Chapter 40: Beating X Greed X Island

After that encounter with the man in tribal clothing, we went through a long silence. Knowing about the dangerous player of the game, the Bomber and how he threatened the other players into following his orders, is really terrifying. I hope we won't run into him in this game.

"Guys..." Gon spoke, which made me and Bisky turn into his direction, "I think we should drop by their base real fast."

I don't know about him, but that's the most dangerous thing I've ever heard that will lead us towards death.

"They already ran out of time," Bisky answered his suggestion into declining. I'm glad she didn't agree with his plan, but I still feel sorry for those people. They are just playing the game, just to be in a near-death experience. "Besides, he didn't even tell us exactly where it is. And even if we did know, we don't have spell cards that could take us there."

"I know..." Gon said, with his eyes full of concern and worry.

We didn't speak of the matter for a while and started continuing our training that we didn't finish earlier.

"We need spell cards." Bisky suddenly said out of the blue, as she was looking at her book. Gon and I looked at her to listen. I'm not really a strategic person that can play this kind of game so I don't have any choice but to listen to either Killua or Bisky for their intelligent minds, "Let's go to Masadora and sell our monster cards."

"Yeah!" My friend and I shouted simultaneously as we raised one of our hands in the air, forming it into fists.

After a short trip towards Masadora, we finally made it towards the city. It's still the same as we left it before. We started to go to the shop to sell our carried monster cards to buy some spell cards.

"Hey, Bisky..." Gon called our master and then, she turned around to see him. Even though I'm not the one he was talking about, I also turned, curious about what he's gonna say. "How long do you think it'll take me to master my special technique?"

"You're just starting to develop your Nen." Bisky started to explain. "It's hard to predict when your power and speed will peak."

"Oh..." he said with a sigh. I didn't know that it was really that hard to master your own made techniques. I thought it will be faster since you'll just have to train three Nen categories. If he's already struggling in his technique, then how much more to me, now that I didn't have any idea of what my Nen technique will gonna be.

"But it shouldn't take too long before you get the form down," Bisky mentioned, giving hopes to him, and his golden eyes shone in the sun.

"Really? How long?" He asked enthusiastically as his eyes are still sparkling, excited.

"Let's see..." Our master uttered, as she lowered her head and rested her chin in her fingers. "Hopefully, you'll have it ready by the time Killua returns."

"All right!" Gon yelled as he jumped in the air and stretched his arm, fired up with the training. "I'll finish my technique and surprise him!"

After seeing him go happy, I couldn't help but be envious. He can learn really fast like Killua, despite him living once from an ordinary life like me. I can still remember our first meeting when he tried to jump off our ship. I thought he was just like me, curious, and wanted more adventures, but I was wrong. He was better, and I had to admit that I'm mad that I'm not as talented as him.

After selling our monster cards and went to buy some useful spell cards, we didn't expect ourselves to be that lucky. We bought about 60 spell cards and some of them were rare and S-rank cards, so we're satisfied with our shopping.

"This is a safe place to practice since we'll be able to spot anyone before they're in attack spell range," Bisky informed as we turned around to see a wide green field with nothing else but a few big rocks in front of us.

After activating and using some of the spell cards, Gon started training his Emitter technique with Bisky. I just practice in maintaining my Ren for more minutes since I don't have any idea on what will be my special technique yet and watched Gon having a hard time trying to let his Aura fly towards a big rock in a far distance.

But after hearing just short advice from Bisky, he finally reached the other rock, which made Bisky and me be surprised that he can learn fast. After that, I became worried about myself. What if I couldn't do the same thing as he did? What if I couldn't master my special technique? Will I be a burden, then?

"You're a burden. And I hate burdens."

"Then what about you?" I heard Bisky asked me which made me back to reality. Have I been spacing out for a long time? "Have you decided on your Nen yet?"

When I heard her, I thought deeply to give an answer. I'm sure I can think of something that really fits me.

Until I have an idea.

Since bandages protected our injuries from external threats, that made me think of a Nen technique.

"I thought of a Nen technique, actually." I started explaining and Bisky carefully listened. "I wanted my bandages to be strong and hard like metal so I wanted to increase its hardness and it will give protection to everything it wraps in. Since I wrapped myself with bandages, I think it's a perfect use for body armor."

