Trip Expert

"Clack, clack... clack, clack... clack, clack..."

After accepting Ian's employment when he inserted a coin,

Trip Expert, dressed in a green suit, slowly began moving his short little legs across the ground, making a sound like an old machine starting up.

He moved very slowly.

Swaying from side to side like a worn-out doll with a rusty spring, he slowly began to advance.

Feitan frowned deeply as he watched.

He felt as though his earlier caution had been a joke.

"Are you kidding me...?"

Watching the palm-sized doll approaching him across the ground as slowly as a tortoise, Feitan couldn't hold back his anger.

"You damn bastard, have you been playing with me this whole time using a lousy toy, Ian?!"

Ian paid no attention to Feitan's reaction.

He knew how powerful Trip Expert was, and he trusted that the latter wouldn't let him down.

"I'd advise you to take this seriously. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what'll happen next..."

Hearing that, Feitan shook his head, lowered it, and sneered.

"Still talking tough...?"

"Sure enough... talking to a guy who runs his mouth like you was my worst decision."

"I can't believe I let a bastard like you make a fool of me. That's unforgivable..."

The instant the words left his mouth,

Feitan hesitated no longer and charged forward.

"Whatever trick you're planning, I won't be fooled again."

"I only need one opening, and I'll knock your teeth out myself!"

Feitan was so fast that he almost became a black blur as he rapidly closed in on Ian, whispering in an icy voice.

Up above,

Chrollo watched with a slight frown, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"That doll that appeared out of nowhere actually moved on its own... Is it a Manipulation-type Nen Ability?"

The others were also watching everything happening on the field tensely, while wondering why Ian had put down a doll that could move by itself.

Feitan moved quickly, charging straight at Ian without slowing down in the slightest.

Ian, however, wore a calm smile and made no move to prepare a counterattack.

Seemingly having noticed Feitan's approach,

Trip Expert, standing less than fifteen centimeters tall on the ground, suddenly raised his head and slowly lifted his hand. Feitan's approaching figure was reflected in his sunglasses, which flashed with a cold gleam.

"Whoosh!"

Feitan sped past Trip Expert.

His eyes turned cold, and as he moved at high speed, he drew his foot back slightly, gathering strength to kick him away.

But just then,

"Shing!"

Trip Expert's arm had slowly risen and was pointing straight at Feitan. His white fist turned into a cannon barrel in the blink of an eye, its dark opening radiating a chilling cold.

"This!!"

Feitan's pupils contracted at the sight.

The feeling of being watched by a terrifying beast came over him again, nearly making his legs give out.

But by then, he had no time to react.

There was a bang!

The next moment,

Feitan slammed heavily to the ground, rear in the air and face against the dirt. His earlier arrogance and coldness vanished without a trace.

"He went down!"

"Feitan was actually beaten by that guy's doll!"

Pakunoda and Franklin were both shaken when they saw Feitan fall.

Although they had already thought Feitan might be defeated after sensing the aura of Ian's malevolent Nen, they hadn't expected it to happen so decisively.

"It worked!"

"That's Ian for you! I told you, there's no way Feitan could stand up to him!"

Uvogin, Machi, and the others were overjoyed at the sight.

Seeing Feitan make such a fool of himself gave them a great deal of satisfaction. After all, the things he said were truly unpleasant.

Not far away, however, Chrollo's expression was perfectly calm. He simply kept his eyes fixed on Trip Expert, who had defeated Feitan, and thought to himself:

So this is the kind of battle between Nen users you were talking about, Ian...

It has nothing to do with hand-to-hand combat. Just by remotely controlling an object created with a Nen Ability, you can win without even making physical contact...

Although Chrollo had misunderstood Ian's ability, there was no denying that the fight had given him a great deal of inspiration.

It had also made him more interested in the Nen Ability he himself had only recently learned.

To the spectators, all of this had happened in the blink of an eye.

