Chương 34: Aptitude

Over the next few days, the Troupe began to settle into its new shape. They were no longer strangers. Conversations came more easily, and the distance between the two original groups gradually faded. The spider tattoos Machi had been asked to create were completed one by one. After considering the matter for a long time, Aren placed his tattoo on his back. Uvogin and Nobunaga had once been the Bruised Duo. Now they had become the Four Bruised Kings.

Feitan had seen the two of them training every day and refused to be left behind. Uvogin promptly dragged Franklin into the sessions as well. At first, Feitan and Franklin were no match for Uvogin and Nobunaga. The beatings were not gentle. After quietly checking with Aren, however, Uvogin and Nobunaga began teaching the others the training methods and advanced applications they had learned from him. They were not the kind of people who hoarded useful knowledge.

It also spared Aren from giving the same lessons again. Everyone knew where the techniques had truly come from. No one would have believed that Uvogin and Nobunaga had discovered advanced Nen training on their own. Fortunately, Franklin was an Emitter. If he had been a Manipulator or Conjurer, Aren would not have known how to design a proper training regimen for his category. Biscuit Krueger's lessons in the future he remembered focused on Enhancement, Transmutation, and Emission.

Specialists were even more complicated. Every Specialist was different. There was no standardized path for Chrollo or Pakunoda to follow. One day, Aren saw the four fighters enjoying themselves and joined their sparring session. Four against one. The outcome did not change. Limitless Technique toyed with them so thoroughly that Feitan started swearing in the language of his homeland. Satisfied after showing off, Aren went upstairs and left the four of them sprawled on the ground beneath a cloud of frustration.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He had begun to form an idea for his next ability. Any desire Feitan had once possessed to defeat Aren was quietly smothered that day.

'That monster is impossible to beat.' Elsewhere in the base, Machi and Pakunoda got along far better than Aren had expected. Machi was cold and guarded, and the two girls had chosen to stand beside different people within the Troupe. Aren had assumed they would find it difficult to grow close. Instead, they quickly found common ground. Aren could only conclude that friendship between girls remained as mysterious in this world as it had been in his previous one.

Even his professional background as a psychologist did not help him explain it. What he did not know was that Machi and Pakunoda had recognized something familiar in each other from the moment they met. They were alike, not because of their gender, but because of the way they had grown up. Both considered Meteor City their home. Both had also seen the ugliness it produced. Pakunoda's childhood before meeting Chrollo had not been so different from Machi's.

Lies, greed, deception, and the ugliest parts of human nature had surrounded her every day. Her future Nen ability would be the power to explore memories. Nen reflected the heart. Like Machi, Pakunoda already possessed something unusual: a gaze that seemed to reach into the depths of a person's memories. She could recognize lies with ease, and that instinct had helped her survive. It was only natural that two people shaped by similar experiences would understand one another quickly. Aren knew none of that.

From his perspective, they had simply performed some mysterious feat of social bonding. One afternoon, he lay back in a chair in the yard, eating an ice cream bar he had created while watching the four beginners trade blows. Footsteps approached from outside.

"Captain," Aren called when Chrollo appeared.

"You're back. Did you get the exit permits?" Chrollo did not answer immediately. He walked over and sat in the empty chair beside Aren.

"Not yet. A small complication came up."

"The elders changed their minds?" Aren shifted slightly.

"That makes no sense after everything they've already invested."

"They have not changed their minds. The head elder wants to confirm our aptitude." Chrollo paused.

"In his words, he needs proof that we are capable of avoiding capture. Even failure is acceptable if we can return safely."

"I see. What are you planning to do?" It felt wonderful not to be responsible for every decision. If Aren had been working alone, he would have needed to solve each problem himself.

"I told them they could confirm whether our deputy leader has that ability tomorrow." Chrollo gave him a mild smile. Aren stared at him.

'You passed the entire problem to me?' Going to the elders meant another walk through the garbage outside the base.

"There was no better option," Chrollo said innocently.

"You are the strongest member of the Troupe." Aren almost accepted the logic before catching himself.

'That isn't the point. You were supposed to handle the permits.'

"Please help us, deputy leader." Without waiting for an answer, Chrollo produced a book and began reading. Aren could only give in. He had chosen his favorite character as captain. This was the price. Besides, the elders' people could serve as useful measuring sticks. Aren had grown powerful quickly, but the outside world remained dangerous. Strange Nen abilities were often worse than raw strength.

Alluka and Nanika could twist causality itself, and no one could say with certainty whether something like that could kill him. At present, all Aren truly knew was that his regeneration was extraordinary and his vitality absurd. That was not a reason to become arrogant. He hoped the elders would send someone capable enough to remind him of that.