Special Training Underway

On the wasteland at the edge of the Moonlight Tundra, the morning light painted the cracked ground a pale gold.

Biscuit stood in the center of the clearing with her hands behind her back, the morning breeze stirring her golden twin ponytails.

Leo stood three meters opposite her, already prepared for training.

"Although you have a comprehensive understanding of Nen, I still need to explain this again."

Biscuit extended her right hand, palm up.

Nen aura surged from her body, forming a uniform white glow that covered her entire body.

"This state, 'Ken,' means fifty points each in attack and defense. A balance of offense and defense—fifty against fifty."

She clenched her fist, and the glow rippled slightly.

"In other words, when both sides are using 'Ken,' neither can inflict serious damage on the other no matter how they fight. So how would you break that balance?"

Leo did not hesitate in the slightest.

"Use 'Ko.' Instantly concentrate all the aura in my body at one point."

"Correct."

Biscuit nodded, her gaze sharpening.

"But while you're in the 'Ko' state, the part strengthened by aura has an attack and defense value of one hundred, while every other part is at zero! What if your opponent strikes a part where you haven't activated 'Ko'?"

Leo immediately answered, "Use 'Focus' to observe the trajectory of the opponent's attack, while using 'Flow' to quickly adjust the aura distribution—shifting defense to the targeted area before the attack lands."

The corners of Biscuit's lips lifted slightly.

"Right. That is the foundation of combat."

She began walking slowly, her voice ringing clearly across the open wasteland.

"Fifty points of attack and defense across the entire body is the basic combat form. But in an actual fight, you need to constantly adjust according to the situation—at the instant you attack, your right fist's attack and defense becomes seventy while your body drops to thirty; when defending, the attacked area rises to eighty while the other parts fall to twenty."

She stopped and turned to face Leo.

"This real-time shifting of attack and defense is called 'Flow.' Your goal is to train your 'Flow' to become as fast and precise as possible."

Biscuit rolled her wrist, her joints letting out a faint crack.

"Today's training is simple. You're already very proficient with 'Focus,' so next comes practical training."

She assumed a stance as Nen aura began gathering around her.

"Alright, activate your 'Ren.' I'll attack you with 'Ko.' You need to maintain 'Ken' at all times, use 'Focus' to observe the movement of my aura, and use 'Flow' to rapidly shift your offense and defense—until I'm satisfied."

Leo took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The next second—

"Boom!"

Nen aura erupted.

"Ren!"

A white glow enveloped his body, stable and even.

Almost at the same instant, Biscuit moved.

She was not fast, but her movements were terrifyingly precise.

Her right fist shot straight at him, highly condensed aura gathered around its edge—"Ko."

"Right fist! Attack and defense, fifty-five!"

Biscuit's voice arrived with the attack.

Leo's eyes were already covered in "Focus," allowing him to clearly see the distribution of aura around Biscuit's fist.

He had almost no time to think. He instantly raised the defense of his right arm to sixty while lowering the rest of his body to forty.

Bang!

Fist and arm collided with a dull impact.

Leo's right arm went slightly numb, but he successfully blocked the blow.

Without pausing, Biscuit lashed out with her left leg like a whip.

"Left foot! Attack and defense, seventy!"

This time, the aura was more concentrated, and the power had clearly increased.

Leo made his judgment quickly, raising his left leg's defense to seventy-five and taking the kick head-on.

Bang! Another dull thud rang out.

Leo retreated half a step. A sharp pain shot through his left leg, but he remained standing firm.

Biscuit stopped, a trace of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.

"Very good. I'll gradually increase my speed, so pay attention."

"No problem. Come on."

Leo readjusted his breathing, every muscle in his body tensing as he focused completely.

For the next half hour, continuous impacts echoed across the wasteland.

Bang! Left elbow, attack and defense seventy-five!

Bang! Right shoulder, attack and defense sixty-five!

Bang! Left knee, attack and defense eighty!

Biscuit's attacks came like a tide, every blow accompanied by a precise aura-value callout.

