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HP: Sacred Gear Chat Group - Chapter 16
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 20:07:04 +0000 UTC“I should introduce myself properly to you. I am Isaac Netero, Chairman of the Hunter Association, and with it also responsible for the Hunter Exam.” Netero said as the group of examinees stood inside the airship that took off into the air.
Most remained stoic, the tension about the exam in the air.
“Usually I only appear at the final round. Since I am already here, I will stick around a bit and enjoy the atmosphere.” Netero chuckled, relaxed.
Beans took over from there, “We will arrive at our destination for the third exam at 8 A.M. Until then, please enjoy Relax and enjoy the amenities on board.”
Killua turned towards Gon, “Come on, let’s go explore!”
“You bet!” Gon agreed eagerly before turning towards Harry, “You coming?”
Harry took a moment to consider his options before nodding, “Sure.”
Together they explored the airship. These things are really nice and have their own advantages over a plane.
While not as fast, they were far more comfortable and spacey than even a private jet, and most importantly, they seemed to be far easier to maintain and supply.
He had used the chance to ask some crew members about it. As long as the ship wasn’t damaged, it could stay in the air for months, being powered by wind power generators that use the stronger gusts of wind up here to generate far more power than below. While being kept in air by a light heated gas.
It would make a comfortable vehicle that could be equipped with a lot of luxuries. The only downside was the speed, but well… Harry could teleport.
Once they looked into every corner of the airship they were allowed to enter, the three of them ended up on some empty seats on the passenger deck, having a nice panoramic view over the world below them.
“Look at that! It’s like a web of jewels!” Gon shouted, his eyes sparkling as they watched out of the window.
But their interest wasn’t kept on the sights out there for long, as Gon asked, “Killua, Harry, your parents, are they alive?”
“Unfortunately not.” Harry sighed sadly; even with all the new memories and his new ambitions, he still misses his mom and dad.
What would they say about his new ambitions?
Would they be disappointed about his selfishness, his thirst for power, riches, and enjoying his life to the fullest?
Or that he didn’t want to play Dumbledore’s Game?
Even knowing the full story of his own book series and his movies didn’t let him really know his parents. Sure he knew a bit about their life, but he had no idea how they would react to this new him.
Could he somehow bring them back to life? Maybe with the Dragon Balls? Would they work over different universes? Are there other methods? Weren’t Death Gods real in his world now? Could he negotiate with them?
“What happened?” Gon asked with wide eyes, having noticed the sadness in Harry’s eyes.
“They were murdered when I was one year old.”
This time it was Killua, who had a cold look in his eyes, who asked, “Is the Killer still alive?”
“Kinda, he lost his body. He is a madman who did something crazy with himself that allowed him to stay alive as some kind of evil spirit. He is trying to get his body back. But don’t worry; he will regret it very much.” Harry smiled coldly. Still, it was nice to see that even Killua, who was trained to be a cold-blooded assassin, got angry for him.
“Is something like that even possible?” He asked disbelievingly about the whole Spirit part, while Gon also looked confused.
“Once you truly have become a Hunter, you will know how big the world truly is. There is a lot more out there. Still, you will probably ask again what I mean. If you got your Hunter License and want to know what I mean, then reach the 200th Floor of the Heavens Arena and try to get a teacher from the fighters there. You will discover what I mean.” Harry said, pointing them to their original plan, but pretending to be helping them without actually doing anything.
“What’s the Heavens Arena?” Gon asked.
It was Killua who responded, “A good place to earn money and become stronger by fighting. My father left me there when I was 6; he told me to reach the 200th floor and return home.”
“So you didn’t fight on the 200th floor?” Harry asked.
“Nope, he explicitly told me not to.”
Harry nodded as he had already known that, “Good, you would have regretted it. You will need to find a teacher first.”
“Can’t you teach us?” Asked Gon innocently.
“Not really; I am not good enough myself yet and still learning.” Harry replied before changing the topic, “What about your parents, Killua? Still around?”
“Probably.” Killua replied noncommittally as his eyes returned to watch the outside.
“What do they do?” Gon questioned further, now interested in Killua.
“Assassins.”
Gon looked at Killua, “Both of them?”
“Oh god. You are hilarious, Gon.” Harry and Killua both laughed at the black-haired boy's innocence.
“Yes, assassination is the family trade.” Killua replied, now returning to being serious, probably unsure how they would react.
“You are a Zoldyck.” Harry pretended to realize.
“Yes.”
“Zoldyck? What’s that?” Gon asked.
“It’s Killua’s family name. They are the most famous family of Assassins in the world. And also quite elusive.” Harry explained, “They have been in that trade for generations! If you want someone assassinated, go to them. There are no better ones. Although they are expensive.”
“Yeah, maybe I should catch them once I get my license. Once I collect their bounties, I will be set for life.” Killua said as he realized that neither Harry nor Gon was treating him differently.
“The only one with parents among us wants to collect their bounties.” Harry laughed, “Just sell some selfies. I heard people already pay a ton of money for some genuine pictures of your family members.”
