred in Kaizen's mind: Kurapika at the Zoldyck estate. After leaving the manor, Kurapika had gone off on his own instead of heading to Heavens Arena. He was hunting information about the Phantom Troupe while picking up related tasks along the way.

But when he reached a specific location, Kurapika was rejected because he couldn't properly read the staff's aura technique, which had been subtly woven into the job notice. It was a scene that closely resembled Kaizen's current situation—except now, he was playing the role of the staff member, and the Rift Maniac was like Kurapika.

But unlike Kurapika, the Rift Maniac wouldn't be so lucky.

Suddenly, Killer Queen appeared before Kaizen in a flash, blocking the maniac's path.

The Rift Maniac collided headfirst with Killer Queen—and the impact left him stunned. He stared, dumbfounded, as it dawned on him that there was still some distance between him and Kaizen. He hadn't even reached him... yet he was stopped cold.

What the hell just happened?

Before he could piece it together, Killer Queen rested a hand on his head.

"The first bomb."

A split second later, the Rift Maniac's head exploded into nothingness.

Kaizen crouched to pick up the scissors the Maniac had dropped, inspecting them briefly before tucking them away. With a thought, he recalled Killer Queen, and the stand vanished.

The Rift Maniac's lifeless body slumped to the ground.

Later, Kaizen checked into the hotel he had booked earlier. After receiving his key card, he took the elevator up to his room, showered, changed into clean clothes, and stood by the window, holding the same pair of scissors.

"The Rift Maniac was weak," Kaizen murmured to himself.

"But his strength came from these scissors, not from him."

Kaizen had learned a lot about aura techniques from the Zoldyck estate. In this world, tools imbued with Nen—known as Nen tools—could be incredibly powerful. Some of these tools carried with them more than just aura. When imbued with resentment, these tools could develop a form of consciousness.

There were two types of Nen tools:

Ordinary Nen tools: These were simple, aura-infused objects.

Resentment tools: These were more dangerous, as the infused resentment gave them a malevolent will of their own.

Kaizen recalled a story he'd heard—resentment and aura are deeply intertwined. Though technically distinct, resentment was just a more negative form of aura, which could even manifest as self-aware entities.

The scissors Kaizen now held were undoubtedly one such tool.

"So the Rift Maniac's behavior was probably influenced by these scissors," Kaizen thought aloud. "But they don't work on me."

He handed the scissors to Killer Queen, who reappeared at his side.

"If they can't affect me, they won't affect her either."

The scissors weren't particularly powerful, but they weren't weak either. In Killer Queen's hands, they could add a layer of misdirection to her attacks.

When enemies saw the scissors, they might assume that Killer Queen's abilities were tied to them and wouldn't anticipate her true skill—the explosive bombs.

That moment of hesitation could be the difference between life and death.

Kaizen frowned, his thoughts shifting to something more troubling.

"But there's one problem... Who's targeting me?"

"One attack could be a coincidence. But two?"

Kaizen suspected that the Rift Maniac's claim was likely true—he really had been hired to kill him through an assassin website.

Kaizen's mind flickered to the memory of the young fighter he'd killed in the arena, the one who had mocked him. Could this be connected to him?

"There were a few others with that kid. I need to find them."

The night passed quietly.

The next morning, Kaizen got up early, showered, and went downstairs to grab breakfast at the hotel's restaurant.

After eating, he checked his phone. His match at Heavens Arena was scheduled for 10:00 AM, leaving him plenty of time to investigate before then.

"If that kid was only strong enough to reach the thirtieth floor, his companions can't be much stronger. They're probably somewhere between the tenth and fifteenth floors by now."

Kaizen strolled through the arena, moving between floors. He made it look like he was wandering aimlessly, but in truth, he was scanning for his targets.

As a Zoldyck, Kaizen had been trained in the art of identification—spotting his targets at a glance was second nature to him.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out in front of him.

Kaizen looked up and met the stranger's gaze.

"Kaizen, right? Mind if we have a chat?"

Kaizen raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"A business proposal."

Kaizen hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I'm listening."

"Follow me."

The man led Kaizen down a series of hallways until they reached a private lounge reserved for arena fighters. The room was empty—perfect for a quiet conversation.

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