It was as if they had been targeted by some terrifying flood beast. Their brains screamed warnings, yet their bodies were so frightened that they could not move at all.
"What did you do to them?"
Machi, who had been watching the show from the side, could not help asking when she saw this.
"Nothing."
Morin replied calmly, "I merely released a little malicious Nen at them."
"Nen can be used like that?"
Machi nodded slightly, indicating that she had learned another trick.
Those targeted by Morin's malicious Nen were also gasping for breath.
When they looked at Morin, all their contempt and other emotions had vanished, replaced by fear and uncertainty.
After meeting Morin's cold gaze, the uncertainty in their eyes gradually turned entirely into fear. After a while, the group returned to their previous ambiguous looks.
Only, those looks were no longer aimed at Morin, but at Machi beside him.
Morin: "?"
Machi: "?????"
Huh?
Morin scratched his cheek with a finger and looked doubtfully at Machi, whose forehead was gradually filling with dark lines.
"Are people in Meteor City these days all so bored that they love gossiping?"
Machi did not say anything more, but her eyes were already covered in dark lines.
Expressionlessly, she slowly drew strands of thread from her wrist.
"Forget it."
Morin stopped her. "Let's handle the important matter first. Uvogin and the others are still waiting for us in prison."
Only then did Machi give up. Pouting, she continued toward their destination with Morin.
Leaving behind that string of ambiguous gazes.
First Meeting with the Young Generation of Spiders
The place Chrollo had arranged for everyone to meet was on the outskirts of Meteor City, in a buffer zone between it and the garbage dump where people could get a foothold.
The streets within Meteor City were clean, so this became the place where residents returning from scavenging in the landfill sorted through their finds. Plenty of discarded steel and wooden boards had been casually piled on the ground, forming "scrap mountains" of various sizes and heights.
When Machi led Morin to the agreed location with practiced familiarity, there were already people waiting there.
"Paku."
Machi first greeted the blonde beauty standing atop a chunk of wood and stone.
Then she nodded in turn to the quiet, burly man sitting to one side and the short-looking man with strangely pale skin.
"Franklin, Feitan."
She named each of them, introducing them to Morin.
Meanwhile, Morin was surveying the surroundings.
This place is rather similar to where the Spiders gathered in You Kiss City. Is it because the Phantom Troupe was founded in a place like this that they have some sentimental attachment to it, so they choose similar places for every large gathering?
At that moment, under the gazes of the three, Machi pointed at Morin.
"Morin."
Even without Machi saying more, the three had long since fixed their eyes on Morin.
"Is he the Morin Uvogin mentioned?"
Franklin, who looked honest and had yet to gain the scars that would later make him appear so fierce, regarded Morin curiously.
"The Morin Uvogin holds in such high esteem?"
Pakunoda, only sixteen years old, already had the beginnings of her later devilish figure. However, she was nowhere near as daring in her attire as she would become later.
With her collar buttoned tightly and dressed in the black office-lady outfit of an urban professional, she too looked at Morin with curiosity.
Uvogin's evaluation of Morin was exceedingly high. The last person to receive such praise from that big dark brute had been Chrollo.
"The man who gave Uvogin that strange power?"
Feitan, dressed in black with strangely pale skin, narrowed his eyes. He clasped his hands together and pressed down, producing a crisp crack of bones.
At sixteen, Feitan should theoretically have been in high school, yet he was still only the height of a middle schooler.
And judging by it, he would probably remain about this height in the future. He was not going to grow any taller.
Clearly, from their reactions, all three had heard more or less about Morin from Uvogin.
Although Uvogin was not a blabbermouth, his immense admiration for Morin, coupled with the excitement he felt after awakening his Nen ability, made him eager to introduce this powerful new acquaintance to the companions he knew and respected.
While the three sized up Morin, Morin was also sizing them up.
Pakunoda? She looked so innocent when she was young, and her nose was not nearly as big. It was far from the hooked nose she had later on. She was just wearing a little too much.
Franklin, the nice guy, really did look like an honest, simple man right now. The more a person like that killed, the less they blinked.
