Inside the glass, the water began to churn and boil as if over a fierce flame, bubbles roiling to the surface. Steam wafted from its mouth. The green leaf floating atop it dissolved completely under the sudden heat, melting into the liquid and tinting the clear water a faint, translucent green. Yet the transformation didn't stop there—tiny, shimmering particles of a dark, charcoal-like hue appeared and began to drift and swirl within the verdant liquid before the changes finally settled.
Mori watched, his expression openly astonished. He understood the Nen system well, but he had never seen or heard of a reaction like this. His gaze shifted to Bisky, seeking an explanation.
Unfazed, Bisky dipped a finger into the liquid, first smelling it, then tasting a drop. "The water tastes vegetal—sweet with an underlying bitterness. The leaf has been assimilated into the water itself. This change does not correspond to any of the five standard system reactions."
Kevin understood now. *Specialization.* It wasn't Conjuration, nor was it Enhancement alone.
Now, thinking carefully about his Nen ability—using materials he possessed, understanding their properties to refine potions… The elixirs he created were like items from a game, granting specific buffs or effects. It didn't cleanly fit the descriptions of the other five systems at all.
Bisky's voice cut through his thoughts. "Your Nen simultaneously exhibits traits of Enhancement and Specialization—two systems positioned opposite each other on the chart. And the aura you display perfectly mirrors your… unique situation."
"What do you mean?" Kevin asked, confused.
"This involves the relational properties of the Six Systems I hadn't finished explaining." As she spoke, the pointer reappeared in her hand, and she tapped the hexagon on the blackboard. "While every Nen user has an innate affinity, it doesn't mean they cannot utilize the traits of other systems. They simply cannot wield them with full efficiency."
She traced the connections on the diagram. "Assume you are a pure Enhancer. Your Efficiency with Enhancement is 100%. With the adjacent systems—Emission and Transmutation—you can achieve about 80% efficiency. With the systems next to those—Conjuration and Manipulation, which are opposite your affinity—your efficiency drops to about 60%. The system diametrically opposite your innate type is your weakest, with only about 40% efficiency."
From her analysis, Kevin's Enhancement traits leaned toward the Transmutation side. And his Specialization traits seemed to skew toward Conjuration.
Listening closely, Kevin studied the hexagonal chart:
**Enhancement — Transmutation — Conjuration — Specialization — Manipulation — Emission**
…forming a closed loop, each point connected by lines.
A realization struck him. "In that case, for the Specialization System…"
"Correct," Bisky confirmed. "Specialization is not a system one can choose to train in from the outset. You either have it, or you don't. There is no 'practice' to become a Specialist. Therefore, Specialists are exceedingly rare, and their abilities are often… unconventional."
"Then," Kevin followed the logic on the chart, "wouldn't Specialists naturally have one less '80% efficiency' system available to them compared to others?" It seemed like a disadvantage.
Bisky nodded. "In terms of adjacent high-efficiency options, yes. However, while Specialization is innate, it does not mean other systems cannot evolve into it later—though the probability is vanishingly small. Among them, Conjurers and Manipulators have a slightly higher, though still minuscule, chance of transforming into Specialists."
From her tone, being a Specialist, despite the trade-off, implied a form of significant potential. Kevin immediately grasped the implication for himself.
"So, my ability… 'A Moment of Dream'… it originated from this body's original owner, likely a Conjurer with strong Transmutation leanings. But I am an Enhancer with a latent Specialist affinity. The ability I inherited doesn't match my natural efficiency chart."
"Precisely," Bisky said, her gaze sharp. "You are trying to wield a complex, hybrid Conjuration-Transmutation ability with the soul of an Enhancer-Specialist. It's no wonder your control is inconsistent and your aura sends conflicting signals. You are, quite literally, at odds with your own power."
He couldn't help but exclaim, "So, that means I have two systems at 100% efficiency, and the other four at 80%? With no weaker systems at all?"
If viewed that way, this unique arrangement of aptitudes and synergies could very well be considered his "golden finger," his unique advantage.
