"I'm Hyuga Arin, a Hunter who passed this year's Hunter Exam. It's not that strange for me to know Nen, is it?"
Hyuga Arin said casually, twirling his Hunter License at his fingertips.
Wing was even more shocked.
"Hyuga Arin?!"
That Hyuga Arin—the one who had literally vanished inside the Hunter Association?
But he shouldn't look like this at all.
Did this guy seriously have no awareness that he'd exposed himself?
"The Hunter Exam was just a disguise," Hyuga Arin shrugged, then pointed at his eyes.
"After all, looking like this is a bit too eye-catching."
Wing's mouth twitched.
Back then, Hyuga Arin disappearing on the spot at the Hunter Association had been pretty eye-catching too.
Still, white eyes like that… Wing had truly never seen them before.
Just then, Killua walked over. He glanced at Hyuga Arin, ignored the conversation entirely, and obediently sat down next to Gon.
Wing glanced at Gon and Killua, then belatedly realized—
He might have just exposed something.
Fortunately, Gon didn't seem to have noticed.
Actually… there was no real need to hide it, was there?!
Wing was, after all, a Hunter officially assigned by the Hunter Association to teach Gon and Killua Nen.
That identity didn't really need to be concealed.
It was just that they wouldn't be told at the beginning.
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me," Wing said.
"I'll answer whatever I know."
He had no intention of refusing.
Wing had zero doubts that Hyuga Arin was a Hunter who passed this year's exam.
After all, Enhancers tended to be straightforward—and often a bit airheaded.
"I'm curious about Hatsu," Hyuga Arin said directly.
"I'm a Transmuter. For certain reasons, my Hatsu will naturally take shape much later on—but I want to complete it in advance. Do you have any suggestions?"
His Nen ability was supposed to awaken only after level 36.
He wanted to master it ahead of time.
Wing froze, his expression blank.
"I… didn't quite understand what you just said."
A Hatsu that forms on its own?
He'd never heard anything that absurd before.
If Hatsu could just naturally form, then what about all the people who worked so hard to cultivate it?
"I mean exactly what the words say," Hyuga Arin shrugged, completely unconcerned.
Wing didn't reject the idea—he just couldn't process it.
After a moment of thought, Wing said slowly,
"This is the first time I've ever heard something like that."
"But I think you might have a misunderstanding about Hatsu."
"How so?" Hyuga Arin asked.
"Hatsu isn't about 'condensing an ability,'" Wing explained.
"It's about how you use Nen."
"How you use Nen?" Hyuga Arin frowned slightly. He realized he really might have fallen into a mental trap.
"Could you explain in more detail?"
Wing thought for a moment before continuing:
"You believe your Nen ability will naturally form, but that way of thinking actually limits your development of Nen."
"Nen is the foundation. Abilities are just a byproduct."
"A Nen ability is simply your understanding of Nen."
"In theory, anyone can develop countless Nen abilities—not just one. It's just that most people only pursue one interpretation of Nen, because no one has the time or energy to deeply explore a second."
This immediately made Hyuga Arin think of Hisoka.
Hisoka had two abilities that appeared completely unrelated.
"Then how should one train Hatsu?" Hyuga Arin asked.
Wing considered carefully before answering:
"That depends on your own perception."
"You're a Transmuter, which means your Nen has strong plasticity. You can change its properties into things you're familiar with."
"The toughness of steel.
The softness within hardness."
"Nen develops according to your understanding. If you can't understand a property, your Nen can't transform into it."
"Essentially, Nen is you."
"What you can understand, Nen can achieve.
What you can't understand, Nen cannot."
Of course, there were exceptions.
That was where Vows and Restrictions came in.
They allowed Nen to break past one's own limits, forcing it to respond to desire—letting Nen surpass human understanding.
Wing didn't mention this, but Hyuga Arin had already thought of it.
However, vows and restrictions weren't suitable for him.
The power within his body was fundamentally chakra that had absorbed the traits of Nen.
And chakra was no weaker than Nen as a system.
"Thanks," Hyuga Arin said sincerely.
He had gained a direction.
He planned to try it out himself later.
He thanked Wing once more and turned to leave.
As Hyuga Arin walked away, Killua couldn't help but ask,
"So… what exactly is Nen?"
…
Hyuga Arin had no interest in what came next between Killua and Wing.
He only focused on climbing upward.
After the hundredth floor, the experience gains began to increase.
Nine matches total.
Total experience gained:
[EXP +1245]
Finally over a thousand.
Killua hadn't provided any experience, but the martial artists above the hundredth floor were genuinely impressive.
They clearly didn't use Nen, yet their physical strength rivaled that of ninjas.
That surprised Hyuga Arin—and deepened his understanding of martial arts.
"Just a little more," Hyuga Arin could feel it.
With a bit more comprehension, he could use Brain Amp to push Gentle Fist fully to Level 8.
His progress with Hatsu, meanwhile, was smoother than expected.
He'd simply been stuck in a mental dead end.
Once that was cleared up, his development sped up dramatically.
Ding.
"Floor 200 reached."
As Hyuga Arin stepped out of the elevator, malicious Nen flooded the corridor.
"What an unfriendly way to welcome someone," he said, walking straight in.
That level of hostility could kill ordinary people—
—but it meant nothing to him.
A few steps later, he saw a familiar figure.
"Yo, Hisoka. Long time no see."
Hisoka's face split into a sickly grin.
"Hyuga Arin?"
Though phrased as a question, he had already confirmed Hyuga Arin's identity.
He'd been watching the fights below as well.
"So this is what you really look like."
"That's right."
At Hyuga Arin's answer, the malicious Nen surrounding Hisoka faded away, but the smile on his face grew even more twisted.
"I thought you were already a ripe fruit," Hisoka said softly.
"Turns out you're even greener than I imagined~"
Hyuga Arin looked about the same age as Gon and Killua, yet already possessed such strength.
That meant his growth potential was enormous.
"Maybe not," Hyuga Arin replied with a smile whose meaning was hard to read.
"Want to give it a try?"
In a free fight outside, he might not be eager to face Hisoka.
But an arena match came with many restrictions.
"You sound confident—do you think you can beat me now?" Hisoka's grin widened, then slowly faded.
"Get used to the rules here first."
As much as he wanted to fight Hyuga Arin immediately, he didn't want to be affected by unnecessary complications.
The rules above the 200th floor were completely different from those below.
"I'll be waiting," Hyuga Arin said with a light smile.
The 200th floor—
This was where his true harvest of experience would begin.
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