Hunter x hunter: I’m interested in Nen abilities

Chapter 42: Sword Sect and Qi Sect

Menchi said, "He probably left on his own. He wasn't with the Ochima people to begin with."

"True," Haru replied, waving it off as he walked away.

Dago stood still for a moment, watching the three leave before heading back toward West Town.

---

"Shizuku, weren't you staying in West Town?"

Walking along the outskirts of East Town toward the amusement park, Haru glanced at Shizuku.

"The job's done. Do you have other plans?" she asked.

Menchi chuckled. "Hey, you're the boss now. Shouldn't you be arranging things for your underlings?"

Haru smirked. "Want to join too? I'll arrange things for you as well."

Menchi stuck her tongue out at him.

"Why aren't we walking through the town?" Shizuku asked, pointing toward East Town.

Menchi answered with a laugh, "The dock near East Town has a slaughterhouse. Haru said he can't stand the heavy smell of blood. His nose might even be sharper than mine—and I'm a chef!"

Seeing Haru's annoyed expression, Menchi quickly added, "Anyway, I'll leave first. See you at West Town's port the day after tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow and the day after, you're not training?" Haru asked.

"Fine, fine, see you in the afternoon at the usual spot," Menchi said with a grin. She waved at Shizuku. "You'll be there too, right? I'll bring food for you in advance!"

As Menchi walked away, Shizuku turned her curious gaze toward Haru.

"Menchi is a gourmet hunter," Haru explained. "She's great at cooking."

"Oh," Shizuku nodded.

Not long after, as they walked along the outskirts, a crescent tiger strolled toward them from a distance—it was Toru.

"Feels like I haven't seen you in ages!" Haru laughed as he approached, giving the tiger a good rub on the head.

He looked into the nearby woods, where various birds perched—green ones, white ones, and two crows…

"Chirp, chirp!"

A small gray bird swooped down and landed on Haru's shoulder, chirping noisily.

"Caw, caw!"

The two crows flapped their wings and glided over.

Seeing Shizuku's curious expression, Haru asked, "Don't you remember them?"

He pointed to the crows and Toru, the tiger that had once "attacked" Shizuku.

"Why would I remember?" Shizuku replied, puzzled. "I've never seen them before."

Haru laughed. "Well, they seem to remember you."

"Impossible," she said with confidence.

Haru was amused by her unwavering certainty. "Well, let's grab some food first."

"Okay," Shizuku agreed but hesitated after a few steps. "If we're eating, why did you let Menchi leave? She cooks well, doesn't she?"

---

Menchi's cooking really was excellent.

That afternoon, during their training session in a clearing in the woods, Shizuku confirmed this firsthand.

Menchi, however, seemed a bit melancholy. She hadn't expected Shizuku to be so much stronger than her.

Of course, the strongest one was still Haru. She glanced at him standing nearby, maintaining his Ten as usual, silently refining his total aura and foundational techniques. Menchi thought to herself, If I could train as consistently as he does, even without his freakish talent, I'd definitely grow stronger over time.

"My energy is restored," Shizuku remarked in surprise, feeling the changes in her aura reserves just ten minutes after finishing her meal. "No wonder Haru invited you to join."

Menchi waved her chopsticks proudly. "As long as I'm satisfied with the dish I make, my ability activates. And it doesn't have to be hot food—salads, pre-packed meals, even snacks like cookies or cakes might work!"

"Might work?" Shizuku asked.

"I haven't tested it yet…" Menchi admitted, then couldn't resist asking, "What's your ability, Shizuku?"

Shizuku stayed silent, her expression as blank as ever.

"Ugh!"

Across the clearing, Haru finally collapsed onto the ground, muttering, "Only extended by about a minute… I guess my total aura increased by less than 100. If I spent the next two or three days purely training, I could probably reach 6,500 or 6,600 aura. But now it's barely 6,100… Finding a balance between missions and training is definitely an art."

It was manageable for now, but in the future, once his total aura reached tens of thousands, a single session of Ten until depletion would take several hours. One extended session could easily eat up half a day.

Efficient? Not really.

For example, Mizaistom had 70,000 aura and was considered a top-tier hunter. But there was a reason such levels were rare. Everyone had the same 24 hours a day. If spending half a day on Ten yielded diminishing returns, it might be more worthwhile to invest that time in developing specific Hatsu techniques, refining their precision and versatility, or expanding tactical options. After all, a single invincible ability could be far more effective than grinding aura reserves endlessly.

That said, Haru couldn't ignore the Chimera Ants he remembered from the manga—some with aura reserves in the tens or even hundreds of thousands. Against such monsters, even the most unassailable ability would be useless if you were overwhelmed by their raw presence or blown apart by a simple, high-powered attack.

"Sword Sect versus Qi Sect?"

The thought popped into Haru's mind. Then he noticed Menchi's awkward attempt to get Shizuku to answer her question and couldn't help but laugh.

Menchi caught his look and glared at him.

"Shizuku, what's your ability?" Haru asked.

"'Blinky,'" she said, raising her hand to materialize a vacuum cleaner out of thin air.

"You're a Conjurer too!" Menchi exclaimed in surprise.

"Blinky's ability is…" Shizuku started to explain, but Menchi quickly interrupted, "That's enough! Knowing your category is enough; you don't have to reveal everything. I didn't tell you my full ability either."

Shizuku looked at Haru, who shrugged.

"What about you, Haru?" Menchi demanded. "I still don't know your category."

Haru rolled his eyes. "I'm a history major. Now get back to practicing Ten."

Menchi huffed but stood up, took a deep breath, and activated Ren before stabilizing it into Ten.

Shizuku followed suit.

Haru, meanwhile, began eating the leftover food. Halfway through, he realized he was using their chopsticks.

With the green-enhanced meal restoring his energy, Haru's aura began regenerating rapidly. Thanks to the star emblem on his neck, his recovery rate was noticeably faster than Menchi and Shizuku's.

As he ate, Haru observed them. Shizuku's Ten was significantly larger in volume than Menchi's, but it was less stable. Based on his estimates, Shizuku could likely sustain it for about two hours—indicating a total aura of around 7,200. Menchi, on the other hand, could barely manage five minutes, with a reserve of less than 300.

Just over five minutes later, Menchi collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. She stared at Shizuku, who continued her Ten with ease, looking like she could go on forever. Menchi's frustration was written all over her face.

---

Elsewhere, aboard a ship crossing the sea, Babimyna ended his phone call with the First Prince of Kakin, concluding his brief mission report.

Once he returned to Kakin, he would have to prepare a detailed written report covering every aspect of the mission.

(End of Chapter)