"Him?" Gon looked at Loki in surprise. "Loki's teaching us Nen? Great!"
"Gon, you… you actually want him to teach you?" Killua exclaimed, incredulous that his best friend wanted their perceived enemy to be their instructor. He was quite displeased.
Sensing the shift in Killua's tone, Gon asked, somewhat perplexed, "Killua, what's wrong? Loki fought your incredibly strong father. A strong instructor is better, right?"
Killua was unsure whether to be happy or angry, feeling somewhat speechless. He understood Gon's reasoning. His father, Silva Zoldyck, possessed strength far beyond that of ordinary Nen users. Loki's ability to engage his father in combat demonstrated a strength surpassing most Nen users, a fact evident from their fight. While Killua wasn't entirely sure of his father's true power, the number of individuals in the world capable of confronting his father in battle was undoubtedly limited.
Observing their exchange, Loki clearly perceived Killua's underlying reluctance towards him.
"So, are you willing to accept my guidance?" Loki asked directly.
Killua clenched his fists, meeting Loki's gaze head-on. "Even if I accept your instruction, I won't call you Master. My goal is to defeat you. If you're not afraid of being surpassed, then teaching us Nen is fine."
"Heh! Surpassed? I eagerly await it!" Loki replied, turning his gaze briefly towards Gon.
"Since Killua agrees, please teach us, Loki," Gon said, bowing respectfully. "No! I mean, Mr. Loki." While Gon also found it slightly awkward to address Loki as "Master," the formality felt necessary given the circumstances of accepting his instruction and to avoid the informality of using his first name.
Killua, seeing Gon's respectful demeanor, reluctantly followed suit.
"Please, Mr. Loki," Killua echoed.
Ding! Mission triggered.
Guide Gon and Killua to complete their Nen training and master the four basic principles of Nen.
Reward: One C-rank lottery draw.
Loki paused momentarily upon hearing the system's notification.
"Alright, then, come with me," he said, leading them to the room he had just booked.
Loki hadn't expected the mission to trigger so readily. It had been a spontaneous decision, yet it yielded an unexpected reward. A C-rank lottery draw might seem insignificant, but something is always better than nothing.
"Mr. Loki, can we begin?" Gon and Killua asked eagerly, their anticipation palpable. Having learned about Nen from Loki, they had attempted to study it independently but to no avail. The veil of mystery surrounding this powerful force was about to be lifted, and their excitement was understandable.
Loki, lacking experience in instructing others, recalled Netero's method of teaching him Nen. If he didn't know how to teach, following Netero's approach couldn't go wrong.
"It seems you're quite eager, so let's begin with an explanation of Nen and its four fundamental principles," Loki began. "Nen is the ability to manipulate life energy, freely controlling the life energy or aura emanating from your body, utilizing it for both offensive and defensive purposes."
"The four basic principles of Nen are: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu," Loki explained concisely.
After explaining Nen and its four principles as simply as possible, Loki instructed Gon and Killua to turn their backs to him.
"I will now directly transmit Nen into your bodies, helping to open your aura nodes and awaken your Nen abilities. Experience it for yourselves," he instructed.
In an instant, Nen surged forth from Loki, flowing into Gon and Killua's bodies. Under Loki's precise control, their aura nodes were instantly opened, unlocking the latent Nen within them. Their Nen erupted simultaneously.
Loki stepped back, covertly observing them.
'Their aura quantity is quite promising, but at this stage, it's still rather minuscule,' Loki thought, his initial high expectations tempered by the realization that while both possessed considerable talent, significant training would be required for them to truly grow stronger. The immense surge of Nen he had experienced upon his own Nen awakening stemmed from the infusion of Yō Asakura's spiritual power, which began transforming into Nen upon awakening. Compared to that, Gon and Killua's Nen awakening was relatively subdued.
Loki decided against offering immediate guidance on controlling their Nen, confident that they would figure it out on their own given their natural aptitude.
Within mere tens of seconds, both Gon and Killua, leveraging their innate talent, managed to bring their Nen under control. Without any explicit instruction from Loki, they intuitively understood that maintaining a relaxed and comfortable posture would prevent the uncontrolled eruption of their Nen.
"You've learned Nen. Now, register on floor 200. However, I strongly advise against entering any competitions; you'll be utterly defeated," Loki cautioned, offering a well-intentioned warning.
