Defeated—an overwhelming loss. The crocodile squadron leader Gudu was utterly routed by the division captain Guster. Gudu didn't even understand how he lost; it only felt like, all of a sudden, his strength was stripped away by the other side. Then... he was beaten to a pulp.
"What a terrifyingly powerful ability." Unlike Gudu, Leol had seen the entire process clearly. As the saying goes, the onlooker sees more than the player. He knew full well Gudu lost to that division captain's Nen ability, though he didn't understand why a mere division captain possessed such power. Or rather—how did someone at that rank train up an ability this strong? "If I could borrow his ability, my strength would skyrocket."
"Hmph. With just that level, you dare say the King needs your power?" After thoroughly thrashing Gudu, Guster couldn't help but sneer. "You think you can eat me? Even our soldier ants are stronger than you."
Guster kept needling him. Gudu's face flushed red, then went white—he was livid. Imagine angering a green crocodile face into turning red and white—yeah, that mad. Still, Gudu didn't dare act rashly again. That feeling of your strength being siphoned away—limbs drained and powerless—was unforgettable. As for "weaker than a soldier ant"? That was obviously Guster talking trash. Gudu was a squadron leader—someone who could rank in the Hunter world. Even with Meruem's Nen training, with innate gaps and talent limits, there was no way a soldier ant could surpass untrained squadron leaders in just a month. Give it ten or twenty years—maybe. Guster was provoking them on purpose.
But while Guster knew that, the squadron leaders didn't. In their old understanding, division captains couldn't beat squadron leaders—yet now, it happened in minutes, right in front of them. And so, a lovely misunderstanding took root.
"How in the world does the King train them, that even soldier ants end up like this?" Zazan's mind felt overloaded. She'd had the most contact with the trained ants, so she believed Guster more readily than the others.
Leol, meanwhile, regretted leaving. "If I hadn't gone, I'd be strong now too." Still, he didn't fully buy "division captain crushes squadron leader." If you've got the guts, crush one more—preferably that crocodile.
As for Gudu, all he could think about now was obtaining power and killing the damned division captain in front of him.
"Hens at dawn!—Hens at Dawn!" This was Guster's Nen ability. The name alludes to the idiom of a hen usurping the rooster's role of crowing at daybreak, a metaphor for overstepping one's bounds. In raw strength and total Nen, Gudu surpassed Guster. But once Guster activated "Hens at Dawn," at the instant Gudu struck at him, Guster could snatch away Gudu's strength and Nen. Simply put, before using "Hens at Dawn," Guster remained motionless while Gudu attacked. Gudu's action played the rooster crowing; Guster's inaction, the hen laying. Yet "Hens at Dawn" swaps it—Gudu's everything is taken by Guster. So the moment Gudu attacked Guster, his entire "turn" was replaced, leaving him suddenly powerless and weak.
Though "Hens at Dawn" seems strong, it has drawbacks. First, there's a time limit: thirty minutes is the maximum duration the ability can keep the stolen power. Second, if the opponent doesn't attack and instead flees, even if it's activated, they won't be debilitated. Finally, if the opponent's strength (Nen and physique) exceeds Guster's by more than threefold, the technique collapses—the hard limit is three times. Also, "Hens at Dawn" only steals strength and Nen, not the opponent's Hatsu. In other words, even if Guster steals Gudu's Nen pool and raw strength, Gudu can still use his Nen abilities.
However, "Hens at Dawn" can be used repeatedly. Theoretically, in a group fight, he could stack on top of his base endlessly, reaching an "invincible" state—i.e., against Gudu, Leol, and Zazan, he could steal Gudu's power, then Leol's, then Zazan's in turn.
So, with Gudu never having fully developed his own Hatsu and relying on pure physique, it wasn't unjust for him to be blown out by Guster—Guster's ability happens to counter those who fight on raw body alone. If the opponent were Leol, it might have been a real clash.
"All right, all right. Since Mr. Guster is here under the King's orders, I assume it isn't just to teach Gudu a lesson. Let's get to the point," Leol said, aiming to smooth things over; dragging this on helped no one. His tone held a touch of deference. After witnessing a mere division captain explode with power and beat a squadron leader, he only yearned more for the King's training.
"I'm here by the King's order to deliver something." Guster lifted the basket in his hand and gave it a shake before the three. He'd only put Gudu in his place because of the disrespect toward the King, but completing the King's errand came first.
"Oh? From the King—to us? What is it?" They hadn't noticed the basket earlier, but now they could clearly feel a surge of powerful Nen emanating from it. Not just Leol—Zazan and even the humiliated Gudu were curious.
"Something that can instantly boost and fully develop your Nen abilities—a rare beast: the Golden Silkworm Gu." As Guster spoke, he lifted the lid. Golden light billowed through the entire room, an intense Nen aura pouring out of the basket. Following the glow, the three peered inside—at the very center lay three plump, tender-white silkworm… babies?!
"The King said you'd definitely like them." No one noticed the odd smile on Guster's face as he said it; the three squadron leaders were too fixated on the silkworms.
"What are these?" Zazan couldn't help speaking first. The three silkworms drew her with a strange allure, like a devil whispering by her ear: "Eat them." "Eat them."
"They're an extremely rare exotic beast the King procured—the Golden Silkworm Gu. The King has something he needs you to do, but your current power is too weak. So you need a boost. Eat one, and your Nen will multiply, and your Hatsu will be fully developed," Guster coaxed.
He didn't even need to. The instant they heard "Nen multiplied" and "full ability development," the trio's eyes reddened, their breathing roughened. They'd come here because humans were too strong; to increase their own power, they'd temporarily thrown in with the Ant King. Once a traitor, twice is easy—unless you offer benefits great enough to bind them.
So this is how those division captains got strong. If I eat it, I'll be stronger. If I eat all of them—how strong would I become? That thought ignited in all three.
"Then I'll leave these three to you." Guster set the basket before them, and as he departed, the squadron leaders' looks at each other grew uglier. Each wanted to hog them all. They had no clan affection or anything else to restrain them.
"Forgot to add: the King said you can only eat one in your lifetime. Eat more than one and your body may explode." Just before disappearing from sight, Guster tossed back one last line. That one sentence was like a bucket of cold water, instantly cooling the three who'd been ready to throw down. Was the King's warning true? None of them fully believed it—but none would bet their lives. What if it was true? After killing the other two, if you ate a second and really exploded—who would you complain to? Not that Guster was being kind; the King had ordered that these three still had uses. Otherwise, he'd have waited till they'd killed a couple of each other before speaking up.
"King, the task you assigned is done." Leaving the trio, Guster went straight to the Ant King's study, knelt on one knee before Meruem on the throne, and reported.
Golden Silkworm Gu? Does the Hunter world really have such a beast? Eat it to fully develop your Hatsu and multiply your Nen? You're thinking too much. The "Golden Silkworm Gu" given to the three was merely Meruem's Nen beasts. Their effects were indeed to fully develop the trio's Nen abilities and increase their Nen—but not for free. The increase came from unlocking their latent potential, and "full development" was only a small part of what the Silkworm Gu could do. As for its true power? Who can say? Just remember—the word "Gu" in its name carries a certain… implication.
(End of Chapter)
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