Author's Note
Yoo guys,
The last couple of chapters are all me. ChatGPT only helped by fixing my grammar and spelling. I'm really curious what you think of the chapters so far. Some feedback would help me a lot—if I don't hear anything, I'll just continue writing like this.
Also, are you guys surprised by the Nen category or the ability? At first, I wanted to go with water, but another fic already did that, and they did it really well. Because of that, I decided to go with earth instead.
That said, I'm going to develop it in a different way than you might expect. No golems—at least not the kind you're probably thinking of.
I hope to hear from you guys. If not, no comment also means it's a good chapter.
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"You are a Specialist," said Jons with a mysterious glint in his eyes.
He had harbored a suspicion ever since Serik began fighting Garron. He had felt a clear shift in Serik's mentality, and when Serik spoke about his mother, he could never hide the pain in his eyes; he was clearly traumatized. Until now, it had only been speculation.
Tsubone looked surprised; it had been many years since she last saw a Specialist. They were simply too rare. Serik, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. He had hoped to be a Specialist since he knew about Nen categories, but he never held much hope—Jons had told him they were rare. After a few seconds, he came back to reality and looked at Jons, hoping for more information than what he had been told some time ago.
Jons did not waste any time.
"Specialists are Nen users whose abilities do not fit into any of the five standard categories.
Unlike other Nen types, a Specialist's power cannot be explained through Enhancement, Emission, Manipulation, Transmutation, or Conjuration—even when combined. When the water divination test produces an abnormal or impossible reaction, the user is classified as a Specialist.
A Specialist ability usually follows its own internal logic, separate from Nen's normal rules. Because of this, Specialists cannot be trained conventionally, and their abilities cannot be copied or replicated. Their strength lies in rule-breaking effects, not raw aura output.
For example, a Specialist might develop a Nen technique that allows them to increase or decrease the 'weight' of concepts rather than objects. By activating the ability, the user can make an opponent's intent, decision, or memory feel unbearably heavy, slowing their actions and thoughts without physically restraining them. This effect does not enhance, manipulate, or emit aura in a recognizable way—it alters an abstract property, something normal Nen categories cannot do.
The weakness of Specialists is that their abilities are often narrow and costly. They usually rely on a single, highly specific technique that carries strict conditions or risks. If that ability is sealed, countered, or unusable, the Specialist may have little else to fall back on."
Serik listened closely, knowing this knowledge would partly decide what type of ability he would create. After finishing his explanation, Jons asked Serik, "To you, what did the phenomenon look like? What did you feel?"
The question made Serik think back. First, the leaf slowly sank. That made him think of weight, since there was no other way the leaf could sink to the bottom. After that, three distinct layers became clear, but he did not know what they represented. He voiced his thoughts.
"The leaf sinking must be weight added to it, but nothing comes to mind when I think of the three layers that appeared after."
Jons nodded. The first part matched his own thoughts, but he had an idea about the second phenomenon. Before voicing it, he glanced at Tsubone. She picked up the cue and took Illumi away.
"Young master, follow me. We will start your category training, and I will explain what else the Manipulator category holds. I possess extensive knowledge that will be helpful for you."
Illumi nodded and followed behind Tsubone, but not before giving Serik a final glance.
It does not matter what your ability will be. I will still win, Illumi thought.
As if reading Illumi's thoughts, Serik thought, Not in a million years.
"Young master, you were half right about the first part," Jons said. "It is weight—but not the kind you are thinking of. As I explained before, Specialist abilities are more complicated. They often include multiple categories and sometimes feel like they are breaking established Nen rules. My thought is that it is not weight, but gravity."
"Gravity?" Serik asked. He did not understand what it was; he was just a kid.
"I will explain later. The three layers are more complicated, so let's start with them. Let me show you something."
Jons led Serik to the flower garden. He took a shovel from the shed and handed it to him.
"Dig," he said simply.
Serik raised an eyebrow but complied. He drove the shovel into the soil.
