Awakening X Aptitude

"Oh, is that so?"

His eyes grew utterly calm as Baishi looked at Leorio with the hint of a smile.

"If I remember correctly, what I said was, 'I'll give you three pieces of information for free.' I was looking at No. 404! Look... I don't even know your names, yet I gave you so much important information for free, and you..."

"Are you sure you want to turn someone who did you a free favor into an enemy?"

Hiss-

Hearing that, Leorio, who had been somewhat rash and angry, froze on the spot, like a mute who had swallowed something bitter. He opened his mouth, then lowered his head, looking somewhat frustrated.

"It's... it's not that serious, cough! I was just... just giving you a reminder. I didn't mean anything else. Sorry, I'm very sorry. Uh... right, my name's Leorio Paladiknight. You can call me Leorio, like Gon and the others do!"

"Me too, me too! My name's Gon, Mr. Baishi... hehe!"

"Kurapika!"

"Killua..."

Baishi glanced at Killua as he reluctantly followed suit and gave his name. With a faint smile, Baishi nodded to each of them before looking back at Kurapika.

"Besides the little pieces of information I exchanged with Gon and Kurapika, you still have one free piece of information with no restrictions. You can ask for it yourself or repeat someone else's question. The final right to ask is yours, so think carefully..."

"Oh, and the offer expires..."

Hmm~

"Please wait a moment!"

Realizing how valuable the information was, Kurapika did not speak without hesitation. Instead, he immediately calmed down and called Gon and the others over for a rapid discussion.

As for that,

Baishi had no interest in joining them. He glanced at the clock hanging above the warehouse in the distance, at its hand turning step by step, and the faintest hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

The information merchant persona really was a masterstroke, and he had even prepared in advance for becoming an information hunter later. This way, he could advance or retreat as needed, and all his strange behavior could be justified with the excuse of gathering information.

Still, exchanging information for Gon's hair just now had indeed been a little reckless. Although Gon and the others had not continued questioning him, there had been a major flaw in its plausibility. There had clearly been a better, more discreet way to make contact and obtain it...

Rustle!

"..."

The four broke off their discussion, and Kurapika looked at Baishi with bright, intent eyes.

"We've decided. We'll use the last free piece of information... to find out how to learn to master that supernatural power called [Nen]!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Snap~

Baishi gently snapped his fingers and quickly swept his gaze over the surroundings, keenly detecting three slightly unusual gazes.

Hisoka... Gittarackur...

And the other one was...

Whoosh!

His sharp gaze suddenly swept toward the top of a giant tree dozens of meters away. When he caught sight of Satotz, the monkey-faced examiner for the first phase, Baishi's expression did not change. He calmly looked away.

Only after awakening had he discovered just how sensitive he became to other people's gazes when enveloped in Nen aura.

He naturally understood the intentions of these three Nen users. He just didn't know whether their ears were as sharp as Killua's had been just now.

"Baishi?"

"Don't rush. I'm organizing the information..."

Seeing Kurapika and the others looking at him in confusion, Baishi smiled faintly and deliberately lowered his voice again. "There are actually many ways to awaken [Nen]..."

"First, [born with it]! I'm sure you've heard plenty of urban legends, right? Those legends are basically all related to [Nen]!"

"It's just that some are the deliberate work of Nen users, while others involve the very few people born with awakened [Nen]. Because they don't understand the source of their own power, they stand apart from ordinary people. Some users of these powers are called geniuses, others psychics. In ancient times, they were even called extraordinary beings and immortals..."

"Huh, now that you mention it, there really are a lot of strange rumors," Leorio said in surprise. "Back in my hometown, legends about vampires pop up from time to time. Could those be the work of some Nen user too?"

"There's a strong possibility..." Baishi, who knew nothing at all about that piece of information, replied with a smile before continuing, "The second method is [awakening through training]!"

"This method requires a great deal of time and hard work. First, you find an experienced veteran Nen user. Those veterans all have their own training methods that they created themselves, involving practices such as seated meditation, meditation, visualization, and extreme physical conditioning. You learn slowly, step by step..."

"Of course, whether you can learn it and how long it takes to awaken varies from person to person. Everyone's aptitude for [Nen] is different, so naturally some are fast and others slow..."

"How is aptitude measured?" Kurapika asked, puzzled.

Hearing this,

"Every Nen user has their own standards for judging it..."

A thought stirred in Baishi's mind. He then looked at Kurapika with a smile and changed tack. "If you don't mind, I can test you?"

"Uh... here? I don't mind, but how are you going to test-"

Before the astonished Kurapika could finish,

Baishi's right hand was already resting on his shoulder. His five fingers pressed down against the bone, applying pressure at various points inch by inch. Kurapika frowned at the slight, sharp pain, but though he did not understand what was happening, he did not dare move for the sake of getting the test result and obtaining supernatural power!

Ding!

[Person being analyzed: Kurapika]

[Nen category: Conjuration / Specialization (unawakened)]

[Nen Ability: unknown]

[Talents analyzed: Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory (green), Tactical Analysis (blue), Willpower and Focus (blue), Scarlet Eyes (purple)]

[Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory (green): possesses efficient abilities for learning, memorizing, and integrating information; can quickly read ten lines at a glance and master complex bodies of knowledge such as languages, literature and history, and data...]

[Tactical Analysis (blue): in combat or contests, can instantly analyze an opponent's abilities and psychology, environmental factors, and both sides' advantages and disadvantages, then work out multiple effective tactical paths and countermeasures...]

[Willpower and Focus (blue): can refine and compress extremely intense emotions, transforming them into the cold rationality and extreme focus that drive action; can remain highly calm even under immense pressure...]

[Copy attempts: 1 blue]

[Note: Scarlet Eyes (purple) cannot be analyzed...]

Tsk!

After mentally staring at [Scarlet Eyes] for quite a while, the strange look in Baishi's eyes slowly faded. He had thought that, given how special [Scarlet Eyes] were, the talent's quality should have been [gold] at the very least. Unexpectedly, it was still only [purple].

Unfortunately, even at [purple], it was still a goal beyond his reach for now!

Looking at it this way... the Needle-Person Control Talisman really is quite valuable.

After muttering to himself, Baishi saw that all four were staring intently at him. He pretended to continue feeling around for a while, and unexpectedly found another fallen hair on Kurapika's clothes. His expression unchanged, Baishi used the motion of pressing and feeling around to put it away discreetly.

"That's about it..."

Baishi withdrew his right hand and, facing Kurapika's expectant expression, smiled without batting an eye. "Your aptitude isn't just good. It's extremely high..."

"..."

That's it? Kurapika was delighted at first to hear Baishi's praise, but when the other man's words came to an abrupt stop, even he, normally so calm, could not help feeling a little frustrated. He then stared at Baishi with a complicated look, longing in his voice.

"Can I become your disciple?!"