"What a relief."
Kevin Carpenberg lay on the hotel sofa, sighing in contentment.
Ever since he escaped last night, he couldn't explain why, but he felt incredibly light—as if he'd shaken off a heavy burden.
Ahead of him, a bright future was waiting!
"Speaking of which, when is the teacher Jin Freecss mentioned supposed to arrive?"
Kevin muttered to himself, remembering Jin's words when they parted.
Jin had told him he'd found a teacher for him, but never said how they'd meet or provided any details.
He only said the teacher would come find him. But now that he'd abandoned his former identity, could they really find him?
"Whatever, no point worrying about that. They must have their own ways."
Just as he was enjoying this rare moment of peace, a knock came at the door.
Kevin sprang up from the couch like a spring, frowning as he moved to the door.
He cautiously peered through the peephole.
Police?
But what he saw was something even scarier.
Her?
Standing outside was the same blonde twin-tailed girl from last night—the one who had been just his type.
She was smiling sweetly at the door, as if she could see him through the peephole.
Why? Why was she here?
Kevin frowned, thoughts racing.
Bang bang bang!
"Big brother, open up! I came to thank you!"
Bullshit! There's no way she's here just to thank him.
If he opened the door, who knew how many SWAT officers would be waiting to pounce?
Kevin didn't hesitate. He darted toward the balcony. He had deliberately chosen a second-floor room for easy escape, with the balcony facing the street behind the hotel.
Without a second thought, he jumped over the railing.
As soon as he landed and stood up, he was face-to-face with a gentle-looking man in a white shirt and glasses, smiling warmly at him.
But in Kevin's eyes, the man's aura was flaring like a bomb.
"Hi there!" the man even waved at him.
Kevin immediately focused his aura into his legs and launched himself toward the wall beside them.
"Yungu, if you let him escape this courtyard today…"
The voice of the girl came from above—it was the twin-tailed girl, supposedly still at the door.
"Yes, Master!" Yungu responded seriously, vanishing on the spot.
The next moment, he appeared behind Kevin.
So fast! Kevin's eyes widened.
Under intense pressure, he twisted his body leftward to dodge.
Boom!
A loud crash—Yungu's fist smashed into the stone tiles, leaving a deep pit.
"You trying to kill me?!"
Kevin shouted in shock. If that punch had hit him, he'd be dead or crippled.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a pistol from his waist.
"Don't move!"
Yungu reappeared in front of him, calm and serious, part of his white shirt showing beneath his jacket.
"That thing won't help you advance in your training."
"You've got to be kidding me."
What kind of lunatic gives a lecture during a life-or-death fight?
"Back off or I'll shoot!"
"Then go ahead, aim for his head," the girl on the balcony called out, clearly enjoying the show.
"Don't think I won't do it. I will shoot!"
Kevin didn't know exactly what was going on, but he was sure he'd seriously misjudged the situation.
These two weren't normal by any stretch of the imagination.
Just his luck—to get caught up in trouble when he hadn't done anything wrong.
Well, maybe this was the price of being reborn in this world.
He hadn't even gotten to learn any real supernatural skills from the mysterious teacher yet.
"Guess I've got no choice." Kevin sighed inwardly, silently pulling out a vial of prepared serum from his waist.
It was a product crafted using his innate Nen abilities.
"One Moment's Dream."
He downed the vial and pulled the trigger.
Yungu tilted his head to dodge.
"Hm? He wasn't aiming at my head?"
Kevin had targeted his shoulder. He figured the guy was some sort of Nen cop, here to arrest people like him who used Nen for crime.
As the serum took effect, power surged through him, making his body feel weightless and strong.
He still had no intention of fighting head-on. He only wanted to escape.
But Yungu, clearly far stronger than him, wasn't about to let him get away. Once again, he appeared in front of Kevin with unbelievable speed.
Kevin's brain reacted, but his body couldn't keep up.
A heavy punch came crashing down. Kevin crossed his arms to block, but the force of the blow sent him flying into the wall.
That hurt!
Ever since he'd learned to use Nen, this was the first time he'd taken such a punishing hit.
It was like his aura defense didn't even matter. He had specifically focused his aura into his arms to block, but he still felt immense pain.
The opponent's aura-infused attack was stronger than his.
Another punch came, and Kevin raised his arm to block again. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he struck back with a punch aimed at Yungu's stomach.
But it was stopped by a sharp knee strike.
Yungu had to retreat.
Defend, wait for an opening. Defend, wait for another.
Kevin was forced into a corner, barely able to counterattack.
But even in this desperate state, he kept going. He looked beat up, but he hadn't actually suffered serious injuries. His aura was flowing more smoothly with every exchange.
The twin-tailed girl on the balcony watched silently. Sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding.
Finally, Yungu landed a heavy blow that sent Kevin flying again—straight into another wall.
This time, Kevin was truly spent. His body felt completely drained.
He slumped to the ground, gasping for breath, looking up at the approaching Yungu.
He thought about drawing his gun again, but gave up on that idea.
If this guy could dodge bullets, what could he even do?
Besides, he didn't have the strength to get back on his feet.
Silently, he raised his hands in surrender.
But the cold feeling of handcuffs never came.
Kevin looked up, confused. "What, you gonna beat me to death instead? That's illegal, you know."
That would be so unfair. He still felt like he could be saved.
Okay, maybe based on what his original body had done, it wouldn't be unfair…
But whatever. If he really did go to prison, Jin Freecss would bail him out.
He knew he was valuable to Jin.
"What are you talking about?"
Yungu gave him a puzzled look, then turned his eyes toward the second-floor balcony.
"Teacher, is this good enough?"
With a leap, the twin-tailed girl landed in front of Kevin.
Kevin finally understood.
This girl, called "Teacher," looked like a kid but had the aura of a seasoned martial arts master straight out of a movie.
Looking back, did he mess up their operation last night by getting involved?
Kevin's mind spun with all kinds of thoughts.
"So you're Kevin Carpenberg? Jin Freecss asked me to train you."
"…?"
A giant question mark appeared above Kevin's head.
What?
This doesn't make any sense. If that's true, why was she in the trafficker's car?
If all of that was part of her plan, then that's downright terrifying.
Had she investigated the original Kevin that thoroughly?
Otherwise, how could it just so happen that the traffickers grabbed her, then happened to hide out in his place while evading a search?
Are all Nen users monsters like this?
Kevin's awe for this world deepened once again.