"We accidentally triggered some Nen writing Ging left behind and entered King Wangu Hui Guo Rou's tomb..."
In the end, Liam decided partial truth was safer than complete fabrication. He told Razor about Ghost Island, editing as he went. In this version, he and Shizuku were private Hunters hired by Ochima officials for an investigation mission. They'd entered the ancient tomb during that work, discovered Ging's message carved into the walls, and later met Ging's student, Alain Dreyfus Blanchett.
Razor had dismissed the two muscle-bound enforcers and was listening alone now.
Ging was a Ruins Hunter. Razor knew that much.
But he didn't know much beyond the basics.
Razor had been a death row inmate once. Multiple murders. Arrested by Ging, thrown in prison, then recruited to work on Greed Island. Invited to be one of the game's developers.
Ging was an incredible fighter. Had to be, to beat Razor into submission so thoroughly that he'd agreed to this arrangement.
Ging was a genius with ideas that shouldn't work but somehow did. Without him, Greed Island, this absurd fantasy dreamed up by a bunch of Nen users, would never have become reality.
Razor's understanding of Ging was basically frozen at that point in time. Back when Ging had been about twenty years old.
Now, he was learning from this kid that Ging had one of the world's richest men as a student. The founder of Blanchett Company, no less.
Ging never stopped moving, Razor thought. After leaving Greed Island, what has he been chasing?
Razor listened to Liam's account of Ghost Island without changing expression. Even when the story touched on King Wangu's history, his face remained neutral.
Men like Razor didn't express emotions easily. And as an experienced Nen user, he knew better than to reveal his thoughts casually.
On the other side, the two enforcers took advantage of the pause to check on Kortopi, who was still unconscious after taking Razor's "volleyball bomb" to the chest.
Member of the Phantom Troupe. Class-A wanted criminals. Famous worldwide. Bounties worth hundreds of millions. If we can capture this guy and cash him in...
Shizuku watched them search Kortopi's body.
Under the shredded clothes, they found a spider tattoo. Black ink. Eye-catching number: 12.
"After we left Ghost Island, we took an airship to another continent," Liam continued. "Bad luck. We ran into several Phantom Troupe members. Worse luck. There was also this guy on the ship who wanted revenge against the Troupe and self-destructed with a Nen bomb ability. Worst luck. We met that asshole you just teleported away. Pariston. The one with the disgusting personality."
He pointed at unconscious Kortopi. "The airship exploded. The other two Troupe members escaped. This one got left behind. His ability lets him copy anything his left hand touches using his right hand. We survived the crash because of him. But I'm not sure if the other passengers have been rescued yet or if they're still floating out there."
"Whether you want to keep him as forced labor or turn him in for the bounty, that's your business. But if you're thinking about killing him for convenience..."
Liam paused. "Normally, his copies last twenty-four hours. But if he dies, I don't know if they disappear immediately. So if you want to kill him or cut him into pieces, it'd be more appropriate, kinder really, to wait until after seven or eight a.m. tomorrow before doing anything permanent."
Razor stood calmly, hands in his pockets. "If I remember correctly, you said 'Mr. Ging's disciple asked me to bring you a message.' I've listened to your story. Where's the message?"
The Phantom Troupe kills people for fun, Liam thought. They deserve whatever they get. Best case scenario, everyone's head rolls the moment the clock strikes seven tomorrow.
Liam blinked but didn't say it out loud.
Razor had been a death row inmate himself. Saying something like that to his face would be like pointing at a monk and calling him bald. Rude and tactless.
"Can't you just... not use your magic card?" Liam tried hard to sound sincere. "We've got our own boat. We've got legs. We can leave on our own. You don't need to do anything."
Razor's tone stayed even. "If it were possible, I'd take you back to the island town and let you stay a few days. But that's not my decision to make."
"Even we developers have to follow the island's rules." Razor's eyes narrowed. "To enter or exit Greed Island, you must use in-game methods. Anything else makes you an intruder. And intruders get expelled. When you're playing a game, you follow the rules. Don't you think?"
He raised the "Exile" spell card again.
Azian Continent! Liam stared at the card's description and wanted to tear his hair out.
He put on his most serious expression. "I really can't go to Azian Continent. I have a disease that will literally kill me if I go there."
Shizuku, who'd been listening quietly, turned to stare at him in surprise. Really?
Liam pinched her cheek and turned her head away. Shizuku blinked, confused but obedient.
Razor lowered the card slightly and squinted at the gray rock sparrow and two crows perched on Shizuku's shoulders. "Fine. You don't have to go to Azian Continent. But answer a question first. That Spider over there. Was he under your control earlier?"
Liam opened his mouth, not sure how to answer, when Razor pulled another card from his pocket.
He called out the activation phrase and slapped it toward them from a distance.
White aura enveloped Liam and Shizuku instantly.
In the white light, Liam glared at Razor. Shizuku raised Blinky, ready to fight.
"Just wait for me—"
Razor heard only the echo of Liam's voice. The kid and the girl evaporated, turning into two clusters of white light and vanishing into thin air.
"If they're not on the same side as the Spider, then..."
Razor turned quickly toward Kortopi's unconscious form and walked over to check on him, mind working through the logic.
Liam slapped Kortopi's forehead earlier. Right before I was about to use Exile. Was that action him releasing control?
He moved the instant I pulled out the card. Before I even activated it. Like he knew exactly what was about to happen.
The only explanation is that this kid named Liam has some understanding of Greed Island's game rules. Even if the spell card has a description written on it, most people wouldn't believe it worked exactly as stated just from seeing it once.
But there was no reason for him to immediately release control of the Spider... unless he concluded that after I used Exile, his control would be severed somehow.
Which means this kid Liam even understands the effects of the administrator-exclusive Exile spell card in advance.
Thoughts spun rapidly through Razor's mind. Not because he had any particular agenda regarding Liam, but because analysis was habit for experienced Nen users. Always consider. Always observe. Keep the mind sharp.
SLAP. SLAP.
Kortopi got slapped awake for the second time today. But this time, instead of the kid's face, he saw the squint-eyed developer of Greed Island staring down at him.