Nen Sage - Chapter 414
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9h
It did not take Conrad long to realize that the situation was more complicated than he had initially expected.
If he wanted to solve the problem, he would need to put in more effort and carefully understand what kind of Nen ability they had been exposed to.
The first thing he needed to accomplish was convincing Morel.
Grachan's condition was somewhat worse.
Whatever Nen curse or ability had affected him, its progression appeared to be considerably faster.
The purple growth Conrad had noticed was already much larger on Grachan's body, which meant that whatever process was occurring was advancing at a different rate between the two of them.
"Morel, think carefully," Conrad began.
"You must have encountered something. A strange area, a creature, or perhaps some other abnormal phenomenon."
Morel listened without interrupting.
"I don't know whether you can see it yourself, but a kind of growth has started appearing on your chest as well."
Grachan immediately reacted.
He pulled off his clothes and began examining his chest.
Conrad and Lenfani could clearly see the strange mark.
Grachan stared down at himself for several seconds.
Then he shook his head.
"There is no growth!"
His expression hardened.
"You've been completely taken over."
There was now a slight aggression in Grachan's voice.
It was not simply disagreement and it was easy to see that he was not in a clear mind at all.
Morel silently removed his own clothes and looked down at his chest.
At first, he could not see anything unusual.
He activated Gyo and carefully examined his body again.
Still, he could not identify anything.
Morel frowned.
He turned his head toward Grachan.
The moment he focused on Grachan's chest, his eyebrows rose.
Even though the abnormality was somewhat difficult to perceive, Morel could clearly see it now.
There was a relatively large purple growth in the center of Grachan's chest.
It looked almost like a swollen pimple.
Yet it was clearly not something natural.
Morel swallowed.
A thin layer of sweat began forming on his face.
"Purple growth…"
His voice became quieter.
"Purple, strange growths that look like cancer and tumors…"
As he spoke, an image appeared in his mind.
A long-necked creature with The purple masses covering its body, especially it is face and head basically.
The creature emerging from the swamp.
Morel suddenly remembered.
"I remember…"
He looked toward Conrad.
Then he nodded.
"Thank you."
He took a slow breath.
"Now I remember."
Morel looked toward Grachan before continuing.
"Grachan and I went to investigate a swamp a few hours ago."
"We encountered a strange creature there. Nothing particularly happened, and after spending some time investigating the area, we eventually left."
He paused.
"But before we left, both of us spent some time around the swamp."
"There was a strange smell in the area."
Morel's expression became more serious.
"We stayed there for a while despite the smell."
Conrad took a deep breath.
Now that Morel had remembered the encounter, solving the problem had become considerably easier.
He had an actual starting point.
A specific location.
And, most importantly, two people who had been exposed to the same environment.
Conrad spread his hands slightly and began explaining.
"Your presence in that area could have exposed you to some kind of gas or airborne substance released by the region."
"It might have remained in the air around the swamp."
He continued carefully.
"After enough time, that gas could have affected both your minds and your bodies."
"It may have infected you."
Morel listened attentively.
"If that infection occurred through the air, then the strange smell may have been one of the conditions for the ability."
Conrad continued.
"And because of the infection, you may have experienced hallucinations or some kind of manipulative effect."
Morel nodded slowly.
The explanation fit what they had experienced.
The strange communication problem.
Their inability to properly understand what was happening.
And now the abnormal growth.
All of those things could potentially be connected to the same source.
Grachan, however, reacted very differently.
"Morel, are you seriously letting them deceive you?"
His voice was considerably angrier now.
"There is no growth on us."
"They're lying to you."
Grachan's posture changed.
He looked increasingly agitated, almost as though he were preparing to attack.
His eyes repeatedly shifted between Conrad and Morel.
He seemed to be searching for an opportunity.
Morel noticed it.
His expression immediately became more troubled.
He looked toward Grachan for several seconds.
Then he turned toward Conrad.
"Can you do something about this?"
There was not much hope in Morel's voice when he asked.
He understood what Conrad was primarily known for.
Conrad was a fighter.
His Nen abilities were centered around combat, analysis, and various methods of dealing with opponents.
Morel had never seen anything that suggested Conrad specialized in exorcism or Nen removal.
Because of that, he did not expect Conrad to possess an ability specifically designed to remove curses.
Conrad smiled.
"I believe I can do something."
He looked toward Grachan.
"But first, we need to deal with your friend."
Conrad raised one finger and pointed toward Grachan.
"He's going to make a move against us within a few minutes."
Morel remained silent.
He thought about it.
Then he took a deep breath and focused on Grachan.
At this point, it would have required someone almost completely oblivious to the situation not to notice that Grachan was no longer behaving normally.
The way he was watching Conrad.
He was clearly looking for an opportunity to attack.
Morel finally understood.
"I see…"
Conrad reached for his cane.
"I'm good at dealing with situations like this."
He remained calm.
"I'll knock him unconscious without causing him any serious harm."
Grachan's eyebrows immediately drew together.
"Morel, he wants to attack me."
His voice was filled with frustration.
"That alone is the biggest indication that he isn't in control."
Conrad smiled slightly.
Then he moved.
There was almost no warning.
His body crossed the distance between them in an instant.
He appeared directly in front of Grachan.
The cane swung from right to left.
Grachan reacted quickly enough to take a step backward and avoid the first strike.
But Conrad had already anticipated the movement.
He placed his left hand against the ground for support.
Then he launched a kick upward.
Grachan attempted to evade again.
But the difference in speed and physical ability between them was simply too great.
On top of that, Grachan was already in a poor condition.
His reactions were not as sharp as they normally would have been.
There was no realistic possibility of escaping the attack.
"Thud!"
The kick landed firmly.
Grachan's body was thrown off balance, and his consciousness disappeared almost immediately.
He collapsed.
Conrad straightened himself.
He looked down at Grachan for a moment and nodded.
"All right."
He turned toward Morel.
"Now let's examine the situation properly."
"I'll see what I can do about it."
Morel stood there like a cat that had swallowed its tongue.
He had just watched Conrad cross the distance between himself and Grachan almost instantly, avoid wasting movement, and knock out an experienced Nen user with a single controlled strike.
Lenfani remained silent.
At this point, Conrad's speed and strength no longer surprised her as much as they once had.
She had already seen enough.
What continued to surprise her was how easily Conrad could switch between analysis and action.
One moment, he was carefully examining a Nen curse.
The next, he was already moving.
And now, with Grachan unconscious and Morel standing beside him, Conrad could finally focus entirely on understanding the strange Nen ability affecting them.