The Shadow of the Dangerous One

The air deep within the tower was as cold as ice.

Ryan moved forward slowly, his footsteps nearly silent. All around him were damp, frigid stone walls, peeling pipes, and the occasional drip of water. His breathing was steady, his heartbeat slow, and his entire being existed in a state of extreme concentration.

This was the state of Zetsu.

He deliberately sealed away the Nen flowing across his skin, preventing it from spilling out, spreading, or disturbing the air. He had three reasons for doing so: first, so other Nen users would not sense him; second, so the Hunter Association examiners would not detect fluctuations in his Nen; and third, to push his bodily senses to their limits and experience the purest possible human perception and reaction.

It wasn't that he didn't want to use Nen.

He couldn't.

The essence of this exam was that it had been prepared for those who had yet to awaken their abilities. Even exceptions like Hisoka and Illumi concealed themselves in the shadows, never revealing their power openly. Any use of power that was too early or too overwhelming would be regarded as cheating if the Association intervened—even if there were no overt punishment, they might still be secretly watched, marked, and dealt with.

And besides... Ryan sighed silently to himself.

My Nen is nowhere near stable yet.

Strictly speaking, his Nen training had only reached the introductory stage. He had basically mastered Ren, Zetsu, Ten, and Gyo, but he had yet to apply techniques such as Hatsu, En, and Ken in actual combat. En in particular required superb control over the flow of aura, precise aura release, and powerful mental perception.

His current perception was at most the embryonic form of En. He relied on his body's instincts to pick up details such