Ron looked at Ponzu and Ruco.
"Good thing I accepted Chairman Netero's request.
"Good thing I specifically picked you two for training.
"Once you both develop your personal Nen abilities, my Observer's Insight will hit exactly one hundred percent—no more, no less. If I can raise Observer's Intent to one hundred percent in one go, that's ideal. Waiting another year would delay a lot of plans and waste too much time.
"But I wonder what sort of Nen beast will appear this time.
"As far as overall quality goes, it won't be bad. After all, Chairman Netero was personally involved in this year's Hunter Exam, and all the examiners were at least B-rank in Nen. Plus there were A-rank Nen users like Hisoka and Illumi, and highly gifted candidates like Gon, Killua, Hanzo, and Kurapika."
Meanwhile, Gogus had discovered a third type of parasite: small, silvery bugs that invaded his body without seeming to do anything harmful at first. A new vision flickered in the sphere of energy he created. These tiny insects reproduced at incredible speed inside a living host—this was their larval stage. Once the larvae matured and transformed into adult bugs, the host would die, leaving behind a corpse that turned into something like a mineral. That "mineral" remained contagious: anyone who touched it would be infected.
Gogus took out his phone, intending to document his findings. Suddenly, a bolt of electricity crackled through the air. The jolt made his arm twitch, and his phone went dark.
"An electric current?" Gogus muttered, staring at the dead screen.
Ron had given Sasuke an order: "Use your Lightning Release technique near Gogus." But before the lightning even struck the ground, the bugs seemed to draw it in. All the electricity surged into Gogus's body, causing him to glow faintly with a silvery hue.
His face tightened. "These insects absorb electricity. The more they take in, the faster they reproduce—and the more trouble for me."
He set his backpack down. "Ron, could I ask you a favor? Have your Nen beast remove everything in here that has a battery."
Gogus stepped back while Sasuke sifted through the backpack, pulling out all electronics. Judging by Gogus's expression, this third parasite was an even bigger headache than the previous two. He paused his investigation for a moment.
Ron's gaze flicked to the village. "This is the world of Nen. No matter how strong you are, you can't be invincible. These parasites alone are enough to make top Nen users wary. Even Gogus, an A-rank who specializes in this field, is having trouble. If it were someone else, things would be worse."
He turned to Ponzu and Ruco. "Nen can manifest in countless ways, so intelligence matters more than brute strength. Don't act blindly when you don't have the details. That goes for any Nen user—myself included."
They both nodded. What they'd witnessed was unforgettable, and they had no desire to end up like Gogus. He then chose an empty hut to hole up in, and Ron's Nen beast brought him food at intervals. Gogus kept researching the parasites, trying to work out how to deal with the larval strain, but after two days, he emerged with a graver expression and no final solution. Still, he intended to continue his studies.
That same day, Ruco came running over to Ron, looking thrilled. "Ron… Teacher, I've just finished creating my Nen ability!"
She'd copied Hanzo's way of addressing Ron. He already knew, because the progress bar on his crystal orb had jumped from ninety-six to ninety-eight. Only one small step remained. Ponzu realized what had happened, feeling excited and anxious all at once.
Not long ago, Hanzo—who had begun learning Nen even later—developed his ability first and left. Now Ruco, who started at the same time as Ponzu, had followed suit. Ponzu was the last one. Did that mean her talent was the weakest?
She understood Hanzo might be more gifted, but she didn't think Ruco had that much more potential than she did. If they'd both been on Zevil Island and Ponzu had made Ruco her target, she felt confident she could have beaten her with her bees. Yet here she was, falling behind again.
Ruco focused her aura. A moment later, a sniper rifle took form in her hands. She lifted it skyward. By coincidence, a crow happened to fly by. She took aim and pulled the trigger. A bullet of transmuted aura fired off, striking the bird with pinpoint accuracy and blowing it apart.
"This is incredible," Ruco murmured. "My aura can become something tangible—and it's more powerful than a normal sniper rifle, even though I've only just started. Once I polish my Nen further, it'll be a lot stronger."
She bowed deeply to Ron. In Ruco's mind, this was different from Hanzo's situation. Hanzo had officially passed the Hunter Exam and would have learned Nen from someone else if Ron hadn't been available. But she was a failed examinee. Had she not met Ron, she might have waited a whole year—or longer—before getting another chance to become a Nen user. She felt profoundly grateful.
Suddenly, a startled cry rang out in the distance.