Luo Ning's fingertips, as he held the manga book, quickly formed a number using Nen aura.
"Three." Neon, who was nearby tinkering with a craft project, quickly called out the answer.
Neon was currently working on a pair of bat wings she had brought back earlier, which she had harvested from the Shadow Beast, Bat. She planned to turn them into specimens; she thoroughly enjoyed the preservation process.
Luo Ning didn't quite understand the appeal, but he showed respect. At the very least, the specimen Neon had made from the remains of the Phantom Troupe's Number 11, Uvogin, was quite artistic. Moreover, if necessary, it could certainly be used to create a Reanimated Uvogin. That piece was currently displayed in the room's showcase, considered Neon's first work of art.
For this hobby, she hadn't just signed up for classes in Yorknew City; she had also used the Hunter privileges rented from Kurapika to find instructional videos from professional Hunters on the official website. She was, one could say, fully invested.
Kurapika, looking somewhat helpless, began doing push-ups while maintaining [REN]. "If I were in Chrollo Lucilfer's position, I would also suspend the pursuit of us. During our previous meeting at the Adley Hotel, the presence of Muherr and the others I hired, combined with your recent breakthroughs, has continuously lowered Chrollo Lucilfer's perceived success rate in killing us. Based on the character analysis you provided, it's clear he possesses incredible insight and analytical skills. His style is meticulous. Given that he can't be one hundred percent sure of crushing us right now, his best move is to retreat briefly, gather strength, search for a weakness, and then return for a fatal blow once victory is guaranteed."
"So, that leaves us with three choices," Kurapika said, his breathing already becoming unstable. The continuous physical training combined with constant deep thought was making his head throb, but he pushed on. "One: ignore Greed Island and bet that Phantom Troupe members will still try to snatch the Scarlet Eyes from us. We can use that as an opportunity to target members of the Phantom Troupe while they are acting individually, thereby reducing their numbers. Two: also purchase Greed Island, enter the game to find the Phantom Troupe members, and kill them within the game to achieve revenge and thin their ranks. Finally: ignore the Troupe's movements entirely. We continue searching for the Scarlet Eyes as planned, building our strength until we can completely annihilate them when they eventually return."
Luo Ning fell into a contemplative silence. At the same time, the Nen on his fingers began to shift shape rapidly. Instead of forming a number immediately, it became a tangled mess, as if mimicking his current chaotic thoughts.
The eyes of Kurapika and Neon were fixed on the Nen in Luo Ning's hand. Both had already activated [GYO]. However, compared to Neon, who didn't need to expend much Nen while working on her specimens, Kurapika's state was far more arduous. A patch of the floor was already wet with sweat; Kurapika felt like he was nearing his limit.
Just then, the number on Luo Ning's finger settled on 1.
"One!" Kurapika shouted, incredibly fast.
"Hmph." Neon gave a cold snort, put down her tools, and joined in on the push-ups.
"Actually, entering Greed Island to find them is also a good choice. In short, thinning out the Phantom Troupe members ahead of time would be great," Luo Ning said, explaining his dilemma.
In Luo Ning's view, the first option Kurapika provided was relatively conservative, while the second was slightly aggressive. But rather than taking immediate offensive action, Luo Ning wanted to get his hands on the remaining sixteen pairs of Scarlet Eyes outside of Kakin first.
Assuming each pair could provide him with 5,000 units of aura, sixteen pairs would stack his total aura to nearly 130,000. And that didn't even account for the progress he would make through his own training while collecting the eyes!
An aura of 130,000 might still be far from the Chimera Ant King or the Royal Guards, but against anyone else, it would place him among the ranks of top-tier powerhouses. Specifically, as an Enhancer with a potential aura of 130,000, the destructive power he could unleash would be terrifying.
During his previous battle with Uvogin, Luo Ning could clearly feel that Uvogin's aura was at most around 40,000, which was similar to his current level. Even if Uvogin were given three years of focused training—even assuming he trained with all his might—his aura would likely only increase by twenty or thirty thousand.
After all, Bisky had explicitly stated while training Gon Freecss that for every ten-minute extension of [REN], it required a full month of practice. Luo Ning had experienced this himself during his previous three months of training. Even with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode stimulating his body's growth, the Added-Weight Rock Jutsu assisting his workouts, and Kurapika providing faster recovery, his aura had only increased by about 5,000 in three months.
Under normal circumstances, increasing aura by 600 to 800 in a month of full-effort training is considered the limit! Furthermore, aura isn't something that can be increased infinitely; hard work, talent, and aptitude all influence its growth. Moreover, training isn't just about increasing one's own aura; developing finishing moves, honing Nen techniques, and gaining combat experience are all vital.
Cases like Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck rapidly increasing their aura by over ten thousand in a single month were essentially 'cheating.' One could only say that Bisky's Nen ability was truly too powerful for assisting training, and the talent of Killua Zoldyck and Gon Freecss was simply excessive. The combination of the two, plus an intense desire to grow stronger, resulted in Gon Freecss's ultra-fast progress in that short month. That kind of situation is too difficult to replicate!
As for how Kurapika was able to kill Uvogin after only about half a year of learning Nen, it can only be said that the Vows and Restrictions he placed upon himself were too brutal. His ability was tailor-made specifically for killing the Phantom Troupe. It was power obtained only after he bet his life and his future!
"I'll defer to your suggestion." Luo Ning ultimately left the choice in Kurapika's hands. An aura of 45,000 was already, in his view, at the level of an elite member of the Phantom Troupe at this stage. Therefore, except for the third option which he found hard to accept, Luo Ning could live with whichever one Kurapika chose.
"I intend to pursue both," Kurapika said, voicing his thoughts. "In the short term, it's impossible for the Phantom Troupe to clear Greed Island, but there is a certain probability they could find a card capable of healing injuries. Regardless, entering and clearing the game will provide us with certain advantages. So, we have time to finish option one first. Meaning, we collect the Scarlet Eyes as quickly as possible. If we find traces of the Phantom Troupe during that time, we'll turn the tables and hunt them. If we don't encounter them, we'll use that time to find a way to enter Greed Island. The idea of buying Greed Island is unrealistic; we don't have enough money."
Luo Ning understood why Kurapika said they lacked funds. After taking control of Raymond's identity as one of the Ten Community Leaders, their wealth had indeed increased. However, the increase wasn't as much as Luo Ning had imagined. The amount of liquid capital that Raymond, as one of the Ten Community Leaders, could mobilize was actually only around ten billion.
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