In the campsite, illuminated by the flickering bonfire, Jin picked up a sturdy branch and began to sketch on the damp earth beside them.
"Now, let's temporarily distinguish between the 'you' before transmigration and the original 'you' of this world. We'll call them A and B respectively." As he spoke, he drew two simple stick figures in the dirt: one representing Kevin A (his original self), and the other Kevin B (the body's original owner).
"B was killed by me at the time. Death is a gradual process. Bodily functions cease progressively, the brain may lose consciousness due to trauma or oxygen deprivation, consciousness fades, and finally the soul dissipates. That's the complete process of death." Jin drew a horizontal line next to figure B to represent this progression.
"Wait, do souls actually exist?" Kevin couldn't help but interject, desperately needing more concrete information. The existence of souls, however, clearly wasn't something easily proven.
Jin looked at him and nodded. "Setting your special case aside for a moment, the existence of souls has been an established fact since ancient times. Nen abilities that steal bodies, capture souls, or imprison spirits aren't unheard of; they're just exceedingly rare, and documented cases are even rarer." This suggested the existence of souls was undeniable.
Returning to the main thread, Jin continued to draw and annotate on the ground. "Right at that moment, you—that is, A—died. According to you, you were hit by a car." He drew a large 'X' over figure A, then drew an arcing arrow from its head pointing toward the horizontal line next to B.
"Simultaneously, your soul, through some unknown means, arrived here, precisely as B was in the final stage of death. I speculate it was at the exact moment the soul was about to dissipate." As he spoke, Jin drew a new stick figure at the end of the horizontal line. It had B's outer outline, but with an 'A' inside, representing the current Kevin—A's soul occupying B's body.
"A originally had no Nen. B did. Nen is the fusion of aura and will. At that moment, it was primarily the aura that mattered. This body's Nen pores were already open, and because you possessed it in time, the body instinctively used Ten. This peculiar process not only gave rise to Post-Mortem Nen but also triggered an even more unusual phenomenon." At this point, Jin pointed at Kevin. "You're extraordinarily skilled at controlling Nen, aren't you?"
Kevin nodded. He extended a finger, and his aura shifted and morphed under his will like malleable clay, taking on various intricate shapes with effortless precision.
Jin also extended a finger and performed a similar, equally fluid demonstration. "I can do that too. But this is the result of over a decade of learning and mastering Nen techniques, combined with my own considerable innate talent. I can tell you clearly, there are no more than ten people in this world with this level of control. And you… in terms of Nen manipulation, you easily reached a level comparable to mine. This can no longer be explained by talent alone. As long as one is human, talent always has its limits."
Hearing this, Kevin resonated deeply. He'd already noticed this himself. His effortless mastery of Nen had even astonished Bisky, a Nen user with decades of experience.
"Remember?" Jin continued. "Post-Mortem Nen is formed by obsession. But B couldn't have possessed such a powerful, focused obsession. It must have been influenced by an external force to undergo this change. That is to say, your arrival was perfectly timed. Just as B's will and soul were about to completely dissipate, your appearance reactivated this body."
Kevin had had many speculations about how he transmigrated and why he ended up like this. But he couldn't make such logically sound deductions like Jin. After all, his understanding of Nen theory was far inferior. Jin was forming this hypothesis based on having witnessed the transmigration process firsthand and his own vast, encyclopedic knowledge.
"The scattered aura was thus able to restabilize. Fragments of will and soul were preserved, giving rise to this special Post-Mortem Nen. This Post-Mortem Nen not only retained the effects of the original Nen ability but was even enhanced, though its side effects are much milder compared to true Post-Mortem Nen. You should understand: Nen is the fusion of aura and will. In this process, some soul fragments were absorbed by the aura. Your own soul, after entering this body, merged with it."
The process of absorbing memories is actually about consuming soul fragments remaining in the brain and establishing a connection with the soul fragments in the body's aura.
This is like you integrating a part of your will and soul into the aura. Although this part of the will in the Nen is not entirely yours, it acts like a part of yourself, thus creating the current situation."
Ging excitedly recounted his speculation, speaking a long passage in one breath, elaborating on his views in detail.
This was also the first time he had encountered such a situation. He had consulted many materials and carefully speculated for a long time to reach this conclusion, and it might not even be entirely accurate.
"Every part of this process can find similar corroboration in other people; it's just that your situation is special, leading to these phenomena occurring in succession."
Kevin couldn't be sure if Ging's speculation was correct, as these were difficult to verify in practice.
He looked at the aura easily controlled in his palm and could confirm that, to him, this aura was indeed very easy to control, and his will could be precisely transmitted through it.
Ging seemed to read his mind and said, "It's not difficult to verify. You can try to make your [En] into an irregular shape."
An irregularly shaped [En]? Is that really possible?
In Kevin's understanding, wasn't [En] called [En] precisely because it could only expand outwards in a circular shape?
"Why not give it a try? It only takes a little time and effort to get the answer."
Kevin nodded: "I will try."
"Also, your original Nen Ability, you can try to adjust its function.
And resolve its side effects. When you truly master the resentment, it will naturally disappear, after all, you are alive. Your current ability is much stronger than your original self."
Hearing Ging say this, Kevin shook his head helplessly: "I've tried. Although I can control it, and it is essentially my Nen Ability, trying to change it is almost impossible."
Unexpectedly, Ging also shook his head: "I am a Hunter of ruins, and I have seen countless Post-mortem Nen and various ancient Nen. Whether it is true Post-mortem Nen, or what kind of Post-mortem Nen, I can tell at a glance."
In ancient times, various sacrifices and bloody massacres were common, far more brutal than in modern times.
The Post-mortem Nen arising from these and the products of various evil rituals often appeared in ruins. Ging had seen much of these and understood various forms.
"Don't try to forcibly control it, but try to merge. You should have started to slowly accept your current self; at least now, you dare to look in the mirror, aren't you?"
Kevin was struck by Ging's words and fell into contemplation.
He had to admit that, in reality, he had not fully accepted his current self before.
If it weren't for his face gradually changing back to his original self over time, he would truly resist looking in the mirror.
Facing that unfamiliar face in the mirror, yet making his familiar expressions, that feeling was like a horror story coming to life; even after a long time, it would still be chilling.
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
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