The next morning, Leo woke up at the hotel.
He first went to a general store to buy a mobile phone—a basic model, simple in function but sufficient.
After storing the contact information for Serena, Caspar, and Gorenou, he made the calls one by one.
Serena was a bit surprised when she received the call.
"Contacting me so soon? I thought you would disappear for a while."
"I have to keep up with the times," Leo said with a smile.
"How have these past few days been?" Serena asked.
"Everything is good, very nice," Leo answered naturally.
He didn't mention participating in the competitive eating contest—there was no need to dwell on such trivial matters.
Caspar was very excited when he received the call, rambling for quite a while about the progress of the research at the institute, and also mentioning that Satz had already started decoding that map, but progress was slow.
Leo listened patiently, only providing his own number at the end.
Gorenou's phone didn't go through, so Leo sent a text message, briefly explaining that this was his contact information.
After handling these things, Leo bought a map of Kent City and the surrounding areas.
He found the location of "Biscayne Forest Park" on the map—about sixty kilometers from the city, very suitable as a short-term training location.
After purchasing some daily necessities and dry rations, Leo left Kent City.
The city's high-rises were gradually replaced by low bungalows, and then the bungalows were also left behind.
The view opened up, and rolling green covered the land.
Two hours later, Leo officially stepped into the Biscayne Forest Park area.
It was different from the Secret Realm forest—the trees were not as tall and dense, and the species of creatures were much gentler.
The air held the familiar scent of soil and plants, reminding him of his days in the "Eternal Chamber".
Leo ventured several kilometers into the park and found a relatively flat clearing in the woods.
A small stream flowed nearby, providing an ample water source; the terrain was slightly elevated with an open view; natural rocks formed a semi-enclosure around it, making it easy to defend.
He set up camp here.
The following days were simple and regular: hunting in the morning, processing prey and exercising in the afternoon, and resting at night.
His goal was clear—reach Rank 25 and remove "Zetsu".
The hunting went smoothly.
Although the creatures in the forest park were not as powerful as those in the Secret Realm, they were numerous.
Wild boars, deer, large birds... Leo hunted selectively, avoiding disruption to the ecological balance.
With every kill, the warmth from the tattoo on the back of his hand steadily advanced the progress bar.
On the evening of the eighteenth day.
A giant armored gorilla crashed to the ground.
This creature had a shoulder height of nearly two meters, covered in a rock-like gray keratin layer, with strength enough to flip a car.
It took Leo some effort to find its weak point—the soft tissue at the joints.
[Life Energy +95]
[Rank: 25 (0.5%)]
It's done!
In that instant, the dark red vortex tattoo on the back of his hand became intensely hot.
An unprecedented heat flow surged from it, pouring into his entire body like a floodgate opening.
His muscles twitched, his bones made dense cracking sounds, and every cell was cheering.
Leo could feel his body undergoing a qualitative change—not just a simple increase in strength, but a deeper sublimation.
Immediately after, a brand-new energy erupted from within his body.
Pale white Nen currents rose from the surface of his skin like steam, circling his body and shimmering with a faint luster in the setting sun.
"Is this... Nen?"
Leo muttered to himself, his voice filled with incredible excitement.
He raised his hands, watching those Nen currents swirling around his fingertips.
Warm, agile, as if responding to his will with a life of its own.
He closed his eyes and concentrated.
According to the theory in his memory—"Ten", it is the technique of keeping the emitted life energy within the body.
He tried to control the overflowing Nen, making it constrict and stabilize.
Leo's focus was highly concentrated.
Gradually, the flowing Nen slowed down and began to float slowly around his body, like an invisible film.
Opening his eyes, Leo curled the corners of his mouth upward.
"'Ten', mastered."
Then there was "Zetsu"—making the Nen completely retract and enter a dormant state.
This was too simple for him; after all, under the influence of "Proof of Humanity", he had already lived in a "Zetsu" state for more than half a year.
With a thought, the Nen around him instantly dissipated, his presence completely vanished, as if he had turned back into an ordinary person.
Next was "Ren". Leo took a deep breath, instantly explosively increasing the Nen within his body.
"Boom—"
A massive amount of Nen surged out, forming a visible wave of Qi.
The fallen leaves and small stones on the ground were blown rolling in all directions, and the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees rustled.
