In the storage room, Leo's fingers twitched slightly.
He opened his eyes, and his vision gradually cleared from a blur.
Pushing himself up from the ground, he looked around—the room was still the same room, and the animal-hide map still lay beside him. But his body felt completely different.
The once-scrawny body that had belonged to the boy Rexxar had become much sturdier. The lines of his arms and chest had grown more defined, brimming with strength.
There was no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, he felt light and coordinated, as though every muscle was in its best possible condition.
Leo lowered his head to examine himself, his gaze falling on the back of his right hand—there was now a dark red spiral tattoo there, about the size of a coin. Its patterns were intricate and delicate, like some ancient rune.
He reached out with his left hand and touched the tattoo.
In an instant, information flooded into his mind like a tidal wave:
[Proof of Humanity]
Nen Ability Type: Specialist
[Level: 0]
Ability Conditions:
1. The body was forcibly placed in a state of "Zetsu," unable to sense or use any Nen.
2. When injured, pain was doubled.
3. After activating Nen, he could not use damaging weapons or wear defensive gear.
Ability Effects:
1. After killing a living creature, he could absorb its residual life energy.
2. Life energy could raise his level. Leveling up strengthened the body, with no upper limit to enhancement.
4. Upon reaching Level 25, the "Zetsu" state would be lifted, and the body would undergo a comprehensive qualitative transformation.
5. Accelerated physical recovery and self-healing ability (strengthened as level increased).
Note: This ability did not occupy memory capacity and allowed the further development of his own exclusive Nen abilities.
After the stream of information ended, Leo stood stunned for a moment before breaking into a delighted smile.
This was the world of Hunter x Hunter.
Nen abilities—he had one now!
Though it came with harsh restrictions, this ability possessed tremendous growth potential.
At the same time, another piece of information surfaced from the depths of his consciousness—knowledge inherited from that stone.
This place was the secret realm known as the "Eternal Dimension" of the ancient Cape Kingdom, built 2,200 years ago. The entrance and exit of the secret realm were located in a cave at the end of the eastern forest and could only be opened by activating Nen.
"A secret realm... I need Nen... to leave."
Leo's smile faded, and he frowned.
He was currently in a forced state of "Zetsu," completely unable to use Nen.
According to the rules of Proof of Humanity, he had to raise his level to 25 before the restriction could be lifted.
That meant he had to leave this relatively safe palace, enter that unknown forest, kill creatures, and gather life energy.
The risks were obvious. Being unable to use Nen meant losing an important layer of defense and perception.
The doubled pain was even worse—in the wilderness, injuries were unavoidable, and amplified pain could affect his movements and judgment.
But he had no other choice.
Leo rose to his feet and stretched his limbs.
The changes to his body were real. Though he could not use Nen, his physical body was already much stronger than before. He clenched his fist and felt the power contained in his muscles.
"At least my starting point isn't too bad."
He then found a very sharp stone knife in the palace. Standing at the edge of the platform, Leo carefully observed the woodland below.
The trees were tall and dense, and the light beneath them was dim. He could hear birdsong, beastly roars, and other sounds he could not identify.
It was dangerous, but full of life—which meant there was prey.
"I'll start from the outskirts."
He made his plan. "Find small animals, familiarize myself with the environment, and gather life energy. Once my level rises, I'll venture deeper into the forest."
He tightened his grip on the short knife and warily observed his surroundings. Rexxar's hunting memories came into play at that moment—how to distinguish animal tracks, how to move stealthily, and how to choose the right moment.
A rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.
Leo immediately crouched down and held his breath.
A moment later, a rabbit-like creature emerged. It had grayish-brown fur and short ears, and it was lowering its head to gnaw on grass roots.
It was about five meters away.
Leo calculated the angle and route. Rabbit-type animals had keen hearing and nimble movements; if he missed in one strike, it would flee.
He moved slowly, placing each foot lightly to avoid snapping dry branches.
Three meters, two meters, one meter... Leo suddenly pounced, driving the stone knife into the rabbit's neck. It died in a single blow, its struggles ceasing.
At that moment, the red spiral tattoo on the back of his hand grew slightly hot. A faint warm current flowed from the rabbit's corpse into his body.
It was extremely subtle, like taking a sip of warm water, then quickly fading away.
[Life Energy +0.5] [Level: 0 (1%)]
"I need two hundred rabbits to reach Level 1." He calculated. "And to reach Level 25..."
Relying solely on small animals would take far too much time. He had to find more efficient hunting targets.
Rexxar's hunting memories made his observation of the environment even sharper.
He noticed several mounds of soil in a clearing among the trees. Small holes dotted their surfaces, while scattered grains of sand around them showed signs of being carried about.
"Ants?" Leo crouched down and gently prodded a patch of loose soil with his stone knife.
