This 10 Seconds...

The unknown serial killer died at the hands of Moyu, and the crisis was thus resolved.

However, Monica felt not a shred of joy at having survived; she could only curl her body up as if walking on thin ice, not daring to cast another glance at Moyu.

How exactly did that serial killer die?

Terrified to the point of losing all capacity for thought, she had not witnessed the process of Moyu killing that man.

She had only suddenly heard the sound of a throat bone snapping and the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground, and upon looking toward the sound, she discovered that the man had become a corpse.

And then, she saw Moyu's smile.

Monica, already on the verge of a breakdown, realized in an instant—

The youth before her, who was excessively handsome, was perhaps a "monster" even greater than the serial killer.

Moyu did not care at all what Monica was thinking; he slowly retracted his smile and immediately sat cross-legged beside the corpse.

"Let's do a quick review at the end."

Moyu crossed his arms, tilted his head slightly to look at the man's corpse, which stared back with unclosed eyes, and then closed his own eyes, recalling the battle that had lasted less than a minute.

Setting aside his mastery of Nen, the opponent was a very cunning fellow.

He first pretended not to have discovered Moyu hiding, then took the initiative to converse with Monica, and finally, mid-sentence, suddenly erupted into an attack to seize the initiative.

Although "there is another Nen user here" was information known to both sides, in order to secure an opening, this guy who took pleasure in slaughter was unwilling to pass up any opportunity for deception.

"I had already prepared for the possibility of my position being discovered, but my initial hypothesis... did not include this 'talking to the bait' prerequisite. Instead, I had considered that he would use the 'bait' to launch a preemptive strike, such as throwing the 'bait' directly at me."

"He didn't do that, but instead used his abruptly halted words as the timing for his attack. I can't say it was ineffective; it's just that I was already on guard."

"Afterward, I used my age to my advantage to feign panic, but it had almost zero effect, and the weapon I had hidden in advance was also detected immediately."

"The opponent was very sharp and very cautious."

"However, the trap contingency I had laid out in advance also took these 'worst-case scenarios' into account, so the entire process did not change."

"My only advantage was that he didn't know about the existence of my Shadow Trump Card. Only by utilizing this information gap could I end the battle with the minimum Price."

"If there is one thing I didn't expect, it was that he would trade the cost of a palm to gain an opportunity to control me. Even though he had the absolute advantage in Manifestation Aura, he still chose such a ruthless method to accelerate the pace of the battle."

"But because of that... I didn't need to perform what he might have considered a clumsy act, and naturally, there was no risk of him discovering my 'intentions'."

"So, his decision actually helped me use the information gap of the Shadow Trump Card to end this battle faster and with less effort."

"If it had been a head-on clash, because of the gap in Manifestation Aura and physical fitness, I would definitely have been suppressed by him the entire time."

"Perhaps I could have used Soul Echo to regain some advantage, but I couldn't rule out the possibility that he also possessed Nen abilities."

"Overall, his aura, basic Nen techniques, physical fitness, strength, and explosive power were all far superior to mine..."

"Yet, I was able to win easily."

"Sure enough, using information gaps and strategy to compensate for the gap in hardware, thereby achieving victory over the strong while being weak, is perhaps the most interesting part of Nen combat."

"The reason I derive pleasure and satisfaction from this... is not just because of the fun, but also because 'winning while weak' is inherently a satisfying thing."

Moyu opened his eyes, looked at the man's face, and smiled:

"It was you who let me intuitively experience all of this. Although our combat contact only lasted about '10 seconds,' I am certain that these '10 seconds' will become the most important nourishment for my future Nen development."

Having said this, Moyu slowly stood up and brushed the dust off his pants.

"Unknown serial killer, thank you for our encounter."

Moyu withdrew his gaze from the man's corpse.

Winning this battle and conducting a review.

Not only did it make Moyu understand what he wanted, but it also gave him a clearer understanding of the "variables" that exist in Nen combat.

To be able to defeat a not-so-weak opponent just after awakening Nen...

Moyu did not become arrogant or complacent.

Because he knew that above the Four Major Principles of Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu, there existed even more advanced application techniques.

Gyo, which allows one to wrap Nen around weapons or external objects to increase strength and attack power.

In, which hides the presence of Nen to achieve surprise.

Ko, which concentrates aura into one spot to increase offense and defense, and can see through In.

En, which allows aura to expand outward from oneself to perceive everything within a certain range.

Ken, which maximizes Manifestation Aura to cover the entire body to obtain the highest level of offense and defense.

Ryu, which allows for the rapid adjustment of aura flow to conduct fast-paced offensive and defensive combat.

And the advanced application of concentrating all released aura into one point.

The existence of these advanced application techniques makes Nen combat even more complex and varied.

Moyu was very clear that he was still just a rookie.

In order to better cope with the battles he might encounter in the future, he would do his utmost to continuously improve his understanding of "Nen."

Silence returned to the Temple.

Moyu stepped over the corpses and arrived before Monica.

"Monica, it's alright now."

As he spoke, he assessed the injuries on Monica's body.

Her clothes were shredded in many places and stained with blood.

The skin exposed to the air was covered in numerous lacerations from branches and leaves.

If it were only a few cuts, leaving them be wouldn't matter, but with this many, they needed to be treated.

"Hm?"

After observing Monica's condition, Moyu noticed she was still curled into a ball, her body trembling visibly.

"Scared senseless? Understandable, I suppose. That guy poured his entire 'killing intent' into his aura; it wouldn't be strange for an ordinary person nearby to be scared to death."

Moyu muttered to himself.

He still did not realize that it was he who had frightened Monica.

"Can you hear me? It's over now, Monica."

Moyu gave Monica's shoulder a casual pat.

The force of the pat was clearly light, and he had intentionally avoided her wounds.

However, Monica reacted as if she had been electrocuted; her entire body stiffened before her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

"?"

Moyu looked at the abruptly unconscious Monica in confusion.