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Presidential Suite, Hotel — Two Hours After the Last Assault
Silence had returned, as if the earlier battle had never occurred.
Perhaps it was due to Kai and the others being too aggressive. Whatever the reason, no one had come looking for trouble in the past two hours.
The group had taken the opportunity to wash up, freshen themselves, and now—finally—gathered around the table.
Dinner was served.
"Aruba, come eat," Kai called out with a relaxed smile, motioning for the man to join them.
"Gulu~~~"
The fat man's throat bobbed visibly as he swallowed hard. With his large frame, it was obvious that he was someone who loved food—and the feast before them was too tempting to resist.
The colors, the aroma, the taste—it was all exquisite. He had never seen, let alone tasted, anything so delicious in his life.
"I… I…"
"Don't worry about it," Kai said casually, "As long as you do your job well in the future, there'll be plenty more rewards like this."
Something seemed to click in Aruba's mind.
His eyes lit up. He nodded fiercely, then leapt forward.
He grabbed a whole braised pig trotter with his bare hands and shoved it into his mouth.
The moment the meat touched his tongue, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"S-So… good… mmmph… delicious!!"
Uvogin, sitting across from him, narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction. Watching someone eat with more intensity than himself didn't sit well.
Could he, the mighty Uvogin, lose to a fat man in sheer appetite?
No way.
With a grunt, he grabbed two trotters and crammed them into his mouth simultaneously, throwing a proud grin at Aruba.
Aruba shivered, nearly peeing himself from the pressure.
Drinks were poured. Food disappeared fast.
Kai leaned back on the sofa, comfortably watching them eat. Aruba sat stiffly at the edge of his chair, not daring to get too comfortable.
"Do you know why I kept you alive?" Kai asked.
"Sir, I will obey all your commands," Aruba replied without hesitation, instinctively offering a formal salute.
Kai chuckled, then leaned forward slightly, his tone slow and deliberate.
"I know you're smart. And I know you're ambitious."
"I don't mind ambition. In fact, people without ambition rarely achieve anything worthwhile."
He adjusted his posture, locking eyes with Aruba.
"I'll tell you clearly—my goal is to build a force."
"A force on par with a national army."
Aruba blinked, stunned.
Army?
"My lord… do you mean… to build a nation?!"
It wasn't just Aruba who was shocked—even Machi and the others turned toward Kai with wide eyes.
Establishing a nation wasn't something you said casually. No matter what world you lived in, that kind of ambition was earth-shattering.
The largest organization Aruba had ever seen was the Ten Dons' criminal syndicate.
Even that group only controlled tens of thousands of members.
A nation? That would require hundreds of thousands—millions, even.
Kai smirked. "No, no. I have no interest in that sort of boring thing."
"What I intend to build is something akin to the Hunter Association."
"A professional exploration force—with Nen users as the core, and ordinary people as the support foundation."
"The reason I compare it to a military structure is simple: only a military framework can instill true fearlessness."
"Especially if we're going to explore the Dark Continent."
The room fell quiet.
Even those familiar with the name had never heard much about it.
Kai continued, his voice low but firm.
"The Dark Continent is filled with unimaginable dangers… but also unimaginable resources."
He began to explain—over the next hour—the truths hidden beyond the world's known boundaries.
Machi and the others had only heard rumors. Kai laid it all out: the five great disasters, the horrifying casualty rates, and the unspeakable creatures that lurked in the unknown.
"The country of Sahelta once sent a thousand special forces soldiers to explore the ruins of an ancient city… only two came back alive."
"The others? Wiped out by a single disaster-class organism."
Uvogin's eyes burned with excitement.
Kai, you're saying there are insanely powerful enemies over there?"
Kai nodded with a calm smile. "At least a hundred times stronger than me as I am now."
"Then I'm in!" Uvogin roared.
"Nobunaga, you're coming too. Who knows? Maybe you'll find some miracle rice and get your youth back."
Nobunaga took a deep breath.
Don't argue with idiots… take a step back and stay calm. If a dog bites you, you don't bite back…
"…I'm only a year older than you, damn it! Call me old again and I'll kill you!!"
Kai sighed, rubbing his temples.
There's just no reasoning with Uvogin sometimes.
Aruba, who had been listening with wide eyes, suddenly spoke up.
"My lord… what can I do?"
Kai glanced at him, then answered plainly.
"Simple. You make the money. You find me people and information."
"I'll handle the fighting. You handle everything else."
His words were clear.
The true wielder of power never handles everything alone. That's how you burn out.
Only through delegation could an organization grow rapidly.
As for Kai? He needed to ensure just one thing—absolute combat power.
In this world, power ruled all.
Aruba nodded slowly, understanding dawning on him.
Though he was still under Kai's thumb, the structure Kai was building… if it succeeded…
His position in that organization could rise far beyond anything he'd achieved in the gangs.
He'd been demoted and sent to a suicide mission after offending a rich brat.
Now, faced with a path toward true power, a fire lit in Aruba's eyes.
Kai noticed the change.
His face turned serious as he began issuing instructions.
"The first task is to consolidate control over the city's underworld."
Once Aruba left to begin preparations, Machi turned to Kai.
"Are you sure we can trust him?"
No emotions. No threats. In her eyes, that kind of loyalty was paper-thin.
Kai shrugged.
"What's the difference between trust and distrust?"
"If he's useful, I give him power. If not, I replace him."
"In this world, talent is cheap."
He looked out the window.
"For the truly ambitious—this kind of opportunity is what they dream of."
"I've met real gamblers. People who would bet everything, even their lives, on a chance."
Their hunger was something ordinary people couldn't comprehend.
"Alright, we'll worry about him after he delivers the intel."
"For now, let's review the last battle."
No war ends without an after-action report.
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