Love Called Possession

Coleman merely chuckled at this.

He really was quite the narcissist.

Ku'er Ya toyed with the silk thread in his hands and spoke nonchalantly.

"If you had already awakened your Nen, you would have seen everything that just happened with perfect clarity. But because you lack Nen, you cannot focus it into your eyes, and thus, you could not see what transpired."

"But do not be anxious. You are still too young; this is not an ideal time to awaken your Nen. You need at least another year or two. By then, your body's life energy will no longer dissipate recklessly, and you will not risk dying from an inability to control it."

Observing the smiling Coleman, Ku'er Ya noticed that the boy showed no signs of frustration or impatience.

He raised an eyebrow.

Does this kid have a naturally calm disposition, or has he reached a certain level of mastery in controlling his expressions?

He couldn't be sure, but that didn't stop Ku'er Ya from appreciating the child.

He could even imagine that when this child grew up, the world would become quite spectacular.

If nothing else, the Hunter Association would certainly find themselves plagued by a madman who refused to play by the rules.

Even without Nen, this child was a hunter who could not be underestimated.

Coleman stood where he was, allowing Ku'er Ya to look him over.

Although he didn't yet know exactly how strong a Nen user was, that didn't stop him from standing confidently and casually before a murderous Nen user.

He knew full well that he stood no chance of defeating the "beast" standing beside him in a fair fight.

But so what?

Being unable to defeat someone didn't mean being unable to kill them.

As long as Coleman was given a moment to breathe, the one who ended up dead would certainly be his enemy.

As for whether he himself would survive, that was a separate matter.

In short, Coleman believed that as long as the person standing before him could be killed, that person posed no threat.

One could call him arrogant, or even conceited.

But he truly could kill Ku'er Ya.

If nothing else, the specially crafted steel needles coated in snake venom hidden in his sleeves would be enough to cost Ku'er Ya half his life.

Coleman carried plenty of other poisoned weapons on his person as well.

If you can't beat them, poison them; if the poison doesn't kill them, increase the dosage.

If all else fails, find a way to call for backup.

There was always a way to finish someone off.

Some might say this was dishonorable.

What a joke—talking about honor with a killer?

His honor was simple: you die, he lives.

Nothing more, nothing less.

His full arsenal of equipment and his own capabilities gave Coleman the confidence to engage in an equal dialogue.

He completely ignored Ku'er Ya's disgusting, creepy gaze and asked with a puzzled expression.

"That boss over there seems to still be alive."

Looking ahead, Coleman had seen everything that just happened with perfect clarity.

The leader of the bandit group had not participated in this chaotic slaughter at all.

The moment he realized he couldn't stop his men from killing each other, he had made the calm and wise choice to withdraw from the fray.

With cold eyes, he watched from afar.

This was an interesting man.

Coleman could tell from his demeanor that he found his subordinates' mutual slaughter boring.

He even seemed listless and disdainful.

This was quite intriguing.

A boss who felt not a shred of anxiety or anger toward his subordinates killing one another.

Moreover, he never participated in the strife.

Even when the first person to be controlled raised his blade against his companions, he showed no reaction.

His gaze remained forever calm and icy.

Yet, such a cold person was actually very shrewd in his dealings.

He didn't personally order the first idiot to be killed, but instead secretly instructed someone else to handle the matter.

In this way, the hatred was diverted.

He kept himself completely clean of the matter.

Coleman pondered for a moment and reached a conclusion.

This was not leadership material.

This person was better suited to being a lone wolf; even if he joined an organization, he would be the type to act as a double—no, even a multi-faced—spy.

His heart was loyal only to himself.

Others were nothing more than playthings for when the mood struck him.

Ku'er Ya glanced at Coleman and noticed that the man had been staring straight ahead the entire time.

Following his gaze, he realized that Coleman was locked onto the brat he had intentionally left behind.

With a scoff and a scratch of his head, Ku'er Ya leaned lazily against the tree trunk and spoke slowly.

"I know this guy. Well, no, I should say I've worked with him before. He's a rather interesting little brat."

He was an unemployed youth who loved to wander around and adopt multiple identities.

As he spoke, he patted Coleman on the shoulder.

"What's the point of just watching? Go make friends with him; you two look about the same age anyway."

Coleman looked at the figure in the distance and spoke silently: "I'm not even eight years old yet, and that guy is at least thirty."

"No, he's only sixteen."

"...That's still twice my age."

He called that "about the same age"?

Hearing Ku'er Ya's reply, Coleman felt a flicker of surprise, though he soon reasoned that the man was likely wearing a skin mask or something similar.

After all, for someone in the underworld, disguise was an essential skill.

Ku'er Ya, however, was quite casual, shrugging his shoulders: "You'll like him."

