Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 61.

Illuki frowns behind the hand fan she carries, glaring down at the stage and hostess as each item is brought out for auction. The items for the final day were normally on the pricier side of things and she was unpleased with the current haul being shown to the attendees. She had hoped for some rare jewels to make an appearance or even handcrafted weapons worth millions though she perked at the sight of a rectangular object being rolled out onto the stage. The fan snaps close, laying on her lap as she slides to the edge of her seat between Phinks and Feitan; a smile appears on her pale face as she eyes the item with curiosity.

'The game Milluki wants,' she thought.

"Our next item is the fabled game, Greed Island!" the hostess exclaims. "Let's take a look at the mysterious power this game contains," she moves aside as a tall, muscular man approaches with a large hammer; slamming the weapon onto the game. Everyone watches the counter it sits on break into pieces, the mallet lifting to reveal the game unharmed with a soft glow surrounding it. "As you can see, there is a mysterious power that protects the console from any damage, as long as someone is playing inside," the woman snaps her fingers and a picture of a man with slanted, narrow eyes and dark hair pops onto the screen.

"This man is Jeitsari. He is a player who's inside the game at this moment. In fact, he's the one who signed a contract allowing us to auction it off. Jeitsari left behind the following agreement: 'If we cannot clear this game before the date specified in the contract, seven active players, including myself, will present seven copies of the game and console to the Southernpiece Auction, so talented younger Hunters can clear the game and fulfil our dream.'," the hostess recites the agreement, lowering the book she held to face the crowd. "Unfortunately, when we obtained these copies, two already displayed game over screens. That means the players also died in real life. This dangerous game requires that you risk your own life! Please bid only if you're prepared for the consequences...let's start the bidding at 900 million Jenny!" she declared loudly.

As soon as the bidding opens, hands fly into the air and the price increases with every hand that is raised. Illuki scans the crowd, giggling when she spots Milluki amongst them with an annoyed look on his face; she assumes he came for the current item being auctioned off. Her eyes travel around once more but this time landing on Killua, noticing him gritting his teeth and glaring down at where his older brother sat slouching over the balcony railing. Beside him, Gon accidentally raises his thumb, asking questions about bidding etiquette when his number is called out by the hostess who squeals at the increased price.

"#16 bids 25 billion!"

'I'm guessing he wasn't able to decipher that memory card,' Killua thought, glaring at his brother as the ravenette raised a finger to increase the price by half. 'How much money does he have?' his eyes widened.

"#16 goes all the way up to 30.5 billion!"

Illuki smiles at the computer genius' despair, smirking at the idea of taunting him brewing in her mind. She opens the fan, fluttering it over her lips as she raises a finger for the hostess to see, offering an innocent closed-eye smile to the old man with a dozen bodyguards. He scowls, raising his thumb to double the price and turns to look at her in the eyes – asserting his non-existent dominance, and though she had the funds to win their little bidding match, she dismisses him and smirks behind her fan, making eye contact with her brothers. Milluki and Killua slump in their seats after glancing over at where she sat, one deadpanning and the other scowling at the woman who flaunts her wealth to them discreetly.

'Of course, Nee-chan has the money to bid that high,' Milluki grits his teeth.

The bidding on Greed Island ends at the price of 60 billion Jenny. The trio of Phantom Troupe members stand up and leave the hall; Illuki trails after Feitan and Phinks as they want to find the winner of the Greed Island and steal his newly obtained possession. They make it to the room and hide behind a wall, hearing the door slam close and the annoyed and angry statements of Gon and Killua.

"Screening...What's the plan?" Phinks asks his partner-in-crime.

"You even need to ask?"

•••

"We're back~!" Illuki cheers, skipping into the hideout with a bright grin; she had changed into her regular clothes, sitting on the pile of rocks and reading a magazine. Phinks and Feitan trail after her, the taller male holding the game console they had stolen on their way back to the base; he sets it on a stone slab, and both of them sit around it.

"A memory card is already inserted, so only one more person can play," Phinks notices, his hands resting on his knees.

"We can use a multitap," the quiet ravenette raises the outlet, plugging it into the spare slot. "Four more can play now."

Phinks compliments him and the two decide who will enter the game first – that being Feitan who activates his Ren, his hands on either side of the device before he glitches out of reality. The others enter the space, approaching the sitting tracksuit-wearing man and eyeing the device near him; across from them, their Web listens to their conversation, pretending to be engrossed with the reading material laid on her lap.

"It's a game. Wanna play?" the man asks, raising a memory card.

When his comrades decline, he smirks and bids them goodbye before sliding the device into a slot and disappearing into the game – shocking them. Machi turns to Shalnark and Franklin, asking what kind of game the two men had; the Emissioner opens the book that contains the description of the auctioned items, reading it out loud for the girls to hear.

"It's a game where you can actually die. It's listed in the auction catalogue," Franklin answers, handing the book to Shalnark who takes it and scans the material when the dichromatic-haired female speaks up from where she sat – flipping the pages of her magazine mindlessly.

"Cost 60 billion Jenny," Illuki comments uninterestedly, glancing up to meet her comrades' wide eyes.

"They bid 60 billion Jenny?" Machi asks her, wanting to clarify the details of the statement.

Illuki giggles, shaking her head side to side at them; she hears a breath of relief come from Franklin and Shalnark, intensifying her giggles. "No, someone else did. But we're thieves – if we want something, we take it," she mischievously grins.