“Maybe I will do that.” Killua replied a bit awkwardly, as he got reminded about the parental situation of the other two with him.
Gon was about to ask something else when they suddenly noticed a presence to their left. Harry could barely follow the presence movements; the old man was really fast and most likely not even serious yet.
Gon and Killua noticed that Harry was looking in another direction than them and turned around to spot Netero themselves.
Gon naively asked, “Mr. Netero, did you notice anyone coming from there?”
It’s Killua who realized what must have happened: “You are fast, old-timer.”
Netero, not admitting anything, just looked at Killua, “Do tell. I was just strolling around.”
“You three are the youngest in the exam. What do you think of it?” Netero asked as he didn’t react to Killua staring at him.
“The exam is really fun! “Lots of action and no written tests!” Gon said happy.
Killua, on the other hand, is more bored, “It’s a bit of a letdown. I thought it would be more challenging. Any chance of that happening?”
“We will see.” Netero replied, before looking at Harry, who still was observing how strong the man was, “And you? What are your thoughts?”
“Hmm, I have to agree with Killua. Since I am a bit too strong for the exam, it’s more a chore to be done to get my license. Harry replied.
“For you, that’s true.” Netero nodded, “How about we change that! Let’s play a game.”
Killua wasn’t impressed by that offer.
“If you win, I will issue your license on the spot.” Netero offered, before clarifying, “You two can work together.” He pointed at Killua and Gon, “You will have to do it yourself.”
“Why him?”
“Because he is stronger.”
After agreeing, they ended up in a training room on the upper deck they had discovered before. Netero had a rubber ball that he played around with. “If you can take this ball, you win. You’re free to attack me any way you like. I won’t hit back. Only the two can come at me together, but you can also start alone.”
“We just have to take it away?” Killua confirmed. “Okay, I will go first.”
Netero kept playing with the ball. “Step right up!”
Killua started walking rhythmically around Netero. He walked in a specific pattern, creating afterimages in a circle around Netero.
Harry had been prepared for this technique, knowing it was called Rhythm Echo, but even after closely observing it with Gyo and En, he had no idea how it worked.
Tough, he could make out the real Killua, and so could Netero, as he easily dodged the surprise attack.
And the chairman kept dodging each follow-up attack with minimal and precise movements. Frustrated with how easily Netero was handling him, Killua smashed his leg into Netero’s chin.
It took a few moments for Killua to catch up, triumphantly grinning, but then the pain reached his brain. And he began hopping on one leg, holding his hurting one as he cried out in pain.
“His leg is as hard as steel!” Killua cried out as he moved towards Gon, “Your turn.”
Gon changed with Killua and rushed straight towards Netero, “Here I go!”
Suddenly he vanished out of vision using the blind spot created by the ball in Netero’s vision and crashed into the roof.
The attempt wasn’t bad even though the execution lacked a bit. After that, Gon tried a similar approach as Killua, using his speed to overcome the old man, but Netero always adjusted his own speed to him.
A close look made it obvious that the man was not serious.
Harry got up and changed positions with Gon.
“Ho, ho! Give it your best.” Netero chuckled as he saw the Ren around Harry form.
As Harry nodded, his aura focused on his legs, and he fast-jumped towards the ball.
Netero, keeping up with his speed, moved the ball out of his way, but Harry again used his aura, this time in his hands, to push himself away from the wall towards the old man.
This exchange kept going as Harry practiced using Ryo instead for attacking, to push Aura into his limbs and muscles to move faster while not sacrificing his Nen defense completely.
He got the idea from Tsezguerra, a Hunter appearing later in the story, who focused his aura in his feet at the right moment to jump 80 meters into the air.
The more his proficiency improved, the faster he got, but Netero kept up with his speed the whole time and got faster too.
———
Killua and Gon almost managed to get the ball, as Gon used his loose boot to kick the ball away from Netero. But the old man is truly powerful and wouldn’t give a license that easily away.
For a slight moment he used a bit of his true speed to bypass Gon and Killua, who now were both closer to the ball, and caught it once again.
“I’ll give ya an ‘A’ for effort,” Netero said cheekily as he once again balanced the ball on his finger.
Killua stared for a moment at the smoking footprint Netero had left on the floor behind them before clicking his tongue, “That’s it; you win!”
“You’re quitting already?” asked Gon, confused, “We almost did it this time!”
“You think so?” huffed Killua. “He hasn’t even used his right hand and left leg with the two of us. There may be a slight chance to trick him if Harry could work with us, but he is probably more interested in training his speed. After all, that’s what he has been doing the whole time.”
“Really?” Gon asked as he looked from Harry to Netero, who both chuckled.
It’s the truth after all. Harry had a great time improving his base speed with a faster training partner while improving his mastery over Ryo too. It’s too rare of an opportunity to pass on.
Where else could he find a Nen Master bored enough to let Harry use him for training?
“Saw that, eh?” Asked Netero as he stood there relaxed, “I tried to make it not so obvious.”
