Inside the training ground, Kevin's Nen was completely depleted. He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, panting heavily, with beads of sweat rolling down his body.
Increasing Nen was much more difficult than enhancing physical fitness. It required a gradual, deep excavation process. Bisky had taught Kevin various methods, and he was trying them out one by one to find the one that suited him best. During this time, he had made considerable progress.
Strong physical fitness indeed brought many advantages, such as being able to excavate more Nen. After all, there was a limit to the capacity of Nen a body could hold based on physical fitness. The better the physical fitness, the more Nen could be contained and excavated. As one got older, the opportunity for excavation also increased, but similarly, if one became elderly, their strength would also decline.
Kevin's physical fitness was extremely strong, making it easier for him to excavate a large amount of Nen in the early stages. It was like two pieces of land both had mineral veins, but one piece had the veins buried deep underground, while the other had veins even exposed directly on the surface. Using the same manpower and time to excavate, naturally, the latter piece of land would yield more Nen.
Therefore, he was currently in the rapid growth stage of the early period. This kind of training, where he could constantly feel his own progress, fascinated Kevin. Although the fastest way to improve was by using medicine when its effects were best, the feeling of strength excavated from within oneself through effort was different.
Recently, he had almost become a regular at the training ground, with training time occupying most of his day. You know, the thing he used to spend the most time on was researching various medicinal materials to develop and produce new potions.
After resting for a moment, Kevin wiped off his sweat and went to the rest area. Kurapika and the others had already been resting there for a while. When Kevin came over, he clearly heard their casual conversation. At this time, these little guys were searching for various gem information online and discussing their metaphorical meanings.
"Uncle." Pairo smiled and greeted Kevin as he walked over.
Kevin nodded and looked at everyone. "Your training of the Four Major Principles is almost done. At this stage, I will teach you more advanced techniques. Once you are familiar with them, I will conduct your system identification. I'm sure you've been looking forward to it for a long time."
Hearing this, everyone's attention was immediately drawn, and they all stood up. Even Neon, who was off to the side, came over curiously to listen. Although she might not necessarily learn, and with her current level of Nen control, she couldn't use these techniques anyway, she was very interested in what system each of them would be.
The few of them stood in a neat row.
Kevin walked to the whiteboard and wrote down different symbols on it. "The so-called Seven Great Techniques are, respectively—"
As Kevin explained, everyone nodded, finding it easy to understand. Essentially, these were extensions of the basics. In fact, even without Kevin's explanation, after mastering a certain ability, a normal person would also think about whether these techniques could be achieved during training. It's just that they might not be able to think comprehensively. Therefore, the so-called Seven Great Techniques were likely naturally derived during training and actual combat. Then someone summarized these things and turned them into systematic learning knowledge.
"At this stage, you can't be required to master every technique proficiently like you were during the Four Major Principles training. I believe you have also found that the ways of using these techniques are different. Some people may be very skilled at using a certain technique, but always struggle with another. This is similar to the situation with the Six Systems, so you can try training each technique. I don't require you to be proficient, but you should have some understanding of each one. Especially these few."
Kevin circled "Spirit," "Hard," "Firm," and "Flow."
"These techniques are very crucial in combat. If you don't know them, you can easily fall into a disadvantage, and it may even endanger your own safety. So even if you don't have much talent for these, you must master them well."
"'Spirit' is relatively simple among these techniques. Many people can naturally master it when practicing the Four Major Principles." Kevin extended a finger in front of him. "Now, try to gather your Nen around your eyes and look with that state."
This technique was basically one of the simplest among the Seven Great Techniques, and of course, it was also the most practical and necessary one. It was very necessary to be aware of something wrong, or even maintain "Spirit" at all times during combat. It could greatly reduce the probability of being ambushed in combat, which was very important.
Hearing Kevin's instructions, the few of them began to try. Their Nen slowly gathered towards their eyes, following their will. This was not difficult for them.
After all, their training during this period was no joke, and they all possessed varying degrees of talent.
Among them, Pairo's movements were the fastest. Though it was his first attempt, he mastered the technique in about ten seconds—as if he had already learned it. His Nen instantly condensed around his eyes.
Perhaps because his eyesight had been poor in the past, forcing him to concentrate and strain to see everything, this made it easier for him to complete the "Spirit" technique. After all, the key to using this technique was focus.
"It's 3!" Pairo shouted loudly.
"That's correct!" Kevin responded with a smile.
Pairo maintained the "Spirit" state and looked at Kevin with a smile. Their eyes met.
At that very moment, Pairo suddenly froze.
Bang!
