Get Stronger!! You Know, I Had High Hopes for Chrollo / Here in Meteor City, We're Short on Everything Except People~

The screening onstage was about to resume, and Chrollo was leading everyone in a countdown.

They needed to get ready for the next screening too~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Under Chrollo's guidance, the front hall was bustling as the screening was about to begin again.

Meanwhile, in a quiet room somewhere inside the Church.

"This place should be safe from discovery and interruptions, right?"

Mog surveyed the surroundings. He had deliberately chosen this location.

It was tucked away in a remote corner of the Church, and there was dust nearby, indicating that few people ever came here.

The faintly glowing light bulb by the door showed that there was still electricity here.

After looking around briefly, Mog found an outlet in the corner of the room.

"This will do."

Without hesitation, he took out the [Power Booster Machine].

Then he pressed its connector into the outlet.

When the indicator light on the [Power Booster Machine] lit up, Mog knew the power was connected successfully.

He immediately put the helmet over his head and pressed the switch.

Zzzzt~!!

In an instant, platinum-gold currents surged and blossomed across the machine.

They then transformed into streams of powerful energy that poured into Mog's entire body.

"Hiss~!!"

The instant he received that power, Mog felt his scalp go numb.

At the same time, his entire body was struck by intense stimulation and impact.

However, it did not make him feel particularly uncomfortable. It was only slightly unpleasant, and something he could endure once he got used to it.

Most importantly, under the impact and infusion of that power—

Mog could genuinely feel his physique growing stronger by the second!!

Growing Stronger!! You Know, I Originally Had High Hopes for Chrollo

"My body's strength is continuously increasing!!"

Even in Mog's current state, he could clearly feel his body becoming stronger at a visible rate!!

Under the cleansing infusion of that platinum-gold electrical power—

Every part of his physique was being strengthened accordingly.

And it was not just his body. Even the amount of Aura within him was gradually increasing bit by bit.

Although the increase in Aura was not as dramatic as the enhancement to his body—

That steady growth still filled Mog with delight.

"As expected of an invention from Goat Village. Praise the great Chief Slow Goat!!"

Feeling his physical strength rise, Mog could not help sincerely praising Chief Slow Goat's masterpiece~!

Now this was what a truly great inventor looked like. What a fine goat~!!

If Mog's own strength were compared to something, he had been like a rookie beginner.

But with this power strengthening his body and increasing his Aura, he was gradually advancing toward the level of a proper Nen user.

Here, "proper" roughly meant the level Gon and Killua had reached after training at Heaven's Arena, enough to knock down Razor and Gido.

In other words, this brief period of enhancement alone—

Was enough to match what Gon and Killua, two geniuses with talent among tens of millions, had achieved after three months of training under a fairly capable Shingen-ryu teacher like Wing.

Well, Gon and Killua had learned of Nen and begun training on March 10.

Then, on June 4, Gon fought Gido again and defeated him.

The strength Mog had gained from this enhancement was roughly equivalent to Gon's strength at that time.

"At the very least, among Nen users, I'm stronger than those third-rate users who know nothing and blindly develop their abilities..."

As the charging process gradually came to an end, Mog looked at his arm and his tensed muscles.

"At least I have some ability to protect myself now."

This kind of electrical cleansing could not continue indefinitely.

Not only would it place too much stimulating strain on the body, Mog also needed time to familiarize himself with the increase and changes in his strength.

It would be best to do this again after some time had passed.

That way, it would benefit his body while maximizing the enhancement effect.

"Once the screening ends, I'll head back and test out this strength and these changes..."

Thinking that, Mog removed the helmet and casually put away the [Power Booster Machine].

Just as he was about to leave—

The next second—

His body abruptly froze in place.

"Hmm?!!"

Mog's pupils slowly contracted as they reflected the figure of Father Zhol, who had suddenly appeared at the doorway.

"A Nen ability with spatial effects?"

Father Zhol spoke softly from the doorway. "And that machine just now..."

"Are you a Conjuration Type, or a Specialization Type?"

Father Zhol's tone remained as gentle as ever, just as it was when he faced the devout children who came to pray at the Church.

Mog remained silent, instinctively surveying the surroundings.

"You chose a good place."

Father Zhol remained calm. "This room is remote. There is only one door, with no other exits."

"Of course, if you want to punch through the wall and leave from here, that is fine too."

"However, I don't think matters need to reach that point..."

Father Zhol narrowed his eyes slightly. The same gaze he had used on Chrollo earlier now fell upon Mog.

"I will not be your enemy. You do not need to be so wary and guarded around me."

Indeed, if Father Zhol truly meant Mog harm, he would have attacked when Mog had been completely unaware of him.

But that did not rule out the possibility that Father Zhol had other calculations and intentions...

Mog's thoughts raced rapidly.

"He directly identified Nen abilities, which means he knows Nen exists."

"And he mentioned Conjuration Type and Specialization Type... Clearly, he has a certain understanding of Nen abilities as well."

"Then again, if he knew nothing about Nen abilities, he could not have brought Miss Renko here from Misty Forest Valley..."

"After all, Father Zhol saw Miss Renko's stitching abilities with his own eyes~~~"

As his thoughts spun, Mog had already considered many possibilities concerning Father Zhol.

For example, his connection with Meteor City's Elder Council, his relationship with Misty Forest Valley, and his own attainment and strength in Nen abilities...

But regardless of what Father Zhol might be thinking, the key lay in what he had said himself:

[I will not be your enemy. You do not need to be so wary and guarded around me.]

He truly held no ill intent. At least, Mog, whose Aura and Nen were currently in a sensitive state, could not sense any malicious Nen or killing intent from him.

And in Mog's view, there was only one possible explanation for that:

"Father Zhol has some other design for me~~~"

Mog narrowed his eyes slightly.

Either he wanted Mog's Nen ability, like the ability Chrollo would learn in the future, [Master Thief's Secret].

Or he was interested in Mog himself...

"You know, I originally had high hopes for Chrollo."

Father Zhol looked at Mog and spoke calmly.

In Meteor City, the Only Thing Never in Short Supply Is People~

"I saw in Chrollo the potential to change Meteor City's situation and landscape."

"Present-day Meteor City is in the midst of a dangerous transformation."

"More and more lawless people have begun treating this place as their private playground, freely committing evil and venting their malice here."

"And the ones suffering through all this are Meteor City's residents."

"Someone needs to step forward and change this situation."

Father Zhol spoke softly, regardless of Mog's thoughts.

"And among all those Meteor City residents, Chrollo caught my attention."

"He is outstanding, intelligent, and gifted with both talent and potential. His wisdom alone is enough for me to recommend him to Meteor City's elders."

Clearly, Father Zhol thought very highly of Chrollo and even held great expectations for him.

He expected Chrollo to change Meteor City's current state of affairs.