HunterxHunter: I Became Stronger After Death

The enemy's strength exceeded expectations.

In such situations, the smartest choice was to flee—quickly and decisively.

Even with pressure from above to carry out the mission, the brooding young man, Vaughn, struggled internally before deciding to retreat for now.

Tonight's sniper operation would simply serve as reconnaissance…

With this reasoning, Vaughn convinced himself.

His fighting spirit ebbed like a receding tide as he turned and fled.

When faced with an enemy deemed nearly unbeatable, retreating wasn't shameful—it was survival.

Only by staying alive could the clock keep ticking forward.

And only by living could there be a "next time."

Seeing Vaughn retreat, Moro's eyes flashed with determination.

By now, he had begun to develop an embryonic "fighting instinct." How could he allow Vaughn to escape?

Raising his guard, Moro immediately took off in pursuit.

Three hundred meters.

While running, Moro roughly estimated the distance between them.

It was significant but not insurmountable.

"Fraudulent Star: Ricochet."

Moro fired two nen projectiles backward without breaking stride, his eyes locked on Vaughn ahead.

The countless hours of practice he'd invested now bore fruit.

Adjusting his position as he ran, Moro instinctively evaded the returning projectiles as they looped back toward him, aiming past him at Vaughn.

Whoosh, whoosh—

The sharp whistling of the projectiles slicing through the air echoed in the night.

The glowing spheres streaked past Moro, targeting Vaughn, who was still retreating.

Vaughn, having already witnessed the range and power of Moro's projectiles, was prepared.

Dodging them by the slimmest of margins, he watched the spheres arc away, crashing into a boulder in the field ahead.

Boom!

The boulder shattered into jagged fragments as the energy within the projectiles erupted.

Though Vaughn narrowly avoided the attack, it inevitably slowed his escape.

At the same time, he sensed Moro's unwavering determination to stop him.

When avoiding battle became impossible, running was no longer the best option.

Cursing inwardly, Vaughn quickly adjusted his mindset, readying himself for a fight.

However, even after deciding to switch from evasion to confrontation, he didn't immediately stop fleeing.

Instead, Vaughn feigned a continuous retreat, leaving his back exposed to Moro.

This baited Moro into firing more projectiles, forcing him to expend nen.

Vaughn's risky gambit aimed to deplete his opponent's energy reserves.

Yet, Vaughn's gamble was ill-informed.

If he understood the mechanics of Moro's projectiles, he wouldn't have dared attempt such a tactic.

The unique two-stage power amplification of Fraudulent Star allowed Moro to produce double the output for every unit of nen expended.

In other words, the nen consumption Vaughn hoped to exploit was far lower than he assumed.

This strategy backfired: Vaughn's repeated evasions disrupted his own rhythm, creating openings in his movements.

Even with his pace and body coordination slipping, Vaughn might have recovered if Moro couldn't continuously fire projectiles.

But Moro had more than just projectiles in his arsenal.

He had prepared for this very scenario.

Watching Vaughn falter under the pressure of the nen projectiles, Moro reached for his gun.

Bang, bang, bang!

Moro raised the firearm and emptied the clip in seconds, filling the gap between his last projectile volley and Vaughn's expected recovery window.

The bullets streaked through the air, traveling 60–70 meters before closing in on Vaughn's exposed form.

The sudden burst of gunfire caught Vaughn off guard. His pupils shrank as he abruptly stopped, turning to face the attack.

"Fireplace."

Vaughn's ability activated.

The surface of his abdomen transformed into a glowing fireplace with flickering embers, and he reallocated his remaining nen to shield his upper body.

Twelve bullets found their mark.

Thwip, thwip, thwip—

Blood sprayed from Vaughn's cheeks, shoulders, and thighs, where the bullets grazed him.

Some rounds missed entirely, but others struck his abdomen, sinking into the conjured fireplace.

Fwoosh!

The bullets ignited instantly upon entering the fireplace, stoking the embers into roaring flames.

The fire wasn't overwhelming but provided Vaughn with a noticeable increase in nen reserves.

"This is my chance!"

Seizing the moment, Vaughn launched himself forward, charging at Moro with enhanced speed and strength.

The transition from defense to offense happened in under a second.

Even in such a short window, Moro took note of the changes.

The conjured fireplace, the flames consuming the bullets as fuel, and the subsequent spike in Vaughn's nen—everything pointed to a singular conclusion:

A damage-to-buff transformation ability.

And given the visible flames, the boost was likely time-limited.

Realizing this, Moro shifted to a defensive stance.

With Vaughn's ability laid bare, the immediate threat was significantly reduced.

"His reactions are fast…"

Vaughn marveled at how quickly Moro adjusted his strategy, but he didn't hesitate to press the attack.

His enhanced speed allowed him to close the distance, stepping directly into melee range.

A straight punch shot toward Moro's face.

Moro discarded the now-empty pistol and raised his arms to block.

Vaughn followed up with an uppercut aimed at Moro's jaw, forcing him to retreat a step to avoid it.

Not letting up, Vaughn pivoted on his heel, swinging his leg into Moro's abdomen.

Thud!

The kick sent Moro flying backward.

Despite being momentarily overwhelmed, Moro remained composed.

He knew he could wait for Vaughn's Fireplace buff to expire and then counterattack decisively.

But waiting seemed too rigid, too passive.

Such an approach might be safe, but Moro wasn't content with it.

Mid-air, Moro's mindset shifted.

Why just defend when I can strike back?

Before hitting the ground, Moro gritted his teeth through the pain and extended his hands, firing two more projectiles toward Vaughn.

As Vaughn instinctively focused on the incoming projectiles, Moro discreetly kicked a smaller, marble-sized projectile behind him before landing.

Instead of relying solely on defense, Moro took a calculated risk, laying a hidden trap.

Before his rebirth, such a bold move would have been unthinkable.

Now, with growing combat experience, Moro was steadily filling the gaps in his skills and instincts.

This was the most critical—and transformative—step in his journey to becoming a true fighter.

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