Always beware of Bad Woman Machi's intuition

Tattoos absolutely cannot be "pricked" out like this—not even the most basic ink is present. Yet the fact was that Machi had done it.

That could only mean this was her Nen ability—"Transmutation: Nen Thread."

Through her intense will, she had caused her aura to undergo a property change, turning it into threads capable of sewing nerves, blood vessels, bones, and flesh. A mere tattoo was nothing to her.

Gelman's eyes carefully observed Machi's technique.

Soon, he realized he was gradually able to see Machi's movements clearly, spotting strands of Nen Thread winding around her needle.

This was because Gelman had focused his aura, produced by his own Nen, onto his eyes using "Gyo."

Gyo, in the world of Hunter x Hunter, was an advanced technique of Nen.

The basic techniques of Nen were "Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu."

The advanced techniques were "Shu, In, Gyo."

The combined techniques were "En, Ken, Ko, Ryu."

By using Gyo, Gelman could not only see Machi's hand movements clearly, but his Nen ability—Enhancer type - Hunter Badge—also activated at this moment.

This was an advanced capability of the Hunter Badge that had emerged only after his arrival.

Lines of "Chinese," visible only to Gelman, materialized before his eyes through the Hunter Badge's projection.

"Vitality Constitution: 10 (mainly affects vitality and resistance; Apprentice Hunter baseline is 1)" "Stamina Aura: 12 (mainly affects stamina, potential aura, and manifested aura; Apprentice Hunter baseline is 1)" "Spiritual Vision Pressure: 1 (mainly affects mental will)" "Grudge Bestowal: Meat Saw, Blunderbuss, 2 Lanterns"

The so-called "Apprentice Hunter" specifically referred to someone who had opened their "Aura Nodes" and only learned the Four Great Principles: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu.

Gelman blinked thoughtfully, gaining a certain understanding of his own state.

"Done."

Machi withdrew her hands at that moment, and the Nen Thread vanished.

A Twelve-Legged Spider tattoo with the number "8" on its abdomen now clearly appeared on Gelman's thigh.

She stood up, suddenly stared at Gelman for a few moments, then said coldly, "My intuition tells me you were just thinking some very rude and dangerous things."

"I wasn't." Gelman shook his head, denying it decisively.

He had indeed, for a moment, considered trying to attack Machi with the Meat Saw or Blunderbuss to test his Nen ability, but he ultimately dismissed the thought.

On one hand, members of the Phantom Troupe were likely still lingering nearby.

On the other hand, although Machi primarily served a support role in the Phantom Troupe, her combat strength was not weak.

Gelman's combat strength was only average within the Phantom Troupe. If it were a pure contest of wrist strength, he and Machi, ranked sixth, were evenly matched.

He hadn't expected that merely entertaining the thought would be detected by her—such sharp intuition.

"I knew I'd never get along with you." Machi stood up, reaching into her pants pocket to search for something, not even listening to Gelman's explanation. "But then again, we don't need to get along."

"Let me make this clear: I only recommended you to Chrollo because we're both from Meteor City and you have considerable strength. It doesn't mean we're close."

She pulled out a pink touchscreen smartphone and looked up at Gelman.

"From today onward, the Leader's orders will be relayed to you through me. Let's exchange phone numbers."

Gelman searched himself and found his own phone.

After watching Gelman input his phone number into the contacts list, Machi put her phone back in her pocket and picked up a small cloth bag from the corner.

She slung the bag over her shoulder, then suddenly frowned at Gelman.

"I feel like... you're somehow different..."

Gelman blinked. He didn't know if Machi had truly sensed something or was just bluffing, so he chose to remain silent.

Fortunately, Machi didn't press further.

"Well then, until new instructions come, let's part ways here..."

"Oh, right, if you ever need emergency wound suturing, you can contact me. I'll give you a discount, for the sake of being fellow members."

She spoke as she walked down the cold stone stairs without looking back, her monotonous, indifferent voice echoing within the bell tower.

Gelman waited until he heard Machi's footsteps disappear from the bell tower before looking down at his phone's still-lit screen, which displayed Machi's phone number.

His fingers moved swiftly across the screen.

Gelman had a personal habit: he would give his contacts nicknames instead of saving their real names.

The nickname he gave Machi was "Bad Woman."

Then, Gelman sat cross-legged on the cold floor and waited for about another quarter of an hour.

Only after he was certain that all members of the Phantom Troupe had moved far enough away did he use his Nen to materialize the Hunter Badge.

He stretched his right hand forward, the fragmented Hunter Badge strung on a chain dangling from his loosened palm toward the ground, swaying like a pendulum.

Gelman hung the Hunter Badge around his neck.

He wanted to see just how different this Nen ability of his was from the hunter abilities in the Bloodborne Curse.

Before long, Gelman stood outside the bell tower under a moonlit, star-scattered sky, heading toward a dense, eerie forest.

If his original memories were correct, this area should be home to "Magic Beasts."

Gelman did not use the techniques of Zetsu or In to conceal his presence.

Quite the opposite—he deliberately leaked his aura bit by bit using the Hatsu technique, like casting a fishing line with bait and hook.

Sure enough, less than ten minutes after he ventured deep into the forest, he caught the scent of danger.

A pair of crimson eyes lit up within the bushes.

Rustling sounds grew especially clear in the dim moonlight and the silent, still woods.

Calmly, Gelman used the Hunter Badge hanging around his neck to materialize his weapon.

The Meat Saw—a bizarrely shaped, rusted serrated cleaver.

In its normal state, the blade and handle nearly folded together, forming an oval ring, with Gelman's hand gripping the curved hilt.

The Blunderbuss—a hand-held, finely crafted firearm with the trigger set far back.

Its bullets were all formed from Gelman's refined aura, materialized through his Nen.

Gelman gripped the Meat Saw in his right hand and the Blunderbuss in his left, crouching low on the spot with knees bent, poised and ready, waiting for his prey to pounce.

As expected, that Magic Beast lacked Gelman's patience.

It crawled out from the bushes, baring its fangs at him.

Perhaps it had been starving for too long, as thick, sticky saliva dripped from its mouth.

This Magic Beast resembled a wolf in form but had two extra legs, its black fur bristling like blazing flames.

It let out a low, threatening growl from its throat, then lunged forward, charging at Gelman, and in an instant stepped into the range of his En.

The Magic Wolf pounced toward Gelman, its sharp fangs and claws glinting coldly under the moonlight.

Gelman calmly raised the Blunderbuss, aimed at the Magic Wolf, and pulled the trigger.

Bang—

A hail of bullets shot out, striking the Magic Wolf without a doubt.

The terrifying force tore through its flesh and hide, leaving a gruesome, honeycomb-like mess!

The Magic Wolf let out a pained whimper, collapsing into the grass, its body convulsing.

Its mangled abdomen lay exposed before Gelman.

Perfect, a success on the first try!

Seeing the Magic Wolf down and motionless, Gelman immediately closed in.

"Shluck!"

He drove the Meat Saw deep into the Magic Wolf's already torn-open belly, plunging it into the organs and twisting it around.