On the field,

Feitan had fallen so hard that he saw stars. After being dazed for a few seconds, he quickly recovered and hurried to his feet.

"Cough... cough, cough!"

The next moment, intense pain from every part of his body answered him.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to still be able to move. But... it doesn't matter. There are two chances left!"

Just as Feitan felt a burning pain spread through his body, Ian's leisurely voice came from a short distance behind him.

"Damn it!"

Feitan couldn't help recalling how he had just been "blasted down" by a shot.

Thinking of how foolish he'd looked, especially with Ian's slightly mocking voice still in his ears, his eyes reddened and he shouted in anger:

"Ian, I'll kill you!"

"Don't make such big claims. Besides... didn't I tell you? There are two chances left..."

Ian didn't care in the least about Feitan's anger.

Without a doubt, in the Phantom Troupe of later years, Feitan could definitely be considered a man with a nasty personality.

He took pleasure in tormenting his enemies.

He liked to use all kinds of inhumane and cruel punishments to interrogate them, and even the Nen Ability he developed was a move with religious overtones and a tendency toward self-destruction.

His Nen Ability, [Pain Packer], took the form of clothing resembling a medieval [iron maiden], an ominous image.

After taking a certain amount of damage, he could create a miniature sun!

The more severe his injuries, the greater the scorching power of the sun.

Without a doubt, this guy was a freak—a powerful freak who not only tortured his enemies but, when he went mad, even tortured himself.

In a way, his personality also matched the underlying tone of the entire world of Hunter x Hunter.

Those who grew up in a place like Meteor City were either criminals or freaks.

Whether it was Killua's mother or the members of the Phantom Troupe, hardly any of them were normal.

Or rather,

growing up normal in an environment like that was what was truly abnormal.

And that was also what made the world of Hunter x Hunter interesting.

Here, absolute good and evil had almost been cast aside, leaving only a profound gray...

The starting point of all this distortion had been forgotten.

Ever since humanity fled the Dark Continent and entered these islands in the center of the enormous Lake Mobius—the continents where humans now lived—

they still had been unable to escape their old nightmares.

From the uppermost levels to the lowest, the unspeakable mental pressure left over from their origins made the humans of this world struggle amid distortion.

And Ian, without a doubt, hoped to change that.

On the field, Feitan ignored his injuries completely, got straight to his feet, and attacked Ian again!

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Even someone like me, who isn't familiar with fighting, knows that if you can't keep calm in a fight, all that awaits you is defeat!"

Seeing Feitan approach, Ian couldn't help shaking his head, a regretful look on his face.

"Didn't I tell you? Trip Expert still has two chances."

"Before then, it'll be hard for you to hurt me!"

Feitan wasn't listening to Ian at all. He had only one thought now: to smash his fist hard into Ian's youthful but hateful smiling face.

Unfortunately, willpower was helpless in the face of an enormous gap in strength.

Just as he came within a meter of Ian,

behind him, Trip Expert had raised his arm at some point, the dark cannon barrel aimed at the center of his back.

A cold gleam flashed across Trip Expert's sunglasses.

Even though he looked like nothing more than a tiny doll, no one could ignore his powerful aura.

It was as though, before Trip Expert, he feared no enemy, no matter who they were, and held only one conviction: to make them fall!

"Boom!"

With the roar of a giant cannon, the invisible air seemed to be compressed with tremendous force.

The next moment,

the center of Feitan's back caved in at a speed visible to the naked eye. Before his fist could touch Ian, his face turned ferocious, twisting in pain as he nearly vomited!

"Urgh!"

In an instant, Feitan crashed heavily to the ground.

Even with the protection of Nen, his body, struck by Trip Expert's Air Cannon, still hurt so much that he convulsed uncontrollably.

"Sigh, didn't I tell you...?"

"Until you defeat Trip Expert, it's almost impossible for you to hurt me..."

"Do you still want to continue?"

