Rain hammered against the massive windows of the luxury suite.
Inside, however, the atmosphere was warm.
Expensive wine.
Rare meat.
Soft music.
And seated at the center of it all was Vasco Melner.
A grotesquely overweight man dressed in expensive silk robes.
Gold rings decorated nearly every finger.
His breathing was heavy even while sitting still.
Beside him stood Gumdum, posture straight despite the tension filling the room.
Vasco slammed his wine glass onto the table.
CRACK.
The glass shattered slightly.
"You're telling me…"
"…that all seven of Dawn Seven got wiped out?"
Gumdum nodded carefully.
"Yes, boss."
"The surviving member claimed the leader of the Phantom Troupe was personally protecting Yuzuki."
Vasco's face twisted immediately.
"That damn brat again…"
He clicked his tongue furiously.
"I should've just killed him back then."
Gumdum stayed silent.
Because when Vasco was angry, speaking recklessly often resulted in losing teeth.
Or worse.
Vasco leaned back heavily in his chair.
Sweat glistened across his forehead despite the air conditioning.
Then suddenly
He cursed loudly.
"Damn it!"
"I didn't want to do this…"
"…but it seems I have no choice now."
Gumdum's expression sharpened slightly.
Vasco grabbed a golden phone resting on the table.
Then dialed a number directly from memory.
Several rings passed.
Then the call connected.
A cold voice answered immediately.
"What?"
The sheer irritation in the man's tone made Gumdum straighten instinctively.
Even Vasco's expression shifted slightly.
Because the person on the other end of the call—
Was one of the Ten Dons.
Vasco cleared his throat awkwardly.
"There's… a slight complication."
The man on the phone sighed heavily.
"If this is another financial issue, solve it yourself."
"You shouldn't bother me with trivial matters."
Vasco's face twitched slightly in annoyance.
But he swallowed it.
"No, it's not that."
Then he hesitated.
"…The Phantom Troupe is involved."
Silence.
Instant silence.
The atmosphere in the room changed immediately.
Even through the phone, the pressure became heavier.
The Don's voice returned slowly.
"…Explain."
Vasco quickly detailed everything.
The failed assassination.
The death of Dawn Seven.
Chrollo Lucilfer personally appearing.
And finally—
The message.
"That brat…"
Vasco growled bitterly.
"Apparently he's some honorary member now."
Another long silence followed.
Then finally the Don spoke.
"…Troublesome."
Very troublesome.
Because ordinary criminals could be removed.
Assassinated.
Bought.
Threatened.
But the Phantom Troupe?
They were monsters.
Wildcards.
Terrorists capable of toppling entire underground operations overnight.
The Don clicked his tongue.
"I'll see if the Shadow Beasts can be deployed."
Gumdum's eyes widened slightly.
The Shadow Beasts.
The Ten Dons' personal elite Nen unit.
Monsters chosen specifically to deal with abnormal threats.
Even Vasco visibly relaxed hearing the name.
The Don continued coldly.
"Until then…"
"Do not provoke the Troupe further."
Then the call ended immediately.
Vasco slowly lowered the phone.
The room remained silent for several seconds.
Then he spat angrily onto the floor.
"Damn spiders…"
Gumdum adjusted his glasses carefully.
"Boss…"
"What do we do about Yuzuki?"
Vasco's eyes darkened.
For several moments he said nothing.
Then finally—
He smiled.
Cruel.
Cold.
Predatory.
"If the Shadow Beasts move…"
"…then the brat dies with the spiders."
---
Yuzuki walked through the halls of Heavens Arena with his hands comfortably behind his head.
His mood was excellent.
Honestly?
Tonight had been pretty fun.
A good fight with Kastro.
Meeting Shizuku again.
Free food.
Then beating up assassins afterward.
Overall?
Solid day.
Yuzuki grinned to himself.
'Bisky and the others seriously won't believe what I just went through.'
He opened the door to his room casually.
"I'm ba—"
Then stopped.
The atmosphere inside felt strange.
Bisky.
Wing.
Zushi.
