Chapter 17: The Manipulator's Web
[ ** SYSTEM MESSAGE: USER ADAM RICHTER. NEW OBJECTIVE: ACCUMULATE 20 UNIQUE DEATHS FOR SYSTEM UPGRADE LVL 1. CURRENT PROGRESS: 15/20. FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT: 10,000,000 JENNY. CURRENT JENNY: 10,000,000 JENNY. ** ]
With 'Ko' in his arsenal, Adam felt a surge of offensive power. But he knew that physical strength wasn't everything in the world of Nen. Manipulators, with their insidious control over minds and bodies, posed a unique threat. He needed a defense against their invisible strings.
" Alright, Adam, time for some mental fortitude. Manipulators are creepy. Like, 'puppet master in a dark alley' creepy. I need a skill that says 'my brain is not for rent, thank you very much.' Something that lets me resist being turned into a human marionette. This is going to be a fun one. Probably. "
Adam used his 'Gyo' to scan the arena for manipulators. He looked for auras that were subtle, flowing, and seemed to extend outwards, almost like invisible tendrils. He found his target: a slender, elegant woman named Seraphina, whose movements were unnaturally graceful, and whose opponents often seemed to stumble or hesitate at crucial moments, as if their own bodies were betraying them. Her aura, visible to Adam, pulsed with a faint, hypnotic rhythm.
" Seraphina, you beautiful, terrifying puppeteer! You're going to be my next teacher! And by 'teacher,' I mean 'the person who tries to make me dance against my will, and then kills me, for a skill.' "
Adam signed up for a match against Seraphina. As they stepped onto the platform, Adam adopted a slightly more cautious, but still irritating, tone.
"Seraphina, my dear!" Adam began, bowing with an exaggerated flourish. "Your grace is truly captivating! It's almost as if you're… orchestrating the very air around you! Do you perhaps moonlight as a conductor for an invisible orchestra? Because your movements are simply… mesmerizing. Though, I must confess, I'm more of a heavy metal fan. All about the raw, uncontrolled chaos, you know?"
Seraphina merely smiled, a serene, unsettling expression. Her eyes, however, held a calculating gleam. Adam could feel a subtle pressure, a faint whisper in his mind, urging him to step forward, to lower his guard.
" Oh, she's good. Very subtle. Like a gentle breeze trying to push you off a cliff. I need to make her try to control me. Really try. And then die from it. "
Adam resisted the subtle urge, forcing himself to move against the mental current. "You know," Adam continued, his voice slightly strained, "I've always wondered about the ethics of manipulating people. Is it like, 'mind over matter,' or more like 'mind over other people's matter, because yours is just so much better?' Just curious. For a friend. Who's also a highly unethical supervillain, probably."
Seraphina's smile tightened. Her aura pulsed more strongly, and Adam felt the mental pressure intensify. He felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to raise his hand, to slap himself. He fought it, his muscles tensing, his mind screaming in defiance.
" She's going for it! This is the good stuff! Come on, Seraphina, make me do something truly humiliating, and then kill me! I need that mental fortress! "
Seraphina's eyes narrowed. With a silent command, Adam felt his body seize up. His legs moved against his will, forcing him to walk towards the edge of the platform. His arms began to rise, his hands reaching for his own throat. He fought it with every fiber of his being, sweat beading on his forehead. This was terrifying. To lose control.
" No! Not like this! Not self-strangulation! That's just… undignified! "
Seraphina, seeing his struggle, decided to end it. With a final, powerful surge of her aura, she forced Adam to leap off the platform, his body flailing helplessly as he plummeted towards the ground. He heard a sickening crack as he hit the arena floor, his neck snapping instantly. Darkness.
[ ** SYSTEM MESSAGE: UNIQUE DEATH DETECTED. SKILL ACQUISITION INITIATED. ** ]
[ ** SYSTEM MESSAGE: ACQUIRED SKILL: [B-RANK SKILL] MANIPULATION RESISTANCE (LOW). ** ]
" Oh, thank god! Manipulation Resistance! That was horrifying! I felt like a puppet on very unwilling strings! Never again! Well, never again to that specific death, anyway. Now I can resist! Slightly! "
Adam gasped, sitting bolt upright in his inn room, a profound sense of relief washing over him. He felt a subtle, almost imperceptible shield around his mind, a quiet strength that would allow him to resist external mental influence. He was at 16/20 unique deaths.
He quickly made his way back to the arena. He found Gon and Killua, still training. Adam approached Killua, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Hey, Killua," Adam said, his voice casual. "I bet I can resist your incredible charm. Try to convince me to give you all my chocolate. Use your most persuasive, puppy-dog eyes."
Killua, confused, shrugged. "Give me your chocolate." He tried to put on a pleading face.
Adam felt a faint, almost imperceptible urge to hand over his imaginary chocolate, but it was easily dismissed. "Ha! See? Nothing! My mind is a fortress! A slightly sarcastic, very chocolate-hoarding fortress! Your charms are useless against me now!"
Killua just stared at him, bewildered. Adam grinned. He was becoming increasingly resistant to the world's various attempts to control him, mentally or physically. Four more deaths. He was so close.
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