Chapter 597: Jewel’s Warning—Changing Fate

Seeing the ‘work’ Alex has done, Phinks is whistling, clearly impressed with him.

“You took out Hisoka and his partner on your own? Even the boss was holding him in very high esteem,” Phinks notes.

Is this Peasant blind? Can’t he see Princess Jewel?

“Couldn’t have done it without her,” Alex says, agreeing with her.

“Sorry about that... little spider,” Phinks replies, staring at Jewel, who keeps glaring at him.

“Not really little,” Pakunoda mutters. “It’s the biggest spider I’ve seen in my life... and also the cutest.”

❤️

“You... you...” Killua mutters, completely trapped in his own world. “You... you killed him? How?”

“Killua...” Gon mutters, his eyes full of concern.

“How?” Alex asks. “Truth be told, I didn’t kill him, Jewel did... in a way that will probably haunt my dreams for a long time. Very scary spider.”

Princess Jewel can be very scary, especially if Peasants offend her or her Soulmate!

“Scary spider, huh?” Nobunaga asks, laughing. “So who is that guy? Is it the pale one’s brother? Was he connected to Hisoka? Does that mean these two are his partners as well?”

“It’s a fucking assassin,” Alex clarifies. “Illumi Zoldyck, you have probably heard of them, right? He seemed to be an old friend of Hisoka’s, as he mentioned getting hired by him.”

“Huh... the eldest of the Zoldycks... I heard something about them... not bad,” Nobunaga says, stroking his chin.

“Why did you kill him?!” Gon asks loudly, staring directly at Alex.

“Is this kid stupid?” Nobunaga wonders. “Reminds me a little of Uvo...”

“Ever heard of self-defense?” Alex asks Gon. “Hisoka wanted me dead, and he hired this assassin to help him. Do you expect me to spare either of them? You are not very smart, kid. You need to pick up some street smarts.”

Silly Peasant.

“Is this... spider talking?” Gon wonders, staring at Jewel. “How?”

How is this peasant talking? It’s the same thing. Mind your own business!

“Heh, she got a point,” Phinks says, smiling. “Don’t overthink things.”

“You are his brother?” Alex asks, looking at the still distraught Killua. “Do you want to avenge him?”

Killua remains silent, preparing to speak up, but not managing to form any coherent sentence at all. “I... my brother... I...”

Hmm... I might as well buy their goodwill.

“Your brother seemed to be a Manipulator, one who can control people with needles,” Alex points out. “You appear to be highly distraught, which I guess doesn’t quite fit your normal character. Ever heard about postmortem Nen? Nen that somehow outlasts its owner’s life and can even grow in potency. You seem controlled... clearly not like I’d expect a kid like you to act. Phinks... hold him tightly.”

“Sure,” Phinks says, grabbing Killua’s arms and tightly holding him, preventing him from making any move.

“You do it, Jewel... be gentle,” Alex decides.

Princess Jewel is not gentle, but fearsome and prideful!

Hold still, Peasant, or Princess Jewel will wrap you up like a fly!

“Wha?” Killua asks as Jewel jumps onto his head.

“Killua!” Gon yells, trying to break out of Pakunoda’s grip, but Machi steps in and holds her hand to his neck. “Stop,” she says in a cold voice.

Jewel skillfully uses Gyo, focuses on Killua’s forehead, and then inserts her sharp legs into it. A split second later, a small needle flies out of it, and Alex catches it while still sitting on the ground.

You received Killua’s Harvest

[Hidden Quest Completed]

[Mission: Remove Illumi’s Nen Needle from Killua’s forehead.

Reward:[Killua’s Harvest], increased Mission Rating]

[Killua’s Harvest]

World: Hunter x Hunter

Quality: Deep Purple

Type: Special Item (Consumable)

Effect: Grants you a random Zoldyck Style skill.

Effect: Can only be used inside the Realm

Note: A bountiful harvest.

Damn! I did it! A secret quest! Gotta play it cool.

“See?” Alex asks Killua. “You were controlled. His plan was probably to manipulate you while letting you retain your own personality and slowly control you until he could fully take you over. He probably chose a slow method so as not to hinder your growth and erase your personality, which you need to develop your own Nen abilities. You barely dodged a bullet, huh? You owe me one.”

