Chương 27: The Meeting

"Ugh. It stinks." Aren had barely stepped outside before Meteor City's air slapped him in the face.

"Why does it smell worse than before? Was I inside too long?" After breakfast, the group had left for District Thirteen to meet Chrollo. Aren had spent too much time inside a base with a twenty-four-hour air filtration system. He had forgotten how vicious the outside environment was. A few steps were enough for the thick chemical rot to educate him again.

"Does it?" Uvogin inhaled deeply.

"A little sharp, I guess. Seems fine." A chill ran through Aren.

"Warrior." Machi and Nobunaga looked equally unbothered. If the original owner of Aren's body were still in control, he probably would have reacted the same way. More than ten years of habit would not be erased by one or two comfortable months. But the soul steering the body now came from modern society. After a month of cleaner living, his old senses had returned. He flipped both hands. Four gas masks appeared.

Even if the others were used to the poison in the air, breathing too much of it still could not be good for them. Aren threw one to each person and put his own on quickly.

"I'm alive again." Machi, Uvogin, and Nobunaga rolled their eyes at the same time. After more than ten years in Meteor City, he was somehow still delicate. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. No wonder his ability cared so much about comfort. They had heard Aren explain that Nen abilities often reflected what the user pursued.

From their point of view, his object creation had started with a Kobe steak and then kept producing food, furniture, clean air, and convenience. Clearly, Aren's deepest pursuit was enjoyment. Uvogin and Nobunaga thought about their own abilities, which existed for strength and battle, then thought about how completely they failed to beat him. The two boys sank into gloom again.

"Next time," Uvogin muttered.

"Next time we'll beat him." Then they remembered Limitless Technique.

"Can we really?" Nobunaga asked. Machi looked at the two gloomy idiots with silent disbelief. District Thirteen was not far from their own District Eleven. Only one district separated them. Chrollo's choice was careful. Not close enough to feel like pressure. Not far enough to become inconvenient. A polite distance. When they arrived, Machi pointed to a broken residence ahead.

"That should be their temporary base. I heard they swept the whole district too and left only their own place standing." After the incident with Oss, Uvogin and Nobunaga had wiped out every group in District Eleven in a single day, with Aren's approval.

"So that's how it is." Aren's eyes flickered.

'A show of force?'

'No. If Chrollo wanted pressure, he would have chosen District Twelve.' Combined with the low posture he had shown so far, this was more likely a message. Chrollo had strength too. Tigers did not walk with ants. People with power made friends with people who had power.

"Interesting." The door opened. Rotten wood creaked under the strain. Footsteps sounded inside. A handsome black-haired boy in a cheap black suit walked out with his hands in his pockets and a mild smile on his face. His features were still young, but nothing about him invited contempt. A leader's presence clung to him so strongly that even the cheap suit seemed more expensive on his body.

"That's Chrollo," Machi said quietly beside Aren. Aren already knew. The charisma around the boy was too dense to miss. If Gon made people want to stand beside him and help him, Chrollo made people want to accept his leadership. It was difficult to imagine that Chrollo already carried such presence at thirteen. Chrollo studied Aren as he approached. Even with the gas masks, he identified him at a glance.

'Strong.' That was Chrollo's first impression. With aura gathered in his eyes, he could feel the depth around Aren like a dark abyss. Aren's aura was still growing every moment. Because he could not yet control it perfectly, a trace always leaked out. The group removed their gas masks as Chrollo came closer. Wearing them during a greeting felt rude.

'Young.' That was Chrollo's second impression. Aren was older than him, but probably not by much. Eighteen at most. Chrollo had not expected someone so young to be this strong or to have trained the other three this well. Feitan, Pakunoda, and Franklin came out behind him. For a moment, the two groups faced each other in silence. Chrollo pulled his right hand from his pocket, stepped forward, and smiled.

"Hello. I'm Chrollo Lucilfer."