Mega Sableye and Gengar flanked the group on the left and right, silently absorbing the thick clouds of death aura that stretched ahead like a heavy fog. Ging and Arcanine, took the lead, moving steadily forward with sharp awareness. Larry and Pyon followed close behind, eyes alert and hands ready.
It didn't take long before danger showed itself.
From within the dark, purple haze of death energy, several human-shaped silhouettes emerged, flickering like mirages before solidifying. In a blink, they transformed from vague shadows into full-sized figures, their movements swift and unsettling.
Ging's muscles tensed instinctively. His sharp eyes locked onto the shifting fog, and under the intense focus of Gyo, every small movement within the death aura became crystal clear.
All three immediately sensed it, this new wave of Gildrosia was far stronger than the last.
"Woof!" Arcanine growled.
In front of them, five Gildrosia charged through the fog. Two of them radiated A-class strength, while the other three were B-class. But what caught everyone's attention wasn't just the sheer power of the A-class enemies, it was the one in the center.
Unlike the others, this one gleamed with a golden sheen.
***
Name: Gildrosia (Gold Form)
Strength: A-Class
Origin: …
***
Even more intriguing, the two A-class Plants seemed to have a clear combat strategy. The silver one jumped forward, built for close-quarters brawling, while the golden one held back, its body humming with energy. "A ranged type?" Ging muttered as he watched the golden sphere shimmer.
It stopped abruptly while the others kept charging forward. Then, without warning, a surge of light green energy burst out from its surface. In seconds, the energy converged into a concentrated beam, aiming directly at the trio up front.
Ging's eyes narrowed. "So they're split by type, silver for melee, gold for ranged attacks."
Larry squinted as the beam shot toward them. It looked almost like a ray of sunlight, except tinted with a vivid green glow that lit up the entire cave. The air seemed to vibrate with the sheer energy it carried.
Ging quickly raised his hands, ready to block or deflect the blast using his aura. But just before the beam could strike,
BOOM!
A pillar of fire burst in from the side, roaring like a blazing sun. It collided head-on with the green energy beam, the explosion echoing through the cavern walls.
'Fire-type move, Flamethrower.'
The two forces clashed violently, canceling each other out in a swirl of heat and raw energy. But the fire wasn't finished.
A trail of lingering flame broke through the weakened green beam and surged forward, slamming into the golden Plants with a burst of sparks. The fight was far from over, but one thing was clear, this enemy was smarter, stronger, and deadlier than the ones before.
Suddenly, scorched burn marks spread across the creature's golden body, and a charred, blackened wound opened wide along its surface.
Larry's eyes narrowed. That confirmed it, the lingering energy from Arcanine's attack alone was enough to inflict serious damage on these Gildrosia.
The explosion's powerful shockwave had flung the three silver Plants, which had been charging ahead, straight into the nearby stone wall. Flames had seared across their bodies, and they twitched on the ground, unable to rise for the moment.
The wall they crashed into, engraved with divine inscriptions, remained completely untouched. As expected, it was extremely durable. Not even the force of the blast left a scratch.
Out of the five Plants, only one A-class silver variant managed to push forward and charge straight at Ging. But it wouldn't find victory waiting at the end of its sprint, only Ging's crushing fist.
Crack.
To Ging, there was no real difference between an A-class and a B-class Plants. Either way, it only took one punch. Still, he noticed something worth noting.
This A-class Plants's sphere was clearly a size larger than the B-class ones. That probably meant the bigger the sphere, the higher the power level.
As the Plants collapsed from the impact, Ging casually reached into his robe and pulled out a brightly colored apple. He gave it a quick wipe, took a bite, and the sweet, juicy flavor filled his mouth. While munching on the fruit, he glanced over to see Arcanine finish off the other gold Plants.
Already weakened from the previous blast, it couldn't muster the strength to fire another beam. The next jet of flame engulfed it entirely, ending the fight.
With both A-class threats eliminated, the remaining three B-class Plants didn't stand a chance. Arcanine's relentless flames reduced them to ash. But all that noise didn't go unnoticed. More movement stirred in the depths of the fog.
The commotion had drawn even more Gildrosia their way. "Ging, how many people did V5 send in here before us?" Pyon asked, his tone sour as he watched another wave of creatures push forward. His eye twitched with irritation.
If V5 hadn't flooded this place with those so-called "volunteers", essentially living parasitic vessels, maybe these gold and silver freaks wouldn't be multiplying like this.
Ging shrugged. "Not sure on the exact number. Probably around twenty?"
He glanced up at the incoming horde. No time to relax. He wolfed down the rest of the apple in a few big bites, ready to get serious.
Perfect timing, actually, he had just picked up a new technique not long ago. This would be a good chance to test it out.
"Oh?" Larry noticed the shift in Ging's aura and glanced over with interest.
Ging's Nen surged outward like boiling water, bubbling up in waves as it began to pour from his body. Then, without warning, he thrust both hands forward, directly into the oncoming swarm of Gildrosia.
In an instant, Ging's arms shot forward like rubber bands, stretching unnaturally far as they slammed into a cluster of Gildrosia still several meters away.
Nen Ability: "I Am a Rubber Man" – Enhancement Type.
With this ability, Ging could transform any part of his body into a rubber-like texture, allowing it to stretch freely without losing strength. The transformation also lessened incoming damage to that body part and granted him a high degree of resistance to electricity-based attacks.
But the most surprising thing wasn't the stretch, it was the sheer force. The blow from Ging's rubber arm packed even more destructive power than his usual punches. The golden Plants struck by the attack didn't just crack, it shattered completely, breaking apart into fine shards.
Clearly, this wasn't just a regular Nen ability. It was something unique to Ging. Ging had always been a freakishly talented individual, and his gifts could be roughly split into two categories. First was his unmatched linguistic ability, he could learn and speak nearly any language with ease.
The second was far more rare… and far more terrifying.
In the world of Hunter x Hunter, Ging was what you'd call a natural-born wall-hacker. As long as he was hit by an ability even once, he could analyze it, understand its core mechanics, and then reproduce it himself with nearly identical effect.
Yes, he could copy Nen abilities. Or in Ging's words, recreate his own version of it.