Chapter 4: You'll Hand It Over Even If You Can't!
The next day, Ivan slept until nearly noon before waking up. Only after finishing his meal did he leisurely prepare to train.
Ivan was very clear about his path—he had already endured enough hardship back on Earth.
With the ability to fully protect himself, he was unwilling to invest more energy in rigorous training.
Putting in some effort to practice a little was the most he'd do, let alone imitate other Hunter x Hunter fanfiction protagonists by seeking Bisky as a master for training.
Not to mention his lack of innate talent, prolonged arduous training like Bisky's was something you only read about in novels—few could actually persist through it in reality...
Ivan couldn't help but marvel at how Nen Ability was so closely tied to one's personal nature.
A Nen Ability like "Pokémon Master," which only required traveling around to obtain Pokémon and strengthen oneself, was simply perfect for him!
But before starting today's training, Ivan needed to confirm one thing first!
Soon, a staff member delivered the freshly printed newspaper of the day to Ivan.
His first glance went to the date in the upper right corner, showing 1998.
He remembered that the 287th Hunter Exam that Gon and the others took part in was in 1999, and the Hunter Exam always began on January 7th each year.
From what he recalled, this year Hisoka was disqualified from continuing the exam for injuring an examiner, forcing him to retake it the following year.
This meant the timeline he'd arrived in was some time before the main story began, leaving him plenty of time to develop.
This was Ivan's main purpose in getting the newspaper—the other information was secondary, but understanding the current timeline was crucial for his future plans.
Yesterday, being his first day in this world and with the confidence from having Gardevoir, Ivan had prioritized solving his money problems.
Naturally, the reason he won every round yesterday was Gardevoir's assistance.
With Gardevoir's psychic powers, seeing through a small dice cup to spot the numbers was effortless.
With his primary task completed, Ivan could now focus wholeheartedly on his first training session.
Changing into a looser training robe, Ivan stood in a naturally relaxed posture, gradually sensing the circulation of Nen energy within his body.
According to what Wing taught Gon and Killua, this was the most suitable method for practicing "En."
The Nen energy throughout his body flowed continuously like blood.
From his head to his right shoulder, then to his hands and legs, it circulated to the left side before settling downward. In his mind, he visualized the energy swaying around him.
These methods were learned from the anime and applied in the present, which was also why Ivan felt no need to seek a master.
As a devoted fan of Hunter x Hunter, he had memorized much of the knowledge from it, and Nen training was naturally included.
Although many aspects remained unclear, mastering the fundamentals was not a problem.
After a long while, Ivan's tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open, gleaming with a sharp light.
The previously calm, thin layer of Nen energy began to expand like a balloon being inflated, enveloping his entire body.
Once it accumulated to a certain critical point, the Nen energy surged out of Ivan's body in all directions like a bursting flood.
The high-intensity release of Nen energy created a powerful wind pressure, causing his training robe to flutter noisily.
Since the Nen energy erupted outward in all directions with Ivan at the center, his hair was lifted by the rising currents, giving him a somewhat Super Saiyan-like appearance.
This was "Ren"!
The instantaneous outward release of accumulated Nen energy!
The most basic method to gauge a Nen user's current Nen capacity was through "Ren."
The longer one could sustain "Ren," the greater their current Nen capacity.
While executing Ren, Ivan was also attempting to control the flow of his Nen energy, striving to direct it upward. His goal was to cover his eyes with Nen.
The technique of Gyo wasn't particularly difficult—with enough practice, one could grasp the basics.
Yet it wasn't entirely easy either. After all, Gyo involved applying Nen to the eyes, so one had to carefully control the intensity to avoid self-injury.
Another point was managing the consumption of Nen energy. In the beginning, with insufficient proficiency, it was easy to overexert and deplete Nen too quickly.
Battles between Nen Ability users often lasted a considerable time; it wouldn't do to run out of Nen shortly after using Gyo.
Half a minute later, the Nen energy, which had been surging violently, stabilized once more, though it seemed noticeably weaker than before.
A glance at Ivan revealed he was drenched in sweat, his loose training robe soaked through, revealing his somewhat slender physique underneath.
Sustaining Ren at full power for half a minute!
This was the result of Ivan's first training session.
It might seem like a very short duration, giving the impression of poor talent.
But compared to characters in the original work, Ivan's performance was actually quite commendable.
After a short rest, Ivan replayed everything that had just happened in his mind, over and over again.
For the next few days, until he obtained his identification documents, he would be training in this room!
After all, he had nothing else to do at the moment—aside from eating and sleeping, training was his only option.
…
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Ivan had spent seven days in the hotel. It was now the evening of the seventh day.
According to the boss's earlier promise, the identification documents should have been in his hands by today at the latest.
But up to now, he hadn't seen even a trace of them…
Ivan sat cross-legged on the bed, his handsome face slightly weary, but his eyes were sharp and bright, with a faint layer of white energy clinging to their surface.
He had preliminarily mastered the technique of Gyo!
"Heh, after all, he's just a frog at the bottom of a well—his vision is still too narrow~" Ivan's lips curled slightly, his words full of mockery.
In truth, he had known for days that Piers had no intention of helping him.
For identification documents, forget whether a personal photo was needed, but at the very least, there should be a name on them, right?
Otherwise, how could they be called identification documents?
That day, Ivan had never once told Piers his name!
The reason he waited until the deadline was simply because he was too busy with his training to bother with him.
After seven days, with Gyo mastered, Ivan's patience had nearly reached its limit.
He was eager to travel to various places, see the unique sights he had never encountered before, and obtain other Pokémons.
Today, whether Piers could produce the identification documents or not… he had to hand them over!