If he could master spatial teleportation as an offensive method, tactical applications would no longer be restricted by the activation conditions of Starlight Convergence.
At the same time, adding another attack method could effectively disrupt the opponent's judgment regarding the nature of his ability.
Having determined the direction of his ability, Morrow's next consideration was the difficulty of its development.
Theoretically, the rarer and more complex an ability's mechanics, the longer the development cycle required.
And there was also the worst-case scenario...
Investing a great deal of time and effort, only for the ability's development to make no progress.
In that sense, the mechanism of Etude of Love, which allowed a Nen user to develop a Nen ability in a short time, was practically cheating.
This time, however, Morrow could no longer enjoy the convenience of "upgrading an ability," so before committing time and effort, he had to mentally prepare himself to bear the "sunk cost."
Of course...
If he wanted feedback or results in a shorter time, he could also consider lowering the ability's strength and complexity.
For now, I should focus on a "high-speed movement" ability. If developing a "spatial" ability proves too difficult, I can fall back on a purely physical displacement ability.
Morrow's eyes gleamed faintly.
If conditions permitted, he would naturally prefer a spatial displacement ability with higher potential.
But such an ability wasn't something he could obtain just because he wanted it.
Unless he was willing to impose harsh Limitations within his ability system.
However, there was no longer any time pressure, and both Deceptive Shooting Star and Starlight Convergence already involved Vows and Limitations…
So this time, he would rather develop the ability slowly and painstakingly than take on yet another, or even more, Limitations.
In the end, it was a matter of trade-offs.
Morrow's current circumstances afforded him greater freedom, so his perspective and approach naturally differed as well.
If I can successfully develop a spatial displacement ability, then I can proceed to develop a spatial offensive ability. If Nen capacity constraints make the latter too difficult, I can lower my standards.
As he envisioned his future abilities, Morrow's thoughts continued to branch out and expand.
In his mind, scenes of various abilities from the original work flashed by incessantly...
Finally settling on two images.
One was the scene of the spiral black hole emerging from the ground when Leorio and Ging activated their abilities.
The other was the scene during the Greed Island boxing match, where the Nen user acting as an NPC teleported his fist through a short distance.
The difference between the two was that the former teleported energy, while the latter teleported physical matter.
Fundamentally, teleporting matter was undoubtedly more difficult.
That was why the NPC Nen user in Greed Island needed to inscribe Divine Script on the ring to assist in activating the ability.
Since Morrow's primary offensive method was Shooting Star, he should logically lean toward the easier option of teleporting energy.
However, with spatial abilities like these, it seemed that when manifesting an attack or ability, phenomena like the spiral black hole, which would alert the enemy, had to appear first.
This "phenomenon" would somewhat reduce the unpredictability of the leap energy.
Against weaker opponents, it might still guarantee a 100% hit rate.
But when facing stronger adversaries, this spatial manifestation of the ability would only give them some reaction time.
Given the nature of my ability, leap energy should undoubtedly be the focus. But when constructing the framework of the ability, I absolutely can't leave behind such a flaw that might affect its essence, otherwise, the development would lose its meaning.
Hmm...
Thinking this far ahead before even getting started... Am I being a bit too overconfident?
Morrow shook his head slightly.
He had always adhered to a measured, unhurried approach in handling matters, so he quickly reined in his wandering thoughts.
For now, he only had a preliminary direction...
What came next was to proceed steadily, step by step, like building blocks, carefully and methodically stacking each piece to ensure stability at the foundation.
Once the ferry docks, I'll find a place to test the upper limits of the sheath's ability. Oh, right...
A thought suddenly occurred to Morrow.
He turned to Kurapika, who was studying the sheath, and asked, "Kurapika, should I give this sheath a name?"
"It's up to you."
Kurapika glanced up at Morrow.
Most Nen users named their abilities, so giving a name to an object like the sheath, which possessed extraordinary powers, wasn't out of the question.
Morrow smiled. "Then help me brainstorm."
"Alright."
Kurapika agreed softly.
