Plan Four X New World X Nen Categories

Under the night sky, two children stood facing Weisite.

Weisite began to explain:

"Nen's 'Hatsu' can be divided into six major categories: Enhancement, Transmutation, Manipulation, Emission, Conjuration, and Specialization."

"Enhancement uses Nen to strengthen the user's body or weapons. Among the six categories, it balances offense and defense."

"Transmutation abilities can change the properties and shape of 'aura.'"

"Emission 'aura' can leave the body and still retain considerable power outside it."

"Manipulation Nen users can put their Nen into other people or objects and control their actions."

At that, Qi Zhou's pupils abruptly contracted.

Sensing that something was wrong, A-Wu asked quietly, "What is it?"

Qi Zhou silently pushed down the blood-red images rising from his memories, then shook his head. "Nothing. I just remembered something unpleasant."

A-Wu was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Want to tell me more?"

Qi Zhou's face darkened. "You really don't know how to be tactful."

But he didn't hide it. "I was once controlled by a Manipulation Nen user and made to do something I hated."

"...Ah." A-Wu thought for a moment, then said calmly, "It's fine. Give him a good beating for it someday."

Qi Zhou froze, unsure how to respond. He let out a sigh and smiled wryly. "It's satisfying to imagine doing that, but... it might be a tiny bit difficult. Like, a billion times tiny."

A-Wu, however, said solemnly and seriously, "What are you afraid of? As long as you get revenge before you die, it still counts."

Qi Zhou fell into thought.

Meanwhile, Weisite waited quietly for the two to finish talking before continuing:

"The fifth is Conjuration. You can reshape your aura into whatever you want. More specifically, you materialize 'aura,' turning it into something that actually exists."

"The sixth is also the last. Everything that doesn't belong to the other five categories is classified as Specialization. But 'Specialization' abilities are generally extremely mysterious and hard to describe in detail."

"Enhancement has extremely strong combat capabilities, while 'Specialization' abilities aren't well suited to fighting. But they come in all sorts of strange varieties and are hard to predict. They can often cause enemies trouble through means other than combat."

"There's one more thing. A person can use abilities from multiple categories, but their Nen belongs to only one," Weisite said. "So developing in the direction of your own category is best for improving your individual strength."

"That's everything I know about Nen." Weisite spread his hands in conclusion. "That's all I know, too."

After hearing Weisite's explanation, Qi Zhou considered which categories the people he had met so far belonged to.

He didn't know about Kelirui's Nen. He hadn't seen it at all. Either it was Enhancement, or Kelirui hadn't developed his Nen Ability yet.

Suoerzite's "Nen" could turn into poisoned wine with a physical form, so it was probably... Conjuration?

Then there was the red-haired man named Vincent, who had died at his hands today. His Nen created illusions, which didn't seem to fit into the first five categories... It was probably Specialization.

Hmm... Then there were those members of the Phantom Troupe.

Taking a wild guess, Chrollo and Pakunoda were both Specialists; that annoying guy "Shalnark," who had controlled him with an antenna, was definitely a Manipulator.

Machi, who could produce needles and thread anytime, anywhere... Her ability seemed a little like Conjuration and a little like Transmutation. He still couldn't tell which it was.

Qi Zhou sorted the few people he had met into categories, then turned to look at A-Wu.

A-Wu was also digesting what Weisite had said. Then he looked up at Weisite and asked, "How do you find out which category you belong to?"

"You can test it with a method outsiders call the 'Water Divination Nen Testing Method.'"

Weisite had clearly come prepared and launched straight into an explanation without much pause:

"Fill a glass container with water and put a leaf on top-or anything that floats. Use 'Hatsu' on the container, and the changes in the water and the floating object will show which category the user's Nen belongs to."

"If the water rises and overflows, it's 'Enhancement'; if the water changes color, it's 'Emission'; if the object floating in the container moves, it's 'Manipulation.'

"If impurities appear in the water, it's 'Conjuration'; if the water's taste changes, it's 'Transmutation.'"

After a brief pause, he said slowly, "If a change occurs that's different from those five, it's classified as 'Specialization.'"

A-Wu nodded lightly, then looked at Qi Zhou. "I'm done. Is there anything else you want to ask him?"

"Yeah," Qi Zhou said. He looked at Weisite and asked, "There should be some more advanced techniques for using 'Nen,' right?"

"There are, but I don't know them. What I know about 'Nen' barely scratches the surface." Weisite smiled wryly.

"Like I just said, almost everyone in Meteor City is self-taught. I picked up what I know gradually over all these years, and I've already told you everything."

"Oh," Qi Zhou said. "All right, then. I'm good. Thanks."

At the word "thanks," Weisite looked as though he had been choked up.

"..." A-Wu shot Qi Zhou a sidelong glance, then said to Weisite, "We're leaving, then. Don't worry. What I promised you stands for as long as I'm alive."

Weisite stared at A-Wu for a long while before answering, "All right."

Qi Zhou and A-Wu returned to their trash nest.

Neither child planned to sleep that night.

While it was still early, A-Wu wandered all over the mountain and found a used glass IV bottle. After snapping off its neck, he brought it back to the trash nest.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry." Qi Zhou excitedly tossed a small piece of plastic foam into the IV bottle, then held the bottle and poured water into it.

Nearly ten minutes later, the glass bottle was full of water, and the foam had floated to the top.

"Are you going first, or am I?" A-Wu looked at Qi Zhou, his eyes eager.

Qi Zhou made an "after you" gesture. A-Wu's lips curled up, and he placed both hands outside the glass bottle and slowly released his Nen.

After a while, Qi Zhou, who hadn't seen anything change, asked in confusion, "Are you using Nen?"

"...Obviously." A-Wu's face darkened. "Why isn't anything happening?!"

Qi Zhou was silent for a moment. Then he said quietly, "...Maybe-and I'm just saying maybe-is there a chance you're a Specialist?"

A-Wu said something Qi Zhou didn't understand, though he could guess it was probably a curse.

He slammed the glass bottle onto the ground. "Forget it. Your turn." Then he stepped aside in a huff.

Qi Zhou took his place in front of the glass bottle, likewise placing both hands outside it and releasing his Nen.

After a while, nothing had happened.

"...Is this method inaccurate or something?" Qi Zhou said angrily, questioning his life.

A-Wu was also silent for a moment. Then he said, "Is there a chance-and I'm saying a chance-that you're a Specialist too?"

Qi Zhou: "..."

A-Wu: "..."

Under the night sky, a glass bottle, foam and all, was ruthlessly thrown out of a hole in the trash mountain and rolled down the slope.

Inside the trash nest, two children sat with their eyes closed, racing against time to train and improve themselves.

Even if the category they had tested as was Specialization, which Weisite had described as "not suited to combat," it was still an ability that belonged to them, one that could let them survive in this cruel world.