The wave of Qi lasted for a few seconds before gradually subsiding.
Leo felt the overflowing power within his body and smiled with satisfaction.
"My talent is indeed not bad."
Finally, "Hatsu"—determining the category of his Nen Ability.
He took out a water glass, filled it with water, plucked a leaf, and gently placed it on the surface of the water.
Then he held the sides of the glass with his hands and activated his Nen.
The water in the glass began to ripple. A few seconds later, the water surface slowly rose, exceeded the rim of the glass, and gradually overflowed.
"Enhancer?" Leo muttered, "Very good."
Enhancers are good at enhancing the properties of themselves or objects and are the most suitable System for frontal combat.
Combined with the physical growth potential brought by "Proof of Humanity", the power he could exert was absolutely beyond imagination.
After his Nen Ability awakened, Leo was in no hurry to leave.
He decided to continue training in the forest park, at least to master the Four Great Principles—especially "Ten", which must be maintained even while fast asleep.
Days passed by one by one.
Leo's training was strict and systematic.
He performed physical training in the "Zetsu" state in the morning, practiced "Ten" and "Ren" in the afternoon, practiced "Hatsu" with the Water Divination in the evening, and attempted to maintain "Ten" while sleeping before going to bed.
Recalling the detailed descriptions of Nen in the manga and combining them with his own practice, he made rapid progress.
A month later.
In the clearing in the woods, Leo stood motionless.
Dense Nen surrounded his body like burning flames—this was "Ken", an advanced application of the Four Great Principles, combining "Ten" and "Ren" to keep the whole body in a "Ren" state, with Nen densely covering the entire body.
He was testing the duration.
At fifteen minutes, sweat began to appear on his forehead, and the stability of the Nen decreased slightly.
At seventeen minutes, his breathing became rapid. At nineteen minutes, he deactivated "Ken".
"Still far from enough," Leo wiped away the sweat. The manga mentioned that a qualified Nen User must be able to maintain "Ken" for at least half an hour.
He only had nineteen minutes now, which might not be enough for high-intensity combat.
Then there was "En"—expanding the Nen outward with himself as the center to perceive everything within the range.
Leo closed his eyes and released his Nen.
The Nen spread outward with him as the center, forming a perception Domain with a radius of about seven meters.
Within this range, he could "see" everything: the crawling of ants under his feet, the trajectory of flying insects in the air, and the angle of grass blades tilted by the wind.
Seven meters, this was his current limit.
Expanding the range required more practice and fine control of Nen.
These results were the harvest of his month of hard training.
Without a teacher's guidance, relying entirely on recalling the manga descriptions and exploring on his own, reaching this step was already quite good.
As for the development of his exclusive Nen Ability, Leo was not in a hurry.
The manga emphasized that ability development requires careful consideration and must be highly compatible with oneself and one's needs.
He currently lacked practical combat experience and was not yet completely clear about what kind of ability he needed, so rashly developing an ability might yield half the result with twice the effort.
Training should be balanced with relaxation.
The foundation was mostly laid, and next, it was time to conduct training in practical combat.
Leo packed his gear. The tent was dismantled and packed away, daily necessities were bundled up, and the fire pit was carefully buried.
He restored the campsite to its original state, leaving no obvious traces.
Taking one last look at the forest where he had stayed for over a month, Leo turned and left.
It was already evening when he returned to Kent City.
The city was brightly lit, with people coming and going on the streets, forming a sharp contrast with the silence of the forest park.
Leo found a hotel to stay in. He took a hot shower, changed into clean clothes, and then spread out the map.
Heavens Arena is located in the Bartochia Republic, and one needs to take an airship to get there.
Departing from Kent City, the cost is not low.
He still had over a hundred thousand jenny on hand, barely enough, but he would need to make money as soon as he arrived there.
The night outside the window grew deeper; he lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and pondered.
Rank 25, "Zetsu" removed, Nen Ability awakened, Four Great Principles basically mastered.
It was time to go and see the real world of Nen Users.
Heavens Arena.
Leo closed his eyes, and images from the manga appeared in his mind—the building towering into the clouds, countless warriors pursuing power.
He would become stronger there, earn funds, and accumulate experience.
Then... participate in the Hunter Exam and officially step onto the mainstream stage of this world.
The road is still long, but the first step has already been taken.