Chapter 41: Declaration of War

A few days after his fight with Kite, Auren sits in front of his laptop. He’s researching on the Hunter site, having just spent a few hundred thousand Jenny for detailed information and resources on his potential future opponents. Neffi sits beside him, a small pile of papers with scribbled notes spread out in front of her.“You know, you could’ve gotten that info way cheaper. The Hunter site’s really expensive,” Neffi says.

“I know. But I’m lazy—and more importantly, I trust the information here. I’d rather not risk relying on cheap or fake intel and then get surprised by a secret Hatsu,” Auren replies.

My life is on the line—I would even pay hundreds of millions to make sure the information I have is accurate.

He glances at her. “By the way... do you need money? You should still have plenty left from making it to the 200th class, right?”

“That’s not why I said anything. I’ve got enough money... My Master even bought me two companies in Yorknew. Honestly, I almost feel guilty for being this rich,” she says with a slight shrug.

“What kind of companies are we talking about here?” Auren asks, slightly curious.

“One is focused on nanofiber research. There's also a smaller company that produces high-end, military-grade clothing,” she explains. “You know, for my Hatsu… my Master can be very doting.”

“Your Master bought you all that... just for your Hatsu?” Auren asks, raising a brow. “I guess it makes sense. You are rather lucky to have someone like her as your master.”

“Yeah. I only learned my Hatsu shortly before I took my... you know. So I haven’t actually had the chance to check out those businesses yet,” she replies, then turns her attention to Auren’s monitor.

“Anyway, that’s the guy we’re aiming for, right? He had a record of 3 losses and 10 wins when he was in the 200th class, so he barely qualified to challenge a Floor Master. He was initiated by a Nen user and survived without any visible injuries. But there might be internal damage. Looks like he was hit in the chest. He lost his next two fights after that and then shifted strategies—he either challenged uninitiated fighters or found ways to force his opponents to surrender.”

She points at Auren’s target—a small man with black hair and yellow, snake-like eyes.

“Alright, show me his fight against the former Floor Master. Even with all that cheating, he had to be decently strong to win that match,” Neffi says.

“Nope. That was a temporary Floor Master as well. The guy—Flein—challenged a previous Floor Master who used a similar strategy to secure his spot. That fight was just a few months ago, and no one’s challenged him since,” Auren explains.

“So, how was the fight?” Neffi asks.

Auren opens a video and pushes the laptop toward her. “See for yourself.”

Neffi hits play and watches with interest. Flein stands with a spear in hand, facing an extremely overweight man who’s barely dressed—he resembles a sumo wrestler, right down to his traditional garb. The most striking thing about him, though, is his face—twisted into a hateful, almost murderous expression.

The man activates Ren, and part of his body becomes covered in what looks like thick, reptilian scales.

“Enhancement? Transmutation?” Neffi muses, a little intrigued. “His technique looks decent. His defense must be tough... but not everything is covered. Just his arms, feet, and front. His face and back are not protected.”

Flein activates Ren as well. Neffi doesn’t need Gyo to see it—he’s clearly a Transmuter. His spear is surrounded by a dense aura.

Flein steps in, stabbing from range—his Nen extending the reach of his spear. But he can’t land a solid hit, as his enemy's defense is capable of withstanding his attacks and is forced to dodge constant charges and wild melee swings.

A few times, it looks like Flein is about to lose, barely escaping the man’s grasp. He slips away each time, though, narrowly avoiding defeat.

Several exchanges later, with the score sitting at 6–4, Flein reveals his ace. His aura-extended spear suddenly shifts mid-stab—changing trajectory from a low attack to a direct strike at his opponent’s face.

It hits. The spear pierces the man's eye. Blood gushes out as he screams, rolling on the ground in pain.

The referee ends the fight right there.

“Yeah… that was kinda lame. Flein’s definitely a Transmuter. And his eyes—snake-like, just like his Hatsu. He can extend his spear with aura, then suddenly shift its movement unnaturally at the last second. It’s like the spear’s possessed by a snake,” Neffi says.

“I don’t see any problem taking him down. I’ll challenge him now. Both their Aura quantity and quality are pathetic. We are already far beyond what they could ever hope to achieve. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait long,” Auren says.

A few minutes later, Auren, with Neffi in tow, walks toward the 200th Class reception. As they approach, the receptionist, clearly recognizing him, greets them with a smile.

But before he can say anything, a man steps up and interrupts, “Excuse me... Auren, right? Before you sign up—who are you planning to challenge?”

As he finishes speaking, a few others gather around.

“What is this?” Auren mutters, annoyed.

What is it now? They were obviously waiting for me!

