The ability summoned three monkey-like beasts. If they managed to land a hit, the enemy would temporarily lose their sight, hearing, and speech—disabling their ability to react or activate their Nen techniques.
The drawback? The monkeys had to hit their target for the effect to work.
Still, it was a solid skill. Imagine Ronnel sending out the Beelzebub clone unnoticed, sneaking in close, and then releasing those three beasts...
Huh? Why'd it miss?
It was right there! Why not throw a Poor Man's Rose at least?
Yep—no matter how great a Nen ability is, it's useless against someone like me now.
...Is this what they call the loneliness of a master?
Ronnel chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
Then came Cheadle Yorkshire's ability, [The Root of the Disease].
Her skill allowed her to diagnose the "illness" in a target she had given Nen to—essentially identifying their weakness or flaw using a method similar to basic medical treatment.
Once she pinpointed the problem, she could deliver the perfect counterattack.
Not a bad power at all. But Ronnel figured—if he had her skill, he wouldn't need anyone else to handle his problems. He'd just solve everything himself.
...
So far, aside from Pariston and Ging, Ronnel had already collected and analyzed the core Nen abilities of the high-ranking members of the Zodiacs.
In addition to the Zodiacs, he had also acquired Nen from Morel, Knov (who was still hospitalized), Kurapika, and Leorio.
Morel's Deep Purple had some support potential, and Knov's four-dimensional apartment was priceless.
That one alone was perfect for traveling, escaping, or surviving disasters—ideal for expeditions to the Dark Continent.
Kurapika and Leorio's abilities didn't have much value to Ronnel personally, but he logged them nonetheless.
After absorbing all this dry Nen, Ronnel didn't waste time. Once he packed up, he moved on.
The puppet was nearly complete, and there was still some time before the fight between Chrollo and Hisoka.
Ronnel decided to visit his master, Bisky, and his girlfriend, Shizuku.
He hadn't had a break like this in a while—it felt good to just relax.
Especially after he found them at a well-known shopping mall. He updated Bisky on Netero's condition.
She was stunned. Dropped her shopping bags and rushed to the hospital without hesitation.
Which gave Ronnel and Shizuku a rare chance to spend some quality time together.
...
While the two of them were off enjoying their downtime, Netero finally began to stir under the watchful eyes of Bisky and the others.
It wasn't long before word spread.
"The Chairman's awake! That's amazing!"
Ginta, standing guard at the hospital, grinned from ear to ear when he heard the news.
"Don't get too excited," Saccho warned, stepping past the latest batch of assassins he'd taken out.
"If word gets out, it'll just bring more killers crawling out of the shadows."
After discovering two strange corpses nearby, the Zodiacs had realized something wasn't right.
They rotated shifts—two people at a time guarding Netero day and night.
And they were right to be cautious. Multiple waves of assassins had already tried sneaking in.
Saccho and Ginta alone had dealt with at least four attacks.
The assassins weren't weak, either. Across the Six Continents, they would've been considered elite.
Some were freelance professionals, others belonged to a new up-and-coming organization. It seemed someone was investing serious resources to take Netero out.
That kept the Zodiacs on high alert.
"But still," Ginta said with a booming laugh, "it's good news the Chairman's awake!"
...
"Haha, the old man's finally up, huh?"
A carefree grin crossed Beyond's face. "Now we can finally have a proper talk with him!"
True to form, Beyond wasted no time. He immediately set off for the hospital.
Right at the entrance, he ran into Cheadle Yorkshire and Mizaistom Nana, who had just arrived for their shift after hearing the same news.
Sometimes, fate works in strange ways.
Originally, the Zodiacs only learned of Netero's son after watching the message he left behind.
Now, four of them happened to bump into Beyond—whose resemblance to Netero was unmistakable—right at the hospital doors.
The revelation hit them like a thunderclap.
...
Later, Ronnel heard about it from Ging, who heard it from Ginta...
No one knew exactly what was said during those fifteen minutes between Beyond and Netero.
But when Beyond stepped out of the room, he had a satisfied smile on his face.
He offered a casual "See you all later," then left without another word.
Apparently, he'd gotten the answer he and his partner Kakin had been looking for.
After that, the others entered the ward—and finally saw Netero smiling again.
That warm, familiar grin was back.
But his words? They hit like a sledgehammer.
"I'm tired too. It's time I retired and enjoyed life a bit. I'll leave the Hunter Association to you."
It was clear—Netero had already made up his mind.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)