The combat tournament that was part of the Hunter Exam had been interesting, but it had also been limited. The opponents were strong, but none of them had truly tested Dean's abilities. They had all fallen to his carefully measured strikes, his precise Nen control, his ability to predict their movements before they made them.
But now, as Dean took on more complex missions and encountered more powerful Hunters, he began to realize that there were levels of power he hadn't yet encountered. There were Hunters who had been training for decades, who had developed their Nen abilities to extraordinary levels, who possessed techniques and strategies that went far beyond what Dean had seen in the exam.
One such Hunter was a man named Kastro, who Dean encountered during a mission to track down a dangerous criminal. Kastro was a master of a technique called "Ren," which allowed him to project his Nen outward in a way that created a visible aura of power. His technique was impressive, his control was excellent, and his combat experience was evident in every movement he made.
When they sparred, ostensibly to test each other's abilities, Dean found himself genuinely challenged for the first time since leaving the Zoldyck mansion.
Kastro's attacks were fast and precise. His Nen control was exceptional. And his experience fighting multiple opponents had taught him strategies and techniques that Dean hadn't encountered before. For the first time, Dean had to use more than just a fraction of his Adaptive Evolution ability. He had to actually think about his strategy, had to plan his moves carefully, had to use his intelligence and intuition to overcome a truly skilled opponent.
The fight lasted longer than any of Dean's previous combats. They traded blows, tested each other's defenses, pushed each other to higher levels of intensity. And in the end, Dean won—but only barely. It was a close match, one that could have gone either way if Kastro had made slightly different choices or if Dean had been slightly less adaptable.
After the fight, as they both caught their breath, Kastro looked at Dean with a mixture of respect and curiosity.
"You're different," Kastro said. "I've fought a lot of Hunters, and I've never encountered anyone quite like you. Your power... it's not just about raw strength. It's about adaptation, about being able to respond to any challenge. That's a rare quality."
"Thank you," Dean replied. "You're skilled as well. That was a good fight."
"It was," Kastro agreed. "And it made me realize something. There are levels of power in this world that go far beyond what most Hunters ever achieve. You're approaching one of those levels. But there are others who are already there. If you want to become truly great, you'll need to seek them out, learn from them, push yourself even further."
This conversation stuck with Dean. It reinforced what he had been beginning to suspect: he was strong, yes, but there was so much more he could become. There were techniques he hadn't learned, powers he hadn't discovered, challenges he hadn't faced. The path to becoming truly great was far longer than he had initially thought.
And it was a path that would lead him, eventually, to Greed Island.
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