"Actually, it's not only that we're weak against the Dark Continent. Even in this world we're in now, compared to the rulers of this world—humans—we are very weak." Seeing the timing was right, Meruem finally stated the true purpose of this talk. He'd said all this just to make these arrogant ants understand: there's always someone stronger. His earlier description of the Dark Continent was also to knock down those who were already smug—including the three Royal Guards. "A lion uses full strength even to hunt a rabbit." All the more when facing Nen users—one careless moment and you could trip in the gutter. In the original, almost every ant died that way. Perhaps that crushing power they felt in NGL against ordinary people made them lose themselves and assume all humans were weak chickens—food. But don't forget, even among Chimera Ants there's an extreme gap between a soldier and the Ant King. Humans in this world aren't as simple as they imagine.
"Humans? Those weak creatures? The kind that only become food—what danger is there in that?" Every ant thought this in their hearts.
"Heh. Even if I say this, I suppose you don't really believe it inside."
"We wouldn't dare," the ants replied in fear.
"It's fine. If I were you, I'd think the same. But that's not the truth. What did you think of that old man from before?" Meruem didn't explain first—he asked back. The old man, of course, meant Chairman Netero, who had rampaged through the nest.
"Very strong. Of the humans we've met so far, he's the strongest. He might even be the strongest human, meow," answered the cat-girl Pitou. She had fought Kite, but Kite wasn't in the same league as the Chairman. Kite might be stronger than a squadron leader, even a bit stronger than a Phantom Troupe member, but compared to a world-class master like Netero, there was no comparison.
"I don't want to admit it, but he's formidable—I couldn't fight back at all. But please rest assured, King—next time I'll personally slit him open," Youpi growled, veins bulging at the mention of the Chairman. Clearly the blow to him had been heavy.
"…" Pouf fell silent. He didn't want to bring it up—his proud abilities had been completely suppressed, especially by that terrifying wide-area technique. He couldn't even run. Against another opponent, Pouf wouldn't have been so miserable. His abilities could attack or defend and were highly versatile—but faced with Netero, who didn't waste words and just slapped him in the face, well…
The squadron leaders who'd been one-shotted looked awkward; even the chattiest cheetah wore a constipated expression. A moment ago they'd thought all humans were food—instant face-slap.
"Very strong, right? No wonder he was once the strongest in the human world."
"Figures." The ants' expressions eased a bit, feeling somewhat better—until Meruem's next line plunged them back into the abyss.
"But that old man's current strength is less than half his prime." Half—what does that mean? That freakish power that one-palmed entire squadrons and crushed the Royal Guard—only half of what he used to be? Less than? At full power wouldn't he kill gods and Buddhas alike?
"Even so, even if he returns to his prime, he still wouldn't be a match for the King, meow," Pitou said coolly. Unlike the squadron leaders, the Royal Guard had seen Meruem casually ruin Netero's hand. Double that power wouldn't matter. Yes, even at his peak—so what? Our King is the strongest!
"Heh, indeed. If it's an Enhancer like that old man, I won't lose." What worries him are bizarre abilities. For example: the Zoldyck family's unknown thing. Even Meruem now had no confidence against something that uncanny.
"But this world isn't as simple as you think. That old man, as he is now, isn't even in this world's top five. Even I only dare claim top three; I'm not sure about number one." How strong is Netero at half his youth? Is he in the world's top three? Who knows—the original never said. Meruem was half bluffing, though the manga did mention the King's body had reached the peak of physical perfection. Even facing Netero's full Hundred-Type Guanyin and the life-burning Zero Hand, he'd only had some skin broken. If not for the Rose nuke, the very top of the Hunter world would surely have mobilized—cue a brawl of bizarre abilities. One thing he didn't lie about: that number one spot. Unlike the chūni King of his previous life, this Meruem didn't have the confidence—not yet. He'd at least need to resolve the Unknown Thing and the nuke problem. And in the Hunter world, with weirdness like the Demon King's Melody cropping up, who knows if an actual Demon King exists? Better to keep a low profile. As the saying goes—play the pig to eat the tiger.
Though much of what he said was exaggerated on purpose, he said it to make these restless ants grasp the notion that there are always greater heights. The ones who left earlier? Let them be. Meruem even planned to boost those who left a little, to divert human attention. The chūni King of the original had become a slightly black-bellied one.
Of course, in pure physical combat, Meruem feared no human in the Hunter world. In the original, Netero did say Meruem had reached the pinnacle of physical limits. But is raw physique king in the Hunter world? No. This isn't Dragon Ball with power levels. Magic and special tricks aren't sideshows—Nen here is notorious for its weirdness. Vows and restrictions are a core feature—a comeback weapon. As long as your potential is strong, set a restriction with Nen and swear to obey it—the stricter the restriction, the greater the explosive power of your technique. For example: Gon's black-and-hard form. At the time, Gon's progress lagged behind Killua's; he wasn't even guaranteed to beat a squadron leader (and Killua wasn't either). After setting that restriction, he instantly reached the level to brutalize Neferpitou. The gap between a Royal Guard and a squadron leader is like a Saiyan and a Super Saiyan. And as everyone knows, Nen can explode even more after death—yet Pitou's postmortem burst was still crushed and continued to be stomped by black-and-hard. Granted, the price for Gon's transformation was steep—without the Unknown Thing's wish-granting, he'd have met his maker. But the Hunter world is full of freaks, perverts, and prodigies. If a hundred of them collectively snapped and made heavy vows and restrictions, even Meruem couldn't stand it.
"So we're still this weak." When Meruem finished, that was the only thought in every ant's heart.
"All right, my loyal subordinates. Although we're still weak, we can still improve. You've been born less than a year; I've been born only a few hours. In human terms, we're just infants. So, everyone, strive to grow stronger—become the strength of me, Meruem, King of the Chimera Ants." Meruem said sincerely. If he were the chūni King from the original, he'd never say something this cheesy. Too bad—the King now is a transmigrator—Meruem. Yang.
"King." *N "Oh—my King." Cheesy or not, it stirred many ants' feelings—none more than Pouf. Hey! Your snot's about to drip into your mouth!
"Then first, we need to find a base to grow and develop. So… let's go there."
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