Kurapika's mind surged with the memories of the Kurta Clan's extermination. When he had returned, all that remained were ruins—crumbling walls, collapsed buildings, and destruction spread as far as the eye could see. Corpses littered the ground, and the blood had long since clotted into a blackened mass. The thick stench of blood mixed with the reek of decay, choking the air.
A flash of red appeared in Kurapika's eyes. Nearby, Melody, having heard the changes in Kurapika's heartbeat, showed a grim expression. It was her ability—to analyze the emotions and conditions of others through sound. But in exchange, when she heard terrifying sounds, she herself would be affected. It was as if her body had been "attacked" by sound. This, too, was a form of restriction and vow. Precisely because of such conditions, her ability gained greater strength.
"But facing the Phantom Troupe now, how much chance of victory do I really have?" Kurapika asked himself this as a thread of doubt rose in his heart. Through Hisoka, he had come to understand a bit about the Phantom Troupe members' strengths.
They were strong—far beyond the level of most Nen users.
"During the Hunter Exam, only Hisoka, Illumi, and Ron could be considered on the level of Phantom Troupe members. Another Nen user, Elita, couldn't stand up to them at all."
"I've only just recently learned Nen. How far can I go?"
Kurapika looked down at his own hands. Compared to Killua, Gon, and Leorio, his progress in learning Nen had been much faster. The Four Major Principles, Gyo, En, Shu... including advanced Nen techniques—he had already learned them all. But this didn't necessarily mean his talent was greater than Killua's or Gon's. It simply reflected a different method of learning.
Kurapika's learning approach was clearly more urgent, driven by a desire for quick results, and that naturally came with its own downsides.
But Kurapika couldn't afford to wait. He had long yearned for revenge, burning with that desire for many years.
"Do I have the power to defeat or kill a member of the Phantom Troupe?"
Kurapika wasn't sure how his strength truly compared to theirs—even though he had developed his Nen ability with them as the target, crafting it through a severe restriction and vow.
His Chain Jail, bound to his middle finger, couldn't be used on anyone outside the Phantom Troupe. That constraint meant its power, when used against a Troupe member, could leap across tiers in strength. More than that, Chain Jail had a terrifying effect—it could force the opponent into Zetsu, rendering them completely unable to use aura. For most Nen users, such a state made it impossible to activate their abilities. Even high-level Nen users, once struck by Kurapika's chain, would be left in an extremely compromised position and unable to fight at full capacity.
"My advantage lies first in the restriction-based Chain Jail."
"Second, in my Scarlet Eyes. When I enter the Scarlet Eyes state, my aura conversion rate into any category becomes 100 percent."
"And lastly, the intel Hisoka provided me. They are still in the dark about me so I hold the initiative."
On Whale Island, Killua and Gon had already been there for several days. The two of them seemed to have forgotten all about Nen, immersed instead in Gon's childhood memories. Killua was genuinely envious of Gon's childhood. Even if he couldn't experience it himself, just listening to Gon's stories and visiting places from Gon's past brought Killua joy, as if he had lived those moments too.
Then Gon's Aunt brought out an item, something left behind by his father. It was for Gon—but only to be given to him once he had become a licensed Hunter.
Their attention immediately shifted, and the two began examining the item.
With a mechanical sound, the box opened. Inside were three objects: an audio cassette, a chip card, and a ring.
For the first time, Gon heard the voice of his father, Ging Freecss, through the cassette tape. It had to be said—Ging's philosophy on parenting was the complete opposite of Illumi's. Illumi wanted everything about Killua to be under his control, shaping his path according to a detailed plan. Ging, however, let Gon grow freely, almost completely uninvolved. Gon had grown up on Whale Island, with no real presence from his father.
The only exception might have been Kite, who had met Gon once during the "Find Ging" final test, but apart from that, there was nothing.
Then came Greed Island. This could be seen as a game Ging had created for Gon—but not exclusively. Regardless, Gon gained immense growth through it. Part of that was due to the game itself; another part came from Biscuit's instruction.
When Gon pressed pause, the recorder automatically began rewinding and overwriting itself, erasing all the previous audio. But Gon hadn't listened to the entire tape. Just as Ging began to talk about Gon's mother, he stopped it.
Ging's aura covered the recorder. No matter how much strength Gon or Killua used, they couldn't destroy it. This deeply surprised Killua. He knew his own strength well. Even before learning Nen, he had been able to open the third door of the Zoldyck family's trial gates. Now, with Ten active, his punching power was incredible.
"Gon's father must also be an extremely powerful Nen user."
"Just how strong is he?"
"How does he compare to Cousin Ron, to Big Brother, to Father…?" Killua couldn't help speculating.
Gon picked up the chip card. "Killua, do you know what this is?"
"It looks like a game memory card."
Killua's eyes lit up slightly. "Gon, do you have a JS console at home?"
"JS console? No?" Gon tilted his head, confused.
"Wait here." Killua dashed out. Not long after, he returned—carrying a game console. He inserted the memory card, and soon, the TV screen lit up with an interface.
"A game I've never even heard of."
Killua paused, eyes flashing. "Interesting."