You're Not the Protagonist

Rune Skills! Oboro completed his ability setup in an instant.

"1."

He murmured.

His true body moved at an extraordinary speed, arriving before the armored door in an instant.

With one finger, he pierced the knife-wielder's brow, driving straight through his skull.

The Nen user's eyes flew wide open, dying with grievances unfulfilled.

"2."

He counted again.

He appeared beside the middle-aged Sam like a ghost. Reaching around from behind, his arm pierced straight through the man's back, half his forearm protruding from the man's chest, clutching shredded flesh from his ruptured heart.

Only then... did Bort and Nasha react.

Oboro was even faster than before! There were still lead weights strapped to his legs... yet rather than slowing down, he had become even faster.

How was that possible?!

The two companions had died in the blink of an eye...

A chill ran through Bort's entire body.

"Don't move!"

Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out inside Oboro's mind.

His stepping foot halted instinctively at the command.

That brief pause was enough for Bort to throw a punch.

Bort was going all out! He had realized something was wrong...

After unleashing his Nen ability, this Oboro... had become far too bizarre.

The increase in his strength was especially obvious, reaching an incomprehensible level!

He had to join forces with his girlfriend and strike first. He could see that Oboro intended to kill Nasha first... If the woman died too, then on his own... he would probably be finished.

Facing the blur of fists, Oboro twisted his ankle, trying to evade. He had activated the Summoner Spell Ghost, putting himself in an accelerated state. Both his reactions and movements were several times faster than before.

"Left."

But at that moment, the woman's voice entered his mind again.

It caused Oboro to misjudge, throwing off his movement.

When someone was intensely focused, even the slightest disturbance could affect them, much less words that sounded directly in their mind without warning.

Bang! Bort's fist struck Oboro's shoulder. Fortunately, Oboro was no ordinary person. He used Ryu to control his Nen power, reinforcing the defense at the point of impact.

But Bort was, after all, an Enhancement type. That punch carried immense force, blasting a hole through Oboro's suit.

Still, he had blocked it. It caused no substantial injury.

Just as Oboro thought that and prepared to shake off Bort to deal with the woman first... the exposed shoulder beneath the tear in his clothes suddenly twisted. His skin and muscles swelled and bruised, leaving a conspicuous fist mark.

Even his shoulder blade shifted out of place.

"Hmm?"

Oboro's pupils contracted slightly.

Penetration? No... it was a second attack!

After being struck once, even though the opponent had withdrawn his move, an equal amount of damage would erupt again after a slight delay! "Hmph... Even if your body is strong and your technique is excellent... you're ultimately not an Enhancement type. No matter how hard you imitate the fighting style and methods of an Enhancement type... Nen cannot lie!" Seeing his surprised expression, Bort stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

But Oboro could not be bothered with him. The acceleration effect remained, and he spun around before pouncing toward the woman on the sofa.

"Watch your back!"

Seeing this, the woman immediately used her ability on Oboro.

She suggested that Bort was behind Oboro...

This time, her ability failed! After only two uses, the man before her seemed immune to her Mind Speech.

His mental fortitude was practically top-tier.

Her Nen ability had a duration... Ordinary Nen users needed at least several minutes of interference before gradually adapting.

Oboro remained unmoved because the acceleration effect was still active. He had determined that even if Bort reacted immediately, he would be unable to keep up with him... Besides, the woman's ability was rather dull. It worked against minor characters, but getting two effects out of it on him was already decent...

Nasha's expression changed drastically. She flipped off the sofa, trying to evade.

But... just as her body rose upside down, Oboro swooped down like a great eagle diving for prey, spreading his arms and embracing her slender torso.

Then came a crack.

The woman's body twisted into a pretzel from head to toe, her entire skeleton crushed by Oboro's brute force.

Like an old sack, she fell stiffly onto the sofa.

Bort, who had been about to stop Oboro, froze at the sight...

He stared at the figure slowly turning around.

He saw that the wound on Oboro's shoulder was swelling down and actually... showed signs of healing.

"Forty-two seconds left..."

Oboro spoke calmly.

"..."

Bort's scalp went numb.

"Ah!"

With a roar, his eyes bloodshot, he pushed his Nen power to its limit and charged forward.

As an Enhancement type... close combat was his only option! It was also his only hope.

Oboro's acceleration effect vanished. Seeing Bort initiate close combat, he did not retreat and instead met him head-on.

He actually responded with the same Enhancement-type fighting style! Violent and fierce... Both possessed formidable physical strength, their fists striking flesh. Like two male lions, they fought with a scene of pure savagery.

Oboro did not even use much Chinese Martial Arts, relying purely on finger techniques and boxing.

Since the other man relied on his Enhancement-type ability and identity, Oboro was happy to play along! Yet in barely a dozen seconds, Bort realized something was wrong... Though his attacks were effective, Oboro's moves became increasingly powerful, and his Nen grew even more terrifying! The Nen around his body could not withstand it at all.