Bisky gave a firm nod. That was precisely what she meant. The series of illogical circumstances surrounding Kevin made her understand why Jin had gone to such lengths to entrust his training to her. It wasn't mere boasting—in such a uniquely complex case, there were few in the world whose teaching experience could rival hers in guiding him. Her seasoned eye could instantly identify discrepancies and core issues.
Seeing Kevin's budding excitement, however, she promptly poured cold water on it. "Don't celebrate too soon. In most cases, a Nen user will focus all their training on their primary system. Only when they hit a significant plateau in that system will they begin training in adjacent ones to augment their overall combat power."
Taking the lesson to heart, Kevin nodded humbly. He understood the principle: don't be overly ambitious. A person's focus is finite. Mastery in one area leads to greater depth. To know everything is often to master nothing.
Yet, Bisky continued, outlining her method. "We of the Shingen-ryu school employ the 'Mountain' Character Training Method."
"The 'Mountain' method?"
"Correct. You cultivate your primary system as the central peak, while simultaneously developing the two adjacent systems as supporting ridges, all improving in tandem. For you, the focus should be **Enhancement** as your core, supported by **Transmutation** and **Emission.** As for the others…" she gestured to the remaining systems on the chart, "you can address them if and when you reach a bottleneck in your primary triad."
Bisky had already discerned that while Specialization was present, Kevin's essential nature was that of an Enhancer.
Kevin nodded, a renewed sense of direction settling over him.
Observing his optimistic demeanor, Bisky's own expression remained composed. Her earlier surprise at his Nen went far deeper than merely possessing two opposing systems. Such a duality, while rare, was not unprecedented in the vast, strange world of Nen. All manner of accidents, rituals, inheritances, or even orchestrated experiments by powerful organizations could produce similar phenomena.
What truly concerned her, what lay beneath the surface, was the nature of the ability itself. It bore the hallmarks of Post-Mortem Nen.
When a person died gripped by intense obsession or hatred, their lingering aura could transform into a potent, often malignant, force. If that person was a Nen user, their ability could persist and even mutate into something more powerful and unpredictable, forever tied to its creator's final, fixated desire.
Such forces were almost never a blessing.
Yet here was Post-Mortem Nen, not haunting a place or object, but perfectly integrated into a living person. Kevin wielded it as effortlessly as his own innate aura, with the two streams so completely fused they had even altered his apparent Nen-type affinity. Had she not possessed decades of deep experience, she might have missed the subtle, discordant resonance within the power. She had never encountered a case like this.
This was not knowledge for Kevin at his current stage. Revealing the potentially cursed nature of his power could make it volatile, even uncontrollable. She needed to observe him closely during training, to understand how this fusion had occurred and, more critically, to discern the obsession that powered it. The conditions for such a perfect merger were exceedingly stringent.
When she combined this with Kevin's amnesia, his disjointed skills, and all the other illogical pieces of his existence, they began to point toward a staggering possibility. Bisky felt she was on the verge of glimpsing a profound secret, one that sharpened her curiosity into a razor's edge.
"Today's lesson ends here," she announced abruptly, cutting off her own line of thought. "Now, pack your things. We're leaving. You can do more thinking on the way."
"On the way? To where?" Kevin asked, even as his body automatically began gathering his few belongings in the hotel room.
"An apprentice doesn't ask so many questions. He listens to his master," Bisky stated, hands on her hips in a perfect teacher's pose.
Kevin could only acquiesce. "Yes, Master."
"Heh heh." A smug smile played on Bisky's lips. This kid learns fast.
Soon, they were en route to the airport. Everything had been prepared in advance; the airship tickets had been booked before Bisky and Mori even arrived, a ticket for Kevin included.
As they traveled, Bisky laid out the immediate plan. "Your situation is unique. Your foundational knowledge and combat instincts are practically non-existent, like a novice's, yet your aura application has already reached a professional level, complete with a fully realized Nen ability. Coupled with your amnesia, your training must begin with rehabilitation. We need to rebuild your foundation from the ground up."
Kevin nodded. Jin had said something similar. To be honest, he felt a surge of anticipation. The path ahead was daunting, but for the first time, it had a clear beginning.
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