Gon's question left Joey momentarily speechless. He could only shut his mouth and focus harder on controlling his Nen output.
At the same time, he remembered something—
Gon had trained at Killua's home.
Despite his small frame, Gon's strength had once reached several tons after that training. And now, after even more time had passed, his stamina had only grown more monstrous.
Joey, on the other hand—no, Yoshikage Kira's body—had never undergone any real physical training.
So all Joey could do was honestly search for his own rhythm, carefully regulating the flow of Nen through his legs.
Even so, after more than an hour, he hit his limit.
His control faltered, his speed dropped sharply, and sweat soaked his entire body.
At that point, Kite deliberately slowed down, allowing Joey to maintain a pace he could keep up with.
Although it was still equivalent to a normal person sprinting at full speed, Joey could at least endure it.
"Try closing your pores and run using the remaining energy. It'll help your recovery," Kite said, unusually offering guidance.
Joey followed the advice.
Sure enough, as he shut his pores, his stamina began to recover.
The recovery was slow—since he was still expending energy—but it was real.
His enhanced recovery ability was clearly showing its effect.
---
"Aura is stored within the human body. Its maximum capacity increases with training, which creates differences between individuals," Kite continued, speaking not only to Joey, but also to Gon and Killua.
"In other words, even if your total aura reserves are large, the amount you can actually release—the output—only increases gradually through training."
He paused briefly.
"If we quantify it, every time you release aura to assist your running, you're consuming about three to five units."
---
"Based on how long you maintained Nen during your run—and considering your body instinctively limited your output to avoid damage—your total aura capacity should be around 4,500."
He glanced at Joey.
"That's an excellent foundation for someone who has just awakened Nen. What you need most now is physical conditioning."
---
Kite's explanation gave Joey a much clearer understanding of his own state.
At the same time, he couldn't help but think of Menthuthuyoupi, one of the Royal Guards in the original story, whose aura reserves were estimated to be around 740,000.
The gap between them was absurd.
Compared to that monster, Joey might not even amount to a single hair.
---
"When using Zetsu, recovery speed depends on your physique," Kite continued.
"For you, if you run while maintaining partial Zetsu, you should recover most of your stamina and aura within about two hours."
"Of course, if you stop, eat, and rest, your recovery will be faster—about eighty percent in forty minutes."
He added calmly:
"That's the upper limit of rapid recovery. If you repeatedly drain your aura and force quick recovery, that limit will gradually decrease."
After all, exhaustion and muscle fatigue couldn't be ignored.
Clearly, through observation alone, Kite had already grasped Joey's condition with frightening accuracy.
---
Half an hour later, the group approached the village once more.
But no enemies appeared.
"Looks like they didn't leave any backup," Killua said, sounding slightly disappointed. "I thought we'd be walking into an ambush."
"Keep moving," Kite said, glancing at the full moon overhead.
---
Joey pulled out his phone to check the time.
If he remembered correctly… Neferpitou should be born sometime after nightfall.
From the moment they started heading back—no, from the moment they got halfway—
Joey had felt it.
A chill creeping up his spine.
His instincts screamed at him to turn back.
But judging by Kite and the others, stopping wasn't an option.
At best, they'd reach the base.
Going any deeper… meant death.
A voice in his mind kept repeating it, and anxiety tightened around his chest.
This wasn't ordinary fear—
It was fear of something completely beyond human comprehension.
---
"Did you sense something? You look terrible."
Gon noticed immediately. In fact, all three of them had.
"Nothing specific," Joey replied, shaking his head. "Just… a bad feeling. Like if we keep going, something terrible will happen."
He couldn't say more.
Being a transmigrator was his greatest secret. He wouldn't reveal knowledge he shouldn't have—at least, not yet.
---
"I feel it too," Kite said, his brows slightly furrowed—an unusually serious expression on his face.
"Once we reach the base and obtain the information, you three should withdraw from NGL."
Gon froze. "What about you, Kite?"
"You're not ready yet," Kite replied bluntly. "Wait for the Association's reinforcements, then rejoin the operation."
"I'll go deeper. Find the nests. Make contact."
His tone left no room for argument.
---
Joey silently applauded him.
Yes. Exactly. Please go alone.
But the moment he realized he'd likely have to return to the border by himself afterward, his mood collapsed.
---
"Pick up the pace."
---
A dozen minutes later, the four of them stopped simultaneously.
A foul stench filled the air ahead—
The smell of rotting corpses under intense heat.
Scattered human remains, along with Chimera Ant corpses, told the story of a brutal battle.
Killua casually picked up a few firearms and tossed them to Joey.
"You seem decent with these. They're not broken."
"Thanks."
With a rifle slung over his shoulder and a fully loaded pistol tucked away, Joey felt a rare sense of security.
---
"Kite! Over here!"
Gon had already rushed ahead, uninterested in weapons, pointing toward the forest's edge.
Moments later, towering cliffs came into view.
Below them stretched a dense forest of Balsa trees, the raw material for anesthetics.
Along the cliff faces were numerous dark openings.
---
"This is it…"
Joey's expression turned grim.
"The organization's base. The entrance to the underground kingdom of Gyro, the king of NGL's underworld."
Darkness loomed within.
And the air… reeked of blood.
---
"Let's go. Lead the way," Kite said.
Joey nodded. He had already prepared himself.
He reached into his cloth bag, rummaged for a moment, then pulled out two items—
An ID card.
And a map.
"Sorry, I'm not too familiar with the layout," he said, waving the bloodstained map. "I usually rely on this."
The map was nearly illegible.
He handed over the ID card.
"Take this as a sign of sincerity."
---
Kite accepted both items, frowning slightly.
He put away the ID card, then examined the map carefully.
Then—
To Joey's shock—
Kite tore the map open along its edge.
Hidden inside…
A thin sheet of paper slid out.
Standing close, Joey saw it clearly—
A complete, detailed layout of the entire base.
Every passage.
Every structure.
Perfectly mapped.
---
Joey's heart sank.
…So that's what Kira was hiding.
___________________________
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