Chapter 4: Two Months
The routine establishes itself quickly, like a prison settling around Arjun's life. But unlike most prisons, this one is of his own making.
Every morning, Arjun wakes before dawn. The hideout is still quiet then, the other gang members deep in their own sleep or too intoxicated to notice his movements. He sits on his mattress and meditates for thirty minutes, feeling inward. The Demon of Knowledge is always there, waiting, watching, eager to share its secrets. But Arjun has learned to control the flow, to accept knowledge in measured doses rather than letting it flood in all at once.
By day 15, he's figured out how to compartmentalize so effectively that even his own thoughts seem fragmented when he tries to examine them. The knowledge is there vast, intricate, terrifyingly comprehensive but it's hidden beneath layers of ordinary thoughts, mundane observations, practical concerns about surviving in the gang.
After meditation, he eats whatever the hideout provides usually rice, occasionally some kind of protein. It's never good food, but it sustains the body that was Darius. He keeps his demeanor low-key, unremarkable. He doesn't boast about his Nen training. He doesn't display unusual strength or speed. He's careful to still struggle with small tasks that a normal gang member would struggle with, even as he feels the growing power beneath his skin.
By day 22, he can feel the boundaries of Sequence 9 becoming clearer. The Demon of Knowledge whispers about Sequence 8, showing him glimpses of what comes next. Knowledge becomes more intense. The pathways of understanding deepen. But Arjun refuses to push toward advancement yet. That would be too obvious, too fast. Instead, he practices maintaining perfect control, holding himself at Sequence 9 even as the pressure to advance builds within him.
Around midday, after the boss finishes his business and the hideout settles into a lull, Arjun leaves for training. The walk to the old man's home takes about twenty minutes through the winding streets of the city. He takes different routes each time, never establishing a pattern that could be tracked or predicted. Once, he catches sight of what might be a Hunter in the distance someone with that particular awareness that marks them as different from ordinary people. He ducks into an alley, making himself small, invisible. The Hunter passes without noticing him.
The old man's lessons are deceptively simple on the surface. Ren and Ten, over and over. Zetsu—the controlled suppression of aura. Hatsu—the development of personal Nen techniques. The old man has him practice with various basic exercises. Learning to sense the aura of objects. Learning to direct his Nen through his limbs with precision. Learning to maintain multiple simultaneous applications of Nen.
But Arjun's actual learning happens on a different level entirely.
Each day, as he practices the basics, the Demon of Knowledge shows him the underlying structures. It reveals how Nen truly works not just as taught by the old man, but at a fundamental, almost mathematical level. The principles behind why Ren works, the resonance between different types of aura, the way Hatsu abilities can be developed through understanding rather than just experimentation.
By day 30, Arjun has internalized principles that most Nen users take years to understand. He knows this because the Demon of Knowledge tells him so, showing him glimpses of other practitioners, other timelines, other possibilities. But he never shows this knowledge. He asks the old man questions that seem confused, even though he already knows the answers. He stumbles through basic exercises as if they're difficult, even though he could perform them flawlessly.
The old man watches him closely. Arjun can feel those ancient eyes studying him, searching for something. But he maintains the facade of an ordinary student with above-average talent but still fundamentally limited understanding.
"Your progress is steady," the old man says around week six. "Not remarkable, but solid. Most people would have given up by now. The mental discipline alone separates the wheat from the chaff."
"I want to get stronger," Arjun says simply. It's the truth, just not the complete truth. "I want to survive."
The old man nods as if this answers something he's been wondering about.
Evenings are spent back at the hideout. Arjun sits with the other gang members, eating, listening to their conversations. He learns the territory dynamics, the conflicts with other gangs, the general state of the underworld. The boss occasionally briefs his lieutenants on operations, and Arjun listens without appearing to listen too carefully.
He learns that the Hunter Association has been somewhat chaotic since Hisoka's disqualification. There are rumors of internal conflicts. The exam's results are being processed, and new Hunters are being inducted into various divisions. Some of these new Hunters are beginning to show interest in organized crime territories, seeing them as good hunting grounds for certain types of work.
This is valuable information. The knowledge that the Demon of Knowledge helps him understand is even more valuable. Arjun begins to grasp the relationship between the formal Hunter structure and the informal power networks that operate in the shadows. He sees how the two worlds intersect, where they conflict, where they cooperate.
By week eight, he's developed a simple but effective practice routine:
**Early morning (4:00 AM - 4:30 AM)**: Meditation with the Demon of Knowledge. He no longer resists the knowledge-sharing; instead, he's learned to direct it. He asks the entity questions, and it provides answers in the form of understanding that fills his mind. *How does aura flow through meridians? Show me.* And suddenly, he understands. Not intellectually, but viscerally. He can feel the meridians, trace their paths, understand their function.
**Mid-morning (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)**: Training with the old man. Standard Nen exercises performed with deliberate mediocrity. Ren practice that demonstrates control but not exceptional speed of development. Questions asked in ways that make him seem curious but confused. The old man teaches, and Arjun accepts the teachings as if each one is a revelation, even though he already understands everything being explained.
