089 I Really Can't Teach You

After hearing the words, several people exchanged glances, and Kurapika, still driven by his desire for revenge, broke the silence.

"Well... Ronnel, how did your fight with Chairman Netero go earlier?"

"This one~" Ronnel paused as if he'd just realized something. "You'll find out when you become Hunters."

Upon hearing this, the group collectively slumped, their hopeful faces immediately deflating.

"But do you all still want to become Hunters?" Ronnel asked with a playful smirk.

"After all, the Hunter license isn't exactly easy to come by." Leorio scratched his head in frustration.

"Figures. Nothing with this exam has been simple."

Kurapika's tone grew more serious, reflecting the gravity of the situation. "This just proves there's more to the Hunter Association than meets the eye. There's got to be some deeper secret behind the license."

"Actually, it's not much of a secret," Ronnel said casually. "It's more of an unwritten rule~."

"What kind of rule?" Kurapika asked, intrigued.

"Generally speaking, it's something you're only told about after becoming a Hunter, but sometimes people stumble upon it by accident," Ronnel explained.

"Stumble upon what exactly?" Kurapika and Killua asked in unison.

"Nen. It's a technique that allows you to manipulate your life energy," Ronnel explained.

"Learning it is a requirement to become a true Hunter. It's not restricted to just Hunters, but it's kept quiet so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

The explanation left Gon and the others in a daze.

"Nen..." Kurapika mumbled, her mind already lost in thought.

"Wait, anyone can learn it?" Leorio suddenly perked up. "So does that mean you could teach us, Ronnel? If we learn Nen, passing the Hunter exam should be a piece of cake!"

"Well...there wouldn't be much of a problem with that, but~" Ronnel trailed off, watching the anticipation rise in their faces before delivering the kicker. "I really can't teach you."

"Eh? Why not?!" Leorio demanded, his frustration spilling over. Then it clicked.

"Oh, right. Your master... I remember you saying something about not being able to teach others without a Hunter license, right?"

"Partly, yes. There are many schools that specialize in Nen training. The one I belong to is called Shingen-ryu, and it's overseen by Chairman Netero."

"The Shingen-ryu..." Kurapika echoed thoughtfully.

"Since Chairman Netero is both the head of the school and the Chairman of the Hunter Association, he created a rule. Only those with a Hunter license can formally learn Nen. Even though it's not a strict law, it's something the school follows. And since I'm just a recent graduate, I haven't even fully mastered Nen myself yet. There's no way I could teach anyone else."

"That's understandable," Kurapika sighed in disappointment, lowering her head.

Killua, however, was furious.

"Father, Grandpa, even Illumi... they all know Nen. And they never told me! Damn it, that's just one more reason to take them down!" His fists clenched as his anger simmered.

"But," Ronnel continued, "even though I awakened Nen during the Hunter exam, I'm still not entirely familiar with it. Trying to train others in this environment would be more dangerous than helpful."

Seeing the disheartened expressions around him, Ronnel chuckled softly. "But hey, if you want to learn Nen, why not just pass the Hunter exam and get your license?"

Right! The Hunter exam! The realization struck them all at once.

Gon clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes. "I'm definitely going to become a Hunter!"

"Yeah!" the others echoed, their spirits reignited with renewed motivation.

...

As the sun rose, the airship slowly descended, bringing them to the next phase of the exam—the Trick Tower.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone," announced Beans, the personal secretary and helps in organizing various things of the Hunter Association.

"This is the top of the Trick Tower, the site of the third phase. The rules are simple. Reach the ground alive, and you pass. The time limit is 72 hours."

After laying out the rules, Beans quickly returned to the airship, avoiding any further interaction.

As the airship departed, leaving the candidates behind, Ronnel gave a brief nod to Beans, their second encounter not warranting much more than a polite acknowledgment.

Standing atop the spacious Trick Tower, the 43 remaining candidates sized each other up, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Ronnel and Gon approached the edge of the tower and looked down.

"The tower has sheer walls with no windows. Climbing down from the outside would be suicide," Ronnel observed. The ground below seemed impossibly far away, a dizzying drop for anyone unaccustomed to heights.

Ronnel judged the height, then quickly dismissed the idea of climbing down from the tower's exterior.

"It's doable... but it would take too long. Plus, there's Hisoka lurking somewhere nearby, and Illumi could show up any moment. Best to play it safe and head down from the inside."

Just then, a burly candidate, badge number 86 pinned to his chest, overheard Ronnel's assessment and sneered.

"That's only true for ordinary people. For a top-tier climber, as long as there are cracks in these walls, scaling down wouldn't be much of a challenge."

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