Kite had no intention of patiently guiding Joey through the basics. That wasn't just because of their current location and situation—it also stemmed from his own personal reasons.
Joey understood this clearly. He didn't argue with Kite's methods—after all, Kite wasn't his teacher.
The fact that Kite was even helping him unlock Nen was already a huge win.
If Joey wanted to make progress in mastering Nen, he knew he'd mostly be relying on his own memories. Maybe, if he managed to survive and leave NGL, he'd stumble into new opportunities. But right now, just like Kite said, the priority was learning how to use Nen to run faster and longer.
"Nen is built on four fundamental techniques," Kite began.
"Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu."
"Ten is the foundation—it stabilizes your aura and keeps it from leaking out. In that state, your speed should already get a decent boost. That should be enough for what we need right now."
"But judging by how shaky your Ten is, I'm not even sure you can maintain it for long. Just the stamina drain will mess you up."
"And that's not even factoring in your use of that Stand-like entity—which I assume is your Nen beast."
"That's why the next thing you need to master is Zetsu. Shutting off your aura output completely. Not only does it help you recover stamina faster, it also lowers your presence—a basic requirement for this mission."
"If you can master Zetsu, then you can open only the aura nodes in your legs, focus aura there, and maintain your movement over long distances."
"And if you can add Ren—the explosive outburst of aura—you'll even have a last-ditch burst of speed to escape death."
"Of course," Kite added with zero sugarcoating, "that all assumes you've got a decent body, some level of talent, and a strong spirit."
He didn't hold back. But he also laid out the exact roadmap Joey would need in the short term.
As for Hatsu—the fourth principle—Kite didn't bring it up yet.
But Joey remembered what Hatsu was: the expression of one's true Nen ability, born from a mix of nature, upbringing, personality, and conviction.
And to even reach that stage, Joey first needed to determine his Nen type.
He remembered the method—Water Divination. Place a leaf in a glass of water, emit Nen into it, and observe the changes. The results would indicate whether the user was:
Enhancement
Emission
Manipulation
Transmutation
Conjuration
Specialization
But Joey hadn't had the chance to try that yet, so his Nen type remained unknown.
Not that it mattered right now—he knew better than to bite off more than he could chew.
So when Kite finished, Joey immediately asked how to train Zetsu.
It was a huge leap. He'd only just learned Ten—basic aura control. Now he was jumping to cutting off aura completely, which was practically the opposite.
The difficulty would be extreme.
But Joey trusted Kite. There must've been a reason the Hunter believed he could pull it off. Especially considering what he said about physical strength, talent, and mental fortitude.
Joey was average in strength. His talent was unknown.
But his mental strength?
He was sure of it.
And he had a hunch—Kite had already seen through that about him.
"Start with your extremities," Kite said.
"Focusing on your limbs will help you get a feel for Zetsu faster. Don't rush— even the most talented users can't hold Zetsu for long at first."
He wasn't stingy with advice.
"When we head back, you'll be riding a horse while practicing. Your job is to escort the translators to the border. Use that time to train.
"On the return trip, I expect you to keep up with us."
Joey really wanted to scream: "Who the hell trains Nen on horseback?!"
But then he thought about the alternative: staying behind alone in a village crawling with Chimera Ants.
Suddenly, horses looked kinda cute.
Killua and Gon returned with four people and five horses.
Two men—an afro-headed youth and a short, stocky teen—shared one horse. These were Kite's companions. Though they hadn't earned official Hunter Licenses, they were elite among amateur Hunters.
The other two were locals—a grizzled man with a beard and a sweet-looking girl. They rode separately and were labeled as "translators," but everyone knew what they really were: government monitors.
Kite gave a quick update and handed one horse over to Joey and Ponzu, who would ride together.
Ponzu's job?
"Make sure he doesn't fall off."
The final horse was shared by Gon and Basho. The latter stood in the stirrups, keeping watch with his Seven-Colored Bow, ready to strike at long range.
Joey had no complaints. He climbed on, closed his eyes, and dove into training.
Kite and Killua followed on foot to guard the group.
Joey could feel Ponzu behind him, but he was too focused to care. He poured all his attention into sensing his aura nodes and attempting to shut them.
His survival depended on it.
At first, he didn't make much progress. But to his surprise, he noticed something else—his control over aura was improving rapidly.
He remembered what Kite had said—and it clicked.
It's my mind. My spirit. That's the key.
Joey's soul had been an adult's to begin with. After reincarnating, he had absorbed the soul of Kira Yoshikage, as well as remnants of his current body's weak soul.
That gave him a spiritual presence far stronger than the average person.
And the soul governs mental fortitude.
And mental fortitude is intimately tied to aura control.
The stronger the mind, the more natural aura control becomes.
Joey dug deeper. And as he did, he noticed something strange.
The aura flowing into him from the wallet—his link to Killer Queen—was infused with a distinct life essence.
He opened his eyes suddenly. Held out his palm.
A faint green glow—life energy—flared, then disappeared into his body.
He could feel it.
He focused on that moment—on how it flowed back into him. Then used that sensation to pull back his own aura.
"That's it," he whispered.
Running ahead, Kite's sharp eyes caught the shift immediately. Joey's hand wasn't leaking any aura at all.
Kite's gaze narrowed.
He silently took note.
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