After returning to his room, Conrad closed the door behind him and locked it.
He stood in the middle of the room for a moment, breathing slowly.
Then he raised his hand and looked at the black ring on his pinky finger.
"So," he murmured, "let's begin."
Conrad sat down on the edge of the bed and entered Ten, letting his aura flow smoothly over his body.
He didn't rush.
This wasn't about forcing Nen into the ring it was about imbuing intent.
He focused on everything he had learned over the past week: calmness under pressure and most important the refusal to panic even when death was close.
More than that, he focused on his will to stay calm.
He slowly directed his Nen into the ring,
Each pulse of aura carried his will, his intent to stay calm and collected against the threat of death.
He wanted to stay calm so that he can always plan his next step in a battle or in a dire situation.
Minutes passed.
The ring grew slightly warm.
Conrad closed his eyes and whispered, his voice calm and steady.
"Black Ring - State of Calm."
The moment the words left his lips, his Nen responded.
A dark-gray aura spread outward from his body, thin and even, like a veil.
It didn't flare or pressure the air, wrapping around him naturally.
Conrad opened his eyes.
He took a slow breath and noticed the difference immediately.
Memories felt organized.
The lingering emotional weight of past events dulled.
"…It's active," he said quietly.
There was no excitement in his voice.
"I can think more clearly," Conrad continued, observing changes within.
He flexed his fingers, rotated his wrist, tested his breathing.
Everything felt normal too normal.
That was the true effect.
There was no surge of power.
Just stability.
"It also acts as an emotional blocker," he realized.
Strong emotional spikes were smoothed out before they could take control.
He could still feel, still react, but emotions no longer hijacked his decision-making.
Conrad nodded slowly.
"This is good," he said. "Very good."
But he didn't let himself relax completely.
He paid close attention to the subtle strain behind the clarity.
A faint pressure in his head.
Not pain just feedback.
That was acceptable.
After several minutes, Conrad exhaled and deactivated the ability.
The dark-gray aura faded instantly, and the normal weight of emotions returned not overwhelming, just present.
He leaned back on the bed and let out a breath.
"It works," he said with a small smile.
This wasn't a flashy Nen ability.
After confirming the success of his first Nen ability, Conrad closed his eyes for a moment and let his breathing settle.
There was no rush now.
The most dangerous moment creation was already behind him.
He reached for a notebook and a pen.
Nen abilities were not something to leave vague in the mind.
Conrad believed that writing things down helped solidify intent, even if the paper itself held no Nen.
Some sort of a ritual, like making an agreement official and signing on it.
He carefully wrote the title at the top of the page.
Black Ring – State of Calm
Then, line by line, he began defining it.
The ability can only be used while the while the "Black Ring" is worn.
If the ring is destroyed, lost, or removed forcefully, the ability becomes unusable.
To recreate the same effect, a new Nen ability must be created from scratch.
Conrad paused for a moment before continuing.
That condition felt right.
It added risk.
If he relied on it too much and lost it, the price would be permanent not temporary inconvenience.
He continued writing.
While active, the ability siphons a small but constant amount of aura.
One hour of continuous activation results in one minute of weakened mental capacity after deactivation.
During this weakened state, reaction speed and focus are reduced.
He underlined that part twice.
"This is important," he murmured.
Without a clear drawback, the ability could become a crutch.
The backlash ensured that he couldn't stay in a permanently calm state.
It forced him to choose when to use it.
He finished the notes, read everything once more, and then closed the notebook.
"That's good," Conrad said quietly.
The ability was simple,
It didn't conflict with his future plans, and it didn't demand constant maintenance.
With that done, Conrad leaned back in his chair.
"Now comes the boring part," he said with a faint smile.
Training.
Nen battles were chaotic,
A single bad exchange could end everything.
Conrad had already chosen his long-term path, but that didn't mean he could neglect the basics.
Especially the advanced applications.
"Ken," he thought. "Ryu."
Ten protected.
Ren amplified.
But Ken and Ryu decided close combat.
Ken was stability.
Full-body reinforcement.
The ability to take hits without collapsing.
He needed to keep his "Ken" which is more of a prolonged use of "Ren" more than one hour at the very least and if he can use it more than three to six hours, he would be a force to be reckoned with.
Without proper Ken, a Nen-enhanced strike could break bones.
Ryu was precision.
Shifting aura instantly to offense or defense.
It separated amateurs from experienced fighters.
Anyone who couldn't use Ryu properly was predictable and predictability was lethal.
"I need to be able to fight directly," Conrad admitted to himself.
Even as a mage-type Nen user, he couldn't rely entirely on tricks and preparation.
There would be moments when escape wasn't possible.
Moments when he would be forced into close combat against someone stronger or faster.
In those moments, Ken and Ryu would decide whether he lived.
He stood up and activated Ten, then slowly transitioned into Ren.
His aura thickened, wrapping around his body with greater density than before.
He held it steady, forcing himself not to rush.
"Ken," he said softly.
Instead of flaring his aura outward, he compressed it evenly across his entire body.
Arms. Legs. Torso. Head.
It wasn't perfect, but it was stable.
He could already feel the strain Ken demanded far more control than basic Ten.
He held it for thirty seconds.
Then forty.
Then fifty.
His muscles tensed, sweat forming slowly on his brow.
Keeping aura evenly distributed required constant attention.
After a minute, he released it and exhaled.
"Again."
He repeated the process several times, resting briefly between attempts.
Each time, he tried to make the distribution smoother, more natural.
After Ken, he moved on to Ryu.
He focused his aura into his right arm, then shifted it instantly to his left leg.
Too extreme, and another part of his body would be left vulnerable.
It would be more like a "Ko" than a "Ryu" at that point.
"This is harder than it looks," Conrad muttered.
But he didn't complain.
He practiced until his focus started to slip.
When that happened, he stopped immediately.
Pushing too far would only build bad habits.
As he sat down to rest, Conrad reflected on his progress.
One ability created.
Foundations set.