Hatred's Happiness X Escaped Death

Inside the large villa.

Pariston came in and looked at the group of people who were standing on the sofa, ready to fight.

These are the most respected members of the previous voyage team, aside from the core members.

Some were already in leadership positions when the team was formed, while others earned the respect of others through their personality and behavior during the process.

But regardless, these people in front of them should represent the majority of the will of those who returned.

"Wow, does everyone miss me that much? They even got together to throw me a welcome party."

Pariston spoke with a smile, then walked over and sat down on the sofa.

He completely ignored the gloomy expressions on everyone's faces.

"Don't look at me like that. It makes me too happy, and that will be very disadvantageous for me in the negotiations later."

Pariston smiled, his happiness undisguised.

This will only make them angrier.

The leader was an old man who looked to be over fifty years old, with a few gray hairs on his beard.

He was burly, like a Captain.

He was also primarily responsible for the ship's navigation, which, in a sense, made him the Captain.

"Keep everything else to yourself. Tell Beyond that we're not joining the Exploration Team anymore, and we're not going to be cannon fodder in your hands."

Before boarding the ship, they knew it was a journey from which there was very likely no return.

But for various reasons, most of them did it voluntarily.

They may never return, but they died without regret.

At least that's what they think.

Who knew that once they set foot on the mainland, they would be met with truly deadly danger, but they never imagined that they would become cannon fodder, sacrificial offerings.

Nobody's a fool.

When the team was split into two, one of them was sacrificed, while the other side safely obtained the treasure they wanted.

They understood immediately.

Not everyone can accept this outcome, and not everyone will be thankful that they weren't among those sacrificed.

Many in the group came to this one-way journey with lofty ideals.

There were naturally no cowardly or incompetent people in the team.

They remembered this insult vividly.

"Don't say that. You should be happy. Those who want to be cannon fodder and sacrifices might not even get a chance even if they lined up."

Pariston spoke with a grin, his words as cold as a blizzard, deliberately making them sound so harsh.

"You—"

A young man standing nearby clenched his fist in anger, about to unleash his fury, but was pressed down by a middle-aged man next to him.

"Say whatever you want, we're not going this time, so please leave."

These thousand people have basically banded together.

Although they come from different countries, they are now gathered together, and what they want is not much power.

I just don't want to be forced into the exploration team.

They are qualified.

After all, they are among the very few who have returned from the Dark Continent, and their experience is invaluable.

Why send such valuable personnel to their deaths?

The powers and countries behind them would not allow it.

However, if one wishes to continue the journey, they certainly won't refuse.

Under these circumstances, they certainly had every reason to confidently refuse Pariston's invitation.

"If you were just refusing, you wouldn't need so many people, would you? And you all look like you have ill intentions. Do you want to vent your anger?"

Pariston asked with a smile.

The people present had already stood up, and a few more people came out from the door next to them.

Some of these people clenched their fists, while others cracked their knuckles, all looking at Pariston with ill intent.

Pariston simply smiled in response to the situation.

"Oh dear, you guys really hate me. What are you planning to do? Kill me? You don't seem too brave, so you can only beat me up to vent your anger?"

"What's the point of all this, hahaha."

Even at this point, Pariston remained calm and even continued to provoke.

Just then, one of them activated his Nen ability.

The dark shadows behind them spread out like ink, extending from the ground and quickly enveloping the entire room.

It was as if they had entered a completely black world.

Pariston remained seated, surveying his surroundings.

"That's an amazing Nen ability, the ability to seal off space? I remember you were an ordinary person without Nen ability before, right? So you came back to learn it?"

"It hasn't been that long, and you've really got talent. Don't you want to continue your journey?"

"Shut your damn mouth!" the young man with Nen ability yelled.

"Alright."

The old man at the head of the group tried to calm them down.

He then simply stared at Pariston.

"Repent, and then become one of us."