Ian strolled over to the fallen Feitan in a relaxed manner, unable to hide the smile on his face as he chuckled softly.

In his fight with Feitan, he had tested [Trip Expert]'s power and found it pretty good.

And Trip Expert's attacks also seemed to have a "defense-breaking" effect.

Otherwise,

with Nen bolstering Feitan's physical defense, he shouldn't have been in such unbearable pain, even after taking a heavy blow.

Besides, he still didn't have many items at hand for now, and [Trip Expert] wasn't suited to immediate combat.

"Damn it!"

Feitan growled from the ground, deeply unwilling to accept the outcome.

But he really was a little "afraid" of that lousy toy's attacks. They hurt too much!

After being made to "fall" twice in a row by Trip Expert, he could tell clearly that his body had lost the ability to resist.

Pain, pain, pain...

Indescribable pain spread throughout his body!

The bones all over him seemed to be crying out. Now, even the slightest movement sent sharp pain stabbing through him.

Seeing that Feitan was only growling in embarrassment and anger, no longer cursing,

Ian's lips curled up. Knowing that Feitan had been beaten into submission, he chuckled.

"Looks like I won our bet. Remember to get me a thousand coins from now on..."

At that, Ian seemed to think of something. He glanced at Feitan, who was struggling to get up from the ground, and smiled.

"Seeing how miserable you are, I'll save the blow I was supposed to return for later... Of course, that's only if you insist on opposing me again in the future..."

"Hmph!"

Hearing Ian's words, half an offer of a way out and half a threat, Feitan remained silent and only gave a cold snort.

Ian didn't mind that either.

He waved to Uvogin, Machi, and the others in the distance, grinning as he called out:

"Hey, Uvogin, Machi, Nobunaga, I won..."

Before long, Machi and the others had rushed over. Chrollo, Pakunoda, and the others also gathered around and helped support the badly injured Feitan.

"So, have you decided? Will you leave this place with us afterward?"

Ian's face was injured, but he paid it no mind as he looked at Chrollo, who had come over, and asked softly.

Chrollo glanced at Feitan, who was being supported. Pakunoda and Franklin both looked at Chrollo and nodded. Feitan said nothing, but he didn't refuse either. Chrollo said calmly:

"Since no one has any objections, we're willing to accept the proposal."

Hearing that, Uvogin and Nobunaga both brightened.

"Great!"

Ian smiled too. After all, the people before him were all promising prospects with considerable strength.

He had no connections or resources in this world. With them, the road ahead was bound to be much easier.

Just then,

"Clack, clack... clack, clack..."

a sound like an old machine suddenly rang out behind them.

The instant he heard it, Feitan, who was being supported, turned pale, and Ian's expression stiffened slightly too.

"Ian, haven't you put that item away yet?"

Machi turned around and looked at Trip Expert, who was slowly walking toward their group. She blinked and asked with some curiosity.

Chrollo glanced sideways at Trip Expert. Although he very much wanted to grab him and study him, he restrained himself and looked at Ian along with Pakunoda and the others.

Ian seemed to remember something. He rubbed his little hands together awkwardly, avoiding Feitan's piercing stare, and said in a low voice,

"Sorry, but once the Trip Expert starts, it won't stop until it's knocked the enemy down three times... even I can't stop it!"

"Pfft..."

At those words, Uvogin, Nobunaga, and the others turned red in the face. They held it in for a while, but finally burst out laughing.

Feitan, who was being held up, went deathly pale. His eyes widened, and he glared fiercely at Ian.

"You... you bastard..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Trip Expert raised the cannon barrel in its hands and aimed it at him.

"Boom!"

A tremendous blast rang out.

Like a kite with its string cut, Feitan fell heavily to the ground once again. His face twisted in pain, and he passed out on the spot.

Silence fell over the scene. Everyone turned to look at Ian.

Ian could only spread his hands helplessly and offer some comfort.

"It's fine. Passing out is probably for the best. At least it doesn't hurt this way..."