The next morning, Kuroro, as usual, prepared breakfast.
He carefully selected ingredients from the pot, finally serving a bowl of herbal soup to the still sleepy Rin.
"Thank you, Kuroro."
Rin managed a weak smile. His physical condition was indeed very poor; he felt as if he had no energy to move.
"Chirp chirp..."
Noticing the movement beside him, Rin quickly looked down and curiously asked, "Do you want to try some too, Pikachu?"
Beside Rin's right hand, a small electric mouse covered in yellow fur stood upright, clutching Rin's sleeve with its tiny paws, its ears perked up, and its big eyes angrily staring at Kuroro.
"Pika Pika!"
Hearing Rin's question, Pikachu looked disappointed and quickly shook its head, pointing at Kuroro and squeaking.
Rin's small face twitched with embarrassment, and he helplessly patted Pikachu's head, saying softly, "Even if you say that, I still can't understand what you're saying, Pikachu..."
While speaking, he held Pikachu in his arms.
"However, Kuroro is our companion. What he did yesterday was not aimed at you intentionally, so please don't mind."
Kuroro, on the other hand, glanced calmly at Pikachu without saying anything, while Pikachu's ears drooped and it softly murmured, "Pika..."
Rin stroked its head, smiling, "Don't be sad. Today, I'll take you to meet Haku. I'm sure Haku will love you, so be a good friend to Haku, Pikachu."
"Pika?"
Hearing this, Pikachu raised its head in confusion, its face showing a blank expression.
Despite his extreme weakness, Rin insisted on not delaying his daily training.
Even though Kuroro repeatedly tried to dissuade him, Rin's determination prevailed, and Kuroro could only accompany Rin to the forest for his Nen training.
But before that, they took Pikachu to Haku.
When Haku saw the cute Pikachu, her eyes practically melted.
After all, she was a child. With Rin's permission, she hugged and petted Pikachu, making it squeak pitifully at Rin.
But Rin didn't mind and was very happy to see this scene.
Finding Pikachu as a companion for Haku was something he felt quite proud of.
Afterward, Rin and Kuroro went to the forest near the village to continue Nen training.
With his body in such poor condition, Rin didn't expect to sense the flow of Qi in his body today.
"What is this!?"
However, shortly after starting his meditation, Rin suddenly opened his eyes, his face showing a hint of uncertain joy.
Noticing Rin's unusual expression, Kuroro, who was quietly watching from the side, asked calmly, "What's the matter, Rin?"
Rin, though uncertain, spoke with a hint of joy, "Kuroro, I think I felt it—a warm flow in my body. Is that Qi!?"
Kuroro rubbed his chin, thoughtfully considering for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, Rin, that should be Qi."
"But I didn't expect it to take this long..."
Before he could finish, Rin interrupted.
"Hey, hey, don't compare everyone to geniuses like you, Kuroro..."
"Well, anyway... I finally felt it. I was worried my body couldn't train Nen!"
Kuroro remained silent momentarily, then closed his eyes and said softly, "Given the current pace, it will indeed take a long time to develop your own Nen ability..."
"But I believe Rin will create a miracle."
Hearing this, Rin's face darkened, and he retorted, "Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. You've been discouraging me since earlier..."
Suddenly, Rin remembered something and asked curiously, "Now that I can feel Qi, can we test which type of Nen I have?"
In the Hunter × Hunter world, Nen ability includes four major techniques: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.
These collectively are called Nen, mainly focusing on training the mind. All combat skills are based on these four techniques, essentially enhancing willpower.
On the foundation of these four techniques, there are more advanced applications.
For instance, "En" is a high-level combined application of Ten and Ren, allowing Qi to extend from the body to detect any subtle movements within the extended range.
However, to discuss the six categories of Nen, it starts from Hatsu.
Hatsu corresponds to the six types of mental attributes: Enhancement, Emission, Transformation, Manipulation, Conjuration, and Specialization.
These six types are somewhat similar to the chakra natures of ninjas.
However, the six categories of Nen are fundamentally easier to identify; in essence, one's type can be determined by their personality.
Because Nen is a combination of willpower, mental strength, and intelligence.
At this moment, Kuroro gently shook his head and calmly responded to Rin's question.
"Although you've sensed the Qi in your body, you haven't mastered Hatsu yet, so you can't easily control the flow of Qi."
"Let's consider testing the nature of your Nen after a while."
Although slightly disappointed, Rin didn't give up. After all, his efforts had shown results, which was the most encouraging thing.
The rest of the day, Rin was in a very good mood, feeling as if his physical weakness had vanished.
After a full day of training, Rin and Kuroro walked back, a slight smile on his lips.
He looked forward to the day he could use Nen abilities.
However, at that moment, a loud and chaotic scream from not far away made Rin frown!
Kuroro's eyes remained calm as he glanced briefly in that direction before continuing to walk forward.
"Wait, Kuroro, let's go see what's happening over there."
With that, he ran toward the snowy hill in the distance, with Kuroro following closely behind.
...
"Please, spare us. We... we really have nothing!"
In the snow, a pale-faced girl in thin clothing looked terrified, pleading with several rough-looking men in front of her.
Behind the girl, on a wooden sled, a haggard woman coughed violently. She clearly wanted to speak but was too weak to do so.
"Mother! Are you alright?" the girl asked anxiously.
The rough men exchanged glances and grinned wickedly.
"Didn't expect to find such a pretty one while scouting that broken village."
"But we need to focus on the main task. Shinjiro, it's freezing out here, and the village's supplies are crucial for winter. If we don't handle this right..."
"Who cares? It's just a girl. What can she do to us? Kill that sick woman and take the pretty one back. Everyone's been cooped up this winter!"
The crude words fell from their lips as casually as if discussing livestock.
At that moment, the girl's face turned deathly pale, as if she had fallen into hell.
But then, a calm, young voice came from the snowy hill.
"Hey, you guys over there, were you just talking about raiding the village?"