Chapter 126: How Does My Strength Compare to Your Master's?
The roar of a motorcycle engine broke the silence.
Gon and Killua looked up to see a car approaching from the distant wilderness.
"Is that the extermination team?"
The vehicle stopped just before the NGL border, and three figures emerged from the swirling dust.
It was the Chimera Ant extermination squad led by Chairman Netero.
Killua and the others were visibly startled to see Chairman Netero, never expecting the Hunter Association to dispatch him personally.
"What's this? Just some kids and amateurs," Morel chuckled, hefting his massive pipe. "You're only in danger because you wanted to join the excitement. Hurry home now."
"Don't say that, Mr. Morel," Knuckle adjusted his glasses with a finger. "Given their abilities, making it this far is quite impressive, isn't it?"
In the eyes of elite hunters like them, Gon and Killua were indeed just children, while Kite's biological research team members without Hunter Licenses were the most amateur of amateurs.
"Hahaha," Chairman Netero let out his signature laugh while observing Gon's group. "Where's Kite? Wasn't he supposed to be with you?"
"Kite went chasing after that mysterious person," Gon explained the situation they had witnessed to Netero and the others.
Netero nodded upon hearing this, then turned his gaze to Killua beside them. "Looking quite dejected there—not like you at all."
"Are the enemies really that difficult to handle?"
Killua gritted his teeth before speaking. "The first Chimera Ant we encountered was already a Nen user. Its aura was stronger than anyone we've ever faced—stronger than my brother or Hisoka."
"Having trained in Nen myself, I can clearly sense that all of you are powerful too," Killua raised his head, observing the 100-Type Guanyin manifestation behind Chairman Netero.
"Even so, I don't think you can defeat him."
"Heh," the handsome, flowing-haired Knuckle let out a disdainful sneer. "People always overestimate things they don't understand. You're trapped in panic right now. Didn't you just say there was someone fighting that Chimera Ant to a standstill?"
"Doesn't that prove it's possible?"
"That person's aura was stronger than yours," Killua interrupted Knuckle without any courtesy.
"Hahaha!" Morel burst into hearty laughter at Killua's words. "Kid, when fighting Nen users, the moment you start calculating odds of victory, you've already lost."
"Not knowing your opponent's true strength during battle is normal. That moment of fear and carelessness becomes your fatal flaw when trying to turn defeat into victory."
"Whether the surface-level aura appears large or small, you must never let your guard down. Wins and losses are inevitable. But even so, you must fight with 100% conviction that you'll win—that's the backbone of a true Nen user."
"Yeah! Well said, mister!" Gon waved his fist enthusiastically, his bright eyes fixed on Morel. "If Kite hadn't forced Killua and me to leave, I would never have gone! How would we know we can't win without even trying!"
"Hahahaha, you're the one who suits my taste, kid." Morel laughed heartily along. "You must be Ging's son indeed. Like father, like son."
"Enough, Morel," Knuckle interjected to stop him.
Netero looked at Gon and Killua, speaking gravely: "The incident of giant Chimera Ants eating humans is truly unbelievable. Since it has become reality, we must do everything to prevent the situation from worsening further. Half-hearted strength might potentially be absorbed by the enemy."
"So you two should wait here for Kite's return."
"With your current abilities, you absolutely don't qualify to go to NGL independently."
"Leave the next matters to us."
Saying this, Netero turned and left with Morel and Knuckle.
...
Meanwhile.
Mord found a waterfall to practice his swordsmanship. To be honest, NGL's natural environment was quite good, as it hadn't undergone any artificial development at all.
Mord stood firmly before the waterfall, listening to the sound of water crashing against rocks, with chilly ice-cold water spraying against his face.
Watching the cascading waterfall, he swung his blade horizontally.
Even without using Nen, this single strike managed to cut off the waterfall's flow momentarily. The life energy he had absorbed was also nourishing his body in return.
Don't think Mord's strike was simple.
If it were an ordinary person, the moment their blade made contact with the powerfully cascading waterfall, their grip would break and the sword would fly from their hands.
Facing such terrifying impact force from the water flow, ordinary people simply couldn't hold onto their blades.
Being able to swing a sword normally in a waterfall was already remarkable enough, let alone cutting off the waterfall momentarily.
Tempering the body and honing the will could also increase Aura capacity.
While silently practicing his swordsmanship under the waterfall, Mord unexpectedly received an unanticipated visitor.
"Looking for me?" Mord didn't turn around, continuing his sword practice.
This made him recall the days when he trained under Madou's supervision in Meteor City.
"I've already reported the Chimera Ant matter to the Hunter Association. Counting the days, the first extermination squad should arrive either today or tomorrow."
"So?"
"I'd like to invite you to join the extermination team. We need your abilities." Kite looked sincerely at the man in the distance who was shirtless, continuously swinging his blade to cut the waterfall.
Mord focused his spirit, gathering all his strength, and struck forward with full force.
Under Kite's astonished gaze, Mord's strike completely stopped the waterfall's flow, and it took quite a while before the water resumed cascading from above.
Mord turned around, leaping lightly to the shore, and wiped his body with a towel.
After putting his clothes back on, he looked at Kite and said: "How does my strength compare to your master's?"
Kite's eyes narrowed slightly as he responded gravely: "You know about me?"
"There aren't many star-ranked hunters registered with the Hunter Association that I don't pay attention to. One-star Biological Hunter Kite, disciple of Ging Freecss, the 'Boar' of the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve." Mord said casually.
In contrast, Kite and his biological investigation team had been completely immersed in nature, conducting biological surveys for three full years. While he knew about the long-established strong hunters in the Hunter Association, he knew nothing about rising stars like Mord who had emerged in the past two years.
He remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Although your strength is formidable—far surpassing mine—you still fall short of my master."
When mentioning Ging, one could clearly sense the reverence and pride in Kite's words.
"Is that so." Mord nodded, completely unfazed.
A world like this was truly fascinating.