"So... is that possible and creative?" I asked her with cold sweats pouring in my cheeks. I'm not that really creative in making anything, let alone making Nen techniques. Since I'm focusing on my defense, all I can think of was a shield or an armor.

"Hmm... that's possible. It's very simple but, it suits your personality." She started commenting, which made me nervous. "Enhancers sometimes prefer simple techniques, even they don't need Nen technique since they're balanced. Not only that idea of yours can use on defense, but can also use on offense."

"Really?" When I heard that she considered my idea, I can't help but smile widely and my eyes sparkle. I can't believe that Enhancers like simple things, like me. Since I'm not very creative, I'm glad I'm on the Enhancer type. It would be a lot hard if I'm on the other types.

I was such in despair earlier after seeing Gon improving, I didn't know that I can think of a good idea like that.

"So why don't we start training it?" She suggested and I nodded repeatedly to show my determination in learning my Nen technique. Gon had started to train his technique and Killua finally have his first, so now that I have my own, I'm happy and enthusiastic at the same time.

While Gon was practicing his Emitter technique, I was practicing my Shu and my Ren at the same time. It was very hard since I have to transfer my Aura to the bandages while increasing their hardness. I lasted for an hour until I became exhausted.

Bisky is walking sideways to train both of us in our techniques, but that doesn't mind her at all. Teachers in a normal school were exhausted on many students with just the same lesson, moreover, with separate lessons, that would be more tiring. Bisky is really a professional Hunter.

As I hardened my bandages to become steel, I thought of an idea. Since I'm always focusing on defense, I think I should have an offense technique, or else, I would be surely defeated in a battle when I'm alone.

"Umm... Bisky?" I called for her as she tried to teach Gon. She looked at me with a questioning face and walked towards me, wondering what I'll be asking. "I was asking if it's possible that I can increase my bandages' sharpness. I just want at most one offense in my technique."

"Yes. It's possible. Enhancers can make paper to be sharp as a knife so that will apply to other objects, too. If you wanted to train it, just change the property of the bandage you wanted to enhance. But first, finish your other technique." She instructed as she smiled at me. I smiled widely as I learned that she accepted my idea.

"Okay!" I yelled with a cheerful attitude and was dedicated to complete my first Nen technique.

After hours of training and resting out of exhaustion, I finally improved my body armor technique. One day, I asked Gon if he can try it for me.

"Are you sure, Secco?" He asked me with worry, with his eyebrows separated.

"Yep. Don't worry." I said with a smile as I walked towards him to face his blow. I started to perform my Shu and increase the hardness of my bandages around my body.

I can also see his fist with a lot of Ren concentrated on it. That made me scared for a minute but I shook it off, as this will improve my Nen and face my fears in battle.

"Here I go." Gon said as he started to release his technique, covering his fist to wrap all his Nen to it. I also increase the bandages' strength as high as possible to block his punch out.

"First comes rock!" He shouted as he started to load up more Ren in his first, resulting in me having a little fear and anxiety. What if it didn't work? What if I die out of it?

But I tried to shook it off. No, I came this far just to practice this Nen. It's almost two days since I did this. I should've improved it with good protection by now.

"Rock... paper... Rock!" He finally yelled and released his death blow. I tried to block it using my bandages. I formed an 'X' with my arms to block it as he targeted it to test my Nen and my bandages' strength.

The punch finally hit my arms and I felt a slight sense of pain coming from it. The pressure of his punch pushed me backward and anytime soon, it will throw me out of a great distance. But I didn't give up and tried to walk myself towards him, fighting the pressure of his blow.

The test ended with just a few minutes and Gon and I took short breaths out of exhaustion of the training.

I can feel the pain of his punch so I expected my arms to be injured. But when I removed my bandages in my arm, well on the right arm, as they looked at it with curiosity, it didn't take much damage to my arm at all.

"Woah! It's awesome! It didn't take that much damage!" Gon praised as he looked at my almost undamaged arm with sparkling golden eyes. It did have light scratches that gave me pain but other than that, there's nothing been damaged at all. When I saw that, I can't help but smile widely.

"I can't believe I did it!~" I yelled with the same tone as Gon and we both looked at each other. After seconds of looking, we smirked and raised our hands to do a high-five.

"Good work, you two." Bisky complimented us as she just watched what happened to our training. "It's a good start for your techniques, but you must completely improve