A first test

Ryan stood at the edge of the field, watching the sky darken beyond the woods. He slowly exhaled, his right hand hanging naturally at his side as a faint wisp of aura gathered in his palm. Rather than immediately entering combat, he first suppressed his presence and gradually activated Gyo, focusing his gaze to inspect any energy fluctuations ahead.

Once Gyo activated, his pupils contracted slightly. Faint traces of Nen appeared on a snapped vine at the forest's edge, like residual energy left by a violent impact. Those fluctuations did not seem human. They were more like the instinctive use of aura unconsciously triggered by some large creature.

"Its use of Nen is crude, but the power behind it is immense..." Ryan murmured. Combining this with the hoofprints and hair he had observed in the mud earlier, he reached a preliminary conclusion. "This thing... is probably a wild creature capable of using Nen. Judging by the effects, it leans toward Enhancement."

Night deepened, and the breeze through the woods carried the scent of damp soil and a faint animal musk. He lowered his body and slipped slowly into the forest without a sound. Zetsu suppressed his burdened presence to the utmost, making him difficult even for wild beasts to detect.

About twenty minutes later, the bushes ahead suddenly rustled. An enormous dark shape slowly emerged from the tangled vines—a One-Horned Wild Boar as massive as a small hill, its shoulders taller than a person, its back humped, and its entire body covered in bristles standing upright like steel needles. It rooted through the ground with its snout, occasionally letting out a low grunt or two.

Ryan did not act rashly. He continued using Gyo to maintain his perception, gradually confirming the strength and pattern of the aura flowing within the