And you owe Princess Jewel twoo!

“Too or two?” Phinks asks, slightly confused by Jewel’s pronunciation.

Both, silly Peasant!

“...” Phinks sighs, looking utterly defeated.

“This spider is not making any sense... she’s growing more unreasonable by the day,” Nobunaga comments, immediately shrinking back as Jewel glares at him.

“I am sorry, you are making total sense,” Nobunaga immediately corrects himself, raising his hands. “This damn spider is scary...” he mumbles silently, staring at the heads on the ground. “I don’t want to end up like those two.”

Meanwhile, Killua freezes, and after a few seconds of complete stillness, he suddenly laughs loudly.

“That bastard... he... really wanted to completely control me?! So that time... he... hehe. Good thing he’s dead,” Killua says, his eyes completely clear, his smile almost maniacal.

“Killua...” Gon mutters.

“What do you want to do with us now?” Killua asks, changing gears, his personality completely different now. “Do you want to kill us for trying to capture you?”

“No... we’ll ask you questions... after that, you may leave,” Nobunaga says, surprising Gon and Killua. “However... it all depends on your connection with Hisoka.”

“They’re probably not connected to Hisoka. They were probably after your bounty and mine, which I’d like to point out again: I received without any fault of my own. I heard Hisoka took the Hunter exam, so he probably met them there,” Alex complains and guesses, careful not to reveal too much.

“Anyway... I still need a while to recover; I’m tired as fuck... I’ll rejoin you guys later,” Alex announces.

Soulmate! Princess Jewel suggests not splitting up yet. With the Peasant assassin’s demise, the situation couldn’t be more unpredictable. If Princess Jewel’s fears are correct... the Troupe Leader... Chrollo won’t survive this night! To succeed in our mission, we need to use the Troupe as a resource to change the outcome of the night.

Fuck... now that you mention it.

“On second thought,” Alex says, standing up, his legs almost giving out, causing him to laugh in pain as his body shakes and screams in protest. He slowly walks forward, nearly falling. “He... hehe... heheheh... I’ll come along.”

“Should I carry you?” Machi asks.

What?

Hmmm... she is pretty hot... so why not?

“Su—” Alex starts to say, but before he can finish, Machi gently picks up Jewel and carries her instead, while Alex is left to walk forward like a puppet on broken strings.

“Should I carry you?” Nobunaga asks Alex, sounding strangely caring.

“... pass,” Alex replies, continuing to walk on his own.

Together with the Troupe, Alex walks back toward the city center.

Killua, much more relaxed and focused now, though still held by Phinks, looks at Alex with a grin.

“You are pretty strong if you took down Hisoka and my brother on your own, yet when you walk like that, you sure don’t come across that way,” Killua notes.

“Shut the fuck up. If I break your legs, you’ll also appear weak if you’re trying to walk, regardless,” Alex retorts.

Jewel, climbing onto Machi’s head, also glares at Killua, releasing her Ren for a second, shocking both Gon and Killua, as well as the Troupe, who still remain calm, however.

Did Princess Jewel cause permanent brain damage to this Peasant? Or did he just lose his memories?! Princess Jewel was there, so it was a two-on-two!

“This... spider is pretty arrogant...” Killua mutters, a little intimidated. “She’s so strong... her Aura is almost on the same level as Hisoka and... my brother.”

“Where did you find Jewel?” Gon asks curiously.

“Nowhere you can ever hope to go, not with your weak attitude,” Alex says smugly. “But... not to be stingy, I found her inside a spider cave located in a certain magical forest. Anyway... don’t fucking try to escape, and you can leave, I promise.”

“You’re willing to let us go for real?” Killua asks. “What if I seek revenge?”

“Hahahahaha.” Alex laughs. “Like you two could ever hope to do that. Good joke, little baby. I’ll give you a popsicle before you leave.”

“... Asshole,” Killua mutters, looking annoyed. “Despite your strength, I want to hit you in the face.”

“Likewise, I don’t discriminate against women and children and punch them in the face... equally. I’m quite progressive,” Alex announces, sounding proud.

Soulmate is so tolerant! What a great attitude.

