After returning from Jappon, Morrow had been staying at Heavens Arena to develop a new Nen ability.
Every day, aside from his routine training, he devoted all his time and energy to crafting this new ability.
Yet after a month, he hadn't even managed to lay the groundwork for what he envisioned.
Just as expected, developing a space-warp ability isn't that easy.
Despite the lack of progress, Morrow wasn't anxious.
Or rather, he had already prepared himself mentally for this before even starting.
A space-warp ability was, after all, far more complex than Deceptive Shooting Star.
Moreover, when it came to ability development, success was difficult to achieve unless it aligned with one's personality, experiences, or environment.
Conversely, if it did resonate with these factors, the ability would emerge naturally, like water flowing downhill.
Before his Death Rewind, Morrow had managed to develop and master Deceptive Shooting Star within half a year precisely because of the keen observational skills he had honed while running an antique shop.
The most classic example in the original story was undoubtedly Killua's ability.
The electroshock torture he endured since childhood, combined with his perfectly compatible Nen type, allowed him to effortlessly develop a Transmuter ability related to "electricity" once he had sufficient Nen knowledge.
Another reference point was Knov's Hide and Seek.
If Killua's Transmuter ability stemmed from his personal experiences and the environment shaped by the Zoldyck Family, then...
Knov's incredibly rare spatial ability, Hide and Seek, originated from his deeply ingrained sense of insecurity.
And then there was his disciple, Palm...
Despite being an Enhancement user, she had developed the equally precious Conjuration ability, Wink Blue.
This was because Palm harbored an almost pathological desire to spy on others.
It was this very desire that enabled her to defy her natural affinity and develop a complete Conjuration ability.
This was the direct influence of personality, experiences, and environment on Nen ability development.
Yet Morrow now sought a tailor-made space-warp ability based solely on "necessity", naturally, it wouldn't come easily.
He understood well that in the pursuit of mastering Nen, there were no shortcuts to instant success.
But as long as he moved forward with unwavering determination, even if he didn't achieve his original goal, he would undoubtedly gain unexpected growth and results along the way.
Like a stream wearing down a rock, over time, even the most unyielding obstacle would be smoothed away, while the water itself grew deeper and more resilient in the process.
Every attempt is an essential accumulation. If one month isn't enough, then three. If three isn't enough, then six...
With this thought, Morrow's gaze remained calm and focused.
The essence of Nen was, after all, the intertwining of will and reality.
And when it came to willpower, having willingly embraced Death Replay countless times, he had absolute confidence.
Time passed slowly.
Another half-month slipped by. August 1st.
Morrow's development of a new ability had finally reached its first milestone.
However...
The direction he chose was to first develop a teleportation-type spatial warp ability to significantly enhance combat mobility.
But perhaps due to his mastery over various energy release forms of "Shooting Star", he hadn't yet achieved bodily teleportation. Instead, he'd first mastered energy-based warping.
On the top-level arena platform.
Morrow crouched low, his right palm pressed firmly against the cold stone floor as he focused intently on channeling his aura.
Gyo.
With a thought, his right hand suddenly erupted in bright light, Nen flowing like water across its surface.
He first glanced down at his aura-wrapped hand, then looked up toward a spot on the ground a hundred meters beyond the arena.
Insidious Shooting Star.
His will followed the energy's flow, instantly igniting the Gyo accumulated in his right hand.
A brilliant stellar cross appeared without warning on the distant ground, as if space itself had been briefly torn open by some force.
Almost simultaneously with the cross's formation, a dark blue Shooting Star shot from its center, streaking through the air toward the arena dome.
But Morrow was prepared.
His left hand flicked upward, sending another Shooting Star to intercept it midair with perfect timing.
"Boom!"
The two energies collided violently, producing a deafening explosion.
Resplendent aura burst like fireworks as shockwaves swept across the entire arena, lifting Morrow's black hair and fluttering his clothes.
Facing the blast, he studied the fading stellar cross mark on the ground, fingertips brushing against the lingering aura residue as he mused aloud:
"At this stage, I still need to rely on the 'stellar cross' as a spatial manifestation medium... otherwise the ability won't activate..."
For his initial concept of energy warping, Morrow had drawn inspiration from observing the phenomena when Leorio and Ging used their abilities, which sparked ideas for improvement.
He believed the advantage of energy-warping offensive abilities lay in striking unpredictably.
Thus, phenomena like spiral black holes would only undermine that inherent advantage.
Yet upon mastering this form himself, he discovered that without a spatial manifestation medium like the "stellar cross", he couldn't complete the Insidious Shooting Star release.
This might be some deep Limitation tied to the ability's system...
Like how a passageway's definition requires both entrance and exit to make the "passage" a real existence.
Offensive abilities using spatial warping essentially send energy along "a passage" to another exit point.
So only when the "passage exit" becomes established reality can the ability's release be truly completed.
This was Morrow's hypothesis, though another possibility remained:
That he hadn't fully grasped spatial warping's essence, or simply lacked sufficient ability.
If it's an inherent limitation of the ability itself... then merely increasing mastery likely won't break it. But with the Vow and Limitation mechanism... theoretically this could overcome such constraints. For now... this will have to do. Morrow remained in a half-crouched position before releasing another Insidious Shooting Star.
A hundred meters away, a stellar cross shimmered into existence on the ground, followed by the launch of a deep blue Shooting Star.
It was promptly intercepted and detonated by another Shooting Star from Morrow.
"Proficiency is about there, good enough for actual combat."
Morrow slowly rose to his feet.
Since mastering the Insidious Shooting Star ability, he had practiced it countless times.
Currently, the maximum range he could anchor the warp was within a hundred meters.
Before the Shooting Star completed its warp, a Star Mark would first appear at the target location.
