"The Duke above Kroll could have used this to raise his status and power."
"Kroll himself might have become a duke."
"But my appearance changed all of that."
"Kroll and the others died on the spot."
"Rosgel was revived—and taken by me."
"A humanoid aura tool."
"It's just a matter of finding the right method to control him—or spending the time to tame him."
"But the potential return is massive."
Kaizen was very satisfied with this gain.
It was far more valuable than ten billion jenny.
Completely incomparable.
An S-rank humanoid aura weapon—something that would give Kaizen a real edge, even against S-rank nen users.
Like the Chimera Ant King.
The Ant King's strength had already surpassed the limits of ordinary human Nen.
Even A-rank users were nothing in front of him.
And even the S-class Netero was ultimately no match for the Ant King.
This was despite Netero having a fully developed and matured Nen, while the Ant King hadn't even begun serious training.
That's how big the gap was.
A gap in life itself.
Even if Netero wasn't at his peak back then, he was still one of the top five Nen users on the entire Human Continent.
Kaizen, at his current level, couldn't compare.
But with this S-level humanoid aura tool, he could at least buy himself some time against an opponent of that caliber.
And against the Royal Guards?
Kaizen thought he might even have a chance of defeating one.
The puppet could absorb the brunt of an attack—
Giving him space to strike back.
To use other strategies.
To actually pose a threat.
...
A darkened door appeared beside Kaizen.
He closed his eyes, letting his aura reach out across the desert, locking onto Rosgel and slowly approaching him—binding him, washing over him.
Bit by bit, his presence sank in.
"It's changing, little by little…"
"Slowly."
"But it's happening."
"At this pace, it'll take a long time."
"But that's fine."
"This puppet is worth it."
Kaizen calculated in his mind.
Right now, his strength on the Human Continent was near the top.
Almost no one under S-rank Nen could threaten his life.
And those above S-rank?
They all knew about Maha Zoldyck.
If anyone laid a hand on Kaizen...
Maha would respond.
No one wanted that kind of lose-lose outcome.
Unless they were insane.
...
Ring-ring!
Kaizen's phone buzzed.
He glanced at the caller ID.
Without hesitation, he answered.
"Killua, what's up?"
"Cousin Kaizen, I wanted to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"You know Wing? The advisor the Hunter Association assigned to me and Gon?"
"What about him?"
"He just… feels off," Killua said bluntly. "Gon and I already passed the Hunter Exam, but he still has us doing all these basic drills."
"They're completely useless."
"I already did that stuff years ago."
"At this point, it just feels like we're playing or something."
"And we're not far from qualifying for the 200th floor of Heavens Arena."
"We're already past the hundredth."
"But Wing still hasn't taught us Nen."
"Not even a hint of it."
"I don't get it."
"Is he planning to teach us only after we qualify for the 200th floor?"
"Or is he going to let us get crushed by someone who already knows Nen?"
"But Sadaso said the fighters on the 200th floor are messed up in the head."
"There's rookie hazing and other crap."
...
Killua's frustration was clear, though he still held back.
Kaizen stayed quiet for a moment.
"The Hunter Association probably has its reasons for assigning Wing. I'm sure he's a capable teacher—but maybe his way of thinking just doesn't line up with yours."
"Maybe he thinks you're still too young."
"Maybe he's trying to be cautious, make sure you're ready before learning Nen."
"Don't rush it. You'll reach the 200th floor soon enough."
Killua replied, "I could wait... but Gon can't."
"He's a lot more impulsive than I am."
"Once we qualify, he'll head straight to the 200th floor."
"He was my first real friend... my best friend."
"I don't want to see him get hazed."
"I don't want him to end up like one of those freaks."
...
Kaizen chuckled softly, easing the tension.
"Don't worry. If the Association doesn't do anything by then, I'll find another way for you two."
"Thanks. I'm counting on you."
"You got it."
He ended the call.
To be honest, Kaizen didn't understand Wing's reasoning either.
What was the point?
Did he think Gon and Killua were too immature?
That they might misuse Nen?
But Gon and Killua weren't normal kids.
One was a Zoldyck.
The other was the son of Ging Freecss.
The Zoldycks weren't worried.
Ging wasn't worried.
So why was Wing?
Besides, both had passed the Hunter Exam fair and square.
That meant they'd earned Netero's recognition.
Was Netero wrong?
Unless Netero had secretly instructed Wing not to teach them too early—maybe to wait until they matured more.
But based on how things played out in the original timeline...
That clearly wasn't the case.
Which meant—
This had to be Wing's own decision.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)