Trade X Unhewn

Those words immediately startled everyone present.

"Take him as your master?"

"Kurapika, aren't you rushing things a little?!"

"That's a supernatural power! I want to..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Do you actually believe him now?!"

"Calm down..."

"..."

Even Baishi looked surprised by the sudden request. Knowing full well how obsessed Kurapika was with revenge, he certainly wouldn't get carried away and hastily agree, only to hold him back.

After all, this was a real world, and everything he knew came from the original Hunter story he had once read. With only a partial understanding himself, how could he lead someone astray?

With that in mind, Baishi didn't refuse outright. Instead, he looked Kurapika straight in the eye, the smile fading from his lips, and said calmly, "Do you know why I came to take the Hunter Exam?"

Uh...

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kurapika hesitated before responding.

"Why?"

"Because when it comes to Nen Abilities, I'm just a self-taught amateur who's barely gotten started." Baishi made no attempt to hide it. "Information is one thing, but when it comes to actual training methods, I'm not going to teach you things at random..."

"Awakening Nen is a very serious matter. A single mistake could even cost you your life... That's why Nen users are so rare."

"Cost me my life? So what!"

His voice firm and a faint red glimmer in his eyes, Kurapika murmured to himself, "As long as I can get revenge, what does it matter if I die right now..."

This guy...

Baishi's ears twitched slightly as he caught Kurapika's faint murmur. He gave him a long look, then broke into a smile again, dispelling the sudden heavy atmosphere.

"Actually, besides training, there's another way to awaken that's known as the 'evil path'!"

"What?!" Kurapika asked eagerly.

"Forced Awakening!"

Beckoning them closer, Baishi lowered his voice. "Don't go spreading this around. Forced Awakening is extremely dangerous. One mistake and you could die! But..."

"It's also the fastest way to awaken Nen! You don't need years of arduous training or exceptional talent for figuring it out yourself. A Nen user only needs to strike a non-user with Aura to open their Aura pathways and forcibly open all the Aura Nodes in their body!"

"Can you..."

"Like hell I can!"

Cutting Kurapika off, Baishi rolled his eyes. "I just told you I only recently awakened... I can barely control my Aura. Aren't you afraid I'll lose control of my strength and kill you all?!"

Uh... ahem, ahem, ahem!

Hearing that, the other three, who had originally been somewhat... couldn't help exchanging looks. They rubbed their noses or scratched their faces, then chuckled sheepishly and shut their mouths.

Only Kurapika persisted, seemingly hopeful. "Baishi! Master Baishi! I'm not afraid of death... I really am not! Didn't you say I was highly talented?"

He really is persistent...

Baishi waved a hand and said, "Being talented doesn't mean you're immortal."

He glanced at the figure hidden atop a distant tree. Seeing that the figure's attention had long since shifted elsewhere, he was certain the other party hadn't heard the information he'd shared earlier. He then turned to the somewhat dazed Gon and the eager Kurapika, smiling as he spoke.

"You two... want to use that little piece of information you're entitled to? I can tell you some secret information related to awakening."

"Yes!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Gon seemed to notice something was off with Kurapika. After meeting his eyes, he was the first to nod without hesitation.

"Deal!"

Getting three meals out of one fish, Baishi chuckled.

"If you want to awaken Nen, the fastest and most suitable way right now is to pass the Hunter Exam and get a Hunter License!"

"Huh?!" ×4

Everyone stared in surprise.

"Do you know why I came to take the Hunter Exam?"

Repeating the question, Baishi chuckled. "Because I'm self-taught. After you pass the Hunter Exam and get a Hunter License, the Hunter Association specifically sends veteran Hunters to observe and test you. Those veteran Nen users decide who qualifies..."

"And then they specifically teach you the orthodox way to train Nen Abilities. If you strongly insist on Forced Awakening, generally speaking, those veteran Hunters won't refuse either. With their level of ability, heh..."

"I don't need to spell out the rest, do I?"

Wow!

Leorio cried out in surprise, "So becoming a Hunter comes with the benefit of awakening too! But why have I never seen any of this information online? Damn it, mmph..."

Smack!

"Are you trying to make sure everyone hears you?" Baishi clamped a hand over Leorio's mouth with a touch of force and whispered irritably, "This is a hidden rule of the Hunter Exam. Only Hunters who pass the trial and get a chance to awaken are allowed to know. If you dare expose me, heh heh heh..."

That chilling smile made Leorio shudder. He immediately nodded hard without hesitation, making muffled noises.

The other three nodded in response as well, each wearing a different expression, indicating that they would definitely keep Baishi's information to themselves. Kurapika in particular, upon learning that passing the Hunter Exam could also grant him supernatural power, couldn't help but calm down in an instant, the redness fading from his eyes.

Ding!

[Temporary Weighting Task: Answer Kurapika's requests for information three times (completed)]!

[Restriction - Forced Equivalence: Advent Emulation ×1 (purple)]

Purple!

The reward was actually a purple Advent Emulation!

A flash of delight crossed Baishi's eyes as he glanced at the [1 blue, 1 purple] on the stone panel in his mind. His languid gaze grew bright, but for now, he was still taking advantage of their contact to scan Leorio's analysis information.

Ding.

[Subject analyzed: Leorio Paladiknight]

[Nen system: Emission (unawakened)]

[Nen Ability: Unknown]

[Analyzed talents: Robust Physique (green), High-Stakes Gambling Grit (blue), Healer's Conviction (blue), Unhewn Core (purple)]

[Robust Physique (green): A robust constitution with greater base strength, endurance, and resistance to blows than an ordinary adult male, capable of enduring intense physical exertion and a degree of physical impact...]

[High-Stakes Gambling Grit (blue): The extreme courage and resolve to stake everything for a chance at victory in desperate situations or contests...]

[Healer's Conviction (blue): A traumatic obsession born from a friend's death by illness, exceptionally pure and unwavering throughout all actions and goals related to saving lives. This conviction can make the mind exceptionally focused on medical matters...]

[Unhewn Core (purple): The potential essence of his life energy is exceptionally abundant and resilient, with an extremely high upper limit for total Nen Aura and great potential for growth...]

[Advent Emulation uses: 1 purple, 1 blue]

[Advent Emulation Talisman?]

No!

Without hesitation, Baishi scanned all the analysis information and selected no. Compared with Gon's and Kurapika's talents, the one among Leorio's that attracted him most was Unhewn Core (purple), but in terms of priority, it wasn't his target at this stage.

All three had yielded talents in the analysis. Unlike Talismans converted from Nen Abilities, they couldn't provide an immediate, tangible boost to combat strength. More importantly...

If talent Talismans obtained through Advent Emulation also required proficiency to be leveled up and honed like Nen Ability Talismans, that would inevitably take a great deal of time...

Besides, his uses of Advent Emulation were limited, so he had to be careful.

His thoughts raced, though little time had actually passed. As Leorio nodded vigorously, Baishi, his fingertips wrapped in transparent Nen Aura, released his hand and took the opportunity to cut off several strands of Leorio's hair.

The process caused Leorio no pain at all.

Clearly, wrapping Nen Aura around his fingernails could sharpen them to a limited extent.

Riiiing!

Creak, rumble, rumble!

The noisy ringing and the creaking of a door opening combined into a grating sound.

At once, the examinees turned to look.