Chapter 26: Quantification × Arrival × Map
Gon's question left Joey utterly flustered. All he could do was shut his mouth and work harder to control his Nen output.
But then he remembered that Gon had trained at Killua's home.
Small as he was, his arm strength had already reached several tons by the end of that training.
A long time had passed since Gon's physical training back then, so naturally, his stamina had become even more monstrous.
Yoshikage Kira had never done any physical training, so Joey could only patiently feel his way through it, trying his best to control and maintain the flow of Nen through his legs.
Even so, after more than an hour, Joey's control reached its limit. His running speed plummeted, and sweat soaked his entire body.
By then, however, Kite had deliberately begun slowing down, allowing Joey to keep up with them at his normal running pace.
Although that pace was equivalent to an ordinary person running at high speed, Joey could still handle it.
"Close your aura nodes as much as possible and run on your remaining stamina. That will help you recover a little faster." Kite offered another rare piece of advice.
Joey followed his instructions. Sure enough, as his aura nodes closed, his stamina gradually began to recover.
It was slow because he was still using it, but he was genuinely recovering.
The recovery-enhancing effects of Zetsu were on full display.
"Aura is stored within the human body. Training increases its maximum capacity, which varies from person to person. The amount of aura you can release at any one time can also increase through training."
Kite seemed to be explaining this to Joey, but he was also addressing Killua and Gon.
"In other words, even if you have a large amount of potential aura-the aura you can store inside your body-the amount you can actually release outside it, your manifest aura, can only increase gradually through consistent training.
"If we quantified a person's aura, you would consume between three and five points each time you released aura to help you run.
"Based on how long you ran using Nen, and taking into account that your body automatically restricts its aura output once it reaches a certain limit to prevent harmful consequences, your total aura should be around 4,500.
"That's an excellent starting point for someone who has only just awakened Nen. What you need to focus on is conditioning your body."
Kite's explanation gave Joey a clearer understanding of his own condition.
It also reminded him of Youpi, one of Meruem's Royal Guards in the manga. His potential aura had apparently been around 740,000.
That made the gap between Joey and Youpi painfully clear.
Perhaps his strength only amounted to a single hair on Youpi's leg.
"When using Zetsu, everyone's recovery speed depends on their physique. In your case, I estimate that you could recover most of your stamina and aura after about two hours while running.
"Of course, if you have time to stop, eat something, and rest, your aura and stamina will recover even faster while using Zetsu. You should recover to around eighty percent in a little over forty minutes.
"That's about the limit of rapid recovery. And each time you exhaust your aura and then rapidly replenish it, that upper limit drops.
"After all, the fatigue, muscle soreness, and other effects your body experiences after exhausting its aura also take time to subside."
Clearly, his continued observation had given Kite an accurate grasp of Joey's physical condition.
A little over half an hour later, they approached the village again, but the enemies they had expected were nowhere to be seen.
"Looks like they didn't leave any surprises behind after retreating. I thought we'd be surrounded by Chimera Ants when we came back after all this time." Killua sounded a little bored.
"Keep moving." Kite glanced at the full moon overhead.
Joey took out his phone to check the time. If he remembered correctly, Neferpitou would be born shortly after nightfall.
Ever since Joey had entered the village-no, ever since they had been halfway back-he had felt a creeping chill.
His instincts warned him not to go any farther, but judging by Kite and the others, they clearly had no intention of stopping here.
No farther than the Organization Base. Go any farther, and you'll die!
A voice kept warning Joey in his mind, and his anxiety and fear deepened.
It was the fear of an utterly inhuman powerhouse!
"Did you sense something? You look awful."
Gon noticed something was wrong with Joey. More accurately, all three of them had noticed.
"It's nothing. I just feel this dread and pressure, like something terrible will happen if we keep going."
Joey shook his head. Being a transmigrator was his greatest secret. Unless he had absolutely no choice, he would not reveal any information he should not have known.
"I feel it too. Once we reach the Organization Base and get the information, the three of you can leave NGL for now."
At some point, Kite's brows had drawn tightly together. A rare, grave expression had appeared on his normally impassive face, as though he had sensed something.
"Kite, what about you?" Gon's expression froze. They had already come this far; he did not want to bow out now.
"You haven't trained enough yet. Once the Hunter Association sends in specialists, you can rejoin the hunting team and enter NGL again.
"I'll go a little deeper to locate the nest and try making limited contact with them."
Kite's words were blunt, carrying both confidence in his own strength and a firmness that left no room for argument.
Joey applauded Kite inwardly, but the thought that he might have to return to the border alone after leaving the base instantly wiped out that flicker of happiness.
"Pick up the pace."
A little over ten minutes later, all four of them stopped.
A stench filled the area ahead-the smell of corpses rapidly rotting in the heat.
Scattered human and Chimera Ant corpses bore witness to the brutal battle that had taken place here.
Killua picked up a few guns and tossed them to Joey. "You seemed pretty comfortable using these. They should still work."
"Thanks." With a rifle slung over his shoulder and a fully loaded pistol tucked away, Joey felt a sharp surge of reassurance.
"Kite, over here." Gon, who had no interest in guns, had already run ahead and raised a hand to point beyond the forest.
After a few steps, towering rock walls came into view before the other three.
Dense woodland grew beneath the cliffs, but a closer look revealed that every tree was a Bira Tree-the raw material for narcotics.
Numerous pitch-black openings dotted the towering rock walls on both sides.
"This is the Organization Base, and the entrance to the Underground Kingdom of Zaiyilo, the King of NGL's dark side." Joey's expression was grim. Everything here was shrouded in darkness, and the wind carried nothing but an inescapable stench of blood.
"Let's go. Lead the way." Kite looked at Joey.
Joey nodded. He had already prepared for this.
He reached into his cloth bag, rummaged around for a moment, then pulled out his Identity Card and Map together.
"Sorry, I'm not very familiar with the route. I usually rely on the Map." Joey waved the bloodstained Map, whose original markings were impossible to make out, then handed Kite his Identity Card. "This is my Identity Card. Consider it a gesture of good faith."
Kite frowned as he accepted both items. He put away the Identity Card but kept the Map in his hands, studying it carefully for a while.
Then, to Joey's unconcealed shock, he tore open the bloodstained Map along its edge.
Kite drew a thin sheet of paper from where it had been hidden inside.
Standing right beside him, Joey saw that this new map contained detailed labels for every location throughout the entire base!
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