NOVEL NEXT Chapter 122: Ten x Zetsu - Learning the Basics
[Player Alex Kerber has forcefully opened his Aura nodes]
[WARNING: Nen skills not found, Nen Stat not found, Aura resource not found. Player will continue to lose HP until aura nodes are closed or controlled]
You have lost 1 HP
You have lost 1 HP
You have lost 1 HP
Alex doesn't panic. He expected something like this to happen. I knew it wouldn't be that easy without the proper skill. I'll have to do my best, or things could spiral out of control. Focus!
You have lost 1 HP
You have lost 1 HP
You have lost 1 HP
Closing his eyes, Alex steadies his breathing and focuses on the sensation of his body releasing aura. He imagines it like steam escaping from every pore. He directs his attention to his feet, visualizing the steam slowing down and finally stopping.
You have lost 1 HP
You have lost 1 HP
You have lost 1 HP
A small smile appears on Alex's face as he notices his left foot has stopped leaking aura. Instead, the energy surrounds his foot, resembling an invisible layer of clothing. Good. You've got this. Work your way up, one step at a time. You're not some freak like Gon or Killua. You can't just stop your aura leakage through pure concentration and brute talent. Step by step, slow and steady wins the race, he reminds himself.
Alex accepts his limitations. He knows he isn't a natural genius but someone who grows stronger by using the system. When relying solely on himself, he understands the importance of smart, rational decisions over impulsive, superhero-like actions.
Gradually, he begins controlling the aura in his lower body, stopping the energy from leaking. The drain on his body lessens slightly.
You have lost 1 HP
You have lost 1 HP
Working from the bottom up, Alex continues to control his aura nodes. After about ten minutes, only his arms and head are still losing aura.
You have lost 1 HP
Alex Kerber: Lvl 3
HP: 125/220, MP: 180/180
You have lost 1 HP
Alex focuses on the remaining nodes in his arms and head, directing his thoughts toward containing the energy. Slowly but surely, he gains control. Finally, after nearly 20 minutes of intense concentration, he manages to stop the leakage completely and achieves a basic mastery of Ten.
Alex Kerber: Lvl 3
HP: 85/220, MP: 180/180
Good. I had a bit of room for error, but I managed to pull it off. Not bad, even without the system, Alex thinks, wiping the sweat from his face.
[Hidden Quest Discovered:
Mission: Learn the Four Major Principles of Nen
Ten: 1/1 Zetsu: 0/1 Ren: 0/1 Hatsu: ERROR/1
…]
Alex Kerber: Lvl 3
HP: 85/220, MP: 180/180 AURA: ERROR/ERROR
The fuck is this? Alex thinks, staring at his strange progress display. What is that even supposed to mean?! Error/1 Error/Error. Frustration and fear appear within him. Guess I'll have to finish this quest to figure it out. I didn't think learning something without system assistance would be this dangerous. He exhales, trying to suppress the growing fear of what these errors could lead to.
"Good, I think you've got it. Slowly open your eyes!" Menchi instructs.
Alex does as he's told, his gaze settling on Menchi. She looks pleased, though a hint of worry lingers in her expression.
"You did just fine. I was a bit scared! It's dangerous if the person who awakens his Nen this way can't control his aura nodes. It can potentially end up deadly. Anyway your slow and steady approach worked out fine, you are surprisingly rational and careful. Remember this technique well. It's called Ten and is one of the four major principles of Nen. Once you've learned it, you won't ever forget."
I'm not so sure about that… Alex thinks grimly. This ability still isn't recognized as a skill, and now the system is showing weird errors. This isn't looking good. I need to master the rest quickly to complete this side quest, or I might lose the ability entirely. Worse, these error messages might mess with me, weakening me or even crippling me!
"Keep it steady. Calm down," Menchi says firmly, interrupting his spiraling thoughts. "I can sense you're suddenly panicking and losing focus. You're doing fine, just breathe and calm down."
She's right… Alex thinks, forcing himself to refocus. No point worrying now. It's already too late for regrets. I need to concentrate.
Gradually, Alex calms himself, and his chaotic, thin aura begins to flow more steadily, like a gentle creek.
"Better," Menchi says, watching him closely.
Time passes, and Alex slowly gains better control over his aura. Hours later, though, fatigue sets in. Maintaining Ten becomes increasingly difficult. His aura no longer surrounds his body as tightly as before; instead, it begins to dissipate into the air through his now only slightly open pores.
His body relaxes, and the flow of his aura becomes faint and natural, like it had been his whole life.
"Not bad," Menchi comments. "Looks like you're getting the hang of it! Real masters can keep Ten active at all times, even while sleeping. If you manage to do that, you can almost completely stop your body from aging. Plus, staying in Ten constantly protects you from potential ambushes—you'll always be somewhat prepared." She grins mischievously. "Just look at Linne-chan, and you'll see how she's managed to stay so youthful at an age of one hundred and f…"
Slap
Linne's hand lands firmly on Menchi's ass, making her scream and squirm.
