Kurapika, who'd kept quiet since entering the ward, and Shizuku, who'd been curiously observing the medical equipment, both turned to look at Wing after hearing this.
"Think about it," Wing said slowly, adjusting his glasses. "After that match, you must already know that aura capacity isn't the only factor determining strength. It's not even the most important factor. Having a necessary baseline of aura is essential, of course. But your current strength has long exceeded that baseline standard."
Otherwise, there was no reason Liam—whose total aura was lower than Wing's—should've won. Both of them had personal experience proving this point.
Kurapika couldn't help but ask, "What's the necessary baseline level?"
"Enough to maintain strength for thirty minutes in actual combat," Wing said.
"Thirty minutes. Eighteen hundred seconds." Liam leaned forward. "Are you talking about 1,800 aura total, or 18,000?"
In real combat, you didn't just maintain Ken. You had to comprehensively use application techniques like Gyo and Ryu. Consumption per second was six to ten times that of normal Ken.
Wing smiled. "The former, of course. One to two thousand aura actually exceeds many people in Heavens Arena who only learned Nen after forced baptism. Eighteen thousand aura, in terms of capacity alone, is close to the ranks of mid-tier combatants."
"Are combatants divided into tiers?" Shizuku asked curiously.
"It's a classification that circulates through the Hunter Association." Wing paused. He sat up straighter, leaning back against the pillow, and explained to all three of them. "Basically, around 10,000 to 20,000 aura is considered an entry-level combatant. People with certain talents can reach this in a short period—one to two years, say.
"Aura capacity of 20,000 to 40,000 belongs to intermediate combatants. People who are talented and practice diligently can accumulate to this level if they persist for four or five years.
"Of course, again, this is just measuring total aura.
"There are so many Nen users in the world. Everyone's situation is different—different physical conditions, different mental states, different experiences and encounters. Although this standard is universal, it may not necessarily apply to everyone."
Liam nodded inwardly. For example, yours truly has actually only been practicing for half a year and already has 18,000 aura.
The two protagonists in the manga, Gon and Killua, both had over 20,000 aura in the Chimera Ant arc after practicing for less than a year.
"What if it's less than 10,000, or more than 40,000?" Shizuku asked.
"The stage below 10,000 can probably be called the novice stage. The introductory phase." Wing shook his head. "Too many Nen users—even some Professional Hunters—stay at this level. In truth, not many people are willing to put in the hard work to grind their aura bit by bit."
It was a simple fact: the vast majority of Nen users hadn't rushed to become Nen users in the first place.
Especially for Professional Hunters. Many exam-takers didn't even hear about Nen until after they passed and obtained their licenses.
Maybe learning Nen could make people stronger. Maybe challenging yourself was human nature for many. But plenty of people didn't have that ambition.
Wing continued, "As for the higher stages—to be honest, I'm not very sure."
He smiled. "Of course, there must be high-tier combatants above intermediate ones. But specifically, whether high-tier is classified as 40,000 to however many tens of thousands, whether there's an upper limit to this path of accumulating aura—my master never told me any of this. Because according to her philosophy, she's more inclined to encourage people not to limit their growth prematurely.
"When you reach a certain stage, you'll encounter certain things. You'll naturally come into contact with the corresponding level. Even if you fall behind for a while, when you reach that situation and have a specific goal, you can catch up quickly as long as you prepare.
"Especially people like you." Wing looked at Liam, Shizuku, and Kurapika. "You're all still very young with rich possibilities ahead. Sometimes, knowing nothing about the future lets you develop your own path without constraints."
He spoke slowly. "Nen—the mind, up and down. Today's heart is Nen. Live in the moment. Experience life. Be grateful for existence. Your Nen will grow accordingly."
Liam was momentarily speechless.
I just wanted to know the level standards so I could set upgrade goals. Why did this turn into a philosophical lecture? The key thing is, it actually sounds pretty reasonable.
Does this sound like Shingen-ryu's spiritual practice philosophy?
"It's fine to share." Wing explained with a smile. "Shingen-ryu isn't a closed sect. The dojo is open to everyone. Disciples aren't prohibited from communicating freely."
Of course, for ordinary students, the key word "Nen" was replaced with "inner energy."
The martial arts philosophy and guiding principles were solid. But the existence of Nen was hidden from the general public. Only disciples who awakened their aura by practicing martial arts and boxing step by step would be formally taught about Nen. Inner disciples? True disciples?
"I see. Thank you for the lesson," Liam said cheerfully.
Wing waved his hand politely.
"The divisions you mentioned are all in units of ten thousand," Shizuku said suddenly.
"I almost forgot if Shizuku hadn't mentioned it. This is what I wanted to ask originally." Liam looked at Wing. "I feel like my aura improvement has slowed down recently. This happened last time when my capacity was close to 10,000. Is there some kind of bottleneck state at every 10,000 aura?"
You had to figure out whether something was wrong with your body.
If it was caused by not absorbing death energy recently, then you might need to take a trip somewhere and—no, bad thought. Don't go there.
"It's not about the aura amount. It's about time." Wing said. "Different people's situations vary, but basically, the time to maintain Ken—every three hours is a threshold."
"Human strength sometimes runs out!"
He sat on the hospital bed, speaking with feeling. "After a little calculation, you'll realize why the 20,000 to 40,000 aura level is divided separately and called intermediate combatants. It's because when you reach that range, every complete Ken cycle takes a full twelve hours!
"Standing still for twelve hours is extremely difficult. Let alone having to concentrate enormous mental energy to maintain Ken for twelve hours straight."
Liam thought for a moment. "Not everyone with more than 40,000 aura has that kind of focus in training, right?"
"Maybe." Wing said. "Some people have outstanding talent. As their practice and body develop, they may naturally possess unfathomable aura. There's no fixed common sense in the world of Nen. You can't generalize. This guess of mine might also be one of those pieces of common sense that can't be generalized. After all, I genuinely know nothing about higher-level experiences."
Liam nodded.
"But precisely because I know nothing, I'm full of expectations for what higher levels will be like," Wing said.
"Same," Liam said with a smile.
At that moment, Kurapika suddenly asked, "What about the Phantom Troupe? What level are their strength and aura capacity?"
Hearing him ask this, Wing didn't seem very surprised.