Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 136 (Patreon)

Chapter 136: No Compromise

Facing Machi's invitation, Luo sighed silently.

The formation of the Phantom Troupe was quicker than Luo had anticipated. After all, when he left, he knew of only five members: Chrollo Lucilfer, Pakunoda, Uvogin, Nobunaga Hazama, and Machi.

Now that Machi had joined the Troupe, was there still a possibility of taking her away?

"This was Chrollo's proposal, and we all agreed. After finding out you were alive, the first thing the Troupe did was look for you. It's not just me; Uvogin and the others also hope you could join the Troupe."

Machi did not understand why Luo sighed, but she continued anyway.

The decision to invite Luo into the Troupe faced opposition only from Feitan.

Currently, the Phantom Troupe had only seven members: Chrollo, Pakunoda, Uvogin, Nobunaga, Machi, and the later additions, Feitan and Franklin Bordeau.

On the day of its formation, the first thing the Troupe did was find Luo and then try to recruit him. At that time, Franklin, who did not know Luo, had no objections, unlike Feitan, who had considerable reservations.

According to him, without prior interaction, he would not acknowledge Luo's qualification to join the Troupe, focusing mainly on strength.

This point, even with Uvogin's defeat at Luo's hands in a hundred matches, could not persuade Feitan.

Feitan insisted on seeing to believe.

His opposition naturally became void since the decision was made by majority rule.

However, would Luo join the Phantom Troupe? Clearly impossible. Even if the Phantom Troupe had a significant degree of freedom, he would not want to be constrained.

Moreover, he did not appreciate the future direction of the Troupe, indicating a fundamental ideological difference.

In this world, ordinary people are like ants, life is as fragile as grass, and death is as light as a feather. Despite this, Luo could not align with the future Phantom Troupe.

It was about the future, not the present.

Luo viewed the current Troupe from the perspective of facts more than a decade later. The Troupe was just established, with space for change, but... Luo had no reason to change the Troupe, nor did he intend to.

His goal was to explore the vast and boundless world, unwilling to be confined by the Phantom Troupe.

"I will not join the Troupe," Luo finally responded to Machi after a moment of silence, with a definitive answer.

"Why?" Machi suddenly became anxious, her tone of voice revealing her urgency.

How could Luo respond to this question? Should he say he did not like the Troupe a decade from now?

But judging by Machi's reaction, not providing an answer would indeed be difficult.

"Why, you ask..." Luo pondered for a moment, then seriously said, "The world is so vast, I want to see it."

Machi was stunned by his words, and even Sanbica Norton, who was watching from the sidelines, thought Luo's answer was perfunctory.

In fact, this was indeed Luo's genuine thought. On Earth, he had a somewhat naive dream of venturing into the ten most forbidden zones of humanity, a dream that mysteriously brought him to the Hunter world before it could even begin.

This place was hundreds of times more dangerous than Earth, but Luo had also become stronger, giving him reason to continue his dream in the Hunter world.

"I don't care, you must join!" Machi, snapping back to reality, ignored Luo's reasoning and was adamant.

Luo could only smile bitterly, saying, "I'm really not interested."

Machi, unwavering, looked at Luo with determination in her eyes. She genuinely wanted Luo to join the Troupe, and it wasn't just her; Uvogin and Nobunaga felt the same.

Facing Machi's relentless gaze, Luo rubbed his temples and said, "If you want me to join, beat me."

This statement left Sanbica Norton helplessly sighing in her dark eyes; she knew Luo's strength all too well. Wasn't this outright bullying?

Machi wasn't foolish; she didn't accept immediately but challenged, "Would you dare say that after everyone is gathered?"

She did not believe she could beat Luo, a correct judgment, but the others might not necessarily agree.

"You don't need to provoke me. If you want to test the outcome, we can do it anytime, just not tonight." Luo smiled slightly, seeing through Machi's intentions. Even if Uvogin and the others might have become much stronger, they wouldn't be a match for him, something he was very confident about.

He didn't plan to stay in Meteor Street too long; he would directly go to the Elder of the East tomorrow to snatch the real lord, possibly leading

to a fierce battle. Hence, he preferred to conserve energy tonight.

This plan, he intended to reveal later, to see Uvogin and the others' reactions.

Hearing Luo's words, Machi nodded, not pressing too hard, but she was determined to have Luo join the Troupe!

Sanbica Norton, as an outsider, saw Machi's persistence as a sign of how much they valued Luo. Luo also considered Machi a significant friend, along with the others he hadn't met, presumably feeling the same.

Thus, Luo seemingly had no reason to refuse, yet he did so straightforwardly.

Sanbica Norton was puzzled by this, but it seemed unrelated to her, and she soon stopped thinking about it.

The topic of joining the Troupe temporarily paused, and Machi took a step forward, silently walking ahead.

Seeing this, Luo sighed silently, picked up the cloth bag at his feet, slung it over his shoulder, and followed Machi, with Sanbica Norton trailing behind.

He could feel Machi's insistence, her refusal to accept his rejection, genuinely wanting him to join the Phantom Troupe. Despite this, it wouldn't sway his decision.

If the positions were reversed... If he asked Machi to leave the Phantom Troupe, would she agree? If not, would he also insist as strongly for her agreement?

The two of them, one ahead and one behind, had diverging thoughts; in fact, their beliefs had already parted ways.

Neither of them could compromise on their stance.

Machi wouldn't leave the Troupe, that much was clear, especially since all the familiar faces were there.

Luo wouldn't join the Troupe, also clear, but his reasons remained unspoken.

No matter how much Machi, Uvogin, and Nobunaga wished for him to join, there was no room for negotiation.

Soon, the three of them arrived at Uvogin's doorstep.

Machi seemed to want Luo to experience a setback, letting him knock on the door.

Seeing through Machi's intention, Luo, albeit reluctantly, straightforwardly knocked on Uvogin's door.

After a moment, the door was forcefully opened.

Naturally, Uvogin was the one who opened it. Seeing Luo, his expression froze, obviously unable to immediately grasp the thought of Luo appearing suddenly.

"Yo." Luo raised his hand, a familiar greeting.

Uvogin's expression slowly changed, his mouth stretching into a grin, suddenly revealing a set of neat, white teeth. His way of returning the greeting, consistent with what Luo and Machi had anticipated before coming, was a fist enveloped in aura.

It wasn't a hastily thrown punch but rather casually gathered aura in front of Luo, giving him enough time to react.

Under Machi and Sanbica Norton's watchful eyes, Uvogin, without gathering much aura, unceremoniously threw a punch at Luo.

The act of gathering aura was to give Luo a choice.

To block or to dodge.

Whichever choice, Uvogin would accept.

This punch was not just to vent frustration but also to express his joy.

"Bang!"

In the quiet residential area, a muffled sound pierced the night.

Uvogin's punch, not at full strength, was easily caught by Luo using his left hand, as his right was holding the cloth bag.

Seeing how easily Luo caught Uvogin's punch, Machi's eyes narrowed, immediately recalling Luo's earlier statement.

The condition of joining the Troupe if beaten... Could the others win?

The strength of this punch, known only too well by Uvogin himself, was not fully powered but still had fifty percent of his aura.

"Ha ha."

He silently retracted his fist, letting out a pleased and hearty laugh.

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