Let's Roll, Squad Leader

PS: I have to work overtime tomorrow, so I'm posting this early.

Defeated. An overwhelming victory. Crocodile Squad Leader Gudo was completely crushed by Squad Captain Gaster. Gudo didn't even understand how he lost. It felt as if his strength had been drained away in an instant. Then he was battered beyond recognition.

"What? What kind of terrifying ability is this?" Unlike Gudo, Aureole witnessed Gudo's defeat firsthand. As the saying goes, the onlooker sees the game best while the player is lost in it. He clearly knew Gudo had fallen to that Squad Captain's Nen ability, but he couldn't understand how a mere Squad Captain possessed such power. Or rather, how someone of that rank could have cultivated such strength. "If I could borrow his ability, my power would absolutely skyrocket."

"Hmph, with strength like this, you dare claim the King needs your power?" Gaster sneered after thoroughly thrashing Gudo. "You think you can eat me? Even our Soldier Ants here are stronger than you."

Gaster kept taunting, and Gudo's face flushed red then white—clearly furious. Imagine turning a green crocodile face red and white; that takes some serious anger. But Gaster had reason to be upset. What were Soldier Ants? To put it bluntly, cannon fodder without intelligence or speech. Being worse than a Soldier Ant meant what? Ash? Still, Gudo dared not act rashly after being taught a lesson. That feeling of having his power drained and weakened was unforgettable. Was Gudo really weaker than a Soldier Ant? Gaster was obviously talking nonsense. After all, Gudo was a Squad Leader, someone who ranked in the Hunter World. Even after Meruem's Nen training, his innate talent and foundation were lacking. There was no way a Soldier Ant could surpass an untrained Squad Leader in just a month. Give it ten or even twenty years, and maybe there'd be a chance. Gaster was just deliberately provoking the Squad Leaders.

But Gaster knew this; the Squad Leaders didn't. In their old understanding, a Squad Captain couldn't beat a Squad Leader, yet now they were being crushed in moments. And so, a beautiful misunderstanding was born.

"What kind of training does this King do? Even Soldier Ants can become this strong?" Zazan felt her brain couldn't keep up. As the Squad Leader who'd interacted most with the trained ants, she was the most convinced by Gaster's words.

Aureole regretted leaving earlier. "If I'd stayed, I'd have that kind of power now." Still, he didn't fully believe a Squad Captain could crush a Squad Leader. Prove it by crushing one in front of me! Though, if anyone was getting crushed, let it be that crocodile.

As for Gudo, his mind was set on one thing: gaining enough power to kill that damned Squad Captain.

"The rooster crows, the hen lays eggs—Hen Crowing at Dawn!" That was Gaster's Nen ability. Hen Crowing at Dawn came from a Chinese idiom: a hen crowing like a rooster, meaning overstepping one's bounds. In short, Gudo's total strength and Nen exceeded Gaster's. But when Gaster activated "Hen Crowing at Dawn" and Gudo attacked him, Gaster could instantly seize Gudo's power and Nen. Simply put, before using the ability, Gaster remained still while Gudo attacked. Gudo's action represented the rooster crowing, and Gaster's represented the hen laying eggs. But "Hen Crowing at Dawn" would steal everything from Gudo—since Gudo's target was Gaster, and Gaster wouldn't attack himself. So the moment Gudo struck, everything about him was replaced by Gaster. That was why Gudo lost combat ability instantly and felt weak.

"Hen Crowing at Dawn" seemed powerful but had several flaws. First, it had a time limit—half an hour was the max for stealing someone's power. Second, if the target didn't attack and instead fled, the ability wouldn't drain their combat ability. Third, if the target's strength (Nen and power) was more than three times the user's, the ability would collapse. The limit was three times. However, "Hen Crowing at Dawn" could only steal power and Nen, not the target's Nen abilities. So even if Gaster stole Gudo's Nen and strength, Gudo could still use his abilities.

But "Hen Crowing at Dawn" could be used consecutively. In theory, in a group fight, it could stack endlessly to make the user invincible. That meant if Gaster fought Gudo, Aureole, and Zazan together, he could theoretically steal Gudo's power, then Aureole's, then Zazan's.