**Afternoon (2:00 PM - 5:00 PM)**: Solo practice in hidden locations. Arjun finds abandoned buildings, forgotten warehouses, spaces where he won't be observed. Here, he practices at his true level. His Nen manipulation becomes precise and powerful. He learns to shape his aura, to extend it, to refine it. He pushes against the boundaries of Sequence 9, feeling how close he is to breakthrough. But he never crosses that threshold. Not yet.
**Evening (6:00 PM - 11:00 PM)**: Hideout duties and observation. He does whatever minor tasks the boss assigns—helping with security, escorting shipments, collecting debts from small-time debtors. Nothing that requires him to use Nen. He stays invisible, unremarkable, just another member of the gang.
**Night (11:00 PM - 4:00 AM)**: Silent meditation in his small room. Deep communion with the Demon of Knowledge. This is where the real advancement happens. The entity teaches him things that have nothing to do with Nen directly, but everything to do with understanding. It shows him how to read people. How to understand hidden motivations. How to predict behavior based on subtle cues. It teaches him the language of power, the grammar of ambition, the syntax of survival.
Week 10 brings a complication.
The boss calls Arjun to his office—a small room filled with stolen luxury items and maps of the city marked with territorial boundaries. Two of the lieutenants are present.
"We're having problems with the Purple Viper gang in the eastern district," the boss explains. "They're encroaching on our turf. We need someone to go scout their operations. Find out their numbers, their capabilities, whether they have any Nen users among them."
Arjun's heart rate increases, but he keeps his face neutral. This is the first real test. The first time his Nen training will be put to actual use.
"When?" he asks.
"Tonight," the boss says. "You scout, you report. Nothing more. We don't want violence yet. We want information."
Arjun nods. "I'll do it."
As he leaves the office, the Demon of Knowledge is already planning, already showing him how to use his Nen for reconnaissance. How to extend his aura subtly, reading the ambient Nen signatures in an area. How to move without being detected. How to gather information efficiently.
He spends the afternoon in meditation, preparing. He practices extending his aura perception beyond the boundaries of his body—something the old man hasn't taught him yet, but which the Demon of Knowledge makes effortless to understand.
That night, Arjun moves through the eastern district like a ghost. He finds the Purple Viper stronghold—a warehouse they've converted into a base. Using techniques that feel entirely natural despite being learned from an entity that shouldn't exist, he reads the aura signatures within the building. He counts approximately twelve gang members, none of them Nen users. He observes their weapons, their organization, their discipline level.
He returns to the hideout before dawn, his report thorough and accurate.
The boss is pleased. "Good work, Darius. This is exactly what we needed." He traces his finger on a map. "We'll move on them next week. With this information, we can hit them hard and fast."
Over the next two months, similar requests come periodically. Scout operations. Occasionally, direct confrontations that never turn into actual violence because Arjun's presence and subdued aura projection is enough to intimidate. Each mission is an opportunity to practice, to refine his abilities, to push against the boundaries of his current Sequence without crossing them.
Week 12: Arjun's body becomes noticeably stronger. The old man comments on it. "Your physical conditioning is improving rapidly. Have you been training on your own?"
"Running in the mornings," Arjun lies smoothly. "The boss encourages it for the younger members."
The old man seems to accept this, though something in his ancient eyes suggests he might know there's more to the story.
Week 14: Arjun begins to sense other Nen users in the city. The Demon of Knowledge helps him distinguish between them, to understand their Nen types, to predict their abilities based on their aura signature. He identifies at least three Hunters moving through the city. He carefully avoids all of them.
Week 16: During a routine training session with the old man, Arjun accidentally demonstrates a level of control that's almost too advanced. He catches himself mid-movement, immediately fumbling, making it seem like a one-time lucky occurrence rather than consistent ability.
The old man watches him for a long moment. "Darius," he says slowly, "how much time have you spent practicing on your own?"
Arjun's mind races. This is a critical moment. Too much honesty and he'll raise suspicion. Too much dishonesty and the old man might refuse to teach him.
"Some," he admits carefully. "I find myself thinking about Nen all the time. About how it works. Sometimes I practice late at night in my room."
The old man nods thoughtfully. "That's good. Self-motivated learning is crucial. But be careful. Push too hard too fast, and you can damage your meridians irreparably. Nen cultivation requires patience."
"I understand," Arjun says, and he means it. He's learned that patience is a tool as sharp as any weapon.
By the end of week 16, exactly two months since his first training session with the old man, Arjun has developed into something far more dangerous than anyone in the hideout realizes. On the surface, he's a promising young gang member with natural Nen talent. He's useful for scouting, for minor enforcement operations, for adding to the gang's overall strength.
But beneath the surface, he's standing at the precipice of Sequence 8, held back only by his own will. He carries the accumulated knowledge of months of teaching from an ancient entity of wisdom and revelation. He understands Nen at levels that most practitioners never reach. He can read aura signatures, predict behavior, navigate the complex politics of a city where Hunters walk alongside criminals.
And no one suspects a thing.
In his private moments, meditating in the silence of his small room, Arjun and the Demon of Knowledge communicate without words.
*We are ready to advance,* the entity whispers.
*Not yet,* Arjun thinks back.
***
**End of Chapter 4**