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Chapter 496
🕑 Added 2025-04-17 15:05:02 +0000 UTCChapter 496
At first, Ron didn’t feel it keenly. Until the Hunter Exam ended, his main body’s strength had only reached B‑rank. Back then it seemed perfectly normal—Ron was B‑rank, and teammates at B or C were acceptable, a balanced lineup.
But once Ron’s main body advanced to A‑rank, everything changed in an instant.
Ron, Natsu, and Uchiha Sasuke—three full A‑ranks.
Akame, Killer Queen, and Lampent all sat at B‑rank.
On the surface Ron’s rise didn’t look that fast:
He began studying Nen at nine and is now a little over sixteen—more than seven years. While Misty needed just over three years to reach B‑rank.
Kurapika mastered Nen for less than a year before killing Uvogin of the Phantom Troupe.
Killua and Gon also grew quickly once they learned Nen, not to mention the naturally powerful Chimera Ants.
So, is a sixteen‑year‑old A‑rank Ron gifted? Yes—but among geniuses, not exceptionally so; many can do the same.
Yet Ron differs from other prodigies: he follows the Nen‑Beast path.
Think of it like an online RPG: other Nen users grind one account—one character—relentlessly, while Ron levels several accounts at once. The difficulty skyrockets.
Compare directly for perspective: Misty spent three years to reach B‑rank, yet she can’t match even Ron’s Akame.
In Fiola Kingdom, Wendy and the rest have probably hit A‑rank, but can’t match Ron’s Natsu. From that math, Ron’s overall growth is actually very fast.
Back then, Ron was a bit stronger than Wendy; now, he’s far beyond her.
“But on the Human Continent,” Ron mused, “Ruco and Sally are still useful. Once we reach the Gatekeeper Continent or the Dark Continent, their power will lag behind for far too much.”
Ron indeed plans to head for the Dark Continent. Among his team, Misty, Nina, Ponzu, and Shizuku can still help him, so he’ll take them along.
“Big Brother,” Nina asked, “can you tell us what you’ve been doing lately outside? And you mentioned arranging things for us—what’s the plan?
“Is there anything we can help with? You’ve done so much for us, taken such good care of us, but we haven’t been able to do much for you.”
Without Ron, Nina would still be a monster—perhaps even dead.
Without Ron, Shizuku would still be in Meteor City.
Sally was a corpse Ron picked up; without him she’d have been killed by a Shadow Beast, with who‑knows‑what horrors before death—though Sally herself, her memories tampered, doesn’t know that.
Misty would never have become a Nen user—Red Tron would’ve sold her off somewhere.
As for Ruco, she’d only been taught Nen basics—that alone was a huge favor.
Ron truly had helped them.
In return, he hadn’t asked much—only small jobs, like when he needed Silva as a sparring partner and Killua lacked covert protection, he let Sally’s group handle it.
Still, building a team is an investment for Ron. Not every investment yields profit; gains and losses are normal. Sally and Ruco’s ceilings are low, but the rest have progressed exactly as Ron needs—especially Ponzu.
Her own limit was C‑rank; after fusing with the Hive Queen, it rose to B‑rank, and if she can obtain Oster’s research results, she may have a shot at S‑rank.
“Your willingness to stay in this team is already the best reward for me,” Ron said after a pause.
“I formed this team because, in the Nen world, solo play isn’t optimal—teamwork is essential. Nen is too varied, complex, mysterious; no matter how strong one person is, there’s a ceiling.
“Only a well‑matched team can break higher limits.
“To be honest, I built this team out of selfishness—because it’s the life I want. But it might not be the life you want.
“Maybe you don’t want to dive into the Nen world.
“Maybe you just want a quiet life.
“Maybe you dislike fighting and training.
“Yet because of me, you joined and will live the life I want. That’s enough.
“I haven’t set a full team plan before because our roster wasn’t complete.
“Now we’re almost there. In the next few days, we’ll do coordination training. Then I’ll pick a relatively simple target for our first group mission.
“The team’s debut operation is about to begin!”
That step is essential. Ron won’t take an unpracticed team straight against the Phantom Troupe or the Chimera Ants. Against foes that strong, a single slip means casualties—something Ron refuses to see.
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Killua and Gon settled into routine at Heaven’s Arena: one match a day, then straight to Wing for training as ordered.
Ron’s life was just as regular, divided into two parts:
Team synergy drills and contacts with Fiola’s side—he intends to move the manga‑platform project onto the agenda.
Under stable conditions, the sooner the better.
Ron pulled out his phone, found Wendy’s number, and dialed.
Comments
Striker
Interesting idea. Will it happen? I can't tell you. But what i can say is that there will be interesting powers coming!
GIDEON FRY
Since his body is at the A rank he should make a ability that lets him use the abilities of his nen beasts