Neffi smiles as she responds, “They’re probably the goons and henchmen of a few weaker Floor Masters. Now that you’ve got ten wins, they’re obviously getting nervous. I bet they’re here to either bribe you or threaten you into sparing their respective masters.”

Hmmm, not bad.

“Sounds plausible. You’re actually pretty smart, Neffi,” Auren says.

“Hmph, what did you expect, huh? You should listen to your big sister more often!” she shoots back with a grin.

Auren chuckles and steps forward. “Guess I am open for business. Give me your best offers. You’ve got thirty seconds, then I’ll declare my challenge.”

“1 million if you don’t challenge Floor Master Lira!”

“1.5 million to leave the esteemed Floor Master Reihi alone!”

These guys would have been next on my list anyway. But I have a feeling they’re slightly stronger—or at least hiding some cards they haven’t shown yet, which is why I went for Flein. Might as well earn some money.

“Not bad,” Auren says. “Make it 2 million and I’ll skip over your boss. Wire me the money, and I swear on my honor I won’t issue a challenge against your employer.”

Three of them agree and quickly pay Auren. The last one—the man who first approached Auren—adds, “Here, please give me your account number and I’ll wire you 2 million. Please don’t challenge Floor Master Flein.”

Auren raises his hand, stopping him. “Ah, sorry. Flein’s the only one left. You were just a little too slow. I’ll be seeing your master very soon.”

The other three laugh and walk away, clearly relieved.

“You’ll regret this!” the man snaps, now seething with anger.

“How?” Auren replies, voice calm as ever.

The man then turns his eyes on Neffi and grins maliciously. “You and your little friend here will pay for this. Your scarred little bitch may already be looking used, but once I’m done with her, she’ll be unrecognizable. Better think carefully about what you wa—”

Before he can finish, Auren’s left hand shifts, transforming into a deadly claw, and he drives it into the man’s throat. The man’s eyes bulge in shock as blood gurgles from his mouth.

He stumbles backwards, choking, and collapses to the ground, dead.

“Clean,” Neffi says. “Was that a warning to your enemies, or a love confession to your big sister?”

Auren doesn’t reply, brushing her off and walking straight to the reception desk. The receptionist, wide-eyed, tries her best to remain composed despite what she’s just seen.

“Clean up the trash. He threatened both me and my friend, then attacked me. Anyway, back to business. I hereby challenge Floor Master Flein. Make it the earliest spot available.”

“Of course… I’ll schedule it right away. You’ll be informed via text. Expect the fight within a week,” she replies, still a bit shaken.

Later, in their room, Auren suggests, “Let’s visit Konrad for a few days. Maybe rent a room next to his. I’m not scared or anything, but I can guess what’s coming—loud music, noise all day, distractions. These floor masters are like flies, harmless but annoying. I just made six million, so everything’s on me.”

“Sure,” Neffi says, not needing much convincing.

At Konrad’s suite, Auren is teaching him while Neffi trains—keeping up Ren even while lying casually on the couch and scrolling through her phone.

“Is that training actually effective?” Konrad asks, a bit skeptical.

“No, it’s not, Konrad. But it’s better than doing nothing, I guess. Now concentrate! You should be able to use Ren by now!”

Konrad gets to his feet and focuses. His aura flares just slightly. After some effort, he manages to activate a shaky, but valid, Ren.

“Not bad,” Auren says, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. He plucks a leaf from a random plant in the suite and places it on top.

“I already explained how this works, right? You don’t have to do it in front of us if you’d rather not,” Auren adds, placing the glass in front of Konrad, who nods at him.

Straining to keep his Ren active, Konrad hovers his hands over the glass. A few seconds pass, and tiny grains materialize in the water, drifting toward the bottom.

“Conjurer, huh? That’s a great affinity,” Auren says.

Konrad drops his Ren, collapsing onto the floor, drenched in sweat. “Damn. I was hoping for Manipulation!”

“Conjuration’s insanely versatile. You can create things that don’t even exist in the real world. And you can’t lose something you’ve conjured, either. I don’t get why you’re disappointed,” Auren replies.

“You are right, I guess. I just need to come up with something fitting,” Konrad mutters, falling into deep thought.

Just a few hours later, Auren’s phone buzzes. He reads the message aloud:

“Your challenge to Floor Master Flein has been accepted!”

Further down the message, he sees the scheduled time.

“Fight is... tomorrow evening! That’s unexpected,” Auren says.

“No, Auren—think back to your last match. It’s only been a few days. I bet your opponent thinks you’re still injured… Come to think of it… you’re looking totally fine,” Konrad says, eyeing him.

“Kite held back. And I’ve taught you the effects of Zetsu, haven’t I?” Auren replies.

“I guess you’re just on another level,” Konrad says. “I’ll watch your fight… then I’ll head home.”

Tomorrow, huh?