Valian and Conrad continued sparring for a while longer.
At this point, Conrad had more or less completely understood Valian's fighting style, tactics, and overall combat strategy.
Compared to the other members of the group, Valian's current level of nen and combat ability was still on the lower side. Perhaps he could fight Lina, but Lina functioned more as a support-type nen user rather than a direct combatant.
"That's enough," Conrad said as he finally stopped the training session.
"We've been practicing for quite a while now. I'm sure your thoughts have already started to settle into a clearer direction regarding what you want to improve and what you need to work on."
Valian let out a deep breath before nodding slowly.
"Yeah…"
"I can understand now what you meant this whole time. My lack of experience in life-and-death battles… and just how much that ended up affecting my nen ability…"
Conrad nodded calmly. At the very least, Valian's ability to understand things was quick and precise, just like a proper nen user should be. That alone was already an important quality.
"Now then."
"When the group was first formed, the other members were all faced with a certain task they needed to complete."
"Even if that task did not directly serve the group's main objective, it still served an important secondary purpose. Its goal was to strengthen both the new members and the group as a whole."
"I want you to improve your nen ability as well."
"You'll accomplish that through a technique called Creational Condition."
Valian raised a hand toward his head with a thoughtful expression.
"Creational Condition…?" he muttered quietly.
Conrad continued explaining without pause.
"When creating a nen ability, almost every experienced nen user makes use of limitations and conditions. Activation conditions and restrictions are already common concepts."
Valian nodded immediately.
"Yeah…"
"That part is common knowledge, but I've never really heard much about the logic behind Creational Conditions."
Conrad smiled faintly.
"That's natural," he replied.
"A creational condition is formed when you choose one, two, or even three tasks that are difficult for you to accomplish. Preferably tasks connected to something personally important to you."
"Before completing those tasks, you make a nen vow."
"You declare that until those chosen tasks are completed, you will never use your nen ability again."
"That is how a creational condition is created. Once those conditions are fulfilled, the power generated through that vow directly affects your nen ability and creates room for further growth."
"And even if you don't add anything new to the ability itself, the influence of those conditions will still allow you to manifest the same ability more powerfully while consuming less nen."
Valian's heartbeat slowly began to accelerate as he started understanding what Conrad truly meant.
"I think…"
"I get it now," he said slowly.
"In order for my nen ability to evolve, become more effective, and gain new possibilities, I'll willingly risk sealing it away completely. Then I'll tie those chosen tasks to my nen itself and force myself to complete them."
"The harder and more personal those tasks are, the more nen will react to them. Completing those tasks will effectively become the conditions required to use my ability…"
"And the resulting power will multiply because of that. Even if only temporarily, adding powerful one-time conditions onto the existing ability would dramatically increase its overall strength…"
Conrad smiled.
"Bingo."
"You understood it perfectly."
"After the other group members completed this process, their combat strength increased by at least thirty to forty percent."
"Even the member who wasn't particularly suited for combat gained enough power to create a curse-type nen ability through it. As for the others, every single one of them reached a level where they could potentially become Battle Olympia champions on their own."
"Before that, they were only around the level of floor masters."
Valian slowly let out another deep breath before smiling.
"Alright… alright, I understand now."
"At the moment, compared to the others in the group, my strength is still too fresh and underdeveloped."
"But once I complete this process, the power I gain will become something truly useful to the group."
Conrad simply smiled without saying anything further.
A few days later, Conrad shared contact information and communication devices with Valian while also informing the other members about the new addition to the group.
After everything regarding the new member had been settled, Conrad continued spending time around Heavens Arena for a while longer.
He had successfully recruited one new member, meaning that from this point onward, including himself, the group now consisted of six people.
"Finding one or two more members would probably be ideal," Conrad thought to himself.
Closing his eyes slightly, he began mentally organizing the overall structure of the group. At the very least, he wanted everyone's roles and responsibilities to become clearer in his mind.
"Conrad—Leader."
"Reginald, Anisa, Adarte—Close Combat Fighters."
"Lina—Support, General Fighter."
"Valian—Versatile Fighter, Support, Mid-Range Fighter."
Conrad remained silent for a few moments before a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Now then…"
"If I could recruit one more member specialized in long-range combat, that would be ideal."
"At the same time, having another support or mid-range fighter similar to Valian would also create a more balanced structure."
"It seems meeting Arteum might actually be the logical next step," he thought.
-
Back in New York City,
Leorio was living a relatively comfortable life in his own room thanks to Conrad's support, and without any financial worries weighing on him, he had divided his days into two parts.
During one half of the day, he studied medicine and focused on becoming a better doctor. During the other half, he concentrated on strengthening his fundamentals and continuing his Nen training.
Because of Conrad's teachings and explanations, he had gained a much clearer and faster understanding of Nen. He had begun to realize just how incredible Nen could be when used properly toward one's goals.
"I'm not bad in a lot of areas right now..."
"At this rate, if I keep training like Conrad said, I should reach that level within three to six months."
"It probably wouldn't hurt to start thinking about my Nen ability already," Leorio thought.