Conrad began thinking.
If everything the old man had said was true, and he believed it was, then the entire situation changed considerably.
The old man had no reason to lie.
At the same time, none of this altered Conrad's opinion regarding the Phantom Troupe.
Regardless of the reasons behind the massacre, they had tortured men, women, and children alike.
They had ripped out Scarlet Eyes while their victims were still alive and slaughtered the survivors.
After thinking for a little longer, Conrad decided that the larger implications could wait for another time.
For now, it was more important to focus on his original goal.
He looked at the old man.
"Alright."
"What exactly are you going to teach me about Nen?"
"I hope you're not going to repeat things I already know."
"Even in this world, I know at least a little about how the Dark Continent uses Nen, at least from a methodological perspective."
The old man smiled.
"In that case..."
"I'll reveal the first secret directly."
Conrad nodded.
The old man raised a finger.
"The Nen categories. Enhancer, Emitter, and the others."
"They aren't real."
"They're simply a system created to make Nen easier for people here to learn."
Conrad slowly nodded.
"I see..."
The idea was not entirely new to him.
He had considered the possibility before, largely because of theories he had encountered long ago, before arriving in this world.
Still, hearing it confirmed was different.
"Then why don't we see practical evidence of that?" Conrad asked.
"It's one thing to claim they're not real."
"It's another thing to prove it."
The old man smiled again.
This time the smile was larger.
It was the smile of someone hiding knowledge that very few people possessed.
"Actually, you're already familiar with an example."
"There are individuals in this world who have reached tremendous heights of power despite being far from the Dark Continent."
"Some of them perform actions that go far beyond what their categories should allow."
Conrad exhaled quietly.
Only one person immediately came to mind.
At least among humans.
Isaac Netero.
"Despite being an Enhancer, he can use Conjuration, Manipulation, Emission, and even some Transmutation," Conrad thought.
The old man continued.
"The reason people cannot leave the boundaries of their categories is because of something you have not properly named."
"Subconscious Belief."
"That same principle is also involved when Conditions and Limitations are created."
"Two people can create the exact same condition, use the exact same wording, and pursue the exact same purpose."
"Yet the results may differ greatly."
"The deciding factor is how difficult the individual truly believes the condition to be."
"The amount of power gained depends on how significant the sacrifice appears to that person's subconscious mind."
After the old man finished speaking, Conrad felt his heartbeat accelerate.
That was not the answer he had expected.
"If that's true..."
His thoughts immediately began racing.
"A person could manipulate their own beliefs."
"They could take something they don't actually care about and condition themselves to view it as an enormous sacrifice."
"In that case, the condition would grant more power."
"Likewise, existing conditions could be reinforced through training and belief."
"If the subconscious comes to perceive the loss as greater than before, the resulting power should increase as well."
The old man nodded.
"Exactly."
"Most people never learn to use the other categories because they lack the desire to train long enough."
"They assume their limitations are absolute reality."
"When they first learn Nen, those teachings become embedded in their Subconscious Belief."
"After that, the belief creates a self-fulfilling prophecy."
"The issue is entirely related to how aware a person is of the truths they believe without realizing they believe them."
"When those truths manifest, everything changes."
"If you change the belief, Nen responds."
Conrad took a deep breath.
He was about to dive deeper into the implications when the old man spoke again.
"You know the saying."
"'Nen cannot surpass human limits and cannot achieve the impossible.'"
"Correct?"
Conrad nodded.
The old man's expression became serious.
"A lie."
"Nen can accomplish anything."
"The only requirement is finding the proper path and aligning it with belief."
"Have you still not realized that official Nen education was intentionally restricted?"
"That the teachings were designed to prevent people from destroying themselves and producing dangerous outcomes?"
Conrad fell silent.
The monument stood motionless behind the old man.
For several moments, Conrad simply stared.
"Honestly..."
"I'm not entirely sure what to say."
The old man remained silent for a while.
Then he nodded.
"You don't need to say anything."
"I'm only completing my side of our agreement."
"What you choose to do with this knowledge afterward is your decision."
Conrad nodded.
That much was true.
Whether the old man's words were completely accurate or only partially correct, the implications were enormous.
The old man suddenly paused.
A trace of sadness appeared on his face.
For the first time, he looked less like a mysterious guardian and more like a tired old man.
"I have one small request."
"If you don't fulfill it, that's fine."
"If you do fulfill it, there won't be any reward."
Conrad turned his head toward him and waited.
The old man smiled after seeing the silent response.
"Tell Kurapika that none of this was his fault."
"Tell him that I'm happy he's alive."
"And tell him the message came from Scarlet Eyes Uncle."
"He'll understand what it means."
For the first time since the conversation had begun, Conrad saw genuine emotion in the old man's expression.
The kind that remained even after death.
A few seconds later, the dark Nen surrounding the old man began to spread outward.
His body dissolved into countless strands of black aura.
Only the monument remained.
It was as though old man had never existed at all.
Conrad stood there for several seconds, staring at the empty space where the old man had been.
Then he slowly looked back toward the metal plaque.
His mind was far from calm.
Each answer had created even more questions.
For the first time in quite a while, Conrad felt that he had uncovered the edge of something far larger than just simple "Nen Knowledge".