Chapter 18

"Oh ho ho ho ho! We meet again, Candidate 105."

Taking advantage of the break while heading to the location of the third exam, President Netero approached Allen and the Shadow Wolf King Rubeus, who had been following him closely.

Obviously, despite the old man, who was over a hundred years old, showing no hostility, the powerful aura he exuded made Rubeus feel threatened, and he instantly went on high alert, ready to pounce and attack at any moment.

Allen calmed his pet's nervousness slightly and responded in a distracted tone, "Yes, we meet again. But this time, I will walk to the end as a victor and take the Hunter License from you."

"Hmm, I never doubted that. Because your Nen is already quite remarkable, and with a powerful animal companion, Chrollo probably won't win," President Netero stroked his beard and analyzed.

Judging by the amount of aura alone, Allen had already surpassed Chrollo. With the terrifying physical attributes bestowed by the Hunter profession template and the firm will forged through constant battles in the dungeons, theoretically, as long as he maintained a steady performance, he could achieve the final victory.

Of course, theory is one thing, and actual combat is another.

He himself was even a bit eager to fight the young man in front of him and ask what had happened in the past year that allowed him to gain such astonishing Nen from scratch.

Normally, it would take a person over a decade of training and cultivation to achieve such a smooth and refined Nen.

Most beginners, even those with exceptional talent, would still show roughness in their use of aura.

However, President Netero did not know that his initial judgment was actually correct.

In fact, Allen had used the tenfold time difference in the dungeons to train his Nen for seven or eight years to reach his current level.

And these seven or eight years were spent without any rest, sleep, relaxation, or entertainment, fully dedicating all his time and energy to intense, self-torturing training.

If it weren't for the Hunter profession template's ability to prevent fatigue and injury, anyone else would have died many times over.

It was precisely because of the constant refinement and development of his Nen that his Hunter level progressed so slowly, often spending eight or nine days in a dungeon, neglecting meals and sleep to practice the tedious basics.

As the saying goes, when a person has ample time and consistently works on something, no matter how poor their talent, they can eventually surpass 99.9% of people and become an expert in their field.

Moreover, Allen's talent was not poor, and after fusing with the Night Elf bloodline, his potential exploded.

After all, the Night Elves were born under the powerful energy of the Well of Eternity and later connected to the World Tree, blessed by the Guardian Dragons, granting them near-eternal life.

If ranked by the danger level of a Hunter, they would at least be B-class, or even higher, A-class.

Looking at the man in front of him, known as the "strongest Nen user among humans," Allen organized his thoughts and said straightforwardly, "President, I have a question. I wonder if you can help me find the answer?"

"Oh? What is your question?" A glint of curiosity flashed in the old man's eyes.

"Chrollo recently told me that I am like him, and that I would understand what he meant when we start fighting. At the moment he said that, I felt something in my head, but I couldn't grasp it."

Allen did not hide anything and directly spoke about the question that had been troubling him for a long time.

Because he knew that if anyone on this airship could provide an answer, it would be the President.

"Ah, I see! Before revealing the answer, can you tell me if you have ever fought an opponent of your own strength?" Netero asked meaningfully.

Allen shook his head without hesitation, "No. I have never fought someone of my own strength."

"Hmm? Never!" The President was stunned, then his face showed a look of disbelief. "Then how did you acquire the aura you exude? It requires not only cultivation but also a lot of practical combat experience."

"Well, you can understand it as if I fought with some puppets. They have powerful destructive and defensive capabilities but are not intelligent, only following a set pattern." Allen tried to explain the monsters and bosses in the dungeons using Nen.

As he said, the monsters and bosses in the dungeons, though very realistic in appearance, were ultimately semi-digitized products, unlike Rubeus, who had his own independent consciousness and personality, and only operated according to pre-designed patterns.

Even the new pets captured using "Tame Beast" were no different.

Therefore, after realizing this, he completely abandoned the idea of capturing a second pet in the dungeons.

"Combining manipulation and materialization to create puppets? No wonder your aura is so strange. You have a strong and resilient fighting will, but lack much killing intent and combat spirit. I have a suggestion. Would you like to play a small game with me?" President Netero extended a finger with a half-smile.

"Can I find the answer in the game?" Allen asked directly.

"Of course! I guarantee you will understand what it is during the process." President Netero gave an affirmative response without hesitation.

Thus, the two of them went to the most spacious activity room on the airship.

The old man took off his coat and shoes, stretched his limbs, and began to explain the rules enthusiastically.

"First rule: No use of any abilities or weapons during the game. Only fists, feet, and the most basic Nen are allowed.

Second rule: No destruction of walls, floors, ceilings, or any furnishings in the room. Whoever accidentally destroys anything loses.

Third rule: If, while receiving an attack, anyone's body violates the second rule, they also lose.

Got it?"

"Got it! In short, I need to perfectly control my Nen to ensure that nothing other than the target is damaged, right?"

Allen understood the President's meaning almost effortlessly and grasped the essence and key points of the game.

In simple terms, it was about controlling, bursting, and changing Nen.

Using bursts to attack the opponent and cause maximum damage, controlling to ensure the aura does not spread elsewhere, and finally, instantaneously reinforcing contact objects or changing the flow of one's aura to avoid damaging the walls, floors, and ceilings.

Although it sounded simple, in the entire Hunter world, the number of people who could achieve all three simultaneously would not exceed the fingers of two hands.

Especially the last point, instantaneously reinforcing contact objects or changing the flow of aura to avoid the destruction caused by violent impacts, most Nen users would not even think about it.

For them, it was better to continue strengthening their hardness and resilience.

As long as these two aspects were strong enough, they could remain unharmed no matter what they hit.

As for whether the person or object they hit would be damaged, it was not within their scope of consideration.

But Allen was different. In the dungeons, he often encountered monsters and bosses with "knockback" skills.

To avoid accidentally falling off a cliff or rushing into a group of monsters, he naturally developed a special Nen that did not belong to the four basic techniques or the seven advanced applications.

From the fact that President Netero proposed such game rules, it seemed he had mastered the technique of instantaneously reinforcing contact objects.

PS: New book, seeking collections and recommendations. Thank you very much.