All three were staring at the television screen with identical stunned expressions.
Wide eyes.
Slack jaws.
Utter disbelief.
Yuzuki blinked.
"…What's wrong?"
No one answered immediately.
Bisky slowly pointed toward the television.
"…Brat."
"You're famous now."
Yuzuki frowned slightly and looked toward the screen.
Then froze.
Displayed across the massive news broadcast was his face.
His sunglasses.
His name.
And directly beneath it
BOUNTY UPDATED: 1,000,000,000 JENNY
DEAD OR ALIVE
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
"…WHAT?!"
Yuzuki lunged toward the screen in horror.
"One BILLION?!"
Zushi nodded frantically.
"They updated it thirty minutes ago!"
Wing adjusted his glasses slowly.
"An astronomical increase."
"Especially for someone your age."
Yuzuki looked utterly betrayed by the universe.
"How did this even happen?!"
Bisky rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Hm…"
Then her eyes sparkled greedily.
"You know…"
She looked at Yuzuki.
"If I turned you in…"
"…I could buy a LOT of gems."
Yuzuki stared at her blankly.
"Master…"
Bisky burst out laughing.
"I'm joking!"
"…Mostly."
Yuzuki immediately narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Then suddenly—
His expression darkened.
"…Chrollo."
Wing blinked.
"What?"
Yuzuki pointed accusingly toward nowhere.
"This has to be his fault."
"One moment I meet the Phantom Troupe and suddenly my bounty multiplies by sixty-seven?!"
Bisky snorted.
"Honestly, that does sound plausible."
Yuzuki clicked his tongue.
"I'm going to go yell at him."
But before he could move—
RIIIIING.
The room phone rang.
Everyone paused.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Yuzuki narrowed his eyes.
Then walked over and picked up the receiver.
"…Hello?"
A calm older voice answered immediately.
"Yuzuki."
"Congratulations on your new bounty."
Yuzuki frowned.
"…Who is this?"
The man chuckled softly.
"Let's just say…"
"…I'm one of the Ten Dons."
The room temperature seemed to drop slightly.
Wing's expression sharpened instantly.
Bisky stopped smiling entirely.
Even Zushi sensed something dangerous.
Meanwhile Yuzuki's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
"…What do you want?"
The Don laughed lightly.
"I heard you were dissatisfied with your previous bounty."
"So I corrected it."
Yuzuki deadpanned.
"I was actually pretty happy with the last one."
Then his eyes sharpened further.
"…And how exactly did you find my room?"
The Don sounded amused.
"I control much of the underworld."
"Finding one child in Heavens Arena isn't particularly difficult."
Yuzuki clicked his tongue irritably.
"Creepy."
The Don ignored that.
Instead his tone became smoother.
More calculating.
"Let's speak plainly."
"I hear you and Chrollo Lucilfer have become… close."
Yuzuki immediately understood where this was going.
And already hated it.
The Don continued.
"I want you to kill Chrollo for us."
Wing's eyes widened slightly.
Bisky's expression darkened.
The Don kept speaking calmly.
"In exchange…"
"Your bounty disappears."
"Vasco Melner dies."
"And you will be rewarded handsomely."
Yuzuki stood silently for several seconds.
Then slowly smiled.
But there was absolutely no warmth in it.
"…You know."
The Don paused.
"For people who run the underworld…"
"…you're surprisingly stupid."
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy instantly.
The Don's voice cooled.
"What?"
Yuzuki's eyes became ice cold.
"It's not just Vasco Melner I'm after."
His grip tightened around the phone.
"Every single bastard involved with Old Fin…"
"…including the Ten Dons…"
"…I'm going to kill all of you."
Silence.
Pure silence.
Then Yuzuki smiled coldly.
"So piss off."
SLAM.
He hung up.
The room remained completely quiet afterward.
Even Bisky looked slightly stunned by the sheer killing intent radiating from him.
Yuzuki stood there silently for several moments.
Then muttered darkly to himself.
"…One billion my ass."
---
Find early chapters on my patreon
[Patreon.com/tenten100?]