Chapter 2: Gaining Abilities, Beginning the Hunt
In the storage room, Leo's fingers twitched slightly.
He opened his eyes, his vision gradually clearing from blurriness.
Pushing himself up from the ground, he looked around—the room was still the same, the animal skin map still lying beside him. But the sensation in his body was completely different.
The once slender frame belonging to the young Rexar had become much more solid. The lines of his arms and chest were now distinct, brimming with a sense of strength.
There was no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, his body felt light and coordinated, as if every muscle was in its optimal state.
Leo lowered his head to examine himself, his gaze settling on the back of his right hand—there, a dark red, vortex-shaped tattoo had appeared, about the size of a coin. Its patterns were intricate and delicate, resembling some kind of ancient rune.
He reached out with his left hand to touch the tattoo.
Instantly, information flooded his mind like a tide:
==========
[Proof of Humanity]
[Nen Ability Type: Specialist]
[Level: 0]
Ability Conditions:
1. The body is forcibly placed in a state of "Zetsu," unable to perceive or use any Nen.
2. When injured, the sensation of pain is doubled.
3. After activating Nen, the use of lethal weapons and the wearing of armor are prohibited.
Ability Effects:
1. After killing a living being, residual aura can be absorbed.
2. Aura can be used to increase the level. Leveling up strengthens the body, with no upper limit to enhancement.
3. Upon reaching Level 25, the "Zetsu" state is lifted, and the body undergoes a comprehensive qualitative transformation and improvement.
4. Accelerates physical recovery and self-healing abilities (enhances with level increases).
Note: This ability does not occupy memory capacity and allows for the development of one's own exclusive Nen ability.
==========
After the flow of information ended, Leo was stunned for a moment before a delighted smile spread across his face.
This was the world of Hunter x Hunter.
Nen abilities—he had one!
Although it came with strict limitations, the growth potential of this ability was immense.
At the same time, another piece of information surfaced from the depths of his consciousness—knowledge inherited from that stone.
This place was the ancient Kingdom of Capet's ruins, the "Chamber of Perpetuity," built 2,200 years ago. The entrance and exit to the dimensional rift were located in a cave at the eastern end of the forest and could only be opened by activating it with Nen.
"A dimensional rift... requiring Nen... to leave."
Leo's smile faded, and his brow furrowed.
He was currently in a forced state of "Zetsu," unable to use Nen at all.
According to the rules of "Proof of Humanity," he had to raise his level to 25 to lift the restrictions.
This meant he had to leave this relatively safe palace, venture into the unknown forest, kill creatures, and collect aura.
The risks were obvious. Being unable to use Nen meant losing an important layer of defense and perception.
Doubled pain was an added hardship—in the wilderness, injuries were inevitable, and intensified pain could affect movement and judgment.
But there was no other choice.
Leo stood up and stretched his limbs.
The changes in his body were tangible. Although he couldn't use Nen, his physical body was already much stronger than before. He clenched his fist, feeling the power contained within his muscles.
"At least the starting point isn't too bad."
He then found a stone knife inside the palace, which was exceptionally sharp. Leo stood at the edge of the platform, carefully observing the forest below.
...
The trees were tall and dense, with dim light filtering through the woods. He could hear birdsong, beastly roars, and some indistinguishable sounds.
Dangerous, but also full of life—this meant there was prey.
"Start from the outskirts."
He formulated a plan, "Look for small animals, familiarize myself with the surroundings, and gather aura. After my Level increases, I'll venture deeper into the forest."
He gripped the short knife tightly, vigilantly observing his surroundings. Rexar's hunting memories came into play at this moment—how to identify animal tracks, how to move stealthily, how to choose the right timing.
Rustle.
A faint rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.
Leo immediately crouched down, holding his breath.
Moments later, a creature resembling a wild rabbit emerged. It had gray-brown fur and short ears, and was lowering its head to nibble on grass roots.
Distance: about five meters.
Leo calculated the angle and approach. Rabbit-like animals had keen hearing and agile movements; if he missed the first strike, they would flee.
He moved slowly, each step landing lightly on the ground to avoid snapping any dry twigs.
Three meters, two meters, one meter... Leo lunged forward, thrusting the stone knife toward the wild rabbit's neck. With a single strike, it was killed, its struggles ceasing.
At that moment, the red vortex tattoo on the back of his hand grew slightly warm. A faint, warm current flowed from the rabbit's corpse into his body.
It was very subtle, like taking a sip of warm water, and then it quickly dissipated.
[Aura +0.5] [Level: 0 (1%)]
"I need two hundred wild rabbits to reach Level 1," he calculated. "And to reach Level 25..."
Relying solely on small animals would take too much time. He had to find more efficient hunting targets.
Rexar's hunting memories sharpened his observation of the environment.
He noticed several patches of raised soil in the forest clearing, with small holes on the surface and traces of fine sand particles scattered around.
