Oboro had achieved mastery by perfecting the ancient arts of acupuncture, pulse manipulation, and special breathing techniques. These breathing techniques not only centered his mind, but thoroughly strengthened his internal organs, resulting in extraordinary qi circulation and blood flow. The results were obvious: increased longevity, accelerated healing, and peak physical performance. His physical condition had reached what the ancients called "refined by a thousand hammers," a state where internal energy and external strength existed in perfect harmony.
This transformation had raised his attribute rating from the first level to the second level of superhuman. Unlike his physical accomplishments, Oboro's current standing as a sub-world-class hunter stemmed primarily from his Hellcurse passive skill, the ability to harvest souls and convert them into raw magical power. His progress in meditation over the past two years had been modest; like any discipline, advancement became exponentially more difficult at higher levels.
Without the unlimited growth potential of the Hell Curse, Oboro knew he would have plateaued at the national level. His true potential lay in his physical prowess, not in his spiritual achievements. While he could effectively use advanced techniques, reaching the sub-world level through conventional means would have taken much longer, if at all possible.
In the advanced theoretical framework of Nen, practitioners spoke of the Attribute Cloud as a measure of mental ability rather than raw power. This hierarchy ascended from "excellent" to "outstanding" to "gifted" to "extreme. The legendary Netero, the Ant King Meruem, and Zeno Zoldyck all possessed attribute clouds at the extreme level. Silva, Chrollo, Hisoka, and Ugin were in the gifted tier. In their group, one member barely reached Outstanding, while their youngest was Excellent, though youth meant room for growth, as evidenced by his later advancement to Extreme in adulthood.
Based on his self-assessment, Oboro placed his current attribute cloud at "Gifted". However, he understood that attribute clouds and mastery of mental techniques were different concepts. With Hell's Curse and Absolution at his disposal, he now had a legitimate shot at reaching the coveted "Extreme" level, something that would have been impossible by conventional means.
The raw numbers on his system panel only told part of the story. His combat range had increased to five meters, a devastating improvement when combined with his acupuncture techniques. Over the past two years of missions with Men Qi's team, Oboro had eliminated countless powerful Nen users and estimated that he'd dispatched over three thousand monsters across six continents. Although many of these creatures were individually weaker than human Nen users, the cumulative effect on his abilities was significant.
The five-meter range was particularly fearsome when combined with his acupuncture skills, as he could now strike vital points from a distance, eliminating the previous vulnerability of having to concentrate power at his fingertips. His attacks now had a guaranteed critical strike rate of 100%, automatically doubling their base power. Excess critical potential was converted to life steal, currently at 20%, allowing him to recover one-fifth of the damage he dealt.
His defenses remained untested; in the past two years, nothing had managed to threaten his existence or breach his defenses. Likewise, no target had successfully resisted his offensive power. These basic attributes didn't even take into account his combat techniques and mental abilities.
Despite not specializing in the enhancement of Nen, Oboro's raw power had become formidable. Oboro recalled how Hisoka and Chrollo would eventually reach the "gifted" attribute level, though most of the Phantom Troopers peaked as outstanding national level Nen users. Only Chrollo showed potential for further advancement.
The gap between him and Hisoka had been considerable when Oboro first arrived in this world. Now, he was confident that he could defeat Hisoka using several strategies. He hadn't bluffed when he told Hisoka that the gap in their power would only grow with time.
"The Dark Continent beckons," Oboro thought as he watched the golden sun rise into the morning sky. "Hunting one of its creatures would yield unprecedented soul matter and black mist, the key to unimaginable power."
He smiled, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face. "In this world, only a handful of individuals pose a real threat to me now, and even fewer possess true mind-reading abilities."
Though still technically sub-world class, Oboro suspected that his fighting abilities might rival even Netero's, though perhaps not surpass him. His enhanced physique could probably withstand several hits from the Hundred-Type Guanyin, thanks to his improved armor and magical defenses.
"I can handle myself in the human world," he mused, "but the Dark Continent is another matter entirely. While my mental abilities have no real ceiling and will eventually reach the extreme realm, my physical potential has limits. My current body is the equivalent of Netero in his twilight years; that's my physical ceiling."
There was a touch of self-deprecation in the observation. Greater power had brought a clearer understanding; his former vague appreciation of Netero's strength had crystallized into a profound respect. The old man's position at the top of the hunter hierarchy was no accident.
He could now truly appreciate the terrifying potential of prodigies like Gon and Killua. The adult version of Gon, who had sacrificed his future for power and defeated Pitou, had briefly touched the heights of Netero's peak strength.
Still, Oboro remained optimistic. The system had provided a way forward through his mastery of traditional techniques. Having reached the limits of natural physical development, he could progress further through specialized acupuncture and medicinal baths, using precise needlework to stimulate meridians while therapeutic herbs pushed his body beyond its normal limits.
"There is no room for complacency," Oboro sighed deeply before leaping from his perch in the canopy and plummeting through thousands of feet of empty air.