About half a month after Kurapika started fighting in Trick Tower, he personally killed a prisoner who served a sentence of over 300 years in actual combat.
That night, Kurapika didn't sleep at all.
Moses didn't sleep either, and waited quietly outside Kurapika's room.
At dawn, Kurapika opened the door and immediately saw Moses leaning against the wall next to the door.
Kurapika wasn't surprised at all, as he knew Moses had been outside his room the entire time.
"Moses, when they… when they take a life with their own hands, do they feel nothing at all? Do they think about nothing?"
"Regrettably, I'm inclined to believe they don't."
Moses tilted his head to look at the depressed Kurapika and said:
"In this world, there are people who will help you without asking for anything in return, but there are also those who can take a life without a shred of emotion. The latter… are everywhere in a place like this."
"…"
Kurapika lowered his head and remained silent.
Taking a step forward, Moses said seriously: "It seems you've made your decision."
"Um."
Kurapika looked down at his right hand.
Clink-
The sound of chains colliding echoed in the air.
Around Kurapika's right hand, faintly shimmering chains began to take shape, their appearance gradually solidifying under the glow of Nen.
"When I learned that I was a Conjurer, the first thing that came to my mind… was chains."
Kurapika slowly raised his right hand, which was wrapped in chains, and with a crisp sound, a single chain dangled from his fingers.
At the end of the chain was a small flame-shaped lantern emitting green fluorescence.
This is the result of Kurapika's sleepless night.
Normally, conjuring an object through Conjuration required intense focus and vivid imagination...
However, Kurapika, in his state of emotional turmoil, successfully conjured the chains in just one night.
This is naturally related to solid basic skills and deep enough cognition of Nen, but it is more of a reflection of Kurapika's strong will.
"But I understand that relying on my strength alone, it would be difficult to ensure victory when facing multiple Spiders at once, so I need an ability that can create the conditions for a 'one-on-one battle'. At the same time, I don't want to abandon the chains that first appeared in my mind."
Kurapika raised his eyes and looked at Moses in front of him. There seemed to be a red light flashing in his eyes, which was covered with contact lenses.
"So, I created a prison based on this."
"I see…"
Moses shifted his gaze to the chain dangling from Kurapika's hand and said calmly: "Kurapika, I've reminded you before..."
"I know."
Kurapika's eyes revealed determination, and he said in a deep voice: "That's why I'll use a Limitation and Vow to enhance its power."
"What are you willing to offer as the price?"
Before Moses asked this question, he already knew the answer.
And just as he expected, Kurapika said without hesitation: "My life."
He hated the feeling of blood on his hands and the fading light in the eyes of the dying.
However, in order to retrieve the eyes of his people and drag the Phantom Troupe into hell...
He had to steel himself.
He would even sacrifice his life for this.
Kurapika's answer was within Moses's expectations, and-
Judging from the style of the chain that Kurapika had conjured, it seemed likely he had designed five distinct abilities.
Except for the chains that seem to have prison-like abilities, which is influenced by Moses, the concepts behind the other four abilities were likely similar to those in the original work.
After all, the abilities in the original were developed from Kurapika's stance of 'fighting the entire Phantom Troupe alone'.
The flame-shaped lantern chain ability, which creates the opportunity to fight one-on-one battle, is actually the result of Kurapika learning the diversity of Nen Abilities from Moses and receiving advanced knowledge about Nen in advance.
However, it is difficult to determine whether Kurapika will be affected by Moses in the future and then develop abilities that are different from the original.
For now, however, it was clear that Kurapika still adhered to his philosophy of one-on-one battle.
Moses understood this.
If Moses had to identify the biggest benefit of his role as Kurapika's teacher, it would be the possibility of altering Kurapika's fated demise.
"Kurapika."
"Yes?"
"What do you call this chain ability?"
"Soul-Guiding Chain."
"That doesn't sound bad."
"…"
"Kurapika."
"Yes?"
"You're the last of the Kurta Clan, right?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever thought about continuing your bloodline?"
"… What do you mean?"
"I mean having children."
"…"
"Kurapika."
"Yes?"
"What I want to say is... there is nothing wrong with your ability and ideas. I can conclude that as long as you turn these ideas into reality, they will definitely help you achieve your goals in the future. But, have you ever thought about a possibility..."
"What possibility?"
"Well... the possibility that the Phantom Troupe will be destroyed by me."
"?"
Kurapika was stunned at first, then his eyes slowly widened.
The firm consciousness that had been tempered overnight suddenly wavered.
Kurapika had decided to use his life as a limitation in exchange for a vow that would only be effective against the Phantom Troupe.
He believed that such a restriction was enough to allow him to gain the ability to send the Phantom Troupe to hell within his limited time.
But what Moses said now...
If the target of his painstaking, life-gambling ability were suddenly eliminated by someone else…
What could be more frustrating than that?
As this possibility crossed his mind, Kurapika felt a hollow emptiness, as if he were grasping at shadows.
Moses patted Kurapika's shoulder and offered comfort: "Don't look so dejected. Don't you still need to retrieve your clan's eyes? So, I think, gambling your life... isn't necessary."
"…"
Kurapika remained silent, with a complicated expression on his face.
He suddenly became a little suspicious of Moses's motives for volunteering to teach him Nen.
Moses looked at the unresponsive Kurapika, thought for a moment, and then said in a reluctant tone:
"How about I leave one for you? What do you think of Hisoka? That guy is pretty tough, I'm sure you'll be satisfied. Anyway, as long as you don't gamble your life, anything is negotiable."
"…"
Kurapika remained silent, not knowing what to say.
He considered himself a good talker, but when he is in front of Moses, he felt utterly helpless.
Seeing that Kurapika still didn't speak, Moses took a deep breath and said with a feign pained expression: "Fine, two. I'll leave you two. This is already my biggest concession. Hmm... it's Kortopi and Hisoka, how about that?"
"…"
Hearing this, Kurapika finally gave up on responding.