So, since Gudo hadn't fully developed his own Nen ability, losing to Gaster wasn't unfair. Gaster's ability perfectly countered those who relied on raw physical strength without developed Nen. If the opponent were Aureole, it might have been a real fight.

"Alright, alright. Since Mr. Gaster came on the King's orders, I assume it's not just to teach Gudo a lesson. Let's get to business," Aureole said, aiming to smooth things over. Stalling here wasn't good for anyone. His tone carried a hint of flattery—having seen a mere Squad Captain crush a Squad Leader, he was even more eager for the King's training.

"I'm here on the King's orders to deliver something to you." Gaster lifted the basket in his hand and shook it in front of the three. He'd only acted earlier because he couldn't stand Gudo's arrogance and disrespect toward the King, putting him in his place. But completing the King's task was his priority.

"Oh? Something from the King? What is it?" They hadn't noticed the basket before, but now they sensed a powerful Nen emanating from it. Not just Aureole, but even Zazan and the humiliated Gudo were curious.

"What the King gives you is a rare beast that can instantly enhance and fully develop all your Nen abilities—the Golden Silkworm Gu!" Gaster lifted the basket's lid, and golden light flooded the room. An intense Nen radiated from within. Aureole, Zazan, and Gudo peered inside, seeing three plump, pale-white silkworms lying in the center of the basket?!

"The King said you'll definitely like them." No one noticed the strange smile on Gaster's face as he spoke, since the three Squad Leaders were fixated on the silkworms.

"What are these?" Zazan was the first to speak. The three silkworms in the basket held an inexplicable allure for her, like a demon whispering in her ear, "Eat them," "Eat them."

"These are an extremely rare exotic beast the King acquired—the Golden Silkworm Gu. The King says there's a task he needs you to handle, but your current abilities are too weak, so he's enhancing your power. Just eat them, and your Nen will multiply several times over, and your Nen abilities will be fully developed," Gaster coaxed.

He didn't need to coax much. The moment the three Squad Leaders heard about multiplying Nen and full ability development, their eyes turned bloodshot, and their breathing grew heavy. They'd come here because humans were too strong, and they'd temporarily allied with the Ant King to boost their own strength. Traitors—once they betray, a second betrayal isn't far off, unless you offer enough to keep them.

So this was how those Squad Captains got stronger. If I eat them, I'll become stronger too. If I eat all of them, how powerful would I be? All three Squad Leaders thought the same.

"Then I'll leave these three Golden Silkworm Gu with you." Gaster set the basket before them. As he walked away, the three Squad Leaders' gazes toward each other grew increasingly hostile. Any one of them wanted to hog the Golden Silkworm Gu for themselves—they had no camaraderie or other bonds.

"One more thing—the King said each person can only eat one Golden Silkworm Gu in their lifetime. Eating more might cause your body to explode and die." Just as he was about to disappear from their sight, Gaster added. That single sentence doused the three Squad Leaders, ready to tear into each other, like a bucket of cold water, instantly cooling them down. Was the King telling the truth? None of them fully believed it, but no one would gamble with their life. What if it was true? After killing the other two, if eating more than one really made them explode, who would they complain to? Of course, Gaster didn't warn them out of kindness—the King had ordered him to keep these three alive for future use. Otherwise, Gaster would have waited for them to kill each other off first.

"Your Majesty, your orders have been carried out." After leaving the three Squad Leaders, Gaster went straight to the Ant King's study, kneeling on one knee before Meruem, seated on his throne.

Golden Silkworm Gu? Did such a rare beast really exist in the Hunter World? Eating it would fully develop Nen abilities and multiply Nen? You're overthinking it. Those three Golden Silkworm Gu given to the Squad Leaders were merely the Ant King Meruem's Nen Beasts. Their effect was indeed to fully develop the three's Nen abilities and enhance their Nen. But it wasn't free. The Nen increase only tapped into their latent potential, and the full development was just a small part of the Golden Silkworm Gu's power. As for its true ability? Well, who knows? But remember, the name "Golden Silkworm Gu" includes the word "Gu"—a poison insect.