Morrow walked over, took the sheath, and held it in his hand.
Perhaps because his thoughts had been wandering earlier, several name options immediately came to mind.
"Abyssal Sheath, All Creation's Sheath, Coffin of Restraint, Eternal Sheath... Which one do you think sounds better?"
After listing them, he looked at Kurapika.
Kurapika thought for a moment and quickly answered, "Abyssal Sheath."
There wasn't any particular reason for the choice.
He simply felt that since Morrow had listed it first, he must have subconsciously leaned toward "Abyssal Sheath."
Besides, the meaning of the name seemed fitting for the sheath's ability...
"Fine, then Abyssal Sheath it is."
Morrow made the decision without hesitation. To him, having a name was enough; the rest didn't matter.
—--
June 12th.
Morrow and the others returned to Heavens Arena.
Without a concrete plan of action, Heavens Arena was an ideal place for training.
This time, upon their return, Morrow had Kurapika register for matches on the 200th floor.
Although the strength of the fighters on the 200th floor varied, it was still a good place to accumulate combat experience, especially under the condition of not using Nen abilities.
Kurapika had always been receptive to Morrow's arrangements.
On the very morning they returned to Heavens Arena, he registered for a match.
Perhaps because he had never registered for the 200th floor before, despite his accumulated losses, his match was scheduled for that very afternoon. Morrow didn't attend Kurapika's match, choosing instead to ascend alone to the rooftop of Heavens Arena.
A fierce wind howled around him, revealing a thin sea of clouds stretching endlessly before his eyes.
Bracing against the biting gale, Morrow began testing the upper limits of Abyssal Sheath's capabilities.
Unlike before, he didn't directly channel aura into the sheath. Instead, he adjusted his aura output and launched a Deceptive Shooting Star forward.
The Shooting Star sliced through the sky, arcing back toward him after reaching its apex.
Morrow swiftly raised Abyssal Sheath, precisely absorbing the projectile before leveling the sheath's opening and reflecting the absorbed energy outward.
He repeated this cycle over and over, gradually increasing the Shooting Star's power.
From 10% to 12%, then further, 15%, 18%, 21%...
With each rebound, the projectile's force intensified.
Finally, when Morrow unleashed a Shooting Star at 50% of his aura output, Abyssal Sheath showed signs of strain. The sheath trembled faintly, as if nearing its limit.
Gripping it tightly, Morrow leveled the opening, now brimming with the absorbed force, toward the distant horizon.
Then.
"BOOM!"
A torrential energy light wave erupted from the sheath, tearing through the air and surging into the distance.
"This is truly fascinating."
Morrow watched the energy wave vanish into the sky, a faint smile curling at his lips.
A Deceptive Shooting Star condensed at 50% aura output, amplified further by its rebound mechanic, already packed formidable destructive power.
Yet Abyssal Sheath could not only absorb energy of this magnitude but also reflect it reliably, proving it was battle-ready.
Previously, Morrow had relied on the Tree Rings tattoo on his hand to rebound his Shooting Stars in combat.
Now, with Abyssal Sheath, he could replace that function entirely, allowing for far more flexible fighting styles.
The only drawback was the absorption and reflection speed, too instantaneous.
If he could introduce a delay mechanism like the Deceptive Shooting Star, its tactical value would rise to another level.
"At this level, Franklin would make a perfect test subject for Abyssal Sheath's combat viability."
Morrow murmured to himself, casually sheathing the Poultry Scarlet Knife into Abyssal Sheath.
To him, the sheath was like a fascinating new toy.
But only by deploying it in real combat could he fully explore its potential.
That was precisely why he had set his sights on Franklin.
No particular reason. Simply because Franklin was an Emission Nen user, the ideal whetstone to test Abyssal Sheath against.
Still, even with this in mind, Morrow wouldn't act recklessly.
Before making a move, I should consult Hisoka about the Troupe's movements...
Information was always key.
At the very least, he needed to rule out the possibility of a trap; otherwise, getting caught off-guard would ruin the fun.