“Well, you had your joke… ha, ha!” Killua replied plainly before turning around,
“Come on, Gon, Harry. Let’s go!”
“Nah, I think I’ll keep at it.” Answered Gon simply, as the two of them started a small argument.
“I will remain here too.” Harry added his own opinion to it.
Killua just accepted it in the end, as he left, “Have fun then.”
“Harry, you want to try again?” Gon asked him first.
“Sure!” Harry stood up and walked towards Netero again, ready for another round of speed training.
But the old man had other plans, as a glint appeared in his eyes. “How about you go all out this time? You already mastered it; your speed won’t improve much here anymore. That’s something that will only happen in a real fight now. Show me what else you can do.”
Harry understood immediately; the man wanted him to use his Hatsu. Which is risky; you try to keep your Hatsu, your own ability, a secret as much as you can, since you at most have a handful of different applications for it in your life, which your foes could adjust for.
But Harry is different; his Hatsu are, for now, just different ways to manipulate his already existing ability granted him by his Sacred Gear Dimension Lost, which he developed based on Hatsu training in different categories.
At this point he is far from what he believed he could do at his peak and only has different ways to control the abilities already granted to him by Dimension Lost.
Which gave him a great idea.
“Don’t regret it, old man.” Harry laughed as purple mist got released from his palms, gathering so that it was dense enough to actually resemble smoke and shaping into multiple snake constructs that rushed towards Netero.
Recognition lit in the old man's eyes up as he dodged the incoming attacks with ease. “Ohoho, how surprisingly familiar.” Netero laughed as he kept dodging the attacks of the Misty snake constructs, “Are you a new disciple Morel has taken in?”
‘Gotcha.’ “You mean Morel Mackernasey, old man?” Harry asked, before replying, “I admit he gave me inspiration for this technique, but the need for his pipe didn’t seem appealing to me. I choose to use what already is always around us in the air. Water.”
Well, the last part is a lie, but Morel truly gave him inspiration for this application.
While the first level of his manipulation training had just been moving the mist around, he based a lot of his Level 2 and 3 on Morel’s Deep Purple, which he uses to manipulate smoke. Harry does the same, just with Dimension Lost’s mist.
But his constructs were not as intelligent yet. For that he still lacked experience.
“Oh, but you are aware that copying someone else often isn’t the best path.” Netero pointed out.
Harry grinned as he hid inside the mist that had begun spreading. “I know that’s why they are not the same. The mist lets me sense everything in it.”
Netero noticed that the Snakes attacking him left behind them a trail of purple mist that wasn’t as dense but spread out while he was busy dodging the Snakes over the hall.
It’s true that the Mist that he created with his Nen was part of his En; he could sense every bit of movement inside this Mist. And it could cover more than his original En. Of course, it had all the properties of the original Mist of Dimension Lost.
The Mist Snakes now attacked Netero from all sides as Harry also rushed in, attacking the old man. Of course he was far too experienced to let this get to him, but that wasn’t Harry’s plan.
Suddenly all of the Snakes exploded, not causing any damage but like a smoke bomb covering the old man’s field of view.
As Harry stretched his hand towards the position, he could sense the ball; Netero chuckled, “Ohohoho, good try. But you are far too early to challenge me.” And threw the ball towards the wall away from the two of them.
‘I did it.’ Harry grinned; the ball was no longer protected by Netero’s Ten Shroud, preventing his purple mist from teleporting it away. As Netero moved towards the ball, it landed casually in his outstretched hand. “You lost, old man. So am I a Hunter now?”
Both Gon and Netero looked baffled at Harry as the mist cleared up. Gon clearly had no idea how he did anything he did. Killua’s Rythm Echo could be somehow explained, but creating and controlling Mist is on a completely different level.
Especially with how he suddenly had the ball.
Netero stared for a completely different reason. Harry didn’t look older than 15 and had already learned to a level where he decently could use advanced principles. But that wasn’t uncommon; most people that had become hunters had a decent level of talent.
The 12 Zodiacs, his personal sparring partners, each possessed a level of talent found in no more than one person out of 10,000,000.
Yet, even they were not the opponent he was seeking. The closest to his dream opponent was Ging Freecss, the father of one of the boys entertaining him today.
And here is an opponent with a Nen ability that not only was similar to Morel’s Deep Purple, although not on the same level yet, but also manipulates space. His aura capacity was also massive for his age.
In a few years, this boy could be the opponent he had been dreaming of, the fight where he could go all out.
For a moment Harry felt dread come over him as he felt Netero’s battle thirst before it vanished as fast as it came.
“You succeeded in the challenge; of course you are a Hunter from now on. At your level, you have more than fulfilled the requirement to become a Hunter. For now you may rest; Beans will get you later.” Netero said towards Harry, once again calm, with no sign of the battle hunger on his face.
Harry nodded as he left the room, hearing Gon asking, “Is Harry really a Hunter now? How did he do that with the Mist or Killua with his doubles?”
