Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 219 (Patreon)

Chapter 219: Skilled in Battle

In the Hunter Association, the Zodiacs are twelve hunters whose abilities have been recognized by Chairman Netero. Each member has their own title, and most of them, in admiration of Chairman Netero, alter their personalities, appearances, and even Nen abilities according to their titles.

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig—these are the titles of the Zodiacs, corresponding to the twelve zodiac signs.

Geru, representing the Snake, has over the years come to embody the snake not only in appearance but also in her Nen ability to transform her arms into snakes, elongating and bending at will, resembling an Enhancer's power.

Whether it's her appearance years later or her Nen abilities, it's highly likely a change she chose after becoming one of the Zodiacs. Currently, having just become a Zodiac, neither her appearance nor her Nen abilities are what they will be years later.

A heavy rain that lasted nearly an hour still showed no signs of stopping and seemed only to intensify.

The world was pitch black except for the frequent flashes of lightning.

Luo looked at Geru stepping out from behind the rocks. Even her hooded raincoat couldn't hide her slender, graceful figure, her beautiful features, thin eyebrows, and the vertical pupils in her eyes that drew attention.

After getting a clear view of Geru's face, Luo confirmed her identity. Biscuit had asked him to stir up trouble, specifically to pick a fight with this woman.

Luo had forgotten the names of the Zodiacs, but if going by appearance, he could still recognize them. However, he hadn't recognized Geru because she looked different from how she would years later.

"Do you know me?" Geru asked, her aura steady and wrapped around her as she stared coldly at Luo, voicing the doubt in her mind.

"I don't," Luo shook his head.

Geru glanced at the corpse of the Misfortune Toad and, uninterested in probing further, said indifferently, "You just asked me if I wanted the toad. I can tell you now, I've claimed this toad."

With that, she seemed to casually scan the surroundings.

In the distance, Biscuit was leaning against a rock, thinking it was a close call.

Although he hadn't been spotted, Geru seemed to have guessed the situation involved her, especially since she had been next to Luo when he mentioned her in such an obvious way.

"Once a hunter sets their sights on prey, they'll try every means to obtain it."

Biscuit slightly narrowed his eyes. No matter what, as long as Luo had the Misfortune Toad, Geru would definitely make a move to snatch it because Luo wouldn't trade the toad.

At the scene, Luo watched Geru and smiled, "You want it, but I'm not giving it to you."

"Name your price," Geru said.

Issues solvable with money weren't usually settled by force.

Luo just chuckled, not responding.

His fighting style wasn't as flamboyant as Uvogin's, and he generally didn't seek trouble, but he knew Biscuit wanted this seemingly strong woman as a sparring partner for him.

For Luo himself, he wanted a match with someone other than Biscuit, as Biscuit's strength was so great it was beyond his current grasp, not a good reference for his current level.

Since Biscuit pointed out Geru's presence, Luo was naturally obliged to comply, and if circumstances allowed, he really did want to gain some confidence from Geru.

Seeing Luo remain silent, Geru held up two fingers and said, "I'll offer twice the market price."

"I'm not short on money, so why don't you try taking it by force?" Luo said seriously.

Hearing Luo's words, Geru was silent for a moment, then nodded calmly, "I understand."

As her words fell, she suddenly charged at Luo.

Negotiations had failed, and Luo had expressed that if she wanted it, she could only take it by force—how could Geru be polite?

As she sprinted, Geru moved her hands, and four thin beams shot out from her fingers, piercing through many raindrops towards Luo's face and chest.

The four thin beams were needles coated with a paralyzing toxin, and wrapped in aura to prevent the rain from washing away the toxin.

The sound of the needles piercing the air was nearly inaudible, and on such a stormy night, they were as unexpected as fireflies in the dark. But with Biscuit's training, Luo had developed the habit of focusing his aura on his eyes during combat. Now, seeing the needles flying towards him, he expanded his field.

When the needles were about a meter from Luo's eyes, their speed drastically reduced from extremely fast to slow

, but they still advanced another half meter before coming to a complete halt. If they had been twice as powerful, his field might not have stopped them.

"Truly extraordinary," Luo commented as he turned the needles around and sent them back.

Facing the four needles returned by Luo, Geru moved her hands in the air, and in the thunderous night, she accurately caught the needles between her fingers.

"If I hadn't applied aura to the needles, they'd be powerless, and the toxin would be washed away. But with aura, given this person's vigilance, there would hardly be a chance of hitting him without closing the distance," Geru thought as she flipped her palm, hiding the needles somewhere. She stepped through splashes of water, closing the distance to within a hundred meters.

Seeing Geru approaching directly, Luo didn't retreat. Instead, he suddenly squatted down, placing his right hand on the rain-soaked rock.

Attacking from a distance with aura on the needles was typically an Emitter's tactic, but her direct charge resembled an Enhancer's approach.

"If True Master were here, the choices would be more numerous, but it doesn't matter now; there are too many conditions to use right now," Luo said with a slight smile, releasing aura from his palm into the rock, which was his domain infiltrating the ground beneath.

"Hmm?"

Geru's expression tightened slightly as she immediately noticed Luo's action. Without direct contact, she couldn't judge what Luo was planning, so she heightened her alertness.

As the distance closed to within forty meters...

Luo suddenly stood up, and with a movement of his hand, he gathered the falling rain into a ball in his palm, then formed it into spikes with an aura membrane.

From gathering the rainball to shaping it, it took less than a second, showcasing his delicate control of Nen.

In the shadows, Biscuit watched this scene and couldn't help but marvel. Luo's delicate control always showed many brilliant points.

"Manipulator?" Geru guessed. The next second, she focused her gaze as Luo slapped several water arrows her way, each wrapped in aura.

"Emitter?"

Geru slightly slowed her pace, her movements agile. In the limited visibility, she easily dodged the group of water arrows, and soon, the distance was less than thirty meters.

At that moment, she suddenly raised her hand, holding eight thin needles between her fingers. But as she was about to act, the ground suddenly collapsed.

"Now!" Geru's thoughts flashed, remembering Luo's earlier action of pressing his hand to the ground.

Just as her feet were about to sink, Geru forcefully pushed off the rocks, using the leverage to leap forward, avoiding the collapsing area. As she landed, Luo was already close.

As if she had anticipated this, Geru quickly struck out with her hands, each holding a poisoned needle, aimed at Luo's body.

Just then, as if hit by an air cannon, her body was pushed to one side.

This timing, just as her residual force from landing had dissipated and new energy was being used to attack, left her unguarded and unable to stabilize her stance. Her needle strike was also thrown off.

Luo, having created this opportunity, naturally seized it.

He raised his hand and punched, hitting Geru squarely in the abdomen. As she flew backward, she shot the needles from her fingertips.

"If it were his former strength..." Luo looked up at the flying needles, stopping them all in front of his eyes.

"Boom!"

Lightning illuminated the earth.

Geru couldn't hide her shock as she fell dozens of meters away.

Her hastily made needle attack indeed lacked power, but this young man was not only skilled in battle but also had mysterious abilities!

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