Conversation X Uninvited Guest

"All right, kid, stop looking so glum."

Killua was wearing a baseball cap, its brim pulled low enough to hide nearly his entire face.

Kevin reached out and patted his head, teasing, "I'm pretty strong, you know. It's nothing embarrassing to lose to me."

Hearing that, Killua bared his teeth at Kevin.

"That last move... you copied it from me, didn't you?"

Although that final move had filled Killua with a fear like facing death itself, he had still keenly noticed how similar it was to his own attack style.

Kevin nodded. "I didn't learn it that well, but I was indeed imitating your attacking technique."

"No. In such a short time, you'd already learned it very well," Killua said seriously.

He was not trying to comfort Kevin.

Their fight on the arena stage had lasted less than ten minutes altogether.

Yet in that brief time, while Kevin had not fully mastered the technique, he had apparently learned at least thirty to forty percent of it.

"Is that so? Haha." Kevin smiled. After all, he had used his Nen ability while taking those hits.

How should one describe a Nen ability? It really was impossible to pin down.

When Kevin had created his Nen ability, he had hoped to focus on enhancing his body's ability to learn, like allowing his muscles to form rapid memories.

The actual effect was just as he had expected. However, when Kevin used this Nen ability in battle and deliberately experienced an enemy's attacks by taking hits, that learning ability seemed to become even stronger.

When an enemy's attacks landed on him, information about their power and technique flowed into his body through that Nen ability.

Even if Kevin defended with his hands, as long as he did not deliberately evade, any attack that landed on him would leave behind a corresponding "memory."

His body was like a precision machine capable of learning independently. Every blow it endured automatically triggered an analysis. Through repeated impacts and analysis, it gradually simulated the enemy's methods of exerting force.

Moreover, Killua's attacks did not deal much damage to Kevin, and Killua attacked at incredible speed. That further accelerated Kevin's simulated learning.

In just ten minutes, he had learned thirty to forty percent of Killua's attacking technique.

For Kevin, this was an unexpected delight.

"Just knowing about Nen abilities is far from enough. I need to explore the essence of Nen Aura more deeply."

Kevin understood that the knowledge he currently possessed was merely a collection of ready-made results. He had no idea how those results had come to be.

If he wanted to explore further, he still had a long road ahead.

Still, this unexpected discovery made Kevin decide not to waste too much more time below the 200th Floor.

Of course, training with Killua had to be put on the schedule. He had discovered that this kid was practically a treasure trove, with all kinds of force-application techniques far surpassing those of most martial artists in this arena.

"Then, just as we agreed before, I'll be your sparring partner from now on," Kevin said with a smile.

Killua rolled his eyes. Just because he was a child did not mean he was easy to fool.

After that battle, he had naturally noticed that when his attacks struck Kevin, they were absorbed and learned by him.

But Killua did not mind that.

Having such a strong person serve as his "punching bag" brought him plenty of benefits.

Besides, Kevin was one of the few friends he had made, even if he was a somewhat older "big friend." In truth, Killua hoped even more that he could have a friend his own age.

Kevin returned home.

"What should I do today?"

Make medicine? Or train?

He could only choose one, because either one would consume a great deal of his stamina and Nen Aura.

Though he muttered that aloud, he still quickly entered his materials room and began selecting various ingredients kept in bottles and jars, as well as materials preserved in specially controlled temperatures.

"I'm running low on expensive materials again... Do I have to place another order?"

Kevin sighed helplessly.

Ordering materials cost a huge amount of money every time. Fortunately, he had won today's fight at the arena and received tens of millions in prize money.

According to his plan, he would participate in a few more matches over the next few days and rise directly to the 200th Floor. By then, his wealth would have accumulated to hundreds of millions.

That money should be enough to support him for a while.

Since he did not have enough materials, he could only train.

After training, Kevin washed up briefly and went to bed.

Late at night.

A tall, thin figure stood on a rooftop not far from Kevin's residence. Under the moonlight, long, straight black hair drifted gently in the wind.

With several light jumps, the person silently arrived beside Kevin's window. Not a single sound was made throughout the process.

He slowly pushed open the window, and the Nen Aura wrapped around his body suddenly spread outward in a circular shape.

"Mm?"

The man suddenly let out a startled cry and swiftly crossed his arms.

Bang!

A deafening sound shattered the stillness of the night as the tall, thin man was violently smashed away by a powerful force. Caught completely off guard by the sudden attack, he flew straight onto a nearby rooftop.

After several collisions, he fell onto the road and even crushed a car.

Immediately afterward, a broad, muscular figure descended from the sky like a meteor.

Bang!

Another deafening impact rang out.

The tall, thin man reacted quickly after falling to the ground, evading with several nimble leaps.

Where he had been lying was now a deep depression, as if a bomb had struck the spot and blasted out a crater.

Kevin stood where he was, still dressed in thin pajamas. He slowly pulled his hand from the hole.

"Who are you?"

He had been resting peacefully in bed when some uninvited guest had inexplicably enveloped him with Nen Aura.

The moment someone else's Nen Aura drew close, Kevin's own Nen Aura immediately rippled, jolting him awake from his sleep.

That was why he had immediately noticed the invader. Kevin did not know whether the other party meant well or ill, but anyone sneaking into his room in the middle of the night would be treated as an invader.

Without a second thought, he threw a punch—a powerful punch using [Ko]—like a cannonball at his enemy, smashing him away.

"Not going to talk?" Seeing that the other party did not respond, Kevin clenched his fists tightly and prepared to fight seriously.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistle tore through the air as several lollipop-shaped Nen needles shot rapidly toward Kevin.

Kevin clearly saw the Nen Aura flowing over the needles.

He suddenly dodged to the side.

However, the needles seemed to have eyes. They curved in the direction of his dodge and continued pursuing him.

Seeing this, Kevin stopped simply evading. After landing, he gathered more Nen Aura in both hands and knocked the Nen needles away one by one with rapid slaps.

They had physical form, were not made purely of Nen, were coated in Nen, and could even be controlled to turn precisely...

"Manipulation Type."

Kevin instantly determined the Nen Aura type of the enemy before him.

His face immediately filled with extreme vigilance.

He knew something about this category of Nen abilities. It was one of the types he hated most.

Nen abilities that controlled people and even forced them to act mostly came from this category, just as its name implied—"Manipulation Type."

Kevin was naturally extremely wary of such abilities, which sounded disgusting and repulsive just by name.

If he carelessly fell for it, the consequences would be disastrous.

I have to end this quickly!