Distinguishing the Main Attack from the Feint

Gelman looked up, sizing up the three people who had suddenly appeared in his room.

As the three "Shadow Beasts" met his gaze, they sensed his intent through their Nen release and couldn't help but frown.

"This guy... this killing intent... is he serious?"

"The three of us 'Shadow Beasts' have blocked all his escape routes, and his companion is being held back by Bat, unable to come to his aid."

"But there isn't the slightest hint of fear on his face. Does he really think he can handle the three of us alone? What an arrogant thought!"

For a moment, the expressions on Earthworm, Leech, and Owl's faces were quite telling.

In the grand scheme of the world, they were certainly not the absolute top-tier "Nen users," but they weren't pushovers to be casually killed either.

Otherwise, the "Ten Dons" wouldn't have hired them as members of their direct combat force.

This naked feeling of being treated as prey was something they hadn't experienced in many years; it felt both familiar and strange.

The experience of simply stating they were one of the "Shadow Beasts" could make their opponents' legs go weak, but it had absolutely no effect on Gelman.

"As expected, a madman from Meteor City," Earthworm said. "Leech, Owl, don't give him any openings. It's likely that Leech and Porcupine failed because they wanted to capture him alive."

"Alright," Leech and Owl replied in unison.

The three of them, with perfect coordination, lunged at Gelman from three different directions simultaneously.

Gelman stood up, showing no contempt for his enemies. Instead, he was seriously assessing which of the "Shadow Beasts" to deal with first.

His mind was like a well-organized information hub. Ever since his encounters with Porcupine and Leech, he had already retrieved the intelligence on the known "Shadow Beasts."

Earthworm: High probability of being an "Enhancement" type. He can burrow underground and travel, or even sever parts of his body to survive when necessary.

Leech: High probability of being an "Manipulation" type. He can control the leeches he cultivates within his body, making them burrow into others. By laying a large number of eggs, they can destroy the bladder, causing excruciating pain and death.

Owl: "Emission" type. He can materialize a gray cloth that can contain anything, whether alive or dead, and release it at any time.

Gelman's greatest advantage wasn't his "Nen ability," but this valuable intelligence. It prevented him from dying to a "first encounter kill" and allowed him to find countermeasures in advance.

Of course, having intelligence didn't guarantee victory in combat.

The simplest example: he knew Chairman Netero's and Zeno's "Nen abilities," but it was almost meaningless due to the vast gap in raw power.

Knowing Netero's and Zeno's moves, but being unable to dodge them – that was Gelman's current situation.

The "Shadow Beasts" before him were different. In a one-on-one fight, Gelman had a high probability of winning against any single "Shadow Beast." However, facing three at once required more caution.

Gelman was processing a lot of information at this moment, but in reality, only an instant had passed.

"Pfft!"

Earthworm suddenly released a large amount of Nen Energy. With a fierce aura, he adopted a posture of direct assault, approaching with great strides, his fist swinging like a meteor hammer towards Gelman's side.

"This guy is probably feinting. The terrain of the hotel floor is unfavorable for his abilities, so he's releasing a lot of Nen Energy to create the illusion that he's the main attacker."

Gelman quickly made a judgment.

Even so, Earthworm's feinting punch was already quite threatening, and he had to dodge it.

Gelman dodged the sharp fist wind by leaning sideways, his peripheral vision sweeping over the remaining two "Shadow Beasts" to observe their subtle movements.

Leech vomited a large mass of twisted, fat leeches from his mouth. His palms were covered in sticky yellow fluid. He grabbed handfuls of fat worms in each hand and threw them at Gelman.

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The greatest threat his ability posed was, of course, when the leeches were inside someone.

However, for the leeches to enter Gelman's body, they would have to go through his mouth, nostrils, ears, anus, or wounds. Otherwise, they could only attach to his skin and suck blood.

"Therefore, Leech is also not the core of their tactical offense," Gelman made his second judgment.

Earthworm and Leech launched their attacks first, both to confuse Gelman and make him lower his guard against the last person.

Gelman swung his Hunter Robe, blocking the wriggling leeches that were thrown at him. Then, without hesitation, he materialized a Flamethrower, but aimed its nozzle at Owl, who had quietly crept up behind him.

Earthworm and Leech drawing attention from the front, while Owl used his gray cloth to capture him – this was the most reliable strategy.

According to previous intelligence, Gelman was also an "Emission" type, capable of materializing peculiar weapons like a Meat Saw and a firearm, excelling in close combat with no mid or long-range offensive capabilities.

This allowed Owl to approach successfully. As long as he could successfully wrap Gelman with the "Great Cotswold Scarf," he could restrict his movements.

Regardless of whether Gelman had a way to break free from the "Great Cotswold Scarf's" restraint, that moment of losing vision and being unable to fully move his limbs would be enough for the three "Shadow Beasts" to decide the victor.

However, Earthworm, Leech, and Owl had all failed to anticipate that Gelman would suddenly materialize a weapon not mentioned in the intelligence.

"Retreat!" Earthworm's expression changed drastically, and he shouted decisively.

Without knowing what that weapon was, even if the opponent was bluffing, a temporary retreat was the most appropriate choice.

Leech stopped in his tracks at the command.

But Owl was too close. His gray cloth spread out, already about to cover Gelman. Retreating at this point was impossible.

"Damn it!" He gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and wrapped it down with the "Great Cotswold Scarf."

However, after discerning that Earthworm and Leech were feinting, Gelman had been vigilantly watching Owl's movements. Thus, he immediately flashed backward, putting distance between himself and Owl.

After maintaining a distance that the "Great Cotswold Scarf" could not reach, Gelman aimed the Flamethrower in his hand and sprayed a large sheet of flame at Owl.

These were his mid- to short-range attack methods.

Flames ignited the clothes and the "Great Cotswold Scarf" on Owl's body, the tongues of fire becoming his "new clothes."

Owl cried out in pain, quickly removed the "Great Cotswold Scarf," and then rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames.

To cover Owl, Leech could only once again throw the fresh, fat worms he spat from his mouth at Gelman. One by one, they rained down from the sky, looking utterly disgusting.

Gelman, however, simply pulled his "Hunter Robe" up, covering his head. He completely ignored the leeches and continued his attack on Owl.

Without readily available holes to burrow into, these leeches posed little threat; they were just disgusting to stick to.

Compared to the leeches, Owl's "Great Cotswold Scarf" was the "Nen ability" that posed the greatest threat to Gelman and had to be dealt with first.

He wrapped his head with the "Hunter Cloak," aimed his "Flamethrower" at the disheveled, rolling Owl on the floor, and unleashed another "Flame Snake."

At the same time, a crack suddenly sounded beneath Gelman's feet, and an opening split open. A strong arm grabbed his leg.

Gelman looked down and saw the pointed head of Earthworm emerging from the opening. It turned out he had burrowed to the floor below and was timing his attack from below to strike upwards.

Earthworm's fingers tightened, pulling Gelman directly downwards. With a bang, the opening was forced wider, and both of them fell to the floor below.