Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 269 (Patreon)

Chapter 269: Went too far, didn’t it?

The score is four to one. If Luo loses another point, Chairman Netero will have the advantage of match point first.

The fourth lost point made Luo realize that only his hands could catch the ball.

Using his Nen domain, he could block the ball, but not catch it, as the control over the domain is broader and lacks the precision of hands.

“This point must be won.”

Luo looked down at the volleyball, his strong desire to win enveloping him with an aura of sharpness.

He stretched his arm holding the ball straight, facing Chairman Netero, seemingly opting not for a traditional serve or even a spike.

The essence of this match relied more on the diverse application of Nen rather than volleyball techniques.

Seeing Luo’s unique serving style, Netero immediately thought of the Emitter-type abilities Luo had used in previous arena matches.

“This indeed allows for better use of 'Hatsu.'” Netero thought to himself.

At that moment, the ball suddenly moved.

With his palm remaining still, Luo used his Emitter-type ability to launch the ball.

If he had slapped the ball, the brief contact between his palm and the ball, like a dragonfly skimming water, would have made it difficult to infuse it with Nen and achieve the desired effect.

Luo’s method, using 'Hatsu' from a stationary position, lacked the assist from hitting the ball with his palm but allowed for a more effective use of Nen.

This ball, however, was not aimed straight but flew towards Netero’s left.

Netero sprang on one foot, positioning himself at the ball’s landing spot, and caught it with both hands.

At that moment, Luo concentrated his aura in his eyes, observing how Netero handled the ball.

“The flow of aura seems slow, yet it keeps up with the rotation speed of my aura.”

“Rotating the aura in the same direction, protecting the ball while gradually wearing down its spin.”

Luo understood Netero’s method of handling the ball—it seemed akin to fishing.

Initially following the direction of the fish's movement, patiently waiting for it to exhaust itself, then suddenly flipping the direction of Nen, using the opposite force to fully secure the ball.

And yet, Netero’s aura appeared slow and quiet, yet had a presence that far surpassed his own, like a person walking slowly yet outpacing someone sprinting.

Is this how to handle the ball?

But it seemed so easy to figure out... Was it a trap? Or was he imagining it?

Luo’s gaze shifted to Netero’s face, a solemn expression.

“Should I use the same method as Chairman Netero?”

Luo felt something was off. And, understanding the principle, why simply mimic it? He could utilize his abilities differently to handle the ball.

Just as Luo figured it out, Chairman Netero served again, a formidable ball coming straight at him.

Luo, highly focused, didn’t need to move, just stood and caught the ball.

He extended his hands and firmly caught the ball, using a method different from Chairman Netero’s.

Separation!

He used the features of God's Hand, following the direction of the ball’s aura rotation, gradually removing the aura from the volleyball. From a distance, the separated aura looked like fluttering pieces of paper.

Within five seconds, the ball stopped and did not explode, its exterior intact.

“Good kid,” Netero muttered in appreciation.

It was Luo’s turn to attack. He chose to hold the ball with both hands and, in a stationary motion, pushed it flying out.

The volleyball, like an arrow, crossed nearly fifty meters and landed on the right side of Netero’s court.

Netero quickly reached the spot where the ball landed and caught it easily. However, as soon as he caught it, the ball exploded.

Four to two.

“The second ball.” Luo revealed a sly smile.

Netero didn’t mind and fetched a new ball from the basket, returning to the court with another serve similar to the previous ones.

Luo had completely mastered catching the ball, and once again, he easily caught it.

Then, he held the ball with both hands and served again!

“Boom!”

Once Netero caught the ball, it exploded again, making the score four to three.

Luo, seeing this, punched the air excitedly, as if he had already seen the dawn of victory.

Netero fetched another new ball, and in his turn to attack, Luo caught the ball again, and when it was Netero’s turn to defend, he failed again.

Four to four.

Netero lost three balls in a row, but his reaction was nonchalant.

During these three balls, Luo had injected two strands of aura, spinning in different directions and

 finely adjusted, making the speeds of their rotation differ.

Thus, when Netero first caught the ball, just as the aura was integrated into it, the ball couldn’t withstand it and exploded.

“Emitter-type.”

By personally interacting with these three balls, Netero confirmed a fact—that Luo had perfected the use of Emitter-type characteristics.

In fact, Zeno had watched the replay of Luo and Antomu’s match and still couldn’t discern Luo’s Nen type. A clear answer would most likely require direct contact.

Just like now with Netero, who, through these three balls, had his answer, but even so, he still didn’t believe Luo was just an Emitter-type.

It was Netero’s turn to serve. He didn’t toss the ball up but held it in his right hand. Then, using 'Ko,' he infused most of his aura into the volleyball, making it radiate brilliantly.