She was no longer limited to a fixed attack pattern—sometimes straight punches, sometimes side kicks, sometimes elbow strikes, sometimes shoulder charges.

The angles were tricky, and the speed gradually increased.

Leo focused with all his might.

His eyes remained fixed on Biscuit's movements as he used "Focus" to observe the flow of aura.

His mind raced, making judgments at the instant before each attack arrived and using "Flow" to adjust his defensive distribution.

Sweat began to seep out, and his breathing grew heavy.

Maintaining "Ren" alone continuously consumed aura. Combined with the frequent use of "Focus" and rapid adjustments through "Flow," both his physical strength and Nen aura were being depleted at an alarming rate.

But Leo did not make a single mistake.

With every attack, he managed to respond correctly at the last moment.

Though he was occasionally driven back and occasionally wracked with sharp pain, he never allowed an attack to break through his defense and strike an unguarded area.

Biscuit praised him inwardly.

"Not bad at all. At this rate, we can move on to the next stage of special training in just half a month."

Ten days later.

The same wasteland, the same morning light.

But the scene before them was now completely different.

Two figures crossed, collided, and separated at speeds too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Nen aura churned through the air, and every exchange erupted with a dull impact.

Biscuit no longer gave any warnings.

Her attacks were completely random—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, sometimes feints, sometimes genuine strikes.

Her aura distribution was no longer predictable either—one moment, eighty points of aura might be concentrated in her fist, only for it to suddenly drop to forty the next, causing her opponent to misjudge.

But Leo had completely adapted to this rhythm.

His eyes remained in "Focus," but he was no longer merely observing the movement of aura. He had begun anticipating Biscuit's intentions.

Subtle shifts in muscle tension, brief pauses in her gaze, adjustments in her breathing rhythm—these tiny clues came together, giving him a sense of an attack before it was launched.

Bang! Biscuit's right fist shot forward, its visible aura value at sixty.

But Leo sharply noticed the abnormal tension in her right shoulder muscles—it was a feint.

He did not assign too much defense to his right arm, instead concentrating his main defense around his abdomen.

Sure enough, at the instant the fist was about to connect, Biscuit suddenly dropped her body, and her right leg swept toward Leo's lower body like a venomous snake!

The aura value of that kick had reached eighty-five!

Leo's prepared defense shifted into place instantly.

The defense of his left leg rose to ninety, and he took the blow head-on.

Bang!

After the thunderous impact, Leo was knocked back three steps. A searing pain ran through his left leg, but he had successfully defended against it.

Biscuit stopped her attack and stood where she was, a heartfelt look of admiration on her face.

"You've improved tremendously."

She patted dust from her hands, though there was none there.

"I thought this would take half a month. Since you've already grasped the essence of 'Flow'..."

Biscuit raised her right index finger. A number made of Nen aura appeared at the tip—"7"—and remained there for only 0.3 seconds.

Leo shouted almost the instant the number appeared.

"7!"

Biscuit nodded in satisfaction as the number dispersed.

"Then it's time for the final stage of systematic training."

She walked to a boulder at the edge of the clearing and sat down, signaling for Leo to sit and rest as well.

"Leo, you're an Enhancer. You could focus solely on training your own category, but eventually you'll always hit a bottleneck. Your training speed will slow, and the efficiency will be poor."

Biscuit drew a hexagon in the sand, labeling the top point "Enhancement," then marking the other categories in turn.

"The ideal approach is mountain-shaped training—centered around your own category, while also training the abilities of nearby categories. Naturally, Specialist is excluded."

Using a branch, she drew arrows on either side of "Enhancement," pointing toward "Transmutation" and "Emission."

"If you can train the abilities of adjacent categories in a balanced way, the abilities of your own category will also become easier to grasp, and your understanding will deepen."

He nodded to show that he understood.

But after a moment of silence, he raised his head and looked at Biscuit.

"Master Biscuit, I have another ability. This ability... is something I obtained in a secret realm."

A look of surprise appeared on Biscuit's face.

Leo had decided to tell her after careful consideration.

