The group of four, of course, excluding Jolt, who is happily steering the airship away from Heaven's Arena and the surrounding city, stands on the outer deck.
"That felt a little too easy, don't you think?" Vanessa asks, standing next to Auren. "It makes me feel a little depressed. You are supposed to be one of the strongest Nen users in the world?"
"Heh, if you are dissatisfied with that assessment, feel free to challenge me," Auren offers. "We haven't sparred seriously even once. If you win, that means you're up there as well. Or you might want to simply become a Floor Master yourself and then challenge me to an official fight."
"Okay, don't think I won't try!" Vanessa declares, looking determined. "If I win, I want something. Surely that's fair, right?"
"I taught you Nen, I taught you all of my knowledge about it, I've provided all the training exercises without hiding anything. I've talked to you about Hatsu for days, I've sparred and trained with you... all for free, and I still have to wager something? Vanessa, you are the height of entitlement. Are you used to people always handing you things for free? Get real."
"Just say yes! Don't be stingy!" she says, pouting, not even trying to argue back.
"Is she serious?" Ura asks Neffi, who has already given up on arguing with her. "I didn't hear a single argument, just one-sided requests."
"That's her... just ignore her," Neffi replies, looking resigned.
"Fine... if it's within my capabilities, sure," Auren says dismissively. "Everything for the noble young lady."
Not like she'll win against me anyway. If that's what it takes to motivate her, sure.
"Deal!" she says, smiling happily, before walking back into the airship.
"You are spoiling her!" Neffi complains, looking dissatisfied as she follows after her, trying to hide her curiosity.
A week later, at Hollow Blade's mountain fortress, after dropping off Ura at Yorknew and quickly healing Oron's scars so he doesn't risk getting detected by his new ally, the prince, Jolt skillfully maneuvers the airship into the city.
With the help of Goreinu and Zepile, who has temporarily returned as well, Auren carefully places all of his new acquisitions from the recent auction, as well as his new Ben's Knives, into their proper place—his own personal museum and exhibition located just behind his gym, deeply carved into the mountain wall, hidden from the world, and more secure than any regular bank vault.
He carefully catalogs every single item, his collection steadily growing to a staggering size. Of course, he openly shares that information with every Hunter through the Hunter Association website, as well as with collectors, proudly displaying every single item and providing all the information he, Zepile, Ura, and Oron have gathered. By now, he's obtained a fairly large following of fellow Weapon and gear enthusiasts, though only part of them are aware of the true nature of the items Auren collects.
Satisfied, Auren relaxes for a few days—or at least, he tries to.
Every child, and even most of the men, desperately try to talk to him, as his new reputation as the winner of Battle Olympia follows him everywhere, even in the otherwise reclusive mountain city.
To his absolute surprise, after settling back in, he receives another message, this time from Netero, the chairman of the Hunter Association.
What is this about now?
Auren briefly skims through the rather lengthy message.
After a bit of praise, but also a warning about responsibility, something oddly uncharacteristic for Netero, he informs Auren that after his recent rise to fame, he will no longer be allowed to act as an invisible and silent assistant judge, one of the many Hunters usually wearing black suits and secretly surveying candidates during the Hunter Exam, as well as doing menial tasks.
Instead, he formally invites Auren to participate as a judge and assist Netero in revamping the Hunter Examination.
"..."
Auren quietly rereads the message.
This... is unexpected. Revamping the exam? Should this happen? According to my memories... no. Is that a change... a meaningful one? That remains to be seen... It's still a while off. I guess I can relax a little now. In any case... no reason to decline.
Days in the mountain city pass by quickly.
Auren trains not only his Nen and physical abilities, but also practices with his glidesuit. All of his students and acquaintances focus on their own training as well, though they still meet occasionally, simply spending time together.
Notably, Auren receives guidance from Rakshala, who seems all too eager to help him improve his mastery over En, meeting him at least once a week, though sometimes missing for a lengthy amount of time.
Still, despite the steady training, which pales in comparison to the chaotic events of the last months, Auren finally experiences a period of calm and slow, gradual growth and mental recovery.
With the landing points on the Eastern Yorbian Continent stabilized and Pariston actively cooperating with Hollow Blade, the expansion proceeds extremely smoothly, the population steadily increasing.
There is also a noticeable shift, as many Elders are now permanently settling there. The mountain city, while still full of life, seems to stagnate slightly as the focus and conversations clearly drift elsewhere.
