As a player, Manman's success rate for forcibly opening her "Nen" (awakening her aura nodes) was naturally higher than that of an ordinary person. Furthermore, if she managed to become a Nen user, the benefits would be huge.
If during the process of forcibly opening her aura—due to losing control of the flow of Nen—her life was in danger, Manman's second personality would automatically awaken and take over. With her kind of prodigious potential, odds were she'd be fine.
Although Xiang Nan wasn't some seasoned Nen master, he felt that, among new players, he understood Nen decently enough. After all, he'd spent significant time studying it and training himself.
In the Hunter x Hunter original story, Gon and Killua were about Manman's current age when Wing helped them awaken Nen. Even Wing's disciple Zushi was younger yet also survived the crisis of forced awakening. Though Manman's potential might not match the two main characters, Xiang Nan believed she could at least rival Zushi's ability—perhaps greatly surpass it.
Ironically, her mental disorder contributed to her outstanding "talent." Besides, Xiang Nan himself hadn't developed an actual Nen ability yet. He'd only trained in the fundamental Nen techniques. He planned to help Manman build her own Nen ability first, thus gaining experience in how to structure and manifest Nen powers, then apply those lessons to himself.
Manman wasn't just his employee; she was effectively his "experiment" for exploring Nen abilities.
…
Back at the military base, Xiang Nan arranged a single dorm room for Manman—right next to his own quarters—letting her settle in. At the same time, he explained to her what he knew of the system's rules. From then on, they'd be acting together. Manman, with her childlike mind, probably couldn't fully leverage those rules to any great effect, but it was better for her to know something than nothing.
Another critical point was that her mental illness was like a time bomb for others—extremely dangerous. Apart from Xiang Nan, who had the ability to control her if necessary, letting her roam freely among others was risky. So, wherever she went, she had to stay by his side.
"As you can see," Xiang Nan told her in her room, seeing her curiously inspect the sparse furniture. "I'm an officer here in the Republic of Padokea army, and also a doctor. Your condition is triggered by mental trauma stemming from your previous life. It's a psychological condition—basically your brain's self-defense mechanism, though rather extreme."
"Generally, changing environments reduces most mental disorders, because humans adapt and endure pretty well. But yours is so far gone, it's in your bones."
"So maybe to you, it's a curse. But from my point of view—and especially as a fellow player—it's your secret weapon. That other personality of yours grants you near-instinctual mastery that surpasses even many professional fighters or martial artists. Reflexes, agility, bodily control… all are exceptional, bordering on perfect. But that perfection is strictly within normal human bounds. Truly elite fighters seamlessly integrate advanced techniques into their instincts—far above yours."
"Obviously, I haven't reached that level yet," he added with a half-grin.
"I'm telling you this so you realize, as a doctor…sure, maybe I could cure your mental issues, but I don't want you to be a normal person. Actually, I want your 'illness' to get worse. This isn't Earth; it's Hunter x Hunter. Even if you didn't watch all the source material, you can sense this world's extreme danger. In your current state, your combat ability is basically zero. So, if you want to survive—and be of use to me—you need more life-threatening experiences."
He made no attempt to soften his words or consider how shocking they might be. After the past few days, Xiang Nan had rarely disclosed much about himself to Manman. The girl glanced up and suddenly said:
"I know you're doing this for my own good."
Her intuition was sharp. Without it, she wouldn't have lived this long; presumably, that same sixth sense triggered her second personality whenever true danger arose. If she couldn't gauge who meant well or ill, she'd have died long before her "other self" could save her.
Xiang Nan simply chuckled. Beneath her naïve exterior, the second personality was part of the same psyche. There was no way such a personality could emerge if the "core" wasn't capable of harboring that savagery. "No fertile ground, no fruit," as he put it.
"Next, I'll forcibly open your aura nodes using my Nen," he explained. "Focus your mind and sense the flow of energy inside you. Latch onto it, stabilize it. This is your life force. If you can't control it soon enough, your aura will drain away too much and you'll die… Right now, I'm only a beginning Nen user, so I can't help you too much."
Manman's face showed fear.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine," Xiang Nan reassured.
"Alright…" she answered, voice trembling.
Then Xiang Nan had her stay alone for a moment, giving her space to gather her thoughts. He left the dorm, posted guards outside so she could have some quiet. Once he came back, he found Manman still tense.
Nevertheless, he initiated his Nen flow, placing a hand on her back.
In an instant, her dress violently fluttered, her ponytail whipping side to side from the raw energy coursing around her. She gripped her fists, eyes shut in panic—completely forgetting to do what Xiang Nan had instructed: feel her internal aura.
"Your aura gate is open," Xiang Nan remarked, removing his hand while focusing his own eyes with Nen to observe hers. "If you don't calm down and guide it, you'll be in real trouble."
"Hurry!"
"S-Sorry… I don't feel anything," Manman whimpered, nearly in tears.
"At least you must sense your body weakening?" Xiang Nan frowned. "A kind of fatigue or lightheadedness?"
"I…I…" She was in total disarray.
"Ugh. Your physique is feeble, you have no proper training, and your aura reserves are tiny. At this rate, you'll be dead soon enough," Xiang Nan said nonchalantly, arms folded. "What a waste—I thought you had promise."
"But hey, don't worry." He gave a theatrical sigh. "You owe me anyway. Even if you die, I'll find you a respectable burial plot."
"Waaah…" The girl started sobbing.
"Any last words?" Xiang Nan asked, smiling.
"I—I—"
She squeaked out a response, then her voice suddenly weakened and her head drooped. Xiang Nan's grin returned. This, in fact, was his plan: scaring Manman enough that her second personality would take over. Though her aura was small, she couldn't possibly have died that fast.
As expected, when Manman looked up again—tear stains still on her cheeks—her expression was now vacant. Moments later, the chaotic aura swirling around her quickly stabilized. It began obeying some internal control, binding more tightly to her body. Xiang Nan narrowed his eyes: though there was still some leakage, she was definitely out of danger.
Her raw talent was indeed terrifying. Even Xiang Nan, who had spent significant time learning Nen, could never handle forced awakening that quickly or precisely.
"In the manga," Xiang Nan mused, "Wing said Gon and Killua were one-in-a-million talents, and Zushi was maybe one-in-ten-thousand. Judging by that, this girl… Heh."
He cradled his chin in thought.
This was what people called "genius." Watching it firsthand gave him an entirely new appreciation. Her ability was enviable even to him.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!