It was as fragile as paper, easily torn apart and scattered by the claw marks Oboro flashed through the air.

"Is he really a Conjuration type?!"

Bloody wounds deep enough to expose bone began appearing all over Bort's body, a horrifying sight.

He could not believe it.

The man before him looked even more like an Enhancement type than he did!

Why?! "Ah!"

Suddenly, Oboro stomped on his kneecap. Bort's Nen aura instantly dispersed, and he fell to his knees with a scream of pain.

A white section of leg bone pierced through his skin, hanging with strands of blood.

The injury was severe.

Bort could not stand up at all.

He tried to rise, but a leather shoe had already stepped on the back of his lowered head, pressing downward.

Grinding half his face against the cold floor.

I'm going to die... I'm really going to die...

In that instant, Bort's mind went blank, despair filling his eyes.

The pressure and killing intent from above nearly suffocated him...

"Fifteen seconds left... You lasted the longest out of all of them..." The man's calm voice echoed quietly through the hall.

Bort swallowed, his lips trembling.

Fighting an Enhancement type in close combat was not a wise choice... But Oboro's configured talent runes had Precision as the primary path and Resolve as the secondary path.

For the primary path, he chose Press the Attack, Presence of Mind, Legend: Tenacity, and Coup de Grace. For the secondary path, he chose Second Wind and Unflinching.

Among them, Press the Attack was perfect for dealing with Enhancement-type Nen users like Bort.

After landing three consecutive basic attacks, it could inflict the target with the Vulnerable state. While dealing adaptive damage, it also increased the damage the target took by 8%-12%... Meanwhile, Second Wind from the secondary path restored health, coupled with the sustain from Tenacity and Unflinching.

Suppressing an Enhancement type at Bort's level was effortless.

"You seem... to be the cockiest one among them too." Oboro muttered softly as he began to press down with his foot.

Bort's cheekbones were crushed beneath the pressure, hurting so badly that he could not even make a sound.

He felt... as though his head was about to be ground apart.

"You like shouting... don't you?"

Oboro questioned him.

Bort's body had already begun to convulse...

A moment later, Oboro suddenly eased the pressure from his foot... because he smelled urine.

Looking down, he saw that Bort had wet himself... liquid was pooling on the floor.

"..."

Oboro fell silent.

He lifted his foot, walked over, and picked up a phone that had fallen to the ground.

After returning, he bent down into a crouch. Looking at his opponent, who was desperately sucking in air and dared not meet his eyes, he propped his chin on one hand and smiled. "Come... Call our dear big boss, Fills Garu... That's his name, right? Let him know... announce the good news of your victory... I'm sure he can't wait to come admire my corpse..."

As he spoke, he tossed the phone before Bort.

Driven by fear, Bort did not dare entertain any thought of defying the man's command.

He did not want to die...

He had clearly realized... that he and the person before him were not the same kind of creature.

In this bloody hunting jungle, the other man stood far above him in the food chain.

The Fills Family had offended a monster!

Trembling, he unlocked the phone and dialed the number.

"Hello."

The call connected.

"Boss... It's... been taken care of..." Bort said shakily.

Then the call was hung up.

"According to the plan... after killing you, we were supposed to turn on the lights... as a signal." Bort said in terror, then changed his tone. "I only work for him. I'm not part of the Fills Family... Please let me go... Don't kill me."

"How could I do that... A minute has already passed. I've let you live dozens of seconds longer. Compared to the other three, you're already quite fortunate..." Still crouching, Oboro spread his hands and smiled.

"I can help you. I can be your dog... As long as you don't kill me, I'll do anything you want."

Suddenly, Bort grew agitated. Lying on the floor, he grabbed Oboro's pant leg and pleaded.

He even began to cry.

"But... I don't have a habit of keeping pets."

Oboro pretended to hesitate.

"I... I..."

Bort was dumbfounded.

"Fine... for now, anyway. And... let go of me with your filthy hands. This outfit wasn't cheap."

Oboro slowly rose to his feet. This Bort should know something about the gang, and Oboro could use him to gather information.

Of course, he was definitely going to kill him...

He had said so.

Mistaking this for a chance to survive, Bort released Oboro's pant leg as though shocked. He kept apologizing, utterly humble and terrified. He was nothing like the man from minutes ago, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a beautiful woman in his arms.

Oboro found the switch and turned on the lights.

At the same time, he used the Summoner Spell Heal.

A vibrant green glow surged through his body, and he recovered completely in an instant.

He sat in Fills Garu's executive chair, spinning in circles as he looked toward the sealed armored doors. "Then next... let's welcome the big boss back in person..."

"Could you... roll farther away? Don't block our boss when he comes in later... It's such a buzzkill. You're not the protagonist, so know your place."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Bort nodded frantically, dragging his crippled leg with all his might... His anxiety had made him lose his wits, and he did not even know how to stand anymore. He crawled away like a dog.