Moreover, the color of this Shooting Star differed from the Deceptive Shooting Star.
The Deceptive Shooting Star was a fluorescent green Nen bullet, while the Insidious Shooting Star was a deep blue one.
Why was that?
Even Morrow wasn't sure.
Perhaps it was due to subconscious ability categorization, or maybe he had inadvertently been influenced by the color of the Tree Rings energy gauge.
"That's enough for today."
Feeling the dwindling reserves of his potential aura, Morrow exhaled deeply, a trace of fatigue flickering across his face.
Nearly two months of dedicated research.
Though the initial concept of a Teleportation ability remained elusive, the unexpected birth of the Insidious Shooting Star had been like a beam of light piercing through dark clouds, illuminating the path forward.
Morrow believed that as his mastery of Insidious Shooting Star continued to improve, he would accumulate more experience and insights along the way.
And these experiences and insights would become the crucial nourishment needed to develop the Teleportation ability.
The path was now illuminated.
All that remained was to keep striving.
Morrow returned to his room, allowing himself a rare moment of rest.
The following afternoon.
He headed to Kastro's exclusive floor arena.
At that moment.
Kurapika and Kastro were engaged in combat on the stage.
Nearby, Calista and Kalluto were seated in the audience.
Over this period, while Morrow had been refining his new ability, Kurapika and the others hadn't been idle either—they had been honing their skills through practical training.
Following his suggestion, Kurapika, Kastro, Calista, and Kalluto had been randomly paired via draw every so often for two-on-two sparring sessions.
Morrow stood at the entrance, not immediately joining Kalluto's side, but instead observing the battle on the stage.
As an Enhancement-type, Kastro's combat style was no different from most others in his category.
He leveraged the advantages of Enhancement to pressure Kurapika in close quarters.
Without activating Emperor Time, Kurapika, relying solely on his Conjured chains, stood no chance in a direct confrontation against Kastro.
Thus, Kurapika adopted a hit-and-run tactic, constantly evading Kastro's attacks while actively seeking openings to strike.
Even without the intensity boost from Emperor Time, you've already reached a level where you can calmly and precisely handle every exchange, even counterattacking when the opportunity arises...
Morrow could clearly perceive Kurapika's growth.
This was the Kurapika he recognized.
Perhaps still far from the level seen in the Dark Continent arc, but undoubtedly comparable to his prowess during the Yorknew arc.
It's about time to resume the 'hunt'.
The battle on the arena was heating up, but Morrow slowly withdrew his gaze, calculating his next move in the hunt for the spiders.
His next target, without a doubt, was Franklin.
However, according to the intel provided by Hisoka, the Phantom Troupe had been strictly adhering to their principle of operating in teams during this period.
It was worth noting that despite all this time, Hisoka still hadn't found his place within the group and continued to act alone.
Apart from the intel about their team-based operations, there was another crucial piece of information.
Just a week ago, the Troupe had recruited a new member.
According to Hisoka, the new member was a Manipulator, though nothing else was known about them.
With Meteor City as their stronghold and such efficient recruitment speed...
Unless the entire Troupe was wiped out in one fell swoop, given enough time to recover, they could continuously replenish their ranks.
Even if Chrollo, the head of the spider, was killed, the other members would inherit his ideals and carry the Troupe forward.
This was a rule established from the very founding of the Phantom Troupe.
But Morrow knew that Chrollo was the true soul of the Phantom Troupe, an irreplaceable figure in the eyes of most members.
So if Chrollo could be eliminated first...
Even if the remaining spider legs elected a new head, they would never be able to recreate the Troupe's former strength.
It could be said that what made the Troupe formidable wasn't the group itself, but the Phantom Troupe under Chrollo's leadership.
In the original storyline, Chrollo had always believed that the most important part of the Troupe wasn't him as the head.
It wasn't until the events in Yorknew that this belief of his began to change.
He realized that along the way, his comrades had developed a dependency on his "leadership".
And it was this very dependency that exposed the team's weakness when faced with the threat of the Chain User...
Thus, to ensure the Phantom Troupe's continued survival, Chrollo, who led them aboard the Black Whale, adopted an extreme ideology and, with a long-term vision, began seeking an enduring path for the Troupe's future.
This was likely Chrollo's unique trait called "evolution", allowing him to constantly adapt and change based on circumstances.
Morrow was well aware of Chrollo's importance to the entire Phantom Troupe.
But given his current strength, he wasn't capable of directly targeting Chrollo yet.
Setting aside the countless Nen abilities stored in Chrollo's Skill Hunter, just his physical prowess, capable of going toe-to-toe with Silva, and mastery of Ryū were already formidable challenges.
Even more troublesome was the fact that Chrollo was always accompanied by Troupe members like Pakunoda, Machi, and Kortopi.
With Chrollo's tactical acumen and the unknown abilities within Skill Hunter, as long as he had allies by his side, he could unleash terrifying coordinated combat strength.
Thus, in Morrow's view, unless his own strength reached a level comparable to Silva's, he wouldn't actively attempt to target Chrollo.
The Troupe replenishes its members quickly, but...
Morrow lowered his eyelids, thinking to himself: The new members' sense of conviction toward the Troupe can't possibly match that of the original members. So even if the Troupe keeps recruiting fresh blood, their cohesion will inevitably suffer.
Not strong enough to snipe Chrollo, but hunting other members was still an option.
Morrow had decided to target Franklin.
With Kalluto's tracking ability, locating Franklin wouldn't be a problem.
The main concern was figuring out who Franklin was teamed up with, and whether he had one teammate or two.
Thinking this through, Morrow took out his phone and sent Hisoka a message about getting to work.
By the time he finished sending the message, the battle in the arena had concluded.
Kurapika had won.
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Bonus chapter @50 power stones and next one @ 100