Where Is Your 'Heart'?

Where Is Your 'Heart'?

The morning sun slowly rose over the horizon, bringing a touch of warmth to the early hours.

Under the golden glow, Oboro and Wing stood facing each other on a patch of grass at the edge of the city.

It was relatively quiet here.

The breeze drifted gently, rustling the leaves.

"Please teach me!"

Nen power surged from Wing as he assumed a stance before Oboro and said in a deep voice.

"Please."

Oboro smiled and gestured for him to begin.

He did not look as tense as Wing.

Bang! Dirt splashed beneath Wing's feet, and his high-speed movement severely distorted his shirt.

They had agreed beforehand that this sparring match would be purely a contest of Nen techniques... no abilities.

After all, Wing already found it difficult to defeat Oboro through technique alone, let alone with Nen abilities involved.

Slap slap slap...

Wing came at him fiercely, fist shadows flashing as his strikes swept toward every part of Oboro's body. He wanted to use his moves and attack routes to force Oboro into defending, expose an opening, and find an opportunity.

But... Oboro merely stood where he was, one hand in his pocket and the other casually blocking back and forth. After a burst of collisions and sharp impacts, Wing leaped away, his gaze grave.

Oboro had stopped his carefully planned first wave of attacks with just one hand.

Wing had considered the gap between himself and Oboro beforehand... but reality was even crueler than he had imagined.

"Why?"

Wing's eyelid twitched.

His aura reserves and use of Nen power... neither had any flaws.

Nor could he see anything particularly extraordinary about Oboro. Why was he so relaxed?

Wing had watched others fight Oboro from below the arena before, but he had never imagined that facing this man himself... would bring such immense pressure.

Whoosh! During the first wave, Oboro had only defended passively.

When Wing lunged at him again, Oboro's arm was not only able to block, but also counterattack within tiny gaps of time... and every strike came precisely when Wing's body stiffened or when he wanted to make a Variation.

It made Wing feel extremely uncomfortable.

Less than a few minutes had passed, yet Wing realized that the mental strain he was experiencing was several times greater than when he fought other Nen users on the 200th floor.

His breathing began to grow heavy.

He saw through me. His combat experience is far richer... at least far beyond mine...

The thought flashed through Wing's mind.

But he did not give up.

He slowed his steps and activated Zetsu, concealing his presence to the utmost while constantly changing positions.

"While in Zetsu, your defense against Nen attacks is almost nonexistent. If I were your enemy, I would not mind you doing this. Besides, you should know that I am very good at sensing 'presence'... unless you can train Zetsu until you become a dead thing like Kogarashi, you are using your weakness to challenge my strength."

Oboro spoke.

Wing did not respond...

He had vanished from Oboro's sight.

"Using a blind spot..." Oboro murmured, clenching his hand into a fist and immediately punching at the blur approaching from behind him.

However, the punch hit only air.

"So that's how it is!"

Oboro suddenly understood. He could not help admiring Wing's ingenuity and his strategy for neutralizing Oboro's perception.

The more subtly Wing concealed his presence, the more intensely Oboro's five senses received the "signal." Wing first lowered his presence to a certain degree, making Oboro think that was his limit. Then, at the instant he closed in, he lowered it again and released some aura to disrupt Oboro's judgment... concealing his real attack and creating a discrepancy in positioning.

"So this is your true level?"

"Looks like you hid something during your matches too... was it all for today? Were you deliberately misleading my judgment of your strength?"

Oboro pulled his other hand from his pocket and precisely caught Wing's fist, smiling faintly.

"Both hands now..."

Wing looked excited. "Next, I'll make you move!"

"Sure. Give it a try."

Oboro nodded. "But you can only use that method once. It will not work next time..."

As he spoke, Wing's eyeglass lens trembled, and a hand chop sliced across his cheek, carving open a bloody gash.

"Your reaction was too slow."

Oboro reminded him.

Wing knocked aside the fist holding his own and instantly pulled back.

Ten meters away, Biscuit stood quietly beneath a tree, watching.

Time passed bit by bit. The sun climbed higher, and the temperature continued to rise...

Wing's condition gradually reached a fever pitch... yes, he only became braver the longer he fought.

Oboro, on the other hand, was doing fine.

After all... this was only a sparring match.

An hour later, the sounds on the grass finally fell silent.

Wing dropped to both knees, gasping heavily. He looked as though someone had just hauled him out of a pond, drenched from head to toe.

"Congratulations, you did it..."

Beside him, Oboro clapped and offered Wing his applause.

He had not only used both hands, but moved as well... though not by much, and his crisp suit had not gained any noticeable wrinkles, he truly could no longer maintain the effortless ease from the beginning.