As they spoke, everyone seemed to melt away, turning into a mass of black mud and sinking into the pitch-black space.

This sudden change immediately made Pariston stand up with a frown.

"This is not quite what I expected."

The reason he didn't care was because the worst that could happen was that he'd just get beaten up.

These people in front of me just wanted to vent their anger.

That was exactly what Pariston wanted, so naturally he didn't care.

These people won't kill him, because they won't gain anything from it; it will only disrupt their hard-won peaceful life after his return.

For them, who have finally returned and want to live a peaceful life, the benefits of eliminating Pariston are far too small.

The harm they cause is enough to destroy them.

Furthermore, Pariston clearly demonstrated his martial prowess during his journey across the Dark Continent.

Among the entire team, his strength may not be ranked first, but it is definitely in the top five.

Many people saw this and naturally understood that they were no match for Pariston.

This is not a fighting force that can be created simply by having a large number of people.

Given Pariston's experience and perspective, very few Nen user could hide from him.

Take these people in front of me, for example.

He realized as soon as he entered that almost all of these people had become Nen user.

But he wasn't surprised.

Having returned alive from the Dark Continent, it's not surprising that they want to gain power, learn Nen ability, or develop their own.

What truly surprised him was why these people were so angry.

After realizing the truth, did you then become increasingly addicted?

He didn't think that having a few more ordinary Nen user would do anything to him.

But the current scene is clearly not something an ordinary Nen user could create.

From the surrounding darkness, one after another, black figures struggled and emerged, as if crawling out of hell.

The hatred emanating from it was almost tangible.

They hate everything, they hate themselves.

Pariston understood it perfectly clearly.

He had never felt the hatred and disgust of others so clearly before.

Although he was serious at the moment, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

He should have felt fear, sensed a deadly danger.

But the smile just wouldn't stop.

He was enveloped in happiness.

These dark figures, whether standing or crawling, surged toward Pariston regardless of the means by which they supported themselves.

Pariston won't sit idly by and wait to be killed.

But he's enjoying this feeling now.

They began to maneuver and dodge the attacks, trying to figure out what these Shadow Creature were all about.

"So what exactly are you? This is definitely not Nen ability."

However, all the attacks suddenly became ineffective, as if they were hitting a real shadow, having no effect whatsoever.

And these Shadow Creature did indeed harm him.

What kind of Nen ability is this?

Such Nen ability could not possibly exist in any single person; they must require extremely stringent conditions.

Even with Bargain and Vow, extremely exaggerated Restriction must be imposed, and one must possess exceptional talent to accomplish them.

So what is the purpose?

To get rid of him?

Why kill him?

What does this mean to them? Is it simply about revenge?

That shouldn't be the case.

Pariston pondered as he began to dodge the Shadow Creature's attacks, searching for an opening.

In this chaotic situation, only by figuring out what the enemy wants to do can we find a way to escape based on their intentions.

If the enemy wants to trap me here, then they must have realized that I am not alone.

So, are they also planning to approach Journey to the Saiyu in the same way?

But before that, it's essential to make discreet preparations.

Concealment, secrecy, and coercion.

In addition, there are these Shadow Creature enemies in this space.

How did they manage to possess such an exaggerated Nen ability?

These people have all returned from the Dark Continent. Did they gain anything on their journey Dark Continent?

After all, it was a team of over two thousand people. Once they were dispersed, it was possible that some of them had the opportunity to hide and remain undetected.

So what exactly does the enemy want to do?

If the goal was simply to teach him a lesson, this Nen ability should never have been revealed.

If you want to kill him, that would be too reckless; what's the point?

If you want to control him—control him.

"I see," Pariston immediately understood what these people wanted to do.

These people want to control themselves in a subtle and pervasive way.

So, are these the Shadow Creature?

Just moments ago, everyone was in the space, but they turned into Shadow Creature and sank into the darkness.

So they are actually being controlled.