With a loud noise, a large cloud of dust rose from where Kevin had been standing. Kevin jumped back abruptly, creating a distance of five or six meters from Pairo.
The people around were confused, completely unclear about what had happened.
At this moment, the stunned Pairo finally came back to his senses. He quickly closed his eyes and covered them with his hands, as if trying to block something.
"My eyes."
Kurapika rushed forward, supporting Pairo, and asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Pairo, are you hurt?"
"No, no, my eyes feel very strange."
This sudden change made Pairo a little nervous. However, he quickly stabilized his emotions.
At this time, Kevin walked back with a frown. Everyone looked at him, their eyes full of questions.
Kevin didn't speak immediately. Instead, he walked in front of Pairo and examined him carefully. "Calm your Nen down first. If you can't, enter the 'Zetsu' state."
Pairo nodded, and the Nen on his body quickly retracted. The Nen that had been wrapped around his eyes instantly dissipated. After entering the "Zetsu" state, the problem was immediately resolved. Pairo returned to the "Ten" state and slowly opened his eyes.
His eyes looked the same as before, with no sign of Scarlet Eyes.
"When you were using 'Spirit' just now, were there any special changes?" Kevin asked with a serious expression. He had just sensed danger.
Seeing Kevin so serious, everyone else also became nervous. Pairo nodded steadily and began to recount what had just happened.
"When I was using 'Spirit' to look at the number on Uncle's finger, there was no special feeling. But the moment I made eye contact with Uncle, the situation was different." He began to describe that different feeling. "The moment I saw Uncle's eyes, I felt a power, and I seemed to be able to use it, but it needed a little time to mobilize. At that time, that power surged out uncontrollably, and then Uncle suddenly jumped away."
After listening to Pairo's account, Kevin nodded seriously, frowning and thinking for a moment.
The reason he had jumped away so quickly just now was because his keen intuition had detected a strong sense of crisis. It wasn't that Kevin's intuition was beyond ordinary people, but in this peaceful environment, his mindset was relaxed, without any tension. In this state, even a hint of danger would trigger his vigilance. So he didn't hesitate to jump back, creating a safe distance.
Another reason was that the power surging from Pairo was too immature and obvious—Kevin detected it immediately. Compared to ordinary Nen users, Kevin had his unique aspects. He controlled his Nen ability as he pleased, as naturally as using his own limbs, and he had previously had lingering resentment on him. These two factors combined made him extremely sensitive to subtle abnormal Nen.
For example, the moment he was scanned by "Ren," he could react immediately. Even Nen composed of "In (Hide)," if he didn't notice or see it, as long as it came into contact with his body, he could instantly detect it and react. His body was very sensitive to everything external, especially things related to Nen.
From this, it seemed likely that, without any accidents, Pairo had awakened his Nen ability. And a Nen ability awakened in this manner was very likely of the Specialization System.
This was truly unexpected.
Kevin looked at Pairo and said directly, "You've very likely awakened your Nen ability directly, and it's an innate Nen ability. If my guess is correct, it should be of the Specialization System."
Hearing this, Pairo hadn't even had time to react when Kurapika, standing beside him, excitedly said, "That's amazing, Pairo! You actually awakened your Nen ability directly!" After excitedly congratulating him, Kurapika suddenly reacted again and asked, "But wouldn't that violate the agreement?"
Kevin smiled helplessly. "This is an unexpected situation—it doesn't count as violating the agreement. However, Kurapika, you still have to abide by the agreement."
Hearing this, Kurapika's expression immediately fell. "Ah!" But he was still genuinely happy for Pairo. Because it sounded very impressive.
Pairo, however, frowned and said, "But I don't know what my Nen ability is at all." This situation, where he didn't even know his own ability, made Pairo feel very unsettled. He originally had all sorts of ideas about his Nen ability and was thinking about how to construct it.
As it turned out, he didn't expect that heaven wouldn't give him this opportunity at all.
"Don't worry." Kevin patted Pairo's head and said with a smile, "Though you're not clear about your Nen ability's specific function, it is your own ability after all. There will be an instinct guiding you. Just experiment a little, and you'll figure it out easily."
Saying this, Kevin brought over the prepared items.
"Since this situation has occurred, let's proceed with identification directly. I'll examine each of your Nen ability types." Though the situation strongly suggested Specialization, testing was necessary to be completely sure.
Kevin looked toward Rosana. "Rosana, you go first."
Rosana smiled and nodded, walked to the table, and placed her hand on the cup. Kevin had previously explained Water Divination to them, so everyone knew what to do.
Nen instantly surged out, enveloping the water cup.
