113 Second Nen

Ronnel sat perched in the branches of a massive tree at the edge of a dense forest, patiently waiting. His second Nen ability needed one last verification, and Tonpa—unfortunately for him—was about to be the final test subject.

During the two days aboard the airship, Ronnel had been refining every aspect of this new ability. Now, everything was in place, all he needed was Tonpa to confirm the outcome.

From his vantage point, Ronnel spotted Tonpa stepping off, his familiar round frame and cautious demeanor unmistakable. Tonpa's eyes darted around nervously as he entered the forest, vanishing into the dense foliage.

Without hesitation, Ronnel pressed the tip of his foot against the tree branch and disappeared into the shadows, silently following.

Tonpa, oblivious to the hunter tailing him, grinned to himself as he pressed deeper into the forest.

"I can't believe I made it this far," he muttered, still riding the high of his small victories. "Thirty-five years... and now with Sommy by my side, we'll definitely pass this time!"

The image of holding a Hunter License danced in Tonpa's mind, filling him with a rare sense of hope. But just as quickly, that hope crumbled.

Blocking his path stood a figure he'd hoped to avoid.

"Ronnel...?" Tonpa's voice trembled, fear tightening around his throat. The man standing in front of him was no ordinary contestant. No, in this secluded part of the forest, the only fate awaiting him at Ronnel's hands was death.

No... no, not like this, Tonpa thought, panic surging. I haven't even lived my dream yet!

Just as he was about to force a smile, pretending this was all some mistake, Tonpa's gaze fell to the small piece of paper in Ronnel's hand—the number 16 scrawled clearly on it.

Tonpa was his prey.

All hope abandoned him.

With every ounce of survival instinct his years in the Hunter Exams had sharpened, Tonpa acted. He tossed his number plate to the left and bolted to the right, his legs carrying him faster than they'd ever moved before.

But within mere seconds, his escape route was cut off. Ronnel stood in front of him again, catching the number plate mid-toss with a casual flick of his wrist. The look in Ronnel's eyes told Tonpa everything: there would be no escape.

"Ro... Ronne—"

Before he could finish, Ronnel vanished again, and a sharp pain flared in Tonpa's throat. His vision blurred, the world spinning as his body gave out beneath him.

"Snap."

Tonpa's limp body hit the ground with a dull thud, and Ronnel appeared beside him, calm and calculating.

"Thirty-five years... all for this," Ronnel whispered, crouching down next to Tonpa. He didn't activate his Gravekeeper's Grasp just yet. Instead, he extended his hand, his second Nen ability ready to be unleashed.

"Now... let's begin, Energy of the Undead."

A dark, unseen energy swirled around Ronnel's hand, invisible to the naked eye—even a trained Nen user would struggle to perceive it. Under this black aura, Tonpa's lifeless body began to twitch.

From within Tonpa, a sickly green light burst forth, only to be swiftly enveloped by the inky blackness in Ronnel's palm. The death energy and corpse poison that had gathered in Tonpa's body were absorbed into Ronnel's Nen, fueling his newly awakened power.

As quickly as the black light appeared, it vanished, and with it, the trace of life from Tonpa's form. Above Tonpa, a malevolent force began to take shape—a pitch-black grudge, the embodiment of Tonpa's despair.

Ronnel, with a single wave of his hand, dispelled the curse as easily as one might brush aside a leaf.

In his palm now glowed two halos, remnants of the power he had just absorbed. But he didn't examine them immediately. His focus was elsewhere—on the satisfaction of his second Nen's completion.

Second Nen Ability: Energy of the Undead

Effect:

Stores death energy and corpse poison from the deceased, to be unleashed against enemies.The more deaths Ronnel causes, the greater the buildup of corpse poison and death energy, amplifying the attack's strength.Kills made directly by Ronnel yield twice as much energy.

Limitations:

Extracting death energy and corpse poison from corpses increases the resentment held by the deceased, leading to potential attacks from vengeful spirits.As the buildup of death energy grows, so too does the strength of the accumulated grudges.

Ronnel knew the power he now wielded was dangerous—an offensive ability focused on the raw, unrelenting force of death. In the martial arts-driven world of Hunter x Hunter, few would expect a technique like this, making it all the more lethal.

Even those capable of withstanding the initial attack would find the corpse poison coursing through their veins, slowly killing them long after the battle had ended.

It was a vicious, relentless form of Nen, but that suited Ronnel just fine.

As for the resentment it would attract? Ronnel simply smiled.

He had already accounted for that.

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