During the latter half of their exchange, Oboro noticed that Wing had clearly improved. His ability to read a battle and analyze his opponent was outstanding as well. Given time and more experience, he would improve greatly.

Such potential had naturally been cultivated by Biscuit.

"Huff... huff... huff... Still not enough... I... wanted to see... see you look rushed or embarrassed... only then would it mean... I had threatened you..." Exhausted, Wing lay sprawled on the ground and spoke haltingly.

Yet judging by the smile on his face, he had not been discouraged. Instead, he seemed more motivated than ever.

It was positive mental feedback.

"His Nen techniques were adapting to changes in your techniques. To put it simply, he deliberately kept his Nen level at roughly the same level as yours... he did not take advantage of you, so why were you still struggling so much?"

Biscuit walked over.

Wing and Oboro both looked at her.

"Because after you attacked, he had already figured out your physical strength... combined with your Nen, he could judge what kinds of moves you could use and how fast you could become. Your body was presented in his mind like data." Biscuit looked at her bedraggled disciple, then raised another finger. "Also, when he knocked off your glasses, your body instinctively froze for one second, causing your originally sharp punch to lose force... that was a physiological reaction."

"In other words, your body—or rather, your brain—has not yet reached the point where it can control physiological reactions."

"Your combat thinking must absolutely obey the 'plan' given by your brain. You cannot leave it to your body... you need to understand that some physiological reactions are instincts that bring only harm in battle. You need to overcome them! Though you seemed to be attacking fiercely the entire time, searching for opportunities... in truth, all your attacks were built upon defense. You feared being hit by him, so... you were only giving what you believed was your 'all'..."

"Having your glasses knocked off was only one instance. Throughout the fight, your weakness of 'physiological reactions' was exploited twenty-six times."

"That's right, exactly!"

Oboro gave Biscuit a thumbs-up and added, "Simply put, there is nothing wrong with your accomplishments in Nen, and your physical qualities are decent too... but do not view Nen too absolutely and neglect the fundamental connection between the mind and the body."

"I learned something."

Wing forced himself up on one arm.

Oboro reached down and pulled him to his feet.

"Then... next, please."

Oboro suddenly said.

His heated gaze locked onto Biscuit.

What did he mean? Biscuit froze.

"Training partners like me are not easy to find... in the spirit of fair exchange, shouldn't you offer something too?" Oboro narrowed his eyes.

"You want to fight me?"

Biscuit understood.

"Ever since you left my room last time, I've been thinking about when I could have a real fight with you." Oboro spoke frankly. "I had not planned to seek you out before leaving, but since we have this opportunity, I think it would be best to fulfill that wish."

"Hehehehe..."

A brilliant smile suddenly bloomed across Biscuit's cute young face.

She readily agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Her eyes even lit up.

"Actually... I've wanted to teach you a lesson for a long time too. Since you came knocking on my door yourself, then I won't hold back!"

"..." Oboro.

Completely unlike when he faced Wing, Oboro's fighting spirit blazed.

He knew how formidable Biscuit was... she was the strongest person he had encountered since coming to Hunter World! "Should we use abilities?"

Oboro asked.

"Huh? You don't think I'll need to fight you for very long, do you?" Biscuit stretched as though she were doing calisthenics between classes.

Her words made it sound as though she did not think much of Oboro.

"I admit that it is astonishing for someone your age to possess this kind of strength. Even when I was young, I was nowhere near your equal... but compared to me now, you are still not worth looking at." Biscuit spoke bluntly, not caring in the least whether Oboro could accept it.

"Oh?"

Oboro was a little skeptical.

"Don't think you're anything special just because you beat a few nobodies..."

After warming up, Biscuit looked at Oboro. "Stand still. If you can take one punch from me, you pass!"

"???"

Seeing Oboro's confused expression, Wing quietly stepped closer and whispered in his ear, "Master does not like others seeing her true appearance... nor does she want to maintain that state for long. She cares a lot about her looks..."

"..." Oboro.

One punch...

No matter how strong one punch was, he should be able to handle it, right? Oboro nodded lightly and pushed his Nen output and techniques to their utmost limits.

Then Biscuit's petite body began to swell. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Oboro was still shocked.

Thick thighs, powerful arms... even her soft facial features became resolute.

Every inch of her body was made of hard, defined lines...

Oboro had thought his body was fairly well-trained, but compared to Biscuit, he instantly felt inferior by more than one level.

An indescribable pressure bore down on him.

"Ready?"

Biscuit's towering form, which nearly burst through her clothes, was immensely imposing.

The veins on her right arm bulged as Nen power surged wildly. The pressure she released made Oboro's expression change.

