"Ohohohoho! We meet again, Candidate No. 105."
Taking advantage of the travel time to the Third Phase location, Chairman Netero approached Allen, who was accompanied by the constantly vigilant Shadow Wolf Alpha, Lupos.
It was clear that despite the centenarian showing no hostility, his powerful Aura made Lupos feel threatened, instantly placing the wolf on high alert, as if it might pounce and attack at any moment.
Allen gently soothed his pet's tension and responded in a noncommittal tone, "Yes, we meet again. But this time, I will walk away as the victor and claim the Hunter License from your hands."
"Hmm, I never doubted that. Since your Nen is already quite exceptional, combined with an equally capable animal companion, Hisoka likely won't be able to win," Netero analyzed, stroking his beard.
Judging purely from the volume of Aura, Allen already surpassed Hisoka. Coupled with the terrifying physical aptitude granted by the extra stats from his Hunter class template and the hardened will forged through relentless combat in dungeons, he should, in theory, achieve final victory as long as he maintained stable performance.
Of course, theory is one thing, and actual combat is another. Netero himself felt a desire to spar with the young man before him, and perhaps ask what exactly had happened in the past year for him to gain such astonishing Nen from scratch. Normally, a person would need over a decade of arduous training and refinement to achieve such fluid and polished Ten. Most beginners who just learned Nen, even gifted prodigies, would expose a rough edge when it came to the practical application of Aura.
However, Netero did not know that his initial assessment was actually spot on. In reality, Allen had used the ten-fold time dilation from the dungeons, spending a full seven or eight years to hone his Nen to its current level. And that seven or eight years meant time completely dedicated to self-abusive, high-intensity training, without rest, sleep, relaxation, or entertainment. If it weren't for the never-tiring, never-injuring benefits granted by the Hunter class template, anyone else would likely have died countless times over.
It was precisely because of this constant focus on refining and developing his Nen that his Hunter level progression was so slow, often spending eight or nine days in one dungeon, engaging in monotonous foundational practice without rest.
As the saying goes, when a person has ample time and persistently dedicates themselves to a single pursuit, no matter how low their initial talent, they will eventually surpass 99.9% of the world and become a powerhouse in that field.
Furthermore, Allen's talent was not poor, and after integrating his Night Elf bloodline, his potential exploded exponentially. After all, Night Elves were born from the powerful energies of the Well of Eternity and later bonded with the World Tree, which was blessed by the Dragon Aspects, granting them near-eternal lifespans.
If categorized by the threat levels in Hunter x Hunter, this power should at least be classified as Rank B, like the Chimera Ants from the Dark Continent, or even higher, Rank A.
Looking at Netero, who stood before him, hailed as the "Strongest Nen User in the World," Allen collected his scattered thoughts and asked directly, "Chairman, I have a question. I wonder if you could help me find the answer?"
"Oh? What question?" Curiosity flashed in the old man's eyes.
"Hisoka told me not long ago that he and I are essentially the same kind of person, and that I would understand what he meant when our battle began. In the instant he said that, I felt like something suddenly surfaced in my mind, but I couldn't quite grasp it."
Allen was completely candid, laying out the question that had plagued him for so long. He knew that if anyone on this airship could provide an answer, it had to be the Chairman.
"I see. Before I reveal the answer, can you tell me if you have ever fought an opponent of comparable strength before?" Netero countered, asking a loaded question.
Allen immediately shook his head without thinking. "No. I have never fought anyone close to my strength."
"Hmm? Never?" The Chairman was stunned, then his face registered an unbelievable expression. "Then how did you acquire the Aura that emanates from you? This requires not just training, but extensive practical combat experience."
"How should I put it? You could think of my opponents as artificially manifested puppets. Although they possess strong destructive power and high endurance, they are not intelligent; they merely follow a set routine," Allen attempted to use Nen terminology to explain the monsters and bosses in the dungeons.
As he said, although the monsters and bosses in the dungeons looked extremely realistic, they were ultimately only semi-dataized products. They lacked their own independent consciousness and personality, unlike Lupos, merely operating according to pre-designed routines. Even the new pets caught using Tame Beast were no different. Consequently, after realizing this, he completely abandoned the idea of catching a second pet in the dungeons.
"Puppets created through combining Manipulation and Emission? No wonder your Aura is so unusual. You clearly possess a strong, tenacious fighting will, yet you lack killing intent and a lust for conflict. I have a proposal. Would you be willing to play a small game with me?" Netero extended a finger, a knowing smile on his face.
"Can I find the answer in the game?" Allen asked point-blank.
"Of course! I guarantee you will understand what it is during the process," Netero gave an affirmative reply without hesitation.
Thus, the two walked, one after the other, into the airship's most spacious activity room. The old man took off his coat and shoes, stretched his limbs, and enthusiastically began to explain the rules.
"Rule number one: No abilities or weapons can be used during the game. Combat must rely only on basic fists, feet, and fundamental Nen applications.
"Rule number two: You must not damage the walls, floor, ceiling, or any furnishings in the room. Whoever accidentally causes damage loses.
"Rule number three: When receiving an opponent's attack, if a part of your body violates Rule number two by touching or damaging a surface, you also lose.
"Well, do you understand?"
"Understood! In summary, the goal is to perfectly control my Nen, ensuring nothing is damaged except the target, correct?"
Allen understood the Chairman's meaning with minimal effort, immediately grasping the essence and winning condition of the game. Simply put, it was a test of Nen Control, Aura Output, and Transmutation/Application.
Use Aura Output to attack the opponent and inflict maximum damage. Use Nen Control to ensure the Aura does not disperse elsewhere. Finally, use instantaneous reinforcement of the contacted object, or modify the flow of one's own Aura, to prevent damage to the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Although it sounds simple, in reality, the number of humans in the entire Hunter x Hunter world who could simultaneously achieve all three points would not exceed ten. Especially the last point, preventing damage from a fierce impact by instantaneously reinforcing the contacted object or modifying the flow of Aura, is something most Nen users wouldn't even consider.
For them, instead of wasting time on this, they would rather continue strengthening Ken (Defense) and Ko (Attack). As long as those two are strong enough, they can crash into anything without injury. Whether the person or object they crash into is destroyed is simply not within their scope of concern.
But Allen was different. He frequently encountered monsters and bosses with knockback abilities in the dungeons. To avoid accidentally falling off a cliff or running straight into a mob after being sent flying, he had naturally developed a specialized Nen application that belonged neither to the Four Fundamentals nor the Seven Advanced Techniques.
Given that Chairman Netero proposed such game rules, it suggested that he, too, had mastered the technique of instantaneously reinforcing contacted objects.
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]