Chapter 21: A deal × Awakening Nen × Mental power
"I need a guarantee of my safety."
"Once the mission is complete, I'll send someone to pick you up along the Republic of Rocario's border, well away from the checkpoints, and arrange a new identity for you in Yorknew City.
"While we travel together, I'll also help you open your aura nodes and teach you the basics of Nen."
Kite laid out his terms and guarantees.
"The NGL Autonomous Nation borders the Republic of Rocario, but there are plenty of Hidden Posts along the border to prevent people from fleeing NGL.
"If they discover anyone trying to escape, they give one warning. Anyone who ignores it is killed on sight.
"Hunters are also stationed in the country year-round. Although they're there to investigate the nearby forests and mountains, they sometimes deal with troublesome people entering the country, too."
As for the new identity in Yorknew City, Joey understood without Kite having to explain. That was Mafia territory.
Getting a new identity there couldn't have been easier.
Besides, neither Joey nor Kite really considered that final offer of a new identity a bargaining chip.
By bringing it up, Kite was sending Joey a message: he could turn down the identity, but Kite's limit was arranging his escape and, at most, offering one extra favor that he could take or leave.
"So, once the mission is complete, I'll have to make my own way to the designated point on the border, right?"
Joey pressed his lips together, picking up on another condition hidden in Kite's words.
What a lousy start!
"Of course." Kite didn't budge.
Joey's handsome, downward-slanting eyebrows twitched, making his inner conflict plain, but he finally gritted his teeth and gave Kite the answer he wanted.
"Deal. But replace the identity with money. Ten million Jenny."
"Fine." Kite agreed without hesitation.
As soon as his deal with Kite was settled, Killua and Gon spoke up together. "We're going!"
Pokkle hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.
Ponzu went without saying. After witnessing how terrifying the Chimera Ants were, she was second only to Joey in wanting to leave NGL as soon as possible. Even if she wanted to stay, Kite wouldn't let her.
As for the slight change in her attitude toward Joey, that was only because they had fought side by side the night before, and because of his final warning.
Still, she couldn't quite understand why Pokkle had immediately exposed Joey's membership in that organization.
There shouldn't have been any need. And Joey had admitted it, too, which didn't quite match what he had told them when they first met.
As she pondered this, she caught Pokkle's gaze and gave an almost imperceptible nod. A bee then landed silently on the cloth bag Joey carried on his back.
None of them intended to linger in that bloody place, so they turned and headed back to the village.
Unlike in the anime, the message Ponzu's bees had delivered to Kite was urgent but primarily a plea for help. It hadn't explained precisely how dangerous NGL was or what was currently happening there.
That was because their experiences had diverged drastically from those in the anime.
Although a powerful Squadron Leader-level Chimera Ant had attacked them, Joey's ability had severely wounded it before it could show its strength.
The crocodile had then awakened after death, but that had been an extremely unlikely special circumstance, something that couldn't be replicated.
The two who eventually escaped hadn't seen the despair-inducing numbers of Chimera Ants, nor had they fully grasped the ants' intelligence!
All of that had led them to underestimate how dangerous the Chimera Ants were.
So, after receiving that information, Kite had brought Gon and Killua to their rescue, but he hadn't sent the accompanying interpreter and amateur Hunter companions back to the border as he had in the anime.
Judging by the time, the others, who were traveling on horseback, should have been nearing the area.
With Ponzu's later warning, though, there was no telling how many would come.
Kite signaled Gon and Killua with a glance. Once they understood and hurried off, he turned his attention back to Joey and wasted no time giving him a rough explanation of Nen.
It was the most mysterious power in this world.
"The ability you need to master is called Nen, but at its core, it's the manipulation of life energy.
"Since your aura nodes should have been opened once before, controlling your aura will be easier after they're opened again.
"So, once I force your aura nodes open this time, you need to focus all your attention on sensing your own aura and bringing it under control."
Kite kept his explanation brief. At the same time, he moved his hand directly toward Joey's back. Before Joey could ask the questions on his mind, Kite abruptly injected aura into his body.
In that instant, Joey felt his body grow hot, along with a kind of invisible pressure swelling inside him.
A second later, Joey's eyes flew wide. That swelling sensation vanished abruptly, and he felt as though something inside his body was gushing out.
His field of vision was enveloped by a layer of aura drifting irregularly outward, like steam that gave off a comforting warmth.
"This is life energy-aura!
"Listen carefully. Stand in a posture that makes it easy for you to enter a meditative state, then meditate on controlling your aura. Imagine it flowing throughout your body like blood!
"Close your eyes. Imagine the aura flowing from the top of your head to your right shoulder, through your hands and feet to the left side of your body, then gradually slowing until it stops.
"An image of aura floating around your body will appear in your mind. When that happens, you'll have successfully brought it under control."
Kite watched Joey gradually settle down from his initial fluster and try to enter a meditative state to control the aura around his body. He gave a slight nod.
Beside them, Ponzu watched Joey with envy. She hadn't learned Nen yet.
She wasn't in a hurry, though. If she had wanted it, Pokkle would have forcibly awakened her Nen long ago. She simply preferred to take things step by step. Just like with romance, she always felt things were most perfect when they fell naturally into place.
Enveloped in Nen, Joey entered a meditative state as Kite had instructed and first tried to relax his whole body.
At the same time, Joey tried to recall the manga's descriptions of Nen.
But it had been so long!
He could still vividly remember certain characters' abilities, but things like mechanics and detailed instruction were impossible to retain without some interesting hook to make them memorable.
All he could recall were a few simple training scenes.
In the end, Joey simply gave up trying to remember.
Following Kite's earlier instructions and combining them with his own understanding, he tried to control the aura that was still continuously pouring out of his body.
Several minutes later, as Joey began to clearly feel his stamina draining away, a sudden flash of inspiration reminded him of the sensation of Wallet injecting aura into his body.
Following that sensation, he actually managed to slowly bring his aura under control, letting it wrap around him and flow over his body.
That warm, enveloping sensation left Joey feeling deeply peaceful with his eyes closed. Like the quiet life he longed for, it gave him a sense of warmth and safety.
Kite nodded slightly. "Open your eyes. How does it feel?"
"Like I'm being protected, or like I'm wearing a thick layer of plastic wrap." Joey spread his hands and offered the descriptions he could think of.
"That's a fresh take."
Killua had just returned with a group of people when he heard Joey's description, and couldn't help offering a fair assessment.
He had nothing against this boy, who was only a few years older than him and Gon. In fact, seeing Joey blow Bugs Bunny apart earlier had made him rather curious about him.
"This state is the simplest application of Nen, and its most fundamental use: Ten. Maintaining Ten for long periods not only strengthens your body, but also slows aging. In short, it has plenty of benefits.
"But all of that takes gradual training. What you need to master right now is how to use Nen to run faster and longer."
Before you continue