Water Divination

Crack!

As the locked door clicked shut, Allen's entire demeanor changed. Using a Hunter Skill, he summoned Lupos from the kitchen to his side, then immediately activated the teleportation and entered the Dungeon, where Time Flow was only one-tenth that of the real world.

"Wuf?"

The silver giant wolf swallowed the food in its mouth, raised its head, and stared blankly at its master as though asking what had happened.

"Sorry for interrupting your meal. But time is pressing, and I think we should move on to the final stage of Nen abilities: developing specific abilities."

As he spoke, Allen placed a cup filled with water on the ground and set a green leaf on its surface.

Water Divination!

The fastest and simplest way to test a person's Nen affinity.

"Come on! You're first!"

He pushed the cup over to his pet.

Lupos did not hesitate in the slightest at his master's command. It immediately stretched out both front paws and activated its Nen.

In an instant!

The clear water in the cup instantly turned into some sort of blackish-purple unknown energy. The leaf floated above the mass of energy, while countless silver hairs appeared out of thin air around it.

The overwhelmingly dark and evil aura was enough to make one feel fear and tremble from the depths of one's soul.

"This is... Shadow Energy!" Allen's pupils instantly dilated, and an incredulous expression appeared on his face.

But he quickly regained his composure.

Thinking about it carefully, it was not strange at all!

As the Shadow Wolf King, once heavily nerfed by the developers and the strongest first pet in the hearts of countless hunters, Lupos probably dreamed of returning to its peak form. That was why it had recreated Shadow Energy through Nen abilities.

As for the floating leaf and the silver fur around it, they were likely some sort of Conjuration and Manipulation abilities born from its desire to command a Wolf Pack.

"Interesting! I've thought of a set of abilities that would suit you very well. Want to give them a try?"

Through their Soul Link, Allen conveyed his thoughts to his pet.

"Awoo!"

Lupos let out an excited howl as the aura all over its body began transforming into Shadow Energy.

Before long, it changed from a beautiful silver giant wolf into a Phantom Wolf covered in black Shadow Energy.

Because it had possessed this power before, it encountered almost no obstacles while transforming the nature of its Nen. It was as easy and natural as breathing.

Seeing this, Allen immediately nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad! Next, try using Shadow Energy to create a Wolf Pack of your own, then learn how to control them. Remember what I told you: strengthen your Nen abilities by establishing Restraints and Vows within your heart."

"Wuu wuu wuu..."

Lupos made a muffled sound to indicate that it understood, then ran off alone to a corner of the Dungeon to begin practicing.

You must know, creating a living Nen Beast and controlling it was no simple matter.

So at this stage, it was enough for it to use Shadow Energy to strengthen its teeth and claws to tear apart enemies, while also covering its body with it to enhance its defense.

Compared to his pet, Allen was undoubtedly more interested in his own traits. He immediately took out another cup and activated his Nen.

First, the amount of water in the cup began to increase, spilling out endlessly. This was proof of Enhancement, and also the result of the original owner's lingering memories and obsessions.

Next, he tasted the water in the cup and found it extremely salty and bitter, like seawater. This was proof of Transmutation, as well as the personality he displayed in daily life: easily bored with the old and drawn to the new, frequently lying and deceiving others, always hiding his true intentions so that no one could know them.

Finally, after taking on the role of a hunter, the originally intact green leaf turned pale yellow. Its chlorophyll then appeared out of thin air on the skin of the back of his hand, forming the pattern of a leaf. But it gradually faded with his metabolism and eventually vanished without a trace.

"Hmm? What kind of trait is this? Plunder? Absorption?"

There was no doubt that Allen could not understand what had just happened.

Especially at the instant his Nen activated, the leaf's most precious chlorophyll had been extracted directly and injected into his body.

To figure out the truth, he repeated the Water Divination several more times and discovered that it did not always seize chlorophyll. Sometimes it took plant fibers, or even the water in the cup.

And everything that was seized immediately fused perfectly with his body.

Chlorophyll and water were fine; neither would harm his body. But plant fibers connected with the surrounding nerves, muscles, and blood vessels, making him feel extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

Fortunately, leaves did not contain much plant fiber, and he could remove it from his body with a little use of Nen. Otherwise, it might have affected his normal movements.

"All right, I can basically confirm that this is some kind of Specialist trait with a plundering nature." Allen finally reached a conclusion.

After all, hunters as a profession existed to hunt powerful and dangerous beasts in remote places such as jungles and wildernesses, obtaining meat and hides as trophies.

They were not Druids who lived in harmony with animals and nature. They were ruthless Ravagers and Assassins. They obtained nutrition by eating their prey's flesh, and armed themselves by crafting weapons, protective gear, and tools from their prey's hides, teeth, and bones.

Once he understood this, Allen immediately began thinking about how to develop this Nen ability with a plundering nature.

Clearly, simply defining it as plunder and then using slaughter to seize an enemy's aura and Nen abilities was utterly unrealistic. Setting aside the difficulty, the danger alone was enough to deter anyone. If he absorbed too much and exceeded his body's limit, he might explode on the spot.

So he needed an intermediary, a storage vessel, to gradually erase every trace left behind by the original owners of the aura and Nen abilities. Then he could establish Restraints and Vows and emulate Chrollo, the Leader of the Phantom Troupe, by creating a corresponding set of rules to strengthen his Nen.

But what could he use as an intermediary storage vessel?

Create a Nen Beast?

Or create a symbolic item?

Suddenly!

Allen remembered that he seemed to still have a Red Dragon Egg in his inventory.

He had obtained it by chance when he was wandering through the wetlands doing quests and killed a Crimson Wyrmling that he happened to pass by. He had always intended to sell it for a high price, but had never managed to do so.

According to the game's setting, red dragons were guardians of life. They possessed stronger bodies and more vigorous vitality than the other four Dragon Aspects.

If he injected his Nen into the Red Dragon Egg, then with the help of this creature's astonishing life force, he could definitely create a perfect intermediary storage vessel. He might even be able to turn it into a terrifying Nen Beast using the aura and Nen abilities he had plundered, allowing it to assist him in battle.

"It has to work! Come out! My red dragon!"

With that murmur, Allen poured all of his Nen into the egg in one breath.

Before long, the dragon egg began to make a series of cracking sounds, and countless spider web-like cracks spread across the eggshell.

Finally!

Bang!

The entire dragon egg exploded, and a wyrmling covered from head to toe in red scales flapped its wings as it floated in the air.

It had no physical form and was composed entirely of Nen abilities. Its eyes flickered with golden light.

Though it looked so small and frail, it radiated surging heat and vitality. It was practically like a real living red dragon, not merely a Nen Beast.