This is Tanzi, huh? He has already grown this tall? Reaching his final height this quickly is not a good thing.
As both sides looked at each other, the atmosphere unexpectedly cooled for a moment.
Tap, tap, tap.
Just then, a series of crisp footsteps sounded.
Everyone looked over at once and saw a man in a black suit walking toward them with his hands in his pockets, carrying himself like a workplace professional.
The moment this man appeared, Morin got one distinct impression.
As long as he stood there, he was destined to become the center of attention.
Every movement he made drew everyone's eyes.
It was as though he had been born to be a leader, meant to stand beneath the spotlight and enjoy the admiration of others.
To possess such a presence at only thirteen... no wonder he later managed to build the Phantom Troupe into something so formidable, with such villainous charisma.
Chrollo Lucilfer's short black hair was neat and fresh. There was no cross-shaped mark on his forehead like Morin remembered, and his skin was very pale.
Though he was only thirteen, he was already quite tall. His whole face looked no different from that of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old high school student.
That only made the steadiness revealed in his black eyes stand out even more.
Compared to Morin, the newcomer who had only just joined their group, Chrollo, who had already proven his strength and leadership, naturally received far more attention from Franklin and the others.
"How did it go, Chrollo?"
Machi, who was the most worried about Uvogin and Nobunaga's safety, asked first.
"The negotiations did not go very well."
Chrollo smiled faintly, as though even bad news could not affect his mood.
"The elder refused to release Uvogin and the others."
"Why?"
Franklin, with his honest air, asked in confusion.
"Even if they clashed with his subordinates, it did not cause much of a disturbance, and no one was injured or killed. Is there really any need to hold onto it so stubbornly?"
"That is hardly the bearing expected of an elder. If word gets out, it will be difficult to convince people."
Feitan and Pakunoda said nothing, but they wore the same expressions.
Still young, they retained a trace of youthful hotheadedness.
It's in my hands now
"The elder also told me that he had originally intended to release Uvogin after teaching him a lesson."
As Chrollo spoke, his gaze slowly shifted toward Machi and Morin.
Or rather, it was mainly focused on Morin.
"But Uvogin kicked up a fuss and relied on his brute strength to make a scene. Apparently, he accidentally smashed one of the elder's collectibles, so the elder became furious and continued to hold him."
"That idiot?"
Machi held her forehead. "Did he get carried away so easily after gaining power?"
At the mention of power, Franklin, Pakunoda, and Feitan all looked over again.
From Machi's unconscious words, it was clear that she knew something as well.
Over the past two days, after each of them had met Uvogin, he had always proudly shown off his newfound strength.
For example, he would use one stone to smash another stone.
Although Franklin and the others did not understand Uvogin's behavior, the changes in both Uvogin and Nobunaga—their eyes, presence, spirit, confidence, and the vibrant energy overflowing from within—had all drawn their attention.
They had learned some things from Uvogin.
About the power he had newly acquired, as well as the man he admired so greatly.
"The power you mentioned should be Nen, right?"
Chrollo smiled faintly. "Speaking of which, when I previously saw Uvogin and Nobunaga, I was quite surprised to discover that they had opened their Aura Nodes and awakened Nen."
"Especially since someone else had opened their Aura Nodes for them."
Chrollo stepped forward with a smile. "To be trusted so completely by Uvogin and the others, you must be the Morin Uvogin often mentions?"
He slowly extended a hand toward Morin. "Chrollo Lucilfer."
Looking at Chrollo's faint smile, Morin extended his hand as well.
"Morin."
Just that name, without a surname after it.
Or rather, Morin's surname was simply Mo.
"I only just learned about Nen from the elder, yet I did not expect to be able to speak with another Nen user at close range so soon."
Chrollo released his hand and spoke with a smile.
At the same time, a thin layer of white aura immediately covered his body.
Nen!
Chrollo had already opened his Aura Nodes and become a Nen user.
"All right, we can save the introductions and compliments for later."
Machi interrupted bluntly. "Right now, we should be thinking about how to rescue Uvogin and the others, shouldn't we?"
Before you continue