Preparation X Hidden Restrictions

Time slowly passed.

Taking advantage of the break, Baishi found a secluded spot aboard the airship and quickly sorted through the supplies he had collected.

First were the fish bones of varying sizes.

They were black, white, and some were unusual, mixed colors. When collecting them, Baishi had deliberately chosen bones that were long enough. He then picked up a sharp boning knife and wrapped its blade in Shu to make it sharper, quickly whittling the bones down to a suitable, consistent length and sharpness that felt right in his hand.

Empowered by Nen Aura, the already good blade became exceptionally sharp. Before long, he had whittled dozens of fish bones into a uniform shape.

He picked up a finger-length fish bone and bent it a few times. It was several times more flexible than a tree branch, but its drawback was its lightness. Even with Nen Aura to strengthen it, achieving sufficient penetration would require more strength and skill.

There were six boning knives in total, each taken from one of the six cooking stations. Time had been limited, and with Netero and the others watching, he could not bring himself to take all the boning knives in the warehouse, however thick-skinned he was.

The boning knives were about twenty centimeters long, with pointed tips and broad backs. They were silvery white, resembling some kind of standard-grade steel, and their sharp blades could easily strip the flesh from any bone.

Unfortunately, there were no sheaths...

To keep them from being inconvenient to use, Baishi used a knife to tear the white cloth into pieces large enough to wrap tightly around each boning knife's blade. He hid them throughout his formal clothes for later use.

Last was the gong he had taken. Baishi was unsure exactly what kind of copper metal it was made of, so he conjured the wheel and examined the projected evolution restriction information.

[Evolution restriction 3: Collect ten kilograms of copper-based metal (10/10)]

Based on the information from the panel,

it was clear that the evolution restriction imposed no other specific requirements on the copper-based metal. As long as it was copper metal, it satisfied the collection restriction.

But Baishi wanted the wheel to evolve using the strongest copper material. Even if it took longer, collecting more copper metals for comparison was better than evolving it at random.

If only the wheel's Analysis function could also reveal information about ordinary things...

Baishi thought with some regret. Even with Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory's ability to integrate memories, he could not deduce something from nothing without relevant memories.

Ding!

[Triggered hidden restriction of the Talisman Wheel's base... black iron wheel already evolved... material Analysis restriction partially unlocked...]

[Note: Due to the restriction's enforced equivalence, analyzing materials requires drawing on Nen Aura energy. The higher the quality and the larger and stronger the material, the more Nen Aura is required...]

[Note: An Advent Emulation use is required for Analysis. Analysis is unavailable without one...]

"Ni-"

Baishi nearly blurted it out. Looking at the information projected by the wheel, he felt a vein on his forehead bulge and throb.

What the hell was a hidden restriction?

If his thought had not been strong enough, would he have never learned that this restriction had such an effect?

Why had there been no indication of the function from the start?

And... besides this thing, what other hidden restriction functions were there?!

But no matter how strongly Baishi focused his thoughts or how he tested it, the thoroughly mechanical wheel panel showed no change.

Seeing this, Baishi could only put the thought aside in resignation for the time being. He turned his attention back to the gong, touched it, and tentatively invoked Analysis in his mind.

Sss-

Nen Aura was drawn out, but unlike during Advent Emulation, this time it came from the wheel gripped tightly in his hand.

As Nen Aura flowed in passively, the black iron panel was projected, its stream of information refreshing rapidly until it finally settled.

[Analysis target: Gong]

[Material: Resonant bronze]

[Characteristics: A copper alloy forged by mixing copper, lead, and tin in a ratio of 85%:5%:20%. When struck, it produces a deep, resounding tone with a long-lasting reverberation. It has relatively high hardness and wear resistance, as well as good ductility...]

Hmm...

The flow of Nen Aura stopped. Baishi pondered as his fingertips brushed over the gong.

According to the panel's analysis, the gong was forged from a copper alloy called resonant bronze. It had good hardness, wear resistance, and ductility, but its most important feature was its sound.

Yet its sound was precisely the feature Baishi had the least use for. He could hardly beat a gong and drums every time he conjured the wheel, could he?

Leaving aside how limited that method of releasing sound waves was, the sound of striking the gong might even damage his own eardrums while he was defending himself.

Not suitable...

He shook his head slightly. Having roughly analyzed its strengths and weaknesses, Baishi lost almost all interest in the gong. He stood up and thought for a moment, then decided to keep it as a last-resort backup.

Beep-

The airship's broadcast suddenly sounded from speakers throughout the vessel.

[Approaching the test destination... applicants, please prepare yourselves...]

[Approaching the test destination...]

Hearing this,

everyone began gathering by the cabin doors.

Amid the crowd, Baishi greeted Gon and the others as they came over enthusiastically, then looked outside through a specially made window.

A towering mountain split in two by nature came into view. At its center lay a massive gorge, shrouded in clouds and mist, with no bottom in sight.

A swift river flowed from south to north, plunging into the mountain gorge and vanishing from sight. It emerged on the other side of the mountain and continued on until it disappeared into the vast, dense forest in the distance.

If I remember correctly, this mountain should be called Mount Mihara, right?

Using Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory to quickly piece together the relevant information, Baishi looked thoughtful. Judging from what he knew of the original story, his current strength was more than enough to handle it.

In Mount Mihara's gorge, powerful updrafts occurred intermittently. They were the natural mechanism by which young Grape Spiders left their nests, and also the key to the applicants' return after collecting the eggs.

Adult Grape Spiders, or Spider Eagles, were highly disruptive, but the danger of direct injury from them was not particularly great.

The test was not very difficult...

Baishi glanced at Netero, whose figure had slowly come into view in the distance. Seeing that Netero had been watching him "kindly" all along, Baishi was slightly startled and wondered if their roles had been reversed.

His target was clearly Netero's Nen Ability, so how had he come to feel, after such a short time, that Netero had some design on him?

Whoosh! Vrrrr~~

The airship landed smoothly at the edge of a cliff on the peak to the left of the massive mountain. Four cabin doors then opened together.

Whooo-

The air currents were biting, and clouds and mist scattered.

The people leaving the airship one after another cautiously looked down over the cliff's edge.

The immense gorge, obscured by clouds and mist, was dark and bottomless, its walls sheer and steep. Suddenly, a powerful current of air shot straight upward like a column of wind, sending many applicants who feared heights retreating in alarm.

Splash! From time to time, the sound of rapids crashing echoed from deep within the gorge.

"Don't worry... there's a very deep river leading to the sea at the bottom of the gorge..."

Seeing everyone look at her solemnly, Menchi glanced at Chairman Netero, who had followed them off the airship. She could not help pursing her lips before patiently explaining.

"Judge the height of the cliff for yourselves. The current is very strong. Once you fall into the water, even if you survive, you'll be swept all the way out to sea, dozens of kilometers away."

"If you're still alive by then, you really can count yourselves lucky!"

Seeing the listeners grow increasingly grave, Menchi smiled mischievously. Then, in front of everyone, she quickly took off her fishnet stockings and boots and approached the cliff's edge without fear.

"Now, I'll demonstrate... at the average applicant's level of ability!"

Before the words had even faded,

whoosh! Menchi spread her arms and leaped like a diver. In an instant, she disappeared below the mist-shrouded cliff.

Swoosh-

"Huh?!"

The applicants cried out in shock.