Chapter 12

After all, there was no limit to the modifications, and no limit to the content of Rocky's alterations.

What if Rocky modified his abilities to something godlike, saintly, or even surpassed all creatures in existence? Could he add precise descriptors, like "ultimate talent" or "heaven-defying enlightenment"?

Rocky suddenly wondered if such modifications were possible. It seemed that, upon reflection, he shouldn't limit his thinking. From a different perspective, it wasn't entirely impossible.

But for now, he had to wait 55 days before he could try.

What was more frustrating was that, during his last modification, he hadn't checked the new information column, and now he didn't know what new data had appeared after the reevaluation.

When he checked, no new information was visible. Rocky considered the possibilities. There were two main ones:

First, the last modification had been too conservative, resulting in no new information column.

Second, if the information column wasn't reviewed, its content wouldn't appear until the next modification was granted, and the reevaluation process was completed. In other words, he would have to wait for the next opportunity to see it.

"Little Rocky…"

"Rocky!"

Suddenly, as Rocky was recovering his mind, he heard shouts from below.

Rocky frowned. The voices belonged to the adults of the Kuruta tribe, not children. Their deep, anxious voices made it clear they were worried.

Rocky stood up, tossing the sword in his hand. He raised his hand and threw it forcefully downward.

The combined force of gravity, along with his burst of energy, made him fall 150 meters in a few breaths.

"Phantom Shift!"

In an instant, Rocky appeared midair, his body glowing like a white crystal. He grabbed the Sword of the Wise King and spun it handsomely in the air before throwing it again.

This time, with less than ten meters to the ground, Rocky activated the shift once more.

He turned in midair, landing gracefully and releasing his power.

The Sword of the Sage King slowly dissipated, becoming transparent as it floated around Rocky, rotating slowly. From now on, Rocky would need to constantly consume Nen to keep the sword around him.

However, as long as he didn't want others to interact with it, the sword would remain undetectable. This was not a hidden ability, but a part of his Nen. Though it consumed a considerable amount of Nen, as his strength grew, he imagined that the consumption would eventually be negligible in comparison to his Nen recovery rate.

"Found him here!"

Suddenly, a Kuruta tribe member, one Rocky hadn't seen before, appeared more than ten meters ahead of him. He seemed to look at Rocky in surprise, sensing a Nen wave in the air. But it was odd—Rocky had appeared out of nowhere!

"What's going on?"

Rocky eyed the man, his brow furrowing. "Who are you? Why are you looking for me?"

The man looked at him with disbelief. "You little brat, even if you go out to play, at least say hello to the chief!"

"Every year, some children get lost in the forest. Although the beasts have been driven out, it's still dangerous!"

Understanding now, Rocky realized that the chief had likely thought he was lost and had sent someone to search for him.

Once the tribe member found Rocky, the others breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Back at the chief's house, Rocky found most of the tribe gathered there, looking concerned. As they all chided him for wandering off, Rocky realized that while some appeared fierce, they were clearly a close-knit group. The tribe had a strong bond, and the atmosphere was warm.

Rocky also noticed that the flow of Nen from more than a dozen of the tribespeople was incredibly strong. That was remarkable—more than a dozen Nen users in a tribe of just over a hundred people. The probability of Nen manifesting was about one in a million, but the Kuruta tribe's rate was nearly one in ten.

Rocky marveled at the high concentration of Nen users in the tribe, especially considering their fiery red eyes. This was not only due to the special bloodline but also the environment they lived in.

As he surveyed the crowd, Rocky spotted Kurapika among them. Although Kurapika was only twelve now, the resemblance was unmistakable. Despite the age difference, Rocky recognized the figure, and his eyes lit up with excitement. This was his first formal encounter with one of the protagonist group members!

However, before he could approach, the tribe leader, his grandfather, pulled him into the house.

"Little Rocky, what's wrong with you today? Why aren't you practicing properly and went off to play?"

"I may have been a bit harsh last time. Don't take it to heart. You're still young, and there's plenty of time for you to grow. Don't be discouraged!"

Rocky smiled helplessly. It seemed the old man thought he'd lost confidence in his Nen training because of their previous conversation.

"I went out to test my abilities!"

"Oh! So that's it. That's good. You have great talent, Little Rocky. You'll definitely…"

Suddenly, the patriarch paused, looking at him in confusion. "Wait, what did you say?"

"I said I went out to find a place to test my abilities," Rocky repeated.

The patriarch squatted down, gripping Rocky's shoulders tightly. "Have you developed your abilities?"

Rocky nodded, feeling no need to hide it. The chief had been guiding him in his training, and he had some questions about Nen he wanted to ask.

"What ability did you develop?" the chief asked.

Rocky smiled, raised his hand, and the Sword of the Wise King appeared in a flash, its white crystal glowing as it materialized. The chief had seen this before and wasn't particularly surprised. But then, Rocky threw the sword into the room.

The patriarch was still wondering what Rocky was up to when, in an instant, Rocky appeared in the air, caught the sword, and landed gracefully. He spun the sword and let it go, only to disappear again in a blink.

The patriarch stared, his mouth agape. "You… You really succeeded?"

A few days ago, there had been no such ability. How could Rocky have developed it so quickly?

"Teleportation..." The chief murmured. There was a restriction that weapons were necessary for it to work, and the teleportation could only occur where the weapon reached. But even so, it was still teleportation.

Even now, the chief couldn't fully comprehend how terrifying this ability could be in battle once it was fully developed.

"What's the name of this ability?"

"Apparition!"

The chief swallowed hard, his expression a mixture of excitement, worry, and awe. "You've really done it... But, Rocky, this ability... it might have consequences. You've unknowingly touched the constraints and oaths. This is dangerous territory."

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