Focus X Sincerity

Ding!

[Subject analyzed: Isaac Netero]

[Nen category: Enhancement]

[Nen Abilities: 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva (gold/red), Zero Hand (red)]

[Talents analyzed: Straight Punch of Gratitude (blue), Pure Combat Focus (purple), Heart of Sincerity (gold), Transcendent Body (gold)]

[Straight Punch of Gratitude (blue): An ultimate striking technique that concentrates all strength, will, and gratitude into a single punch...]

[Pure Combat Focus (purple): When fighting a powerful opponent, the user can experience pure, childlike joy and excitement. These emotions can dispel all distracting thoughts, raising combat focus to its utmost limit and unleashing even greater creativity and fighting spirit in desperate situations...]

[Note: 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva (gold/red, cannot be analyzed), Zero Hand (red, cannot be analyzed), Heart of Sincerity (gold, cannot be analyzed), Transcendent Body (gold, cannot be analyzed)]

[Advent Emulation uses: 1 purple, 1 green]

[Use an Advent Emulation Talisman?]

Hiss...

Damn it!

Staring at the four [gold] and talent abilities he couldn't analyze at all, Baishi was practically green with envy. His overwhelming desire to analyze and emulate them all reached its peak in an instant!

But with only one purple and one green left, how could he possibly do it?

For the first time, he keenly felt what it meant to wish he had more Advent Emulation uses when he needed them!

In the instant those thoughts raced through his mind...

Whoosh!

Netero, who was held in Baishi's arms, simply contracted and shook the muscles throughout his body, slipping out of Baishi's grip with incredible smoothness.

But with his right leg still trapped, Netero pitched forward after breaking free. His left leg, which had remained bent and unused, suddenly kicked backward at the chest of Baishi, who had reacted and was trying to restrain him again.

Damn it!

I haven't used Advent Emulation yet!!

Furious, Baishi had no time to conjure the wheel and activate a Talisman for its enhancement. But his muscle control, subtly adjusted by the talent Talisman, responded to his intense will, and he twisted sharply within that cramped space, narrowly avoiding the kick.

With that single turn, he flashed to the side of Netero's left leg as it thrust backward like a spear. Without looking back, Netero showed a flicker of pleased surprise in his eyes, but he had already anticipated that Baishi's dodge would free the hollow behind his right knee.

His right leg bent halfway, and he was about to shoot forward.

Damn it!

I said I haven't used Advent Emulation yet!!

In that instant, Baishi knew full well that, in his current state, he couldn't stop Netero. He made a snap decision and aimed straight for Netero's snowy white ponytail. Wrapping his right hand in Nen Aura, he seized Netero's hair first with lightning speed, reinforcing the edges of his five fingernails with Nen Aura as fast and as much as he possibly could.

The next instant...

Whoosh-

Realizing what Baishi was after, Netero shot forward at high speed, both annoyed and amused. After all, given those two brats' speed, if he didn't catch up, he really might lose this impromptu game.

But while his hair made him angry, he couldn't help feeling a touch of pleased appreciation for Baishi's determination to keep him there by any means necessary.

Apart from this kid, he had never met anyone who would grab his hair to hold him back. He was far more interesting than the Zodiacs!

But...

My hair isn't so easy to grab!

Spurt, spurt, spurt!

Blood streamed down from his clenched fist.

Indeed, the moment Baishi grabbed Netero's seemingly fragile, sparse white hair, he could tell by touch that every strand was as tough as steel.

Although he had considered the possibility that Netero had tempered his hair, he was still astonished by just how absurdly tough it was.

But...

He slowly opened his right hand, and the cuts made by the individual strands of hair, combined with Netero's speed, sent blood flowing even more freely from his hand. Yet the two snowy white strands stained with blood in the center of his palm made him grin despite himself.

What a haul!

The moment he realized that his reinforced fingernails weren't sharp enough to damage Netero's hair, he had changed tactics, switching from grabbing and cutting to pulling with all his might!

Hair follicles were a tissue structure found in every creature with hair. No matter how tough Netero had tempered his hair to be, the follicles still couldn't close completely, unless he shaved off all his hair and went bald.

So, pulling hard without the slightest concern that the strands might cut off his fingers, Baishi got his wish and yanked out two strands of Netero's hair.

Hehehehe!

Two chances to use Advent Emulation. That's enough!

With a chuckle, Baishi glanced at Netero, who had flashed past Gon and Killua in the distance and seized the ball first. Baishi curled his lip, knowing the old man couldn't take losing, and simply stepped out of the game, using the act of bandaging his wound to discreetly put Netero's hair away.

The chances to use Advent Emulation were ready. Next, all that remained was how to obtain the quality for Advent Emulation.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Recalling the weighted task he had triggered earlier, Baishi looked thoughtful. He wiped the blood from his hand with the white cloth that had wrapped the gong, then tore it into bandages. As he dressed his wounds, he conjured the wheel, shrank it, and bandaged it into his palm as well.

Swish, swish, swish!

Netero nimbly dodged another attempt by Gon and Killua to snatch the ball, his curious gaze falling on the bandages around Baishi's right hand.

"None of your fingers got cut off, did they?"

"Nothing that bad..."

Baishi waved his left hand and said with a smile, "Just a few cuts!"

"Baishi!" Gon ran straight over. Seeing the once-white, coarse bandages quickly turn red with blood, he couldn't help worrying.

"I remember Leorio has first-aid supplies. Why don't you go get that bandaged..."

Pat!

"Don't worry. I'm not that fragile."

Baishi rubbed Gon's head with his left hand, waved at Killua, who also looked a little concerned, and raised his head to look at Netero.

"Let's continue! We can't just let this game end like this..."

Ohohoho~

"Even if it isn't your own category, you can use Nen to speed up wound healing..."

Offering that pointed bit of advice, Netero spun the ball on his fingertip and taunted Gon and Killua with a hint of provocation.

"What? Can't even match an old man's stamina?"

Tch!

You're no ordinary old man!

Killua, who had long since realized how powerful Netero was, rolled his eyes speechlessly. But when he saw Gon charge forward again in excitement at Baishi's signal, he couldn't help sighing inwardly and reluctantly followed once more.

For a while, the tense chase began again.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!

Baishi remained where he was, Netero's words repeating in his mind.

It can work even if it isn't my own category...

Looking thoughtful, he used Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory to piece together as much of the information he knew as possible.

The six Nen categories were [Enhancement], [Emission], [Transmutation], [Manipulation], [Conjuration], and [Specialization].

A person's Nen category differed according to the influence of their aptitude, personality, and the environment in which they grew up.

Among them was a very clear restrictive rule!

Depending on their own category, anyone could easily learn a Nen Ability belonging to that category after a certain amount of training.

But Nen Abilities from categories other than their own were difficult to learn!

Take [Transmutation] as an example.

As his own category, he had a hundred percent chance of mastering it through training, even without the wheel cheat. On either side of [Transmutation] were [Enhancement] and [Conjuration]. Even if he mastered those, he could only use them at eighty percent of their power.

Likewise, the more distant [Emission] and [Specialization] dropped straight to sixty percent. Of course, barring special circumstances, [Specialization] could be ruled out altogether.

That was the rule: the farther a Nen category was from one's own, the harder it was to master!

As for [Manipulation], which lay diagonally opposite, it should have been the hardest for him to master. Even if he managed to develop a Nen Ability in it, he could only use it at forty percent effectiveness.

Its efficiency was extremely low!

Hmm...

At that thought, information about [Enhancement] flashed through Baishi's mind.

Enhancement's defining trait is using Nen to strengthen the inherent properties of one's body or weapons... I think I'm starting to understand!