Soon, changes appeared. Everyone gathered around, observing curiously. No changes elsewhere—only the liquid in the cup transformed. The clear, transparent water, under the enveloping Nen, gradually became turbid, turning milky white, as if a drop of milk had been added.
Apart from this, no other anomalies.
"Confirmed. Emission type."
"Emission?" Rosana murmured, recalling the characteristics Kevin had described.
Kevin looked at her. "Regarding in-depth development and construction details for this type, I'll explain later."
Rosana nodded, temporarily setting aside her thoughts.
Next, Kurapika's turn. He eagerly stepped forward, placing his hand on a fresh cup.
As Nen injected, changes appeared again. Visible to the naked eye, extremely tiny crystals formed in the liquid.
"Impurities appearing in the water—characteristic of Materialization," Kevin said.
Kurapika nodded, examined his hands, then stepped aside. Materialization, huh. To be honest, he felt a bit regretful—he'd hoped for Enhancement. On one hand, Kevin was Enhancement; on the other, Enhancement often performed more prominently in combat. Unfortunately, one's Nen type didn't change according to personal will.
Materialization. What should he materialize?
While Kurapika contemplated, it was Pairo's turn. Everyone watched intently, anticipating his results. After all, his ability was self-awakened.
Pairo took a deep breath and held the new cup.
As Nen flowed in, unusual changes appeared. The leaf floating on the water's surface began to sway, then sank directly to the bottom. Faint shadows appeared in the cup—light and light distorted, as if the water deformed projected light.
The changes stopped there.
"Confirmed. You're Specialization, same as Neon."
Everyone looked at Neon. She put her hands on her hips proudly and smiled. Previously, no one knew Neon's type—only that she was a Nen user with very weak combat ability, almost negligible. They hadn't expected her and Pairo to share the same type.
Testing complete. Now the focus was Pairo—they had to determine his actual ability.
Kevin looked at Pairo, sorting known conditions based on the earlier situation. "Confirmed: one activation condition is maintaining 'Spirit' in your eyes, then making eye contact with another person. This process definitely isn't instantaneous—there should be a time requirement, like maintaining eye contact for several seconds." Otherwise, the condition would have triggered the instant he made eye contact with Kevin, instead of failing as just happened.
These were the conditions sorted so far.
Pairo nodded—his own thoughts aligned. His ability required using his eyes to look.
"So to figure out your ability, you'll have to actually use it. Testing under 'Spirit' and eye contact isn't too demanding. Moreover, you have no intention to attack—this is just instinctive use. So at this stage, there should be no offensive capability." Kevin analyzed further. Nen ability was ultimately generated by a person's will and would change according to that will.
As Kevin finished speaking, Kurapika raised his hand. "Let me try. I'll experience Pairo's ability."
Hearing this, Kevin looked at Kurapika, then turned to Pairo. Seeing determination on both their faces, he nodded silently.
"Alright."
The two walked to the center of the area, stood facing each other, and began making eye contact. The others gathered around to observe.
Pairo maintained the "Spirit" state, their gazes meeting. This time, Pairo clearly felt that power—and perhaps because he was prepared, he could control it better. Last time was the first occurrence, catching him completely unprepared, which triggered the previous situation. This time, with no intention to attack and sensing the process wasn't dangerous, he felt at ease after realizing he could control it. He relaxed his control and activated his ability.
That power connected to Kurapika's eyes through their gazes and slowly transmitted over. From the moment Pairo confirmed activation until the end of eye contact, the entire process lasted three seconds.
"Alright."
"Huh? It's already over?" Kurapika blinked. He felt no discomfort and noticed nothing unusual.
Pairo observed from the side, watching for any changes or discomfort in Kurapika.
Kurapika looked at everyone. "Maybe I haven't trained enough—I don't have a special feeling like Uncle does. I didn't even notice anything happening at all." His words sounded honest. He'd simply made eye contact with Pairo for a while, assuming Pairo was still preparing. He hadn't expected it was already over.
Pairo, however, spoke. "I can feel my ability working. Unlike last time, I was prepared and could control it. In the first stage, there's indeed no attack capability. The entire process requires maintaining 'Spirit' and making eye contact with the other person for three seconds. I should be able to master this through training. During eye contact, I feel that my eyes and the other person's eyes establish some kind of connection. Each eye can perform this connection operation separately."
Pairo continued, sharing the information about his Nen ability that he'd just perceived and sorted out upon using it.
Kevin listened, nodding slightly. Such prerequisite conditions didn't sound complicated. But without doubt, Pairo's Nen ability was some kind of special mechanism.