Sure enough, beneath it was the entrance to an ant nest. Several dark brown ants were hurrying in and out, each about the size of a fingernail, with well-developed mandibles.
His eyes lit up.
Though each ant provided very little life energy, their numbers were enormous. If he could find a large ant colony...
Leo stood and began searching with purpose. He followed the sunny edges of the forest, where the soil was dry and suitable for ants to build nests.
Less than half an hour later, he found his target beside a fallen tree—a mound-like ant nest more than half a meter in diameter, its surface densely covered in holes as ants bustled in and out.
"Found it."
He did not act rashly. First, he observed the structure of the nest. It had been built against the roots of the fallen tree. Most of it lay underground, but the aboveground portion was massive as well.
He did not recognize the species. The ants were around two centimeters long, glossy black all over, and moved swiftly.
"Let's give it a try."
Leo stepped back a few paces and found a sturdy branch, about as thick as his arm and of a suitable length. He first cleared away the dead leaves and weeds around the nest.
Once everything was ready, he gripped the branch with both hands, aimed at a relatively weak point on the side of the ant nest, and thrust it in with all his strength!
"Pfft."
The soil burst apart. The nest's internal structure was exposed, and countless ants poured out in an instant, a swarming mass like boiling black liquid.
They quickly crawled up the branch toward him, their mandibles snapping open and shut, clearly highly aggressive.
Leo swiftly pulled the branch back and slammed it against the ground, shaking off the ants clinging to it.
Then he circled to the other side of the nest and thrust the branch in again, stirring it up.
After repeating this several times, the ant nest was completely destroyed.
The aboveground portion collapsed, revealing the tangled tunnels and egg chambers below. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of ants crawled about in panic. Some soldier ants tried to attack Leo, but he easily swept them aside with the branch.
The slaughter continued...
The tattoo on the back of his hand kept sending out a warm sensation. It was much fainter than when he had killed the rabbit, but it was unceasing.
The energy provided by each ant's death was negligible, but there were simply too many of them.
[Life Energy +0.01]
[Life Energy +0.01]
[Life Energy +0.01]...
The notifications flashed rapidly through his mind, eventually combining into a total.
[This Harvest: Life Energy +9.8]
[Level: 0 (10.8%)]
Leo's eyes lit up.
Destroying one ant nest was nearly equivalent to the gains from killing twenty rabbits!
And the risk was extremely low—though the ants were numerous, each individual posed little threat, as long as he made sure not to let too many crawl onto him.
"Now that's more like it."
He smiled in satisfaction, the gravity on his face easing considerably.
He carefully checked himself and brushed off several ants that had crawled onto his pant legs.
The tattoo on the back of his hand glimmered dark red in the sunlight, its level progress having jumped from 1% to nearly 11%.
"There should be plenty of ant nests in this forest."
Leo cleaned up the area to avoid leaving too many traces that might attract other creatures. He memorized the location—perhaps the ant colony would rebuild its nest in the future, allowing him to "harvest" it regularly.
Over the next few hours, he changed his strategy.
Rather than focusing on finding prey, he systematically searched for ant nests and the nests of other social insects.
His experience gradually accumulated: black ant nests were often built along dry forest edges or beside fallen logs; red ants liked nesting under rocks; there was also a larger species of brown ant that carried an acidic, rotten smell. Their nests were usually deep underground and required more effort to excavate.
With every nest he destroyed, his life energy steadily increased. The efficiency was far higher than hunting animals.
By the time the sun tilted westward, Leo had cleared out four ant nests, raising his level progress to [Level: 0 (31%)].
At this rate, he would reach Level 1 tomorrow.
His steps were much lighter as he returned to the palace. Though he still could not use Nen, he could see hope for leveling up quickly.
That evening, Leo found a relatively intact corner of the palace to rest in.
He took stock of the day's gains: aside from life energy, he had made several unexpected discoveries—beside one ant nest, he had found a small patch of wild berry bushes, their fruit tart, sweet, and edible; near another nest was a clean seep, its water crystal clear.
"Tomorrow, I'll continue."
He chewed on berries as he planned out tomorrow's route.
"That sunny slope to the east should have plenty of ant nests. I'll go there first."
The tattoo on the back of his hand gave off a faint warmth in the twilight, as if responding to his anticipation.
Night gradually deepened, and the forest fell silent.
Leo leaned against a stone wall and closed his eyes to rest.
Though he remained in a state of "Zetsu," unable to sense Nen aura, the physical enhancements were real—the stamina he had expended destroying the ant nests today was far less than expected, and he recovered quickly as well.
"Level 25... it shouldn't take too long."
Thinking that, a relaxed smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
At least he had found the right path to leveling up from the start. He would not have to fight beasts to the death every day.
Before you continue