Alex smiles, thinking, damn, I saw the aura on her hand. That must hurt like a bitch. Her ass will probably have a hand imprint for at least a day… I kinda want to inspect it closer, not just for that reason.…
"Ouch!!! Master, what was that for?" Menchi complains, rubbing the spot.
Linne ignores her and turns to Alex, her expression calm.
"Anyway, what should I do now? Should I try again?" Alex asks, uncertain about how to proceed.
Surprisingly, Linne answers: "Take a break," she says gently. "You've just awakened your Nen abilities and opened your aura nodes. Don't push yourself by trying to explore your abilities on your own. For the rest of the day, take it easy. Tomorrow, we'll work on stabilizing your Ten further and start learning Zetsu. Don't rush, learning Nen requires mastering the basics first."
"Thank you. I'm pretty tired anyway, so I guess I'll rest for now," Alex replies, relief washing over him. He yawns as he adds, "It's been a long day, or night, I guess, since I didn't even get to sleep properly during the task." He recalls the exhausting hours of annoying tasks he was forced to endure.
Finally, Alex retreats to his small room and collapses onto the bed, letting his tired body sink into the mattress.
A lot happened, and Alex's long list of people he killed got longer, making his heart beat faster thinking, Don't think about it. You did what you had to do. If you'd just given up, you would return to the Realm without many gains and sooner or later die. You know this. Anyone who stands in your way needs to die, so that you yourself can survive! You did the right thing.
After a while, Alex manages to fall asleep. After what feels like an eternity, Alex wakes up and takes a look at his [Destiny Watch] and notices that he just slept for 1 hour. Can't be, he thinks. Don't tell me… yes… damn, I slept for 25 hours. SHIT.
Alex quickly gets up and sees that nobody is inside the room. They are probably watching the task… he sighs.
Alex decides to just calm and focus on his new ability Ten. He sits down and again closes his eyes, stopping his aura from leaking and leaving his body, and surrounds him instead. This kind of meditation feels really satisfying to Alex. He feels his body getting stronger. It's not easy for him to maintain Ten, but he feels like he is slowly getting the hang of it.
Time passes, and he is getting a bit tired again and opens his eyes, stopping his Ten. He sees Menchi and Linne have returned and are also doing some basic training.
As soon as Alex stops his Ten, Menchi complains, "Finally woke up? Didn't take you for a long sleeper. I tolerated it just this once since you had a long day and even opened your aura nodes. I hope it doesn't happen again. We don't have an endless amount of time."
Alex this time just responds with a simple, "Yes, I am sorry. I admit I overslept."
Linne and Menchi nod at him, probably satisfied with his honesty.
Menchi begins to explain. "Now you have already finished another training session focusing on Ten, and honestly, you were doing quite good. Your aura is pitifully weak, but it's quite calm and stable. While you need to work on it, strictly speaking from a technical standpoint, I think your Ten is at a very basic level but essentially you have learned it, in fact you are way ahead of where you should be at this point. Looks like you have some talent for Ten. Now I am teaching you Zetsu. As you know, Ten retains your aura that you usually release to build up a small aura, similar to invisible clothes around you, essentially stopping your aura from leaking away. Zetsu stops the flow of aura from your body altogether. You achieve that state by closing off all your aura nodes! Now… it's not that hard to get a basic grasp of it since you already opened all your aura nodes, and closing them is not that hard if you have control over them. The real difficulty is completely closing all your nodes… even advanced users can't close every single aura node, and experienced Nen users can detect even a tiny amount of aura."
Over the next 10 minutes, Menchi carefully observes Alex and constantly describes to him how he can close his aura nodes.
She says, "You need to master Zetsu. It's essential. Zetsu is useful for stealth, hiding yourself from strong enemies, but it's also super useful because it enhances your healing capabilities since the aura you usually expend is instead kept in your body! All basic techniques are also needed for…"
"Menchi… step by step," Linne interrupts her.
Alex continues his training, and it takes him about 30 minutes to get the hang of it, achieving a rudimentary mastery of Zetsu.
[Hidden Quest Updated:
Mission: Learn the Four Major Principles of Nen
Ten: 1/1 Zetsu: 1/1 Ren: 0/1 Hatsu: ERROR/1
…]
Alex Kerber: Lvl 3
HP: 220/220, MP: 180/180 AURA: ERROR/ERROR
Making progress, I guess, Alex thinks with a big smile on his face. Now I am just missing the second hardest technique out of the four Major Principles… Ren. Hatsu, it seems, I somehow already covered? I don't understand this. Let's focus on Ren for now.
Alex, without intending to waste time, looks at Menchi with a serious face and says, "Menchi… I want to move on to the next step!"
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