He lifted his arm, pulled back, and then threw it with force.

The ball fiercely flew towards Luo, emitting a series of explosive sounds.

Whiz!

The ball crashed into Luo’s hands, a force far more potent than before transmitted through the volleyball to Luo’s body.

“Hmm?!”

Luo, unable to keep up with removing the aura, felt like a rootless weed, pushed back by this force.

He slid back a great distance, and this terrifyingly powerful ball suddenly slipped out of his hands, veering to the right and lightning-fast breaking through a wall, its force unabated as it headed further away.

At the same time, Luo fell to the ground.

Bang bang bang...!

Seven loud noises followed as the volleyball broke through seven walls, flew out of the Heavens Arena, and disappeared into the night.

“The fifth ball, one more and you lose,” Netero said with a smile.

Luo glanced at Netero and then looked at his slightly swollen hands, frowning without a word.

What a joke, how could he catch such a powerful ball?

The situation just now was actually intentional. He let the ball fly out because he believed that holding onto it might break his fingers. Therefore, he made the judgment to let go.

From the fifth ball onwards, Netero evidently abandoned sneaky tactics and opted for the most direct and domineering method.

That ball not only didn’t explode but also successfully forced Luo to let go and even broke through seven walls.

Despite causing such an outcome, Netero still didn’t use his full strength. After all, this wasn’t a life-or-death battle, and there was no need to go that far.

Those watching the match, except for Bisky who remained calm, were all dumbfounded.

When Luo stood up and returned to the court, Netero tossed a new ball over, kindly reminding, “It’s best not to serve like you just did.”

Luo held the ball, silently pondering this issue.

In such a terrifyingly powerful situation, the ball hadn’t exploded, indicating Netero had a way to ensure the ball could withstand extreme forces without being destroyed.

Was it similar to 'Ken'...?

If so, the previous three sneaky plays indeed had a high chance of failing. If this ball was caught by Chairman Netero, then another serve like the last would likely make him lose.

“I can’t let Chairman Netero touch the ball to have a chance to score.”

Without any evidence, Luo had this guess and unreservedly trusted it.

He decided if he wanted to score, he absolutely couldn’t let Netero touch the ball, and with this thought, he considered how to score.

Netero saw Luo not serving but thinking instead and generously did not urge him to serve. Moreover, he was quite curious about how Luo intended to get through this difficult situation.

“With Chairman Netero’s reaction and speed, no matter how tricky the angle, if the ball’s speed can’t surpass Chairman Netero’s reaction, there’s absolutely no chance.”

“And obviously, my serving speed can’t surpass Chairman Netero’s reaction speed.”

“So, how can I win?”

“Unless…”

Luo suddenly had an inspiration, recalling the fight between Zeno and Chrollo in the Yorknew auction building.

He remembered Zeno’s Dragon Head Painting, which could be freely controlled after being released. If he could apply this feature to the volleyball, maybe he could steal a point from Netero…

Combining Emitter and Manipulator types!

“Maybe it’s feasible!”

With a clear mind, Luo held the ball, making a serving motion.

Netero’s expression remained calm, waiting for Luo’s serve.

“It doesn’t need to be too complicated, just suddenly change the ball’s trajectory.” Thinking this, Luo gathered his aura and shot the ball straight towards Netero.

“Choosing a frontal attack in this situation? Commendable courage.”

Seeing the ball flying straight at him, Netero mused to himself, then assumed a posture to catch this unthreatening ball.

The ball's speed was very fast, arriving in front of Netero in an instant.

"Turn now!"

Luo’s eyes focused sharply as he manipulated the volleyball to suddenly veer off in an ‘L’ shaped trajectory just before Netero could catch it.

"Eh?"

Netero caught a glimpse of the ball turning to the left from the corner of his eye, surprised by its sudden change in direction.

At that moment, Netero instinctively thought to use ‘Hundred-Type Guanyin’ to salvage the ball, just starting to make the gesture, then quickly withdrew his hands.

He restrained the impulse at the critical moment, thereby giving up on that ball.

He thought to himself, even if he lost this ball, it would only even the score, and the next ball was his serve, giving him a full confidence to make it uncatchable for Luo.

The ball hit the left wall, bounced off it to the ground, and after several bounces, it finally settled down.

"It worked!"

Luo punched the air excitedly, saying, “Now it’s five to five!”

With Netero having gone easy on four balls, Luo brought the score to a match point, seizing a chance for victory.

“You’re celebrating too early. Think about how you’re going to catch my next ball.”

Seeing Luo's excitement, Netero commented, slightly dampening his spirit. He had already picked up the ball, ready to end this match staked on a bet.

Bisky’s gaze shifted between the two players, thinking to herself: Although the chairman went easy, the fact that Luo could hold on to this point was indeed remarkable.

