Gogus, having regained some of his strength, began treating the abnormalities on his body. He took out a sharp dagger.
Slash!
A leaf sprouting from his flesh was severed with ease. The cut was flush against his skin, and a liquid oozed from the wound—red in color, similar to blood but mixed with something else. Gogus leaned in to study it.
"When the wound bleeds, it's a blend of the host's blood and the bug's blood."
A drop of the red liquid fell to the ground. Almost instantly, the nearby grass began to grow at a visible rate. Gogus's eyes gleamed.
"This substance accelerates plant growth. If it works on all plant species, that could be tremendously useful—particularly for protecting rare or endangered flora."
Not long after, another leaf sprouted from the same spot, even longer and larger than before. Gogus frowned, then flicked open a lighter and held the flame to the new growth. Under the heat, the leaf curled up, dried out, and fell away. There was no more blood, but a huge scar remained.
"At least fire works on these leaves," Gogus muttered.
Next, he looked at his skin, which had transformed into a bark-like texture that stiffened his limbs. Although the flame had helped with the leaves, it did little against the hardened patches. Gogus lifted the dagger again.
Slash!
He peeled away a section of bark-like skin, revealing raw, red muscle. It was a grisly sight, yet Gogus barely showed any reaction to the pain. A faint membrane began to form over the exposed flesh as he continued, carefully collecting the blood in a small container.
Seeing this, Ponzu froze. Something about it seemed strangely familiar, as though she'd witnessed something like it before when she was very young.
Once his gruesome operation was done, Gogus's outward appearance looked more "normal" again, though his aura was noticeably weaker. Ron guessed that at this point, even a B-rank Nen user with decent combat skill could probably take Gogus down without much trouble—unless Gogus still had hidden abilities. Most Nen users were limited to a handful of techniques; having numerous powers, like Ron, was rare. Ron's edge came from both his unique circumstances and the memories and knowledge he carried over. Even someone like Chrollo, who could steal other people's powers, was bound by strict conditions—he had to keep the original user alive, and he couldn't wield an unlimited number of stolen abilities at once.
Ron glanced at the crystal orb floating near him. Its progress indicator was now over ninety percent.
"Ninety-four…no, it just jumped to ninety-six."
He felt a surge of star-like lights pouring in from one direction, turning to see Hanzo's excited face.
"So Hanzo's already developed his personal Nen ability," Ron thought. "No wonder the progress shot up by two percent."
Hanzo, still looking like he'd just unwrapped a new toy, finally calmed down and approached.
"Ron… Teacher. I just wanted to thank you for all your guidance. I've formed my Nen ability."
He bowed deeply. Ron waved a hand in dismissal.
"No need to call me 'teacher.' I was just filling a role the Hunter Association assigned. If it wasn't me, they'd have sent someone else."
"Be that as it may, you still taught me. Where I come from, that makes you my teacher," Hanzo said firmly.
He hadn't liked calling Ron "teacher" at first—after all, they'd both taken the exam together, and Ron was even younger than he was. But now that Hanzo had seen Ron's true strength and developed his own ability, he felt no hesitation.
"So, Ron…teacher, what should I do next?"
"Whatever you want," Ron replied. "As far as the Association's request goes, I've completed my job of guiding you. You still have a long way to go on the path of Nen, but from here, it's your choice. Return to your homeland to train, or find companions and start your career as a Hunter. Either is fine."
Hanzo nodded. "Alright. Then I'll head home for now. Goodbye, and thank you again, teacher."
He took off down the mountain trail, his figure vanishing in no time.
Ruco and Ponzu watched him depart with a hint of envy, not because they wanted to leave, but because he'd mastered Nen later and had already taken the lead in developing his personal ability.
Ron turned to them. "He does have more innate talent than you, but you shouldn't let that bother you. Everyone's path is different, and you're both close to unlocking your own abilities too."
Ruco and Ponzu nodded, eyes brimming with renewed determination. Ron felt a spark of anticipation as well, seeing his crystal orb's progress stuck at ninety-six percent. If both of them could awaken their own Nen techniques, perhaps it would jump to one hundred.
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