Even just from the bit the system revealed—that there was something beyond the Extinction Game called the "Reincarnation Dimension"—a lot of players would be crushed by despair.
Xiang Nan merely felt a bit of pressure.
He didn't believe he could achieve what those top predecessors did, or that he'd ever represent Hunter x Hunter on that level. All he really wanted was to enjoy the "game." How far he could go—he'd leave it to fate.
He had no family in this world, no bonds to tie him down, and he was "guilty of heinous crimes," so death was his destiny sooner or later. He was ready to greet it at any time.
…
Back at the base, Xiang Nan gave his commanding officer a quick rundown of what happened in Kotaki City, then resumed his routine life.
But unlike before, whenever he wasn't training or out on missions, he'd try "meditation" to sense his life energy—hoping he might one day perceive his "aura."
Of course, if he had no inborn talent, training from scratch could take forever. He had no idea if he actually had the aptitude. He could only hope his natural "comprehension" came through for him.
As for how to awaken "Nen," well, he'd read the original story and knew how the main cast learned Nen. Plus, Kaito had walked him through the training process. Finally, he had gleaned knowledge from his own experiments. Put together, these gave him a shot at cracking the door to Nen on his own.
That joint mission made Garo and the others aware of "special ability users." Being top soldiers, they were certainly ambitious, thinking they were the best—until they realized that, to a true powerhouse, they were ants, easily crushed.
Rather than discouraging them, the reality only ignited their desire to grow stronger. Their resolve to "follow" Xiang Nan became even more intense. Clearly, their temporary captain was well-versed in this hidden world, and staying near him promised far more growth than training on their own.
Over time, a subtle phenomenon emerged in the base:
Xiang Nan and the other "elite soldiers" formed a small group, almost like their own unit. Though they technically belonged to different divisions, they gathered whenever schedules allowed.
Besides acting as Xiang Nan's "live sandbags" in mock battles, they regularly participated in tests and missions he devised.
Xiang Nan was not only their acting leader but also their de facto instructor. He was fine with this arrangement: to polish his own body and practice martial skills, he needed training partners who were as strong as possible. They fulfilled each other's needs.
He paid zero attention to how others saw it.
Physical tempering is a long grind. Because of his earlier training, Xiang Nan's frame had gotten lean, but after more specialized workouts, his muscular strength hit a certain threshold, and he started bulking again.
Combined with his prior military experience from a past life, his aura felt even more iron-blooded, more battle-hardened. Once, he'd worn glasses and seemed a bit like an intellectual—these days, the glasses were just for show. It was hard to picture him as a doctor anymore. Only when he put on white gloves did his demeanor shift.
…
"According to what I've learned, the Republic of Padokea does maintain a Nen-user force—a squad of aura-wielding soldiers—but from the conversation I had, the threshold for joining is super high, and they don't necessarily recruit from local bases. It's apparently some special channel," Xiang Nan mused one day, a couple of months later, sitting in his office.
He recalled talking to the highest-ranking officer in his district a few days prior, straightforwardly asking about the country's "Nen corps." The officer hadn't denied its existence, which proved it was real. But it was also clear that entering it wasn't simple.
Between the lines, the official implied that if Xiang Nan was interested, the officer could file a recommendation. Yet Padokea had more than one military district, each packed with top talents. Garo and his peers might be the best here, but on a national scale, they weren't special. Xiang Nan, on the other hand, was so exceptional that even senior leadership knew of him; his rank had risen again, and his achievements kept piling up. That set him leagues beyond Garo. Maybe Xiang Nan could join a unit of Nen users, but not Garo's group.
Still, after thinking it over, Xiang Nan declined.
Because in his current position, he had maximum freedom to leverage government resources. Moving to the Nen-user corps—knowing neither their authority nor how they fit into the power structure—would indeed boost his odds of learning Nen, but it might rob him of certain freedoms and powers. The officer also knew little about that mysterious department. Xiang Nan worried about ending up a tool for some politician or bigwig.
Another key point: to become a Nen user, he didn't necessarily need to go the official route. He could wait, gather capital, and join that "table" later when it was safer.
For now, he'd milk his present platform to the fullest.
"If I'm not going official, I'll have to go underground…" Xiang Nan smiled.
The second round had already given him an idea: kidnapping Nen users.
But to avoid crossing certain lines or messing with well-connected individuals, the best target would be "unlicensed" ones, not holding a Hunter License—people whose existence threatened official order or tarnished society.
Where were they most concentrated? Underground, of course—mafia, assassins, private militias…
As a privileged figure in the base, Xiang Nan had total autonomy. He was absolutely free, with a small squad that would follow him.
Surely there were plenty of unlicensed hunters like Kaito scattered around.
"Next plan: hunt the unlicensed," Xiang Nan murmured, grinning.
He grabbed the phone on his desk, dialing a certain number. He wanted to track which mafia group in the Republic of Padokea was the most brazen, beyond the army's reach. Obviously, this was dangerous. But no risk, no reward.
He needed more "raw material" to deepen his understanding of Nen. The better his understanding, the more effectively he could eventually use it. Plus, he sorely needed real battle experience against Nen fighters—that determined how well one could respond to advanced killing scenarios.
His target was clear: small-time families on the fringes, avoiding the Ten Dons' direct influence. Because any big mafia clan employing skilled Nen users would annihilate Xiang Nan's squad with ease—that would be certain death.
The underworld here was savage, likely even more merciless than the military. In Hunter x Hunter's chain of predators, mafia organizations can disregard entire nations if they want. They're basically a "kingdom of the void," the Ten Dons are the uncrowned monarchs.
Born in that darkness, guys like the Shadow Beasts or the Phantom Troupe were monsters who devoured people whole. They rose to the apex over mountains of corpses.
~~~
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