Activating Nen, Enhancement Type

Early the next morning, Leo woke up at the inn.

He first went to a general store and bought a phone—a basic model with simple but sufficient functions.

After saving Selena, Kaspar, and Goreinu's contact information, he called them one by one.

Selena was somewhat surprised when she received his call.

"You're contacting me this soon? I thought you'd disappear for a while."

"I have to keep up with the times." Leo laughed.

"How have things been these past few days?" Selena asked.

"Everything's good. Very good," Leo answered naturally.

He did not mention entering the eating contest—there was no need to talk about such trivial matters.

Kaspar was excited when he received the call. He went on at length about the research institute's progress and mentioned that Satotz had already begun deciphering the map, though progress was slow.

Leo listened patiently and only gave him his number at the end.

Goreinu's call did not go through, so Leo sent him a text, briefly explaining that this was his contact information.

Once that was taken care of, Leo bought a map of Kent City and the surrounding areas.

He found Biscuit Forest Park on the map—about sixty kilometers from the city, making it an ideal place for short-term training.

After purchasing some daily necessities and dry rations, Leo left Kent City.

The city's skyscrapers gradually gave way to low houses, and soon even those were left behind.

The view opened up, and rolling green covered the land.

Two hours later, Leo officially entered Biscuit Forest Park.

This place differed from the secret realm forest—the trees were not as towering or dense, and the creatures were far gentler.

The air carried the familiar scent of earth and plants, reminding him of his days in the Eternal Dimension.

Leo traveled several kilometers into the park and found a relatively flat clearing in the woods.

A small stream ran nearby, providing ample water; the ground was slightly elevated, offering a broad view; and natural rocks formed a partial enclosure around it, making it easy to defend.

He set up camp there.

The days that followed were simple and regular: hunting in the morning, processing prey and training his body in the afternoon, and resting at night.

His goal was clear—reach level 25 and lift Zetsu.

The hunting went smoothly.

Though the creatures in the forest park were not as powerful as those in the secret realm, there were plenty of them.

Wild boars, deer, large birds... Leo hunted selectively, avoiding damage to the ecological balance.

With every kill, the warmth from the tattoo on the back of his hand steadily pushed the progress bar forward.

On the evening of the eighteenth day—

A giant armored gorilla crashed to the ground.

The creature stood nearly two meters tall at the shoulder, its entire body covered in a rock-like gray keratin layer. It possessed enough strength to overturn a car.

It took Leo some effort to find its weakness—the soft tissue around its joints.

[Life Energy +95]

[Level: 25 (0.5%)]

He had done it!

At that instant, the dark red vortex tattoo on the back of his hand grew scorching hot.

An unprecedented torrent of heat surged from it, flooding through his entire body like water released from a dam.

His muscles trembled, his bones crackled in rapid succession, and every cell in his body seemed to cheer with joy.

Leo could feel his body undergoing a qualitative transformation—not merely an increase in strength, but some deeper form of evolution.

Then, a completely new energy burst forth from within him.

Pale white aura rose from the surface of his skin like steam, swirling around his body and giving off a faint sheen beneath the setting sun.

"So this is... Nen?"

Leo muttered, his voice filled with incredulous excitement.

He raised his hands and watched the aura curl around his fingertips.

It was warm and lively, responding to his will as though it were alive.

He closed his eyes and focused.

According to the theory he remembered, Ten was the technique of retaining the life energy that naturally leaked from the body.

He tried to control the aura spilling out of him, drawing it in and stabilizing it.

Leo concentrated intensely.

Gradually, the flowing aura slowed and began drifting gently around his body, like an invisible membrane.

When he opened his eyes, Leo's lips curled upward.

"I've mastered Ten."

Then came Zetsu—completely drawing in one's aura and placing it in a dormant state.

This was far too easy for him. Under the influence of Proof of Humanity, he had already lived in a state of Zetsu for more than half a year.

With a thought, the aura around him vanished instantly. His presence disappeared completely, as though he had returned to being an ordinary person.

Next was Ren. Leo took a deep breath and explosively strengthened the aura within his body.

Boom—

A vast amount of Nen erupted from him, forming a visible wave of aura.

Fallen leaves and pebbles scattered and rolled across the ground, while the branches and leaves of nearby trees rustled loudly.

