"Actually, it wasn't just when facing the Dark Continent that we were weak. Even in the world we inhabited now, we were extremely weak compared to humanity, the rulers of this world." Seeing that the time was right, Meruem revealed the true purpose of this conversation. After saying so much, Meruem only wanted these arrogant ants to understand that there was always someone stronger. His earlier description of the Dark Continent had also been meant to knock down those ants who had already become complacent and conceited. That included the Royal Guards. Even when hunting a rabbit, a lion had to give it his all. Much less when facing Nen Users—one careless mistake could easily lead to disaster. Almost every ant in the original story had died that way. Perhaps the overwhelming strength they had displayed against ordinary people in NGL had made them lose themselves, causing them to assume that all humans were weaklings and food. But they should not forget that even among the Chimera Ants, there was an enormous difference in strength between Soldier Ants and the Ant King. The humans of this world were not as simple as they imagined.
"Humans? Those weak creatures? What was dangerous about beings that could only become food?" Every ant thought the same thing.
"Heh. Even if I said that, you probably didn't truly believe it, did you?"
"We wouldn't dare," the ants replied fearfully.
"It's fine. If I were you, I would think the same. But that isn't the truth. What did you think of that old man from before?" Rather than explain immediately, Meruem asked a question. The old man he meant was naturally Chairman Netero, who had previously wreaked havoc in the Ant Nest.
"He was strong. Among the humans we've encountered so far, he was the strongest. Maybe he was even the strongest human, meow." Neferpitou answered Meruem's question this time. Although Pitou had also fought Kite, Kite's combat power was not on the same level as the Chairman's. Kite might have been stronger than a Squad Leader, perhaps even somewhat stronger than some Phantom Troupe members. But compared to a world-class master like Netero, there was simply no comparison.
"Though I hate to admit it, he was a formidable bastard. I couldn't fight back at all. But please rest assured, King. Next time, I'll kill him with my own hands." Rabbit's final words were particularly vicious. At the mention of the Chairman, veins bulged on Youpi's forehead. It seemed Netero had dealt him quite a blow.
"..." Pouf remained silent. He did not want to bring this matter up. His proud abilities had been completely suppressed, especially that terrifying wide-range attack—he had not even been able to escape. If he had faced anyone else, Pouf would not have been so miserable. His abilities could attack, defend, and shift in countless ways. But against Netero, there had been no nonsense at all; the old man had simply slapped him across the face.
The Squad Leaders who had all been instantly defeated looked rather awkward. Even Leopard, normally the most talkative, wore a constipated expression. Just moments ago, they had believed humans were nothing but food, only to be slapped in the face immediately afterward.
"He was strong, wasn't he? No wonder he was once the strongest human in the world."
"As expected." When the ants heard this, their expressions eased somewhat, and they felt a little better. But Meruem's next sentence sent them plunging into despair once more.
"But that old man currently had less than half the strength he possessed in his prime." What did half mean? That absurdly powerful monster who could wipe out a group of Squad Leaders with one slap and suppress the Royal Guards so completely had less than half his former strength? Then in his prime, wouldn't he have killed gods and Buddhas alike?
"But no matter how strong he was, even if he returned to his peak, he still wouldn't be a match for the King, would he, meow?" Neferpitou said calmly. Unlike the Squad Leaders, the Royal Guards had personally seen Meruem effortlessly cripple one of Netero's arms. Even if Netero were twice as strong, he would not be a match for the King. That was right. So what if he was in his prime? Their King was the strongest!
"Hmph. That's true. If he were an Enhancement Type like that old man, I wouldn't lose." But Meruem feared opponents with bizarre and unpredictable abilities. For example, that unknown thing from the Zoldyck Family. Even Meruem, as he was now, had no confidence when facing such a strange existence.
"But this world isn't as simple as you imagine. That old man's current strength didn't even rank among the top five in this world. Even I only dared guarantee that I could place in the top three. I had no confidence in claiming first place." How strong was Netero with only half the strength of his youth? Would he have ranked among the world's top three? Who the hell knew? The original story never said. Meruem was just making things up. Still, the manga had mentioned that the Ant King's body was already in its most perfect state. Even when facing Netero's full-power 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, as well as the Zero Hand unleashed at the cost of his life, Meruem had only suffered superficial injuries. If not for the Rose Bomb, the Hunter World's strongest fighters would definitely have been forced to act. All sorts of bizarre abilities would have clashed in a chaotic battle. But Meruem had not lied about one thing: unlike the edgy Ant King from his previous life, the current Meruem had no confidence in taking first place. At the very least, he needed to resolve the issue of that unknown thing and nuclear weapons first. Besides, the Hunter World was full of strange things—even a Demon King's melody existed. Who knew whether an actual Demon King existed? It was better to keep a low profile. Didn't they say that one should play the pig to eat the tiger?
Although much of what Meruem had said was exaggerated, he had done so deliberately. He wanted these restless ants to understand that there was always someone stronger. What? Those ants who had already left would not know? Why care about those idiots courting death? Besides, Meruem intended to strengthen the ants who had left, so they could draw the attention of other humans away. The edgy Ant King from the original story had now become a somewhat scheming Ant King.
Of course, in a purely physical confrontation, Meruem feared no human in the Hunter World. After all, Netero had said in the original story that Meruem had reached the pinnacle of physical limits. But did greater physical strength mean greater power in the Hunter World? The answer was no. This was not the Dragon Ball world, where combat power determined everything. Magic and special skills were not minor matters. Nen in the Hunter World was famous precisely for its bizarre abilities. Vows and restrictions were one of the major features of the Nen system, and they were powerful tools for turning the tables. As long as one's potential was great enough, one could make restrictions with Nen and swear to uphold them. The harsher the restrictions, the greater the explosive power of the technique used. For example, Gon's transformed Black and Hard form. At that time, Gon's strength had not improved as quickly as Killua's. Even against a Squad Leader, he might not have been guaranteed victory—of course, neither was Killua. Yet after making restrictions with Nen, Gon instantly reached a level where he could brutally slaughter Neferpitou. One had to know that the gap between the Royal Guards and Squad Leaders was like the gap between a Saiyan transformed into a Super Saiyan and one who had not transformed. Furthermore, as everyone knew, this miraculous thing called Nen could sometimes erupt even more powerfully after death. Yet even Pitou's postmortem outburst had been suppressed by Black and Hard, who continued to mercilessly slaughter her. Although Gon had paid an immense price to transform into Black and Hard—without that unknown thing's all-purpose wish-granting ability, Gon might have met God long ago—the world of Hunter x Hunter had no shortage of freaks, monsters, and geniuses. If a hundred or so people collectively lost their minds and made massive vows and restrictions, even Meruem would not be able to withstand them.
"So we were still this weak." After Meruem finished speaking, that was the only thought in the minds of every ant present.
"Alright, my loyal subordinates. Although we are still weak now, we have room to grow. Remember, all of you were born less than a year ago, while I myself had only been born for a few hours. By human standards, we are still infants. So, everyone, work hard and become stronger. Become the support of Meruem, King of the Chimera Ants," Meruem said sincerely. If he had been the edgy King from the original story, he would never have said anything so cheesy even if it killed him. Unfortunately, the current Ant King was a transmigrator. He was Meruem.
"King." N "Ohhh, my King." Though it was somewhat cheesy, quite a few ants were stirred by his words. Pouf was the most affected of all. Hey! His snot was about to drip into his mouth!
"Then first, we need to find a base from which to develop and grow stronger. So... let's go there."
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