With the month of December progressing smoothly, the exam getting closer and closer, Auren unexpectedly receives a formal message from the twin sisters Jean and Joanne, Jolt's and Marsha's daughters, inviting him to a "meeting."
With nothing particularly important to do, Auren obliges and meets them, even though they are living in his large mansion carved into the mountain walls anyway, making the formal invitation feel even more unnatural.
He meets them in what used to be an empty large room, which has now been turned into a study and library, mostly arranged by Joanne, an avid reader.
When Auren enters the room, both are already sitting at a table, with an empty chair prepared for him.
Without a word, Auren sits down, studying them with curiosity. "My expectations are high... you know we meet almost every day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner... what's the point of this meeting? You could have just asked me directly at any time. Though you did leave with Jolt for a week when he made that trip to Yorknew... did anything special happen?"
"Hehe," Jean snickers. "No. Nothing special happened, we just went shopping."
"..."
Noticing Auren's annoyed expression, she quickly adds, "As for the meeting—this isn't something suitable for a casual talk! Not at all. We have a big announcement, after all. We finally created our Hatsu!"
"Your Hatsu? So you really created one together?" Auren asks. "I just wish you had asked for more guidance, but I guess a Hatsu is something you need to create for yourself, something personal. I've taught you the basics of Nen, and while you have no interest in fighting or martial arts, which might actually be a good thing, I can tell you've still practiced every day. Since you are Specialists, I have to admit I'm rather curious... these kinds of Hatsu are more than rare. What did you come up with?"
"Hehe, it's simply fantastic. The height of luxury and opportunity. Entertainment, investment, and fun. It's perfect... just... a little special." Jean says proudly, while Joanne lowers her eyes, looking guilty and slightly embarrassed.
"Let me guess... there's a catch," Auren says. "What is it, Joanne? I'll ask you, since your sister sounds like she's trying to sell me something instead of explaining what this is truly about."
"I... we..." Joanne stammers insecurely. "I... it's all her fault!"
"..."
"Look, just tell me what happened," Auren says with a quiet sigh, forcing himself to stay patient as he tries to calm down the two adult women, both far older than himself.
"While... we managed to succeed in creating a Hatsu, thanks to Jean's ideas, the Hatsu has conditions which we... can't fulfill on our own and temporarily caused us to not be able to use it," Joanne explains. "We had to pay the price for our Hatsu after the first attempt because we tried it out on our own. Thankfully, the price was merely two weeks of getting locked out of using it."
Good... nothing too bad, I guess.
"Just a minor condition, it doesn't matter at all! Stop being so negative!" Jean corrects her, glaring at her viciously.
Auren takes a long breath before speaking calmly, his expression growing a little more serious. "Look, I don't want to play this game. It's fine that you used it on your own; you are adults. I am also not unhappy that you invited me to a serious discussion, but tell me about your Hatsu, its condition... everything. Don't leave out a single detail. I'll help you after that. Of course, you can keep it to yourselves, but I don't want to get involved if that's the case."
"Okay..." both of them say at the same time, a mix of guilt and relief visible on their faces.
"You know... you might have noticed, but... I like shopping," Jean begins.
"Really..." Auren replies dryly. "I never would have guessed."
"..."
"And I like reading and learning about all kinds of things," Joanne adds. "So we created a unique Specialization Hatsu combining our interests. It's called Unlimited Surprise Discount Second Hand Shopping Catalogue. We need to be together in close proximity to use it. After executing the Hatsu, it will appear to be a basic Conjuration ability."
What a name... these silly girls.
"Let's do it, we can show him," Jean says confidently. The twins stretch out their hands toward each other and activate Ren, without actually touching. Shortly afterward, a large, incredibly thick book appears between their hands, both of them holding onto one side of it.
"A book...?" Auren asks as he looks at the object.
No... Are there prices and items on the cover? Along with sale symbols?
"No... it's a shopping catalogue, just like your Hatsu name implies. Okay, you really have to explain that to me."
"It's simple," Jean says. "First of all, do you see the color of the cover? It can be one of three colors, though we only designed it with two in mind. Green means it's open for business, red means... sold out, which happens after we use it, lasting for a random amount of time, and black, which means we are barred from using it...."
"Like a sign? Interesting. It has a bunch of images of clothes, jewelry, and many other things, and it's green, so we should be able to proceed," Auren notes as he inspects the book. "Tell me the rules before I open it."
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