This was a feeling he had never experienced before... the trembling air was like countless sharp knives stabbing at his pores.

Boom! A curtain of wind swept out, making Wing raise an arm to shield his face nearby. He only had time to see the Nen auras erupting from the two of them collide.

Crash...

Then a figure wrapped in dust flew away—it was Oboro.

His body tumbled through the air. After flying seven or eight meters, he landed, his feet sinking deep into the dirt and gouging a trench dozens of meters long. Yet he still could not stop the force of inertia... until he finally slammed into a tree trunk and came to a halt.

Oboro's suit had exploded into strips of cloth...

His arms, crossed like a shield, had turned iron-blue. They trembled slightly and gave off wisps of white steam...

Beneath them were Oboro's disbelieving eyes.

He caught it!

Yet he had not caught it! The old woman had not held back. She had used her full strength.

He had caught it because he had blocked that punch.

He had not caught it because if he fought the old woman to the death, he might have to endure dozens, even hundreds, of attacks like that!

"Why?"

Oboro frowned deeply as he pondered.

Even if Biscuit's aura reserves and body surpassed his, even if the old woman had lived several decades longer than he had, she should not have been able to inflict such damage on him... because Biscuit was not an Enhancement user, but a Transmutation user! There had been no tricks in that punch either...

"Hehe."

Over there, Biscuit had returned to her young girl form. Noticing the change in Oboro's expression, she happily brushed the dust from her gloves.

"You don't understand, do you? I did not use any profound techniques or moves. Your reaction was fast enough, and your defensive Nen was flawless. Everything was excellent... yet you still suffered obvious damage."

"Want to know why?"

Biscuit wore a sly smile.

"Master..."

Wing knew her temperament. He could tell Biscuit was deliberately being mysterious to stir Oboro's curiosity... and he could not help speaking up for him.

After all, Oboro had helped him.

And he was also a friend.

"Tch."

Biscuit rolled her eyes at Wing, cleared her throat, and turned serious. "Your understanding of Nen is deep. Your use of Nen and techniques, including the development of your Nen ability... are all beyond reproach... but there is one thing."

"You have no 'heart'!"

"Your sensitivity to presence, your understanding of energy... all of that is external! The essence of Nen is not merely a change in form... it also concerns the user's inner self! The origin of spiritual will... the 'heart.' Nen is part of life; it is something personal... it belongs to you, but have you... ever truly responded to it?"

"Before I threw that punch, I held the belief that I would send you flying. That intent was pure... without any distracting thoughts. If you had also held the will of 'I will definitely block it,' I cannot say you would have stood firm, but at least the damage would have been far less... 'Nen' responds to you! I released more Nen power than you did, but your Nen should not have scattered at a single impact... brittle as paper! It is not that your Nen is weak. At its root, it has no 'heart' supporting it!"

"Still, you passed!"

After saying that, Biscuit skipped over and called to Wing, "Let's go. We're heading back."

"Huh?"

Wing was stunned.

They were leaving just like that?

"Hurry, get going!"

Biscuit urged him, glancing back at the stunned Oboro.

After a moment's thought, she added, "Heart is something everyone possesses... It isn't merely an embodiment of will! It is also sincerity, belief—sincerity and belief in oneself and in Nen... It has nothing to do with talent or potential. Everyone starts from the same place. It can't be trained, nor can shortcuts be taken... You can only come to understand it and experience it over the course of a long life... You still have a long road ahead of you. Learn slowly... Given your potential for growth, that day won't be far off!"

At Heavens Arena, she had been observing Oboro all along, so... she understood this junior's potential very clearly, and she also knew what he needed.

Given Oboro's understanding of Nen, she did not need to spell it out too clearly.

"Oboro, we're leaving first."

Wing kept turning back as he waved.

But Oboro stood beneath the tree, unmoved.

Biscuit's words brought an image to his mind: Netero throwing punches in his youth...

He had forgotten... Every time the old man threw a punch, his heart had been filled with gratitude.

And there was also the scene of Hisoka at Heavens Arena, plunging his hand into his own heart and coming back to life after death.

Over the past few years, he had focused too heavily on techniques and abilities, and had forgotten this point.

He should have... remembered it.

This was also something he had known...

"Yeah... The most basic 'heart'... Why... did I forget it..." Oboro muttered.

"Hehehehe... Hahahahahaha..."

Then Oboro suddenly began to laugh as if possessed, his laughter growing louder and louder, as though he had lost his mind.

"Interesting! So interesting!"

"Ah~~"

"I simply... love this world to death!!"

I had things to do during the day, so it's only a little over 5k today. Posting early—don't say it's short~~ There'll be more tonight.