The first layer came away easily. The earth was light brown, loose, and dry, crumbling apart without resistance. It looked ordinary—exactly what soil was supposed to look like. Serik scooped it aside without effort.
"Continue," Jons said. "Pay close attention."
Serik dug deeper.
A few inches down, the color changed.
The soil became darker, tinged with gray, and noticeably heavier. Each scoop required more effort than the last, as if the dirt resisted being moved. It clung to the shovel, reluctant to let go. Serik frowned and adjusted his grip.
Then he heard something.
A faint sound.
At first, he thought it was his own pulse, the blood rushing in his ears. But when he paused and held his breath, the sound remained.
Thump.
"Why did you stop?" Jons asked quietly.
"I hear something."
"Then continue. You began hearing it when you reached a certain depth, so continue and see if it becomes clearer."
Serik continued digging. The third layer revealed itself abruptly.
The earth turned almost black, threaded with deep, muted red, as though the soil itself had veins. The shovel sank into it far more easily than expected—yet lifting it felt like pulling against something dense and heavy at the same time.
The sound grew clearer.
Thump. Thump.
It was unmistakable now, a heartbeat. Serik was certain it could be nothing else. He continued digging with renewed fervor. He knew he would get an answer if he kept going.
The deeper he dug, the more synchronized the sound became with his own chest.
Jons placed a hand on Serik's shoulder.
"That's enough."
Serik heard Jons, but the voice sounded distant. He looked up and was shocked by how far he had dug. Jons leaned forward slightly to see into the hole.
"Young master, as you come up, take a look at the dirt."
Serik nodded and did as he was told. The dirt was not uniform. From bottom to top, it kept changing color and density. He even noticed traces of sand. Eventually, he reached the surface, fully covered in dirt.
"Do you have any idea now what your ability could be?" Jons asked.
"Yes. It has to do with earth, but I still do not understand why you said it was not weight, but gravity."
"You are thinking of weight because the leaf sank," Jons said. "That is a natural conclusion. But weight alone cannot explain what you saw."
Serik frowned. "Why not?"
"Because weight is uniform," Jons replied. "If something becomes heavier, it behaves the same everywhere. Resistance does not change depending on depth. But what you observed changed the deeper you went."
He gestured toward the hole.
"The first layer was loose. The second resisted your shovel. The third did not resist at all—it allowed the shovel in, yet made lifting it harder. That is not added weight."
Serik's eyes followed the motion.
"If the soil had gained weight," Jons continued, "each layer would have resisted you equally. Instead, the behavior of the earth changed depending on how deep you were. That means the force acting on it was directional."
"Directional…" Serik repeated.
"Yes," Jons said. "Gravity does not make things heavy. It determines where they are drawn. It acts on space, not on the object itself."
He knelt and picked up a handful of dirt from the second layer, then let it fall back into the hole.
"You must have unconsciously altered how strongly everything was pulled downward at different depths. That is why you felt a difference in every layer. That is also why the leaf sank without being forced."
Jons straightened and looked directly at Serik.
"Now the question becomes: how are you going to develop your abilities?"
"Abilities?" Serik looked confused. "Was it not just gravity?"
Jons shook his head. "The first phenomenon was gravity, yes. But after that, how are you going to explain the three layers? As you said before, it has to do with earth, but what do you really understand about earth?"
"Not much, I suppose."
"That is why I recommend that you begin studying gravity and earth, their link, and everything around them, before you create your ability and decide how you are going to develop it."
"But before that, you have to solve a puzzle."
"A puzzle?" Serik asked.
"Specialists sometimes develop abilities shaped by trauma or other formative experiences," Jons said. "In some cases, they awaken a basic ability under extreme danger—when they need it most—or at the moment they first awaken Nen. This initial manifestation is often instinctive rather than deliberate."
Jons looked at Serik intently.
"Now you must find out what caused you to develop an ability like this. Why did you create a connection with the earth?"
Serik remained silent.
"Understanding leads to acceptance. Acceptance brings clarity. And clarity is what turns Nen into strength."