Kaizen looked at Ponzu and Siper.
"Good thing I accepted Chairman Netero's commission."
"Good thing I sought out Ponzu and Siper early, too."
"Once Ponzu and Siper fully develop their Nen abilities, my Observer's Will will reach exactly 100% completion—no more, no less."
"It's best to get it all done in one go. If we wait another year, too many things will be delayed..."
"And that would be a huge waste of my time."
Kaizen paused, his eyes darkening slightly.
"Still... I wonder what kind of beast will appear this time."
"In terms of quality, it shouldn't be too bad. After all, Netero personally oversaw this year's Hunter Exam."
"The examiners are all decent—most of them at least B-level Nen users or better."
"Plus, there's Hisoka, A-rank level... even Illumi fans floating around."
"And talents like Gon, Killua, Hanzo, Kurapika..."
Kaizen smiled slightly. "Monsters, every one of them."
...
Meanwhile, Gogus had discovered a third bug.
A tiny, silver-white worm burrowed into his body—but strangely, it didn't seem to cause any immediate harm.
In the crystal ball in front of him, a new image appeared.
This insect was different from the others.
It could reproduce rapidly inside a living host—multiplying at an alarming speed.
What he saw now was just the larval form.
Once the larvae matured, they would die... but their corpses would transform into something ore-like—contagious ore.
Anyone who touched it would be infected.
Gogus pulled out his phone, intending to document it.
But just then—
A flash of lightning split the air.
His hand jerked involuntarily. He glanced down to find his phone screen completely black, unresponsive.
"Electric current...?" Gogus muttered.
He turned to look at Kaizen, a flash of suspicion in his eyes.
Kaizen chuckled lightly.
"Hey, Sasuke Uchiha, could you throw a little Lightning Release over there for Gogus~?"
A low rumble filled the cave.
Though the lightning hadn't struck yet, Gogus had already become its magnet.
Bolts of silver-white electricity slammed into him, lighting up his entire body.
Gogus's expression twisted.
"These bugs..." he muttered grimly, "they absorb electricity."
"The stronger the current, the faster they reproduce..."
"And the greater the damage to my body."
He dropped his backpack to the ground.
"Kaizen, help me out—have your Nen beast pull everything with a battery out of my bag."
"No problem," Kaizen said.
Gogus retreated a few steps.
Sasuke Uchiha stepped forward, quickly sorting through the pack and tossing aside anything that could conduct electricity.
From the tight line of Gogus's jaw, Kaizen could tell—the parasite this time was a lot more troublesome than the previous ones.
Gogus fell silent, steadying his breathing.
Kaizen's eyes gleamed slightly, an unspoken sigh escaping his lips.
"This is the world of Nen," he thought.
"No matter how strong you are... there's no such thing as absolute invincibility."
"Parasites like these could make even the top-ranked Hunters tremble."
"And even an A-rank Nen user like Gogus—who specializes in this field—is having such a hard time..."
"For others, it would only be worse."
Kaizen turned to Ponzu and Siper.
"Never forget—Nen is limitless in possibility. Abilities come in every form imaginable."
"And in the world of Nen users, intelligence is often more important than raw strength."
"If you act without information, you're just throwing yourself into a deathtrap."
"That goes for everyone—me, you, anyone."
Ponzu and Siper both nodded solemnly.
The sight of Gogus struggling was burned into their memories—an outcome they would do anything to avoid.
...
Gogus holed himself up in an empty wooden cabin nearby.
At Kaizen's instruction, his Nen beast regularly delivered food to him.
Gogus immersed himself in studying the bugs—but despite two full days of work, he hadn't cracked the solution.
When he finally emerged, there was a grim, determined look in his eyes.
He hadn't given up on his research—but the initial excitement had cooled into something heavier.
...
"Master!"
Siper came running over excitedly.
Kaizen already knew what had happened.
Just now, he'd seen the crystal ball's reading jump: from 96% progress to 98%.
Only one step away from 100%.
As long as Ponzu completed her Nen development, the final stage would be complete.
"Congratulations," Kaizen said with a small nod.
Ponzu glanced over, a little impatient.
She couldn't help feeling restless.
Hanzo, who had learned Nen later than her, had already developed his ability and left days ago.
Now even Siper, who had started at the same time, had completed hers.
Only Ponzu was left lagging behind.
"...Am I really that untalented?"
She didn't mind admitting Hanzo had a higher ceiling.
But she didn't think she was worse than Siper.
Back during the exam on Zevil Island, if it had been her against Siper, Ponzu was confident she would have taken Siper's number badge easily.
Her aura control was sharp and efficient.
...
Siper took a deep breath.
A sphere of aura formed between her hands—
—and a moment later, it morphed into a sniper rifle.
She raised the weapon fluidly.
Above them, a crow happened to fly past.
She took aim.
Pulled the trigger.
A bullet made of compressed aura shot out.
Bang!
The crow exploded midair, scattering feathers like snow.
Ponzu' eyes widened.
"Incredible..." she muttered.
"She actually shaped her aura into a real, functional weapon...and its firepower is stronger than a normal sniper rifle, too."
"And she just became a Nen user not long ago..."
"If she keeps growing like this, she'll soar to new heights in no time."
Siper turned and bowed deeply to Kaizen.
"Thank you, Master."
She meant it from the bottom of her heart.
Hanzo had already passed the Hunter Exam—even without Kaizen's teaching, someone else would have trained him eventually.
But Siper was different.
She hadn't passed the exam.
Maybe next year...maybe even longer.
Without Kaizen's help, she wouldn't have had a chance to become a Nen user so soon.
She knew how lucky she was.
...
Suddenly—
A loud shout broke the peaceful air—
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