"Forget it. Go yourself."

Coleman did not have the habit of making friends.

But he did have the habit of using people.

Those who could become his friends were all people who offered some form of profit.

After a moment's thought, Coleman blinked and turned his head to say to the man: "He could become an intelligence broker. I think that would be a decent proposal for him."

A person like that would surely be incredibly fast at digging up information.

"Hmm, I think that's a pretty good suggestion."

Ku'er Ya thought about the guy's behavioral patterns and felt the proposal was excellent.

Someone who loved to dance on the edge of a blade would never refuse such an interesting offer.

Besides, it could also make money.

Thinking of something, Ku'er Ya said with a grin: "His disguise skills are top-notch. Don't you have the urge to go take a look?"

If these two brats got together, it would surely be extremely interesting.

Ku'er Ya, who loved to watch the chaos unfold, completely ignored the mood of the Hunter organization and wanted to stir these two into teaming up to cause trouble.

The trouble those two would cause would surely be the kind that shocked the entire continent.

If they wanted to.

One had top-tier disguise skills and an incredibly high capacity for gathering intelligence.

The other was skilled at camouflage and could kill without a trace.

If the two of them got together, they could totally open a company that handled investigations, caught cheaters, and dealt with unfaithful partners all in one!

Those charming, mature ladies would surely love it!

Of course, it would be even better if he could join this company.

He could comfort those wounded big sisters!

Big sisters who had just experienced emotional setbacks were in great need of comfort, weren't they?

That would be a proper, full-service company.

From the beginning, to the service, and finally to the after-sales.

A one-stop shop!

At thirty-something, strong, and single for a long time, Ku'er Ya was quite willing to be a friend to these women!

As for how he would comfort them?

That could only be understood, not spoken of.

Slurp.

Thinking of this wonderful life, Ku'er Ya couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

What a heavenly life this is!

But unfortunately, Coleman couldn't possibly make any friends in the near future.

Unless this guy could show him the value of making friends.

One had to know, last time he just chatted for a while with that guy called Carls or whatever.

When he bumped into Illumi upon returning home, Coleman had been terrified just by the look in his eyes.

His own brother had looked like he wanted to swallow him whole.

The darkness and possessiveness overflowing in Illumi's eyes were like a vat filled with ink.

It was terrifying and frightening.

Yet, Coleman was very happy.

This was proof that his brother loved him.

However, he had really had to comfort him for a long time afterward to barely manage to keep that child under control.

He hadn't let Illumi go berserk.

If he were to find out that he was going to make friends again...

Then what awaited him would likely be the dark room.

Although, being locked up wasn't really a big deal.

And it was being locked up by Illumi, after all.

Coleman accepted being locked up with peace of mind, and even enjoyed everything Illumi did to him.

But if he were locked away, he wouldn't know if Illumi might be lured away by other bugs.

That simply wouldn't do.

His brother could only belong to him alone.

Therefore, it was necessary for Coleman to maintain a relatively free status to monitor Illumi's movements.

If Illumi's whereabouts were to inexplicably vanish for more than a week, perhaps Coleman might even go insane.

"No, thank you."

With that, Coleman turned around, intending to leave this place.

He had obtained what he wanted, including some books on Nen abilities that his family didn't allow him to touch.

There was no need to stay any longer.

Moreover, he had already given the doll-making method to Ku'er Ya.

Coleman considered this transaction concluded.

"Don't be like that, hey, don't you want to meet someone of your own kind?"

Ku'er Ya quickened his pace, trying to make the child stay.

His beautiful dream hadn't even begun before it was over?

That wouldn't do!

Hearing Ku'er Ya's words, Coleman stopped in his tracks and looked back, asking thoughtfully, "What is that guy's name?"

Ku'er Ya was stunned by the question, frowning as he dragged the brat's name out from somewhere in his memory.

"Uh, it seems to be Manster, or something like that."

Having received the answer, Coleman nodded casually, indicating he had noted it.

He then spoke, as if explaining: "It really isn't convenient for me to make friends lately. If we are fated to, we can talk about it later; you can tell him my name."

"Hm? Why?"

Ku'er Ya didn't understand. Was there ever a time when it wasn't convenient to make friends?

"My brother won't allow it."

Speaking of this, Coleman smiled with satisfaction and pride: "Illumi doesn't allow Coleman to make friends, so Coleman doesn't make friends."

Was that so hard to understand?

It was just his brother being jealous.

A jealous, fierce snake coiled its body around its treasure, glaring at anyone who dared to covet it.

If anyone dared to intrude, he would crush the intruder at any cost.

And as the treasure, Coleman was quite satisfied with this.

His brother's possessiveness was truly...

Intoxicating.