NenMaster
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Chapter 80 (1.8k)
🕑 Added 2024-12-02 16:31:00 +0000 UTCThe elderly woman next door gestured dramatically toward the empty plot of land.
“The jack-of-all-trades shop was right there! It was still there yesterday! How could it just disappear overnight?!”
Battra’s bodyguards questioned several other nearby residents, and they all gave the same answer: the shop had vanished suddenly.
Battra’s face grew increasingly pale with each response.
“How could this happen…”
He clutched his head with both hands, his eyes bloodshot.
“I finally found a glimmer of hope to cure her… Why did it have to vanish like this?”
It felt as though all the strength in his body had been drained. He collapsed to his knees, powerless.
“Sir!”
One of his bodyguards hurried to help him up. “Since the shop was here as recently as yesterday, they must have left either late last night or early this morning.
“A place as big as that shop couldn’t have disappeared without leaving some trace!”
“We can ask the Yorknew City government to check nearby surveillance footage. That might give us some clues about the owner of the jack-of-all-trades shop.”
“Yes, yes!!”
The bodyguard’s reminder brought a glimmer of hope back into Battra’s eyes.
“Drive! Take me to City Hall and the Department of Transportation!”
The sleek black limousine sped off into the streets.
But Battra was destined to be disappointed.
When Morin and Kastro left, they had deliberately avoided areas with surveillance cameras.
Even in a bustling city like Yorknew, in this era, cameras didn’t cover every single street corner.
After an exhaustive search, Battra finally had to face reality: there were no leads to be found.
In the end, his focus shifted to the soon-to-be-released Greed Island game.
Rumors online suggested that the game included cards capable of curing any ailment.
Though he wasn’t sure if the rumors were true, Battra decided he had no choice but to believe in the possibility.
He resolved to pour his efforts into obtaining and exploring the Greed Island game, hoping it might hold the solution he desperately sought.
No matter the cost—even if it meant spending his entire fortune—he would do whatever it took to save his fiancée!
While Battra adjusted his plans, Morin and Kastro had arrived in a remote mountainous area.
Unlike how Biscuit had trained him, Morin didn’t immediately throw Kastro into a dangerous wilderness environment.
Instead, he took out the Canned Workshop.
He had Kastro train in the workshop day and night, following a regimen Morin had carefully designed to strengthen his body.
To become a proper martial artist, learning Nen was essential.
To awaken Nen and fully open the aura nodes, one needed an exceptionally strong physique.
Building this physical foundation could be done by following a tailored training plan.
The Canned Workshop was the ideal environment for Kastro’s training.
Inside the workshop, one day passed for every hour that elapsed outside.
With this time distortion, Kastro could rapidly improve his physical condition.
One day outside equaled 24 days inside.
In just one month outside, he could train for 720 days—nearly two years.
This would be enough time for Kastro to develop his body and prepare for the awakening of his aura nodes, becoming a capable Nen user.
Technically, Morin could have had Kastro train inside the Canned Workshop while still in Yorknew City.
There was no real need to head to the mountains.
But Morin had his own reasons for the move.
“I’ve learned the abilities in the Psychic Training Box, and I’ve nearly mastered the techniques in the Ninja Training Set as well.
“Next, it’s time for me to focus on practical combat training.”
During his six months in Yorknew City, Morin had frequently sought out Nen users in the city for practice matches.
Unfortunately, he found that even in such a bustling city, most Nen users were fairly average.
Even the bodyguards of some notable families were unimpressive.
This lack of strong opponents was one of the reasons Morin wanted to leave Yorknew.
Coincidentally, one of the tools he had recently acquired through his random item draws was particularly intriguing.
Item: Shadow Flashlight
Effect: When a person is illuminated by this flashlight, it creates a shadow clone that is highly obedient and possesses the same abilities and characteristics as the original. The clone will perform any task asked of it, no matter what. However, the shadow only lasts for 30 minutes.
There was no better opponent than himself.
Morin wanted to hone his combat skills, and battling his own shadow clone was the perfect choice.
After all, in terms of training, overcoming oneself was always the most difficult and rewarding challenge.
Leaving Kastro to train in the Canned Workshop according to the plan, Morin headed into the mountain wilderness.
He pulled out a spherical object with a crescent moon emblem glowing faintly in the dark.
Fighting in the wilderness ensured he wouldn’t disturb anyone or attract unnecessary attention.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
With a click, the flashlight activated, casting a bright light on Morin.
Immediately, his shadow rose from the ground, standing upright and solid.
“For the next 30 minutes, attack me with everything you’ve got!”
After receiving the order, the shadow nodded and assumed a combat stance from the Shinryu school of martial arts.
Morin had already prepared himself.
A fierce battle was about to begin!
Time flew by like an arrow. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
During this time, many events unfolded.
