Boom!
The V5 conference room exploded into uproar, like a stone dropped into still water.
"Impossible!""He just awakened Nen! He shouldn't even be able to handle a basic Chimera Ant!""The calculations are clear—once the Royal Guards learn Nen, they rival the Five Nen Masters!""No rookie could possibly handle a Royal Guard!""Who the hell is Aoki Hiroshi?!"
The room full of top state leaders across different continents turned to the one who had spoken, all wearing disbelieving expressions.
Only those closer to the NGL Autonomous Region had received the intelligence quickly enough to verify the situation firsthand.
"He's someone with no prior identity on record," the official continued, frowning. "He practically materialized out of nowhere in NGL."
"According to Hunter Kaitō's report, the guy awakened Nen on the spot—triggered by Neferpitou's malicious intent."
The other representatives were left even more stunned.
"You're serious?""A rookie who just awakened Nen… killed a Royal Guard?""Surely he was fighting alongside Kaitō?""How badly was he injured?"
The official answering these questions gave a subtle, conflicted look and said:
"He killed her alone. No injuries—completely unharmed.""According to the report from the NGL Hunter Association Branch, both men walked away without a scratch.""And here's the kicker—Aoki Hiroshi hadn't even developed his Hatsu yet when he killed Neferpitou."
Hissss—
A collective gasp filled the room.
The silence afterward was thick with disbelief.
"Another Netero?""No… more terrifying than Netero!""Even Netero couldn't kill a Royal Guard barehanded, without using Hatsu."
"We need to monitor this Aoki Hiroshi very, very closely."
One Netero had been difficult enough to manage.
Another one—stronger, faster, and younger?
Unacceptable.
Meanwhile — Hunter Association HQ
"A Royal Guard..."
An elderly man stood in his office, hair and beard pure white, bald with only a small topknot at the back.
His face was grim.
"To gain power by consuming the traits of other species... what a troublesome race."
"So many have died in NGL already. No doubt it was enough for at least one Royal Guard to be born."
This was Isaac Netero, chairman of the Hunter Association—and the current world's strongest Nen user.
"The young Hunters we sent… they'll be in danger."
He muttered with a sigh.
"If they run into any Royal Guards… they'll be wiped out."
"None of them are specialized combat Hunters."
"Damn you, V5. Pushing me to act… you'll stop at nothing."
Netero looked down, heavy-hearted.
The Association had a sacred duty to monitor the Dark Continent. Yet he only now received full intel on the Chimera Ants.
Something was clearly off.
They were testing him—testing whether age had finally dulled the world's strongest blade.
Knock knock!
A hurried knock on the door broke his thoughts.
"Chairman!"
It was Beans, his round-headed secretary, barging in.
"Kaitō just submitted a field report from the NGL branch!"
"Hmm? Hand it over," Netero said calmly, though sadness flickered in his eyes.
Kaitō wasn't a combat-focused Hunter.
In Netero's mind, the man's chances of surviving the mission were grim.
"Here you go, Chairman!"
Netero braced himself for the worst as he took the document.
"Huh?"
Instead of news of Kaitō's death, what he read stopped him cold.
"A Royal Guard… Neferpitou… was killed?""And the body's already delivered?""And there was a genius rookie Nen user involved?"
He rubbed his eyes.
Surely he was seeing things.
But no matter how many times he looked—
The information didn't change.
"No way…"
Netero flipped through the report faster and faster, mouth falling open.
By the end, it was wide enough to fit an egg.
"Aoki Hiroshi?""He awakened Nen under Neferpitou's pressure?""And mastered Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu, and even advanced techniques… on his own?!"
Netero stared into space, disoriented.
If this weren't Kaitō's report, he'd think it was a joke.
Even now, he struggled to believe it wasn't a dream.
"This is… absurd!" Beans muttered from the side, stunned stiff.
Netero took a deep breath and looked again.
A smile of admiration slowly crept onto his face.
"To think… someone even more gifted than that rascal Jin..."
"This boy Aoki Hiroshi—he'll surpass me."
"No, at this rate, he might surpass me in just a few years!"
Beans was left gaping in silence.
The title World's Strongest Nen User had never been claimed before Netero.
No one had bested all the top-tier fighters of their time—except him.
"Approve Kaitō's recommendation," Netero said without hesitation."We need this boy in the Hunter Association, no matter what."
"Understood!"
Beans bowed and scurried out.
In solitude, Netero walked to a large world map hanging on the wall.
He grinned like a mischievous child.
"The V5 geezers are gonna hate this. Hahaha..."
"After me, someone even more monstrous appears."
"I'll make damn sure he grows into the next Sword of Damocles—a threat big enough to keep those fools cautious of the Dark Continent."
He laughed loudly, his silhouette cast long under the flickering office lights.
To Netero, the Dark Continent was far too dangerous for humanity as it stood.
But the V5?
They were drunk on the promise of miracles—and willing to trade lives for them.