The aura wave lasted for several seconds before gradually subsiding.

Feeling the power filling his body, Leo smiled in satisfaction.

"My talent isn't bad either."

Lastly came Hatsu—the process that determined which Nen type he belonged to.

He took out a glass, filled it with water, and gently placed a leaf on the surface.

Then he loosely gripped the sides of the glass with both hands and activated his Nen.

The water in the glass began to ripple. Several seconds later, the surface slowly rose above the rim and gradually overflowed.

"Enhancement type?" Leo murmured. "Good."

Enhancement-type Nen users excelled at strengthening the properties of themselves or objects, making it the most suitable type for direct combat.

Combined with the potential for physical growth granted by Proof of Humanity, the power he could unleash would surely surpass imagination.

After awakening his Nen, Leo did not rush to leave.

He decided to continue training in the forest park until he had thoroughly mastered the basic applications of the Four Major Principles—especially Ten, which he needed to be able to activate and maintain even in deep sleep.

The days passed one by one.

Leo's training was strict and systematic.

In the mornings, he trained his body while in Zetsu. In the afternoons, he practiced Ten and Ren. At night, he used Water Divination to practice Hatsu, and before sleeping, he attempted to maintain Ten while asleep.

He recalled the manga's detailed descriptions of Nen and combined them with his own practice, improving rapidly.

One month later.

In the forest clearing, Leo stood motionless.

Thick Nen aura surrounded his body like burning flames—this was Ken, an advanced application of the Four Major Principles. By combining Ten and Ren, it kept the entire body in a state of Ren, with aura densely covering every part of him.

He was testing how long he could maintain it.

At fifteen minutes, sweat began beading on his forehead, and the stability of his aura declined somewhat.

At seventeen minutes, his breathing became hurried. At nineteen minutes, he released Ken.

"Still far from enough." Leo wiped away his sweat. The manga had mentioned that a qualified Nen user needed to maintain Ken for at least thirty minutes.

He could only last nineteen minutes now. It might not be enough in an intense battle.

Then came En—expanding one's aura outward with oneself at the center to sense everything within its range.

Leo closed his eyes and released his Nen aura.

The aura spread outward from him, forming a sensory field with a radius of roughly seven meters.

Within that range, he could "see" everything: ants crawling beneath his feet, the flight paths of insects in the air, and the angle at which blades of grass bent in the wind.

Seven meters—this was his current limit.

Expanding that range would require more practice and finer control of his aura.

These results were the fruits of a month of hard training.

Without a teacher's guidance, relying entirely on his recollections of the manga and his own exploration, reaching this point was already quite impressive.

As for developing his own unique Nen ability, Leo was not in a hurry.

The manga had emphasized that ability development required careful consideration and had to align closely with one's nature and needs.

He currently lacked real combat experience and was still not entirely certain what kind of ability he truly needed. Rashly developing one might yield half the result for twice the effort.

Training required a balance between tension and relaxation.

His foundation was more or less complete. Next, it was time to train in actual combat.

Leo packed his belongings. He took down and stored the tent, packed up his daily necessities, and carefully buried the fire pit.

He restored the campsite to its original state, leaving behind no obvious traces.

After giving the forest where he had spent more than a month one last look, Leo turned and left.

By the time he returned to Kent City, it was already evening.

The city was ablaze with lights, its streets crowded with people—a stark contrast to the silence of Biscuit Forest Park.

Leo found an inn and checked in. He took a hot shower, changed into clean clothes, and spread out his map.

Heaven's Arena was located in the Republic of Padokea, and he would need to take an airship to get there.

Traveling from Kent City would not be cheap.

He still had more than a hundred thousand Jenny on hand, barely enough, but once he got there, he would need to make money as quickly as possible.

As the night outside deepened, he lay on the bed and closed his eyes in thought.

Level 25. Zetsu had been lifted. His Nen had awakened, and he had grasped the foundations of the Four Major Principles.

It was time to see the world of true Nen users.

Heaven's Arena.

Leo closed his eyes, and scenes from the manga surfaced in his mind—a building towering into the clouds, countless fighters pursuing strength.

He would grow stronger there, earn money, and accumulate experience.

Then... he would take the Hunter Exam and officially step onto this world's main stage.

The road ahead was still long, but he had already taken the first step.