—--
Somewhere in the world, in an underground fighting arena.
A square cage, enclosed by spiked bars, stood silently like a colossal steel birdcage.
Dim light shrouded the surrounding spectator seats, barely revealing a packed crowd.
Each wearing identical masks, only their feverish yet icy eyes exposed.
At this moment, two bare-chested, muscular men clashed in a desperate battle within the cage. They were drenched in blood, sweat and blood mingling as they slid down their battered bodies.
Thud! Thud!
The dull impacts of fists and feet against flesh echoed above the arena, only to be instantly drowned out by the hysterical screams of the spectators.
"Ring-ring, ring-ring..."
Amidst those frenzied shouts, there was a series of phone dial tones that went unnoticed by everyone.
The source was an old flip phone, its back engraved with an arrow piercing a red heart.
Holding it was a handsome man with short black hair, a white bandage wrapped around his forehead.
Aside from the flip phone, the man held a red-and-black book with a handprint design in his other hand.
That book was none other than Skill Hunter.
And the man was naturally Chrollo.
"The owner of the number you dialed is not in the vicinity. Please try again later or move to another location before redialing..."
A cold voice came from the flip phone.
Snap.
Chrollo closed the flip phone decisively, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the frenzied crowd before he silently rose from his seat and walked out along the dimly lit corridor.
At the exit of the underground boxing arena stood two burly guards in black suits.
When they saw Chrollo walking out alone, they exchanged glances, a flicker of surprise in their eyes.
Not only was it unusual for someone to leave before the match ended, but this man wasn't wearing a mask and was holding an old flip phone in one hand and a rather thick book in the other.
Such an eccentric guest was a first for them.
Chrollo ignored the guards' probing looks, striding past them and ascending the stairs to the entrance of the casino on the higher floor.
The guards at the casino entrance merely glanced at the guest badge on his chest before pushing open the gilded doors to let him in.
As Chrollo stepped through the doors and into the casino, a rush of highly oxygenated air mixed with the scents of perfume and tobacco hit him.
He scanned the casino expressionlessly.
Flushed gamblers were immersed in the thrill of high-stakes betting, while the dealers maintained their practiced, professional smiles.
Chrollo moved deeper into the casino without drawing attention, his slender fingers flipping open the phone once more and pressing the redial button.
"Ring-ring, ring-ring..."
The monotonous dial tone played from the phone for a while before abruptly switching to a cold, mechanical female voice:
"The owner of the number you dialed has been located directly ahead, within the range of the Nen wave."
Chrollo's gaze followed the prompt to a card table straight ahead.
Seated there was a lone male gambler, thin as a monkey, with small round sunglasses perched on his face.
Having confirmed his target, Chrollo deactivated his ability.
The Skill Hunter in his hand and the flip phone instantly dissolved into wisps of aura, vanishing into the air.
"Love Dial 6700."
This was an ability he had stolen from a woman.
As the name suggested, the essence of this ability was to locate a desired target through the form of a phone call.
Its effects were as follows:
The user pre-sets the conditions for their "desired target."
A detection Nen wave is released in the form of a dial tone. 3. The Nen wave scans the surroundings like radar, searching for targets that meet the set conditions.
Given this mechanism, if the conditions are set too strictly, it might become like searching for a needle in a haystack.
After all, it's akin to demanding high bride prices, youth and good looks, high annual income, property ownership, voluntary salary submission, and so on in a crowded dating market...
In such cases, it's highly likely that no suitable match will ever be found.
But the charm of Nen lies in its plasticity; it isn't confined to a single form.
The original user of Love Dial 6700 employed this ability to find a romantic partner that met her requirements.
Yet in Chrollo's hands, by setting search conditions such as "the target possesses a specific ability or specialty," it achieves two effects:
1. Locating desired Nen abilities.
2. Scouting special talents.
An ability originally meant for finding romantic partners can significantly expand the potential of Chrollo's "Skill Hunter."
One can only say...
This is the bizarre and fantastical nature of Nen abilities.
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Bonus chapter @300power stones.