However, there were no flaws in the previous exchanges.

Such control does not appear to be coercive; it is more likely to be semi-coercive, or even hypnotic.

Is it Manipulation Type Nen ability?

However, such a space is clearly not something that can be constructed by Manipulation Type abilities.

So it's Specialization Type?

It's possible that multiple people's Nen ability were used in combination.

Such situations are extremely rare, but they do exist.

They have a deep emotional connection and act together. Over time, if they want, they can create complementary Nen ability.

These people also possess such conditions to some extent.

Moreover, it is undeniable that those who can go to the Dark Continent are all top talents.

They are all beings who are not lacking in wisdom.

As Pariston pondered, he used his extensive experience to evade the attacks of these Shadow Creature.

Soon, the Shadow Creature realized that they alone were not enough to do anything to Pariston; in fact, the longer it dragged on, the greater the danger became.

More Shadow Creature emerged from the darkness of the floor.

This situation caused Pariston to frown.

How come there are still so many?

The intense resentment almost filled the entire space, and Pariston was able to infuse that feeling into his lungs with every breath he took.

He felt happy.

Happiness enveloped him like air, flowing into his body, even reaching his heart and spreading through his veins.

Others hate him so much.

But now is clearly not the time to think about these things.

More and more Shadow Creature emerged.

They surged forth like a tide, leaving Pariston nowhere to hide.

He moved over, grabbed Pariston with his arm, and subdued him.

"So what exactly do you want to do? Control me?"

No one answered.

Until a Shadow Creature appeared in front of him.

"Revenge! Feel our hatred!"

These Shadow Creature spread over and tore at him.

Pariston experienced so much hatred, and also an unprecedented happiness.

Pain and pleasure intertwined.

But Pariston remained calm under these circumstances.

He looked at the Shadow Creature.

Look at it carefully.

He seemed to recognize him.

Suddenly, he seemed to understand something.

"Is that how it is? Oh, I see. How interesting! I can't wait to see it."

How wonderful!

He closed his eyes until the Shadow Creature, like a tidal wave, completely engulfed him.

Two hours have passed.

While chatting with Keder, Saiyu heard a sound coming from afar, and he knew that Pariston had come out.

"Then I should be going now. Thank you for your hospitality."

Saiyu said this, then stood up, waved, and left, refusing the woman's offer to see him off.

They arrived at the roadside and saw Pariston already sitting in his car.

--

Pariston had no injuries and was not even dirty.

They didn't look like they'd been in a battle at all.

"You seem unhappy with my current appearance?"

Pariston turned to look at him and asked with a smile.

Saiyu simply pursed his lips.

As expected, there was nothing they could do to Pariston. It's a pity we didn't get to see Pariston get a beating. Even if they won, at least they could have left some scars on his face.

What a pity.

He shook his head, opened the car door, and got in by himself.

"You rejected them all, right?"

"Well, but I've noticed there are still a few who seem interested in joining the team, so it wouldn't be a wasted trip."

Upon hearing this, Saiyu nodded and said nothing more.

They didn't ask Pariston what he had just encountered at the villa.

Seeing that Pariston wasn't injured and hadn't turned into a pig's head, he lost interest.

A small villa in the distance.

On the second-floor balcony, Keder watched the extended sedan drive away from the area.

"Why? Why did you let him go? He was that damned accomplice too!"

The woman who had just been beautiful and gentle now had a ferocious expression on her face, which was not human.

Keder ignored her.

"It's no easy task to take down two of the Twelve Zodiacs in the same place in two separate groups."

"We just need to deal with Pariston, and this Monkey won't escape either. Why the rush?"

"Doing too many things at once is easy to expose, and I heard that the Chairman is currently causing trouble for that Monkey. We can't let it get out."

In any case, he didn't kill Journey to the Saiyu as planned.

Sitting in the carriage at that moment, Saiyu had no idea that he had escaped with his life.