Three reporters attempted to infiltrate NGL for an exclusive story. One was executed, while the other two were detained, awaiting the chaos of the Chimera Ant incident.
Meanwhile, Greed Island had completed its preparations for release. Eager players were ready to get their hands on it.
Back in the mountains, Morin was training Kastro.
“Focus your mind, gather your aura, and wrap it around your body,” Morin instructed.
Kastro was now much different from before.
In fact, he no longer needed the “little” in front of his name.
After roughly two years of training in the Canned Workshop, his physique had undergone a dramatic transformation. His muscles were perfectly defined, and his growth spurt had made him nearly as tall as Morin.
“I understand, Master!” Kastro responded eagerly.
With his natural talent for Nen, this kind of task was hardly a challenge for him.
Looking at their similar physiques, one wouldn’t guess that Morin was Kastro’s master. They looked more like brothers.
Under Morin’s guidance, Kastro quickly mastered controlling his aura, moving it effortlessly across his body and commanding it at will.
“So this is Nen?”
Kastro took a deep breath and stared at his hands.
He could feel it—he was no longer the same person he once was. The constant surge of strength from within his body...
“It feels amazing!!”
Clenching his fist tightly, Kastro felt an overwhelming sense of exhilaration.
“Now move a small amount of aura to your eyes. This is one of the fundamental Nen techniques, Gyo. It allows you to see how you and others are using aura.”
Following Morin’s instructions, Kastro promptly focused and moved his aura to his eyes.
After just a couple of tries, he succeeded with ease, concentrating his aura in his gaze.
“This power… Is this what made the Shinryu school the top martial arts faction in the world?”
Kastro’s aura-enhanced eyes sparkled with newfound brightness.
At last, he understood why, on that day in front of the Bosangi Dojo, Morin’s mere presence had been enough to make him fall to his knees in awe.
Faced with such overwhelming power, who could remain unmoved?
“This was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life!!”
Kastro suppressed his excitement, silently reflecting on how dramatically his life and future had changed since becoming Morin’s disciple.
“Have you gained control over your aura now?” Morin asked.
“Yes, I have!”
Kastro responded eagerly.
“And the Nen techniques I taught you—are you clear on those?”
“Uh… I understand the principles, but I’ll need some time to practice before I can fully apply them in combat,” Kastro admitted honestly.
After all, this was his first encounter with the world of Nen, and he approached everything with respect and caution.
“Application comes with practice. Fortunately, I know a great place where you can quickly master Nen.”
Morin first took out a Door Sticker of Nowhere, bringing them into a safe, isolated space.
Then, he retrieved a gaming console—the one Ishukube had given him—a Greed Island console.
There was no better training ground for a beginner than some of the areas within Greed Island.
Ging had created this game with painstaking effort to help his son, Gon, grow stronger.
If Ging could use the game to train Gon, why couldn’t Morin use it to train Kastro?
After giving Kastro his own copy of the game’s memory card and a save ring, the two activated their aura and entered the game world.
With a flash of light, they disappeared from the room.
“So this is the game’s entry point?”
Morin’s vision went dark for a moment before he found himself in a small, futuristic room.
Kastro curiously glanced around, inspecting the surroundings.
Following the directional cues, the two soon encountered a GM that appeared to be a robot but was actually a cheerful, human customer service assistant.
Morin remembered her—she was one of the twin sisters involved in the game’s creation. Her name was Eta.
“Welcome to Greed Island! Would you like to hear the game instructions?”
Eta’s pleasant voice addressed Morin and Kastro.
“Go ahead and explain,” Morin replied.
Although Morin didn’t need the instructions, Kastro, as a curious first-timer, needed a proper introduction.
Eta then began explaining everything in detail, from card acquisition and usage to the conditions for completing the game.
After the explanations, and once Kastro fully understood, Morin thanked her and led him into the game world.
Not long after Morin and Kastro entered, the virtual network space lit up with a flurry of electronic screens.
“What’s going on? Isn’t Greed Island still unreleased?”
The ever-loud Dwun was the first to speak up, exclaiming, “How did someone suddenly enter the game?”
“Isn’t entering the game normal?”
List, rubbing his eyes and yawning after being woken up, replied, “Didn’t Ging also just enter Greed Island earlier?”
“That’s different!!”
For once, Dwun spoke seriously. “Ging is one of the game’s creators. Of course, he can enter whenever he wants with the equipment he has.
“But look around—other than Ging, all the other creators are here. None of us have entered the game.”
“So that means…”
List and the other creators turned their gaze toward Ishukube, who was still fiddling with the game system.
“Did someone activate one of the consoles Ishukube gave away?”
Their attention shifted to Eta.
“What kind of people entered the game?”
“Two young men,” Eta replied, her tone calm and professional. “They look quite young and are both very handsome.”