Seeing Chairman Netero preparing to serve, Luo suppressed his excited emotions. He knew very well that only by catching Netero’s next ball could he come closer to victory.

"I must catch it!"

At this moment, Luo’s desire to win completely exploded.

Netero served, with the same force as the previous ball, like a meteor flying towards Luo, and again aimed straight at him.

Luo merely raised his hands and caught the ball, but was still pushed backward by the ball’s force.

“This time... I won’t let go!”

Despite knowing the potential consequences of hard catching this terrifying ball, Luo, eager to win this game, didn’t care about the risks.

No matter what, he was determined to catch the ball!

With this conviction, he refused to let go, pushed all the way to the wall’s edge, and still didn’t let the ball slip from his hands.

“Would you rather let your hands get injured than let go?” Netero watched this scene, his lips curling up with a hint of a smile.

Crack crack...

One by one, his fingers broke, the pain searing through him, but Luo merely frowned, showing no other reaction.

Soon, eight out of ten fingers were broken, but the good news was that the ball’s force began to weaken.

Hiss hiss...

As time passed, Luo’s hands became more severely injured, and the ball’s kinetic energy also gradually decreased, finally calming down in Luo’s hands.

Caught it!

Luo’s gaze fell on the ball, ignoring the rather severe condition of his palms, and he smiled satisfactorily before slowly walking back into the court.

Seeing Luo risking his hands to catch the ball, the onlookers, including Machi and others, changed their expressions, unable to understand why one would go to such lengths for a post-dinner recreational activity?

The real reason was clear only to the two involved.

“How are you going to catch the next ball with your hands like that?” Netero asked, suddenly realizing a serious issue—if Luo’s hands were injured like this, he wouldn’t be able to play with him until dawn.

More concerned about this issue than the impending result of the match, it was hard to tell whether Netero’s competitive spirit had temporarily gone offline, or if he considered the outcome of this match a foregone conclusion, likely the latter.

“As long as you can’t catch this ball, I win, and naturally, there won’t be a need to catch another ball,” Luo replied calmly.

“Oh? You seem very confident,” Netero raised an eyebrow.

A ball that could change direction in this game was like a cheat, but Netero could use the all-encompassing ‘Hundred-Type Guanyin’ to return the ball.

If Luo attempted to repeat the previous situation, Netero would definitely use ‘Hundred-Type Guanyin’ to counter and then secure the victory.

Luo, seeing victory, wore a broad smile and asked, “Chairman, have you ever lost?”

“I have,” Netero replied calmly.

In life, many things are tied to winning or losing, and having losses was not unusual.

“Then, please… lose one more time,” Luo said earnestly.

Netero’s eyes narrowed slightly,

 silently waiting for Luo’s serve.

After Luo spoke, he served.

At match point’s final ball, he didn’t use aura to amplify the ball’s speed or power, but simply used his injured palms to gently toss the ball towards Chairman Netero.

Watching this weak ball, Netero’s expression showed confusion, and the next second, his face darkened.

After Luo launched the ball, he quickly formed needle-like aura projectiles, speeding them up to overtake the ball, hitting the volleyball that had already traveled forty meters in the air.

Thus, just as Netero realized what was happening, the ball about ten meters away from him suddenly exploded.

“You little trickster!” Netero’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he felt a bit aggrieved—it really had gone too far!

Not to mention this deceitful method, even the Nen needles had been concealed by Luo using ‘In,’ erasing their aura, while Netero’s attention was on the ball, hence he didn’t notice Luo’s last-minute Nen needles.

Until the needles were about to hit the ball, he then realized the problem.

“The sixth ball!”

Luo didn’t care about Netero’s accusations, simply smiling as he announced the outcome.

Seeing this, Netero slapped his head in frustration—it had really gone too far.

“The scoring condition was set by you, wasn’t it? As long as the opponent doesn’t catch the ball, it counts, right? You wouldn’t deny that, would you?” Luo earnestly said.

“You won,” Netero admitted with a rueful smile.

From the game rules, Luo’s approach wasn’t deceitful but cunning; technically, by the rules, Luo indeed won, a point that Netero couldn’t dispute.

This kid... why does he remind me so much of Ging’s way?

In an instant, Netero seemed to see Ging’s shadow in Luo.

Beside them, Bisky covered her face; she might not have known what the scoring rules were initially, but after watching so many balls, she could roughly guess.

And then, Luo’s last ball was just... Who would have thought the chairman was too confident? If he hadn’t gone easy, he wouldn’t have lost this game.

“Went too far, didn’t it…”

Even with a thousand words, at this moment, nothing could encapsulate Bisky’s thoughts better than this brief statement.

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