“... you are crazy,” Pakunoda says, looking genuinely baffled. 

“Fits right in,” Phinks notes, “I also agree with him. Tone it down, kid, or I’ll be the first one to throw a punch.”

Reaching the center of Yorknew, the Troupe uses a parked vehicle, with one more they ‘borrow’ with a wad of cash, to quickly return to their hideout.

Alex and Jewel sit inside the rented car together with Machi and Nobunaga. Jewel rides in the back next to Machi, who can’t help but gently pet her. 

Time to relax...

Soulmate! Remember that Soulmate’s stats are still enhanced. Princess Jewel suggests opening the Chests now, as in just a few minutes, the stats will not only normalize, but also decrease.

Good call... damn that backlash from [Drakul’s Vitality R2]... I’m in deep shit now. I need to be able to fight tonight... this will make things more difficult.

What do I even have to open... let’s see... three White Chests from Pure Paladin Squad members... the Blue Chest from Bushidora, which Jewel handed to me. Two Purple Chests from Illumi and Hisoka, respectively, and... yes, the Purple-colored Supporter Chest I picked up from Teal’c. The other chests, Jewel can have... I want her to have at least something. I know that is silly, but she also needs to learn to take care of her own; therefore, she needs some knowledge about items and possessions.

Alex, using only the system display in front of him, decides to open the Chests with its help, not daring to openly show his spoils, as he couldn’t come up with a working explanation.

Damn... so much loot... time to get rich!

Alex quickly opens all three White Chests in quick succession.

You received 2,500 FC

You received 1,500 FC

You received Soul Crystal (Small)

You received Pure Paladin Squad Cape

[Pure Paladin Squad Cape]

World: Hunter x Hunter

Quality: Green

Type: Cape (Cloak)

Required Stats: SPR - 5

Durability: 15/15

Effect: Increases SPR by 1 (Flat boost, not increased by other skills)

Note: Wearing it raises your spirit at the cost of your dignity.

Fucking ugly as fuck white cape. That sucks... well, the Soul Crystal is nice, I suppose. What can you really expect from White Chests? Pretty decent LUK, I guess.

Annoyed, he swiftly opens the Blue Chest looted from Bushidora.

You received Soul Crystal (Medium)

You received Pure Paladin Squad Leader Cape

Nice! A medium-sized Soul Crystal... and... another cape?!

[Pure Paladin Squad Leader Cape]

World: Hunter x Hunter

Quality:Deep Blue

Type: Cape (Cloak)

Required Stats: SPR - 8, CHA - 8, INT - 8

Durability: 30/30

Effect:Increases SPR, CHA, and INT by 1 (Flat boost, not increased by other skills)

Effect: Increases all effects that are enhancing your allies by 5%

Note: Makes you look pretentious and doesn’t really enhance your battle abilities. It does, however, allow you to control your troops with surprising efficiency.

Another white cape... well, this is quite good for a Blue Quality item. Maybe even worth selling.

Now let’s open Illumi’s Chest.

You received Soul Crystal (Small)

You received Soul Crystal (Medium)

You received Illumi’s Transformation Needle x3

[Illumi’s Transformation Needle] x3

World: Hunter x Hunter

Quality: Deep Purple

Type: Needle (Consumable)

Effect: This needle can be activated to perfectly mimic the looks and features of your target, even including bones, allowing the user to become significantly taller or smaller. The user’s appearance can only be altered up to a certain degree, so be aware when choosing to mimic someone vastly different from yourself. This also alters the user’s voice.

Effect: To start the transformation, simply push the needle into your neck. The transformation lasts for 30 minutes.

Warning: While this item allows the user to mimic their target’s looks and voice, it only works if the user knows whom to copy. It is impossible to transform into someone that the user doesn’t know about or only vaguely remembers.

Note: Makes you look and talk like your target... but not behave like it. You'd better know what you’re doing, or you’ll get caught in the blink of an eye.

Note: Allows you to become anyone you want... for half an hour.

Nice! Incredible even! Soul Crystals and an item like that... it’s damn broken. This is so fucking useful. I can do the sickest strategies... and I got three of them! Insane.

Now it’s time for the best!