"Ants?" Leo crouched down, gently prying open a loose patch of soil with the stone knife.
Beneath it was indeed the entrance to an ant nest. Several dark-brown ants were scurrying in and out, each about the size of a fingernail, with well-developed mandibles.
His eyes lit up.
Although individual ants provided very little aura, their numbers were vast. If he could find a large ant nest...
Leo stood up and began searching purposefully. He followed the sunlit edges of the forest, where the soil was dry and suitable for ants to build nests.
In less than half an hour, he found his target beside a fallen log—a mound-shaped ant nest over half a meter in diameter, densely covered with holes, with ants bustling in and out.
"Found it."
He didn't act recklessly. First, he observed the structure of the ant nest. The nest was built against the roots of the fallen log, with its main body underground, but the surface portion was also substantial.
The ant species was unfamiliar to him. They were about two centimeters long, with shiny black bodies and swift movements.
"Let's give it a try."
Leo stepped back a few paces, found a sturdy branch about the thickness of an arm and of moderate length. He first cleared away the dry leaves and weeds around the ant nest.
Once prepared, he gripped the branch with both hands, aimed at a relatively weak spot on the side of the ant nest, and forcefully thrust it in!
"Thud."
The soil crumbled. The internal structure of the ant nest was exposed, and countless ants instantly surged out, a dense black mass like boiling black liquid.
They quickly climbed up the branch, mandibles opening and closing, clearly highly aggressive.
Leo swiftly withdrew the branch, slapping it hard against the ground to shake off the ants.
Then he circled to the other side of the ant nest and thrust and stirred again.
After repeating this several times, the ant nest was completely destroyed.
The ground partially collapsed, revealing intricate tunnels and egg chambers below. Hundreds of ants scurried about in panic, with some soldier ants attempting to attack Leo, but he easily brushed them aside with a tree branch.
The slaughter continued...
The tattoo on the back of his hand continued to radiate warmth, much weaker than when he killed the wild rabbits but persistent and unending.
The energy provided by each ant's death was minuscule, but their sheer numbers made up for it.
[Aura +0.01]
[Aura +0.01]
[Aura +0.01]
Notification messages flashed rapidly in his mind, eventually converging into a total.
[This Harvest: Aura +9.8]
[Level: 0 (10.8%)]
Leo's eyes lit up.
Destroying a single ant nest yielded almost as much as killing twenty wild rabbits!
And the risk was extremely low—though the ants were numerous, their individual threat was minimal. All he needed to do was avoid letting too many climb onto him.
"Now this is more like it."
He smiled with satisfaction, his previously solemn expression easing considerably.
He carefully checked his body, brushing off a few ants that had crawled up his pant legs.
The tattoo on the back of his hand gleamed with a dark red luster under the sunlight, and his Level progress had jumped from 1% to nearly 11%.
"There should be plenty of ant nests in this forest."
Leo cleaned up the area to avoid leaving too many traces that might attract other creatures. He noted the location—perhaps the ant colony would rebuild their nest in the future, allowing him to "harvest" it periodically.
Over the next few hours, he changed his strategy.
Instead of focusing solely on hunting prey, he systematically searched for ant nests and colonies of other social insects.
He gradually accumulated experience: black ant nests were often built at the dry edges of the forest or near fallen logs; red ants preferred nesting under stones; and a larger species of brown ants, emitting a sour, rotten odor, typically built their nests deep underground, requiring more effort to excavate.
With each nest he destroyed, his Aura steadily increased. The efficiency far surpassed hunting animals.
By the time the sun began to set, Leo had cleared four ant nests, raising his Level progress to [Level 0 (31%)].
At this rate, he would reach Level 1 by tomorrow.
His steps were much lighter as he returned to the palace. Though he still couldn't use Nen, he now saw hope for rapid leveling.
In the evening, Leo found a relatively intact corner of the palace to rest.
He took stock of the day's gains: aside from Aura, there were a few unexpected discoveries—near one ant nest, he found a small patch of wild berry bushes with sweet and sour edible fruits; near another nest, there was a clean seepage point with clear water.
"I'll continue tomorrow."
Chewing on the berries, he planned his route for the next day.
"The sunny slope to the east should have plenty of ant nests. I'll start there."
The tattoo on the back of his hand glowed faintly with warmth in the twilight, as if responding to his anticipation.
...
As night deepened, the forest fell silent.
Leo leaned against a stone wall, resting with his eyes closed.
Though he was still in a state of Zetsu, unable to sense Nen, the physical enhancement was tangible—his stamina consumption while destroying ant nests today was far lower than expected, and his recovery speed was faster.
"Level 25... shouldn't take too long."
He thought to himself, a relaxed smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
At least he had found the right leveling path from the start, sparing him from life-and-death struggles with wild beasts every day.