Over the past month, Biscuit had devoted herself wholeheartedly to his special training without the slightest perfunctory effort.

Not only had she held him to strict standards in training, but during breaks, she also explained all kinds of Nen theories and practical combat techniques, even sharing her experiences as a Hunter.

That unreserved guidance had earned Leo's trust.

He extended his right hand and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the dark red spiral-shaped tattoo on the back of his hand.

"This ability is called 'Proof of Humanity.'"

Leo began explaining in detail—the ability's type, its restrictions, its growth mechanism, as well as his current level and condition.

He concealed nothing, including how killing living creatures allowed him to absorb energy, how pain was doubled, and how he needed to reach Level 25 before the restriction on "Zetsu" could be lifted...

After Biscuit finished listening, she remained silent for a long time.

Her gaze moved back and forth between Leo's face and the tattoo on the back of his hand. Her initial surprise gradually turned to contemplation, then finally admiration.

"An inheritance item from an ancient civilization... I never imagined you would receive such an opportunity."

She rose to her feet, walked over to Leo, and lightly touched the tattoo.

A faint warmth came from her fingertips, a sign of life energy flowing within it.

"This ability truly suits you very well. If you use it properly, then one day, standing at the peak of the world will only be a matter of time."

Biscuit's expression suddenly turned serious.

"But you must remain true to yourself."

Her voice was low and forceful.

"Power itself has no good or evil, but the people who wield it do. An ability that grows through hunting... once you lose yourself, it is easy to become a monster that knows nothing but slaughter."

Meeting Biscuit's gaze, Leo spoke solemnly.

"I will never become a murderous maniac!"

"Power is a tool for protecting what is important, not a toy for satisfying the desire to kill. That is my bottom line."

Seeing the unshakable resolve in Leo's eyes, Biscuit nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. In that case, the training plan will need some slight adjustments."

She returned to the sand, erased the original hexagon with her branch, and began planning anew.

"Starting today, mornings will be for systematic training in Enhancement, Transmutation, and Emission. I'll teach you the practical techniques of each category."

The branch drew out a new schedule in the sand.

"In the afternoons, you'll enter the Moonlight Tundra forest to hunt and raise your level. There are quite a few powerful creatures deep within the Moonlight Tundra—enough to keep you hunting for half a year."

Biscuit looked up, anticipation shining in her eyes.

"I hope that in five months, your progress will meet my expectations."

She paused, then added:

"Of course, I'll supervise you during the hunts. On one hand, to ensure your safety, and on the other..."

Biscuit revealed a sly smile.

"I need to collect some materials unique to the Moonlight Tundra as well. The glowing moss here and certain plants are rare materials for jewelry crafting."

Leo smiled as well. That was very much Biscuit's style—deception, gemstones, and handsome men, the three great loves of her life.

"Then it's settled."

Biscuit clapped her hands and stood up.

"This morning, we'll begin with the basics of Transmutation."

"Training Transmutation mainly involves changing the nature of aura, such as giving it the properties of 'sharpness,' 'heat,' or 'paralysis.' For a close-combat Enhancer, this is an enormous boost."

She extended her hand, palm up.

Nen aura surged out and condensed into a white ball in her palm.

"Watch carefully. The foundation of Transmutation is imagination and perception. First, you must clearly imagine the property you want your aura to have, then sense the essence of the aura and guide it to change—"

The ball of aura in Biscuit's palm began to transform.

The white gradually took on a faint red hue, its temperature rising as the surrounding air warped slightly from the heat.

"This is the simplest form of 'heating.' Now, your task is to raise the temperature of your aura ball until it can ignite dead leaves."

She dispersed the aura sphere and looked at Leo.

"Let's begin."

Leo took a deep breath and focused.

A new phase of training had begun.

That afternoon, accompanied by Biscuit, he ventured deep into the dense forests of the Moonlight Tundra and began hunting.

[Level: 27 (91%)]

He was only 9% away from Level 28.

And half a year later, with system training and hunting progressing at the same time, his growth rate would reach an entirely new level.