While Gon and Killua nodded in acknowledgement of Loki's advice, the shift in their dynamic from casual acquaintances to student-teacher relationship was palpable, and they clearly had no intention of following Loki's suggestion.
With the late hour, Loki naturally refrained from continuing their training session, deciding to commence formal instruction the following day.
Leaving Loki's room, Gon felt the surge of Nen coursing through his body.
"This feeling is completely different from before! It's like power is continuously welling up inside me. Nen is truly amazing, Killua!" Gon exclaimed, his joy evident. However, he noticed Killua's expression was far from joyful; instead, a serious, almost somber look clouded his face.
"Killua, what's wrong?" Gon asked, his concern rising as he observed his friend's troubled demeanor.
Killua, his face heavy with unspoken emotion, looked up at Gon's worried expression and offered a wry, almost bitter smile.
"Nothing," he replied, attempting to downplay his feelings.
"You don't look like 'nothing's wrong'," Gon stated directly, piercing through Killua's attempt at deception. He looked intently at Killua. "Killua, we're friends," he said earnestly, adding, after a moment's pause, "Best friends." If they were best friends, there shouldn't be anything they couldn't talk about.
Killua's tense shoulders relaxed slightly at Gon's heartfelt words, and he let out a soft sigh.
"It's nothing, really. It's just that after awakening my Nen, I can feel that guy's incredibly strong aura even more intensely," Killua confessed.
Upon awakening his Nen, Killua had immediately focused his attention on sensing Loki's aura. The aura emanating from Loki was even more profound and vast than before his Nen awakening, seemingly as boundless and deep as the endless ocean. Despite feeling several times stronger after awakening his Nen, the distance separating him from Loki remained immense, a stark reminder of the vast gulf in their abilities.
'Is there even a chance I can surpass that guy?' Killua wondered, his spirits sinking as he leaned against the elevator wall, his heart heavy with self-doubt.
Gon, sensing Killua's despondency, offered words of encouragement.
"Killua, don't lose faith in yourself. You absolutely can do it," Gon said firmly.
Even with Gon's encouragement, Killua found it difficult to muster his fighting spirit. If Loki were only slightly stronger, his discouragement wouldn't be so profound. However, the sheer magnitude of the difference in their abilities, the chasm that separated them, felt as if they inhabited entirely different worlds. This immense disparity threatened to extinguish Killua's hope of ever catching up to Loki.
The elevator doors opened, and as Killua's spirits remained low, he and Gon arrived on the 200th floor, guided by Gon. Upon entering, a strong gust of wind immediately swept over them. An eerie, unsettling atmosphere permeated the entire floor, and ominous auras seemed to emanate from all directions, enveloping them in a palpable sense of foreboding.
Despite their recent Nen awakening and their newfound ability to utilize Ten Gon and Killua felt no fear of the techniques employed by the inhabitants of the 200th floor.
After registering their information on the 200th floor, the two headed towards the room assigned to them by the Heaven Arena. Suddenly, an intensely chilling aura emanated from behind them. Both Gon and Killua instantly spun around, prepared for a confrontation.
However, upon turning, they found the source of the chilling aura to be none other than Hisoka!
Leaning casually against a nearby wall, Hisoka deftly shuffled a deck of playing cards in his hands. The lucky Red Joker card was drawn.
"No wonder I drew this card today. My luck is exceptionally good; I've run into acquaintances in this place of all places!" Hisoka remarked, slowly raising his head, his slender eyes fixed intently on Gon and Killua.
He sensed the Nen emanating from both of them, noting its youthful, still-developing nature. Despite its faintness, the presence of Nen was unmistakable; the two had indeed successfully awakened their Nen abilities. The unripe apples were finally beginning to ripen.
"Long time no see," Hisoka greeted them with a sly smile.
"Hisoka! What are you doing here?" Killua immediately responded, adopting a combat-ready stance. Gon, however, remained calm and composed, standing silently behind Killua, his fists clenched tightly. The memory of Hisoka's actions during the Hunter Exam remained vivid in Gon's mind, leaving him with the lingering feeling that his success in passing the Hunter Exam was largely due to Hisoka's subtle manipulation and leniency rather than his own inherent abilities.
"Don't be so tense. I'm not in a hurry to fight you at the Heaven Arena. There are plenty of other interesting individuals here. As for why I'm here… well, I'm a regular," Hisoka replied, his tone laced with a hint of amusement.
"Hisoka, are you also a contestant on the 200th floor?" Gon asked, stepping forward to address Hisoka directly.
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