Medical Ninjutsu: Mystical Palm.
Didn't work.
Turns out developing a healing Nen ability wasn't so easy after all.
Liam looked at the scabbed wound on his palm with some regret. He was a Nen user with over 20,000 aura. His physical fitness already exceeded ordinary people by a wide margin. This small scratch would naturally heal faster than normal anyway.
According to Liam's plan, his Star Mark already had functions related to healing and blood recovery. That meant he had potential in this area.
The one that could best utilize this potential was undoubtedly the Enhancement system.
Enhancement wasn't only about strengthening close combat ability with fists and feet. Self-resilience and the extended ability to treat others—those were all Enhancement territory too.
All along, if Liam wanted to help someone with treatment, he had to place a Star Mark on the person first. Then the star would activate self-healing ability. This was quite troublesome. Not everyone was willing to be Manipulated by a Nen user at will. Not everyone trusted him like Shizuku. Not everyone was as desperate as Kurapika had been back then.
Seems like 71.2% Enhancement isn't enough. Need to add more.
A cry for help suddenly came from the sea.
Liam looked up. The only man without a safety rope was struggling desperately at the edge of the maelstrom, waving frantically toward shore, sinking underwater from time to time.
"Oh my God, he's alive!"
"Someone save him!"
Many people on shore exclaimed.
Of the other five challengers tied with safety ropes, two had died, turning into Liam's two points of death energy. The remaining three were dragged back to shore with staff help, all wearing expressions of post-traumatic relief. When they saw the guy without a safety rope was still alive, they were both impressed and surprised, but there was nothing they could do.
"He's drifted too far from the maelstrom. We can't reach that position." The staff looked regretful.
"Wait, someone jumped!" one of the challengers yelled, pointing to the seaside.
Everyone looked. It was the pair of tourists who'd been playing Gungi on shore since getting off the tourist liner. The tall, handsome young man leaped up, skimmed ten meters from shore across the sea like a cannonball, then dove diagonally into the water. For an instant, it was as if he'd been swallowed by the Eye of Death at the maelstrom's edge.
Many people saw this scene and covered their mouths in shock. What kind of exaggerated jumping power was that?
But this was the Eye of Death. Even that wouldn't help. What's more, the drowning man had already been dragged into the whirlpool. Even his calls for help had grown fainter. He'd challenged the Eye of Death alone. Lucky he hadn't died immediately. But he was exhausted. He could no longer resist the maelstrom's suction. About to be swallowed by the whirlpool and devoured by the "Eye."
"Ah!" The guy who'd closed his eyes waiting for death in the maelstrom suddenly exclaimed. As if bitten by an underwater shark, he shot upstream and cut through a corner of the maelstrom like an arrow.
People on shore exclaimed, then quickly calmed down and cheered. The man broke through the waves toward shore, and it was the young man who'd jumped who'd successfully saved him!
Many raised phones to take photos and videos, preparing to post them online. This was too exaggerated. Many people risked their lives to challenge the whirlpool. A young man on shore playing Gungi with his girlfriend had just jumped in immediately. Not only jumped in, but could easily save someone too.
The man rode the wind and waves excitedly, raising his head and shouting. He felt the owner of the hand gripping his arm like a steel drill underwater. Like a powerful engine, dragging him effortlessly toward shore. The sound of water breaking around his ears almost turned into a roar—incredible. Was the person who saved him really human?
Suddenly, he felt weightless.
He left the water. Images of sky, island, and crowds rotated rapidly in his eyes. Finally he landed heavily. His back burned. He seemed to have broken his leg, dislocated his shoulder, dislocated his arm. Seemed like he also had broken bones. His internal organs felt very uncomfortable.
Stars shone in his eyes. Ringing in his ears made the crowd's cheers and shouts get farther and farther away. Then someone jumped ashore through the waves. The sound of wet feet squeaking on ground was particularly clear. Probably the one who saved him. He was dizzy. The images in his eyes shook like an out-of-focus lens. There was an image of the young man who saved him casually looking at him. Several attraction staff not far away running over with a first aid box.
"It's fine, he won't die." Liam, soaked to the skin, waved his hand at the people running toward him.
Staff opened the medicine box and got busy checking the man's injuries.
Someone in the crowd couldn't help complaining to Liam, "Was it necessary to throw him ashore so roughly?"
"That's right! He didn't have to get hurt in the first place..."
"Why do this?"
Several people echoed.
"Hey!" Liam raised his hand nonchalantly, turned around to meet Shizuku, and met her eyes full of doubt.
Liam looked down at himself. "What's wrong?"
Shizuku said nothing.
Liam laughed. "Do you think because of the death energy I won't bother saving him? People are already calling for help. No reason I can't help even if he's dying."
Shizuku looked thoughtful.
Over there, the rescued man's dislocated shoulder was corrected. Several fractures received emergency treatment. Wooden boards were clamped and covered with bandages. With the conditions here, there was only so much that could be done.
Liam saw this and walked over. "Need help?"
"You..." The staff member providing emergency treatment to the man looked at Liam. As if asking, in this case, why didn't you do it earlier? If you'd brought him ashore gently, he wouldn't even need treatment.
Despite this, the saved guy was still very grateful to Liam. He lay on the ground thanking him repeatedly. He excitedly announced his name and asked, "Are you a Hunter?"
Do you count as a Hunter?
Liam thought for a moment. "An amateur hunter."
As soon as he said this, the strange looks around him disappeared. In the world of Hunters, regardless of the reputation gap between Hunters and amateur hunters, most ordinary people understood that people related to Hunters were ones they couldn't afford to offend.
Liam then used the guy he'd rescued as a guinea pig to continue testing the healing ability he had in mind.
According to his expectations, the requirements for the healing Nen ability he wanted to develop in Enhancement weren't actually high.
Ordinary wounds—cuts, bruises, or burns—could be healed with a touch of the hand.
Severed limbs could be reattached. If necessary, a large amount of aura could be spent to slowly regenerate severed limbs.
In addition, it could speed up injury recovery and even restore stamina.
Basically, it was enough to strip away all the "authority" related to treatment, recovery, etc., from his Star Mark, separate it from the Manipulation type, and enhance it.
Good enough.
Liam put his hand on the arm wrapped with a wooden bandage. He recalled the experience when the Star Mark activated self-healing. Continued to strengthen his expected Enhancement healing ability.
In the final analysis, this thing reflected one's heart. Killua believed he'd been electrocuted since childhood, so of course his aura could more easily transform into electricity. So it really turned into electricity. Then Liam also ate the benefits of automatic recovery and healing from the Star Mark every day throughout the year. As long as the idea was firm enough, one day this expected Enhancement treatment would turn from imagination into reality.
"Do you feel it?" he asked.
"Uh, yes?" The injured man wasn't sure what his savior was doing. "It's very hot. Is there really nothing in your hand? The fractured area doesn't seem to hurt as much..."
It was normal for the other person to have feelings. Aura, first of all, was a kind of life energy. The concentration of aura gathered in Liam's palm was very high. Pressing it against the opponent's fractures was equivalent to "lending" Liam's own excellent resilience as a Nen user to the other party.
But this was far from what Liam wanted.
In the end, this "treatment" had some effect, but the effect was minimal.
Liam wasn't disappointed though. He felt like he'd found some feeling. Just needed to continue grasping this feeling and try slowly.
A piercing bird call came from overhead. A gray bird flew toward Liam and was caught in his hands.
"What the hell?" Liam pinched Jaku the rock sparrow. "Haven't seen you in a while, did you turn into a duck?"
"Chirp?" The rock sparrow turned its head and stared, looking very innocent. It pecked Liam's hand with its beak.
Liam let go. The bird spread its wings, finally landing on his shoulder, rubbing its gray feathers against him.
The guy who was dubious but felt his bones had healed a lot looked at this scene in surprise.
"I'm a Hunter" Liam flicked the bird on his shoulder. "Let's go." He waved to Shizuku.
A tiger galloped through the forest and slapped a gray hare, killing it immediately.
Haku emerged from the ground like a ghost and squatted aside and watched Lumos step on the hare's body and lower his head to gnaw. Quickly chewed up a pool of flesh and blood. Licked his tongue, mouth full of blood. Then suddenly made a move.
This sign was already somewhat familiar to Haku. It meant the other person in Lumos's body had revived at this time.
As soon as Liam went online, he found his mouth filled with the taste of blood. He felt it was both delicious and disgusting. Contradictory and intertwined. He couldn't help taking a few breaths.
Lumos's consciousness called out twice in his mind.
Seemed like he hadn't met the "little blonde girl" during this period.
Possessed Lumos pushed aside the messy hare corpse with his front paws. Raised his head to identify direction in the forest. Shouted to Haku with a low growl and flew away.
After getting closer to the island town, Possessed Lumos slowed down. Haku was riding on the tiger's back. Like the tiger, Haku looked toward the town, watching people coming and going, observing whether there was that golden—
Suddenly a stone hit the tiger's back. Passed through the ghostly Haku.
Possessed Lumos instinctively let out a low tiger roar and turned around to look.
The tiger's roar suddenly rose.
The "little blonde girl" was sitting on a high branch of the big tree diagonally behind. Holding two broken stones in her hands. Looking at him from neither far nor near.
Aunt Bisky, Aunt Bisky, why are you here? Where have you been these days?
On the other side of the world, Liam, who was sitting on the rooftop of a large hospital with Shizuku, had drawn a simple gungiboard on the ground. He almost screamed with joy.
"Twice." Bisky, who had blonde hair in twin ponytails and looked like a little girl in a princess dress, said suddenly while sitting on the tree, throwing stones in her hand.
Possessed Lumos was stunned.
Bisky said, "I've been observing you for ten days." She tossed a stone. "Actually, I was shopping for several of those days. At least twice a day, you suddenly become less like a real tiger."
"The walking movements and running posture of cats suddenly disappear. Blood that should be delicious becomes difficult to eat. It's as if something—a human—has taken over the body." She tossed the stone again. "During this period, you usually wander around amusement parks and towns. Rather than observing something, it's more like you're looking for me."
"Am I right? Who are you, I wonder?" She flicked her finger. The thrown stone flew out like a bullet.
Possessed Lumos flicked his tail and smashed the flying stone into pieces like a lightning whip.
Liam wanted to say something, but all he could do was roar. He mentally rolled his eyes.
"Who are you?" Bisky stood up on the branch. She looked like a little girl. Her body was very light. She put her hands on her hips and scolded, "Sneaky. Do you know me or do you want to kill me?"
No matter which, I'll always accompany you.
Aunt Bisky, do you think I can communicate now?
Possessed Lumos swung his tail and stared at the "blonde girl in princess dress" on the tree with a pair of tiger eyes. He understood at this moment that Bisky had suddenly disappeared that day and hadn't shown up for many days. She'd probably been secretly observing him in return!
The older one gets in the arena, the more cautious one becomes. Bisky was in her fifties and had extensive experience in the world. Precisely because of this, she wouldn't look down on anyone, especially Nen users. She'd seen too many examples of Nen users who thought they were powerful but were miserably defeated by newcomers in Manipulation who'd achieved their ability requirements and "won first."
This guy possessing the Misery Moon Tiger looked more and more like a Manipulator to Bisky. And also she felt the other party didn't seem to have strong hostility or malice. Bisky was indeed somewhat curious about his purpose, so she decided to show up and see him.
However, even now, she kept her distance from the other party. If something went wrong, she planned to apply oil on the soles of her feet and kick out directly.
"If you can't speak, you can always write, right?" Bisky stood on the tree with her arms akimbo, pointing at the big tiger on the ground. "Write."
Possessed Lumos breathed hot air from his nostrils. Damn it. Just write then.
He took out his tiger claws and scratched them on the forest floor like a carving knife.
"Aunt Bisky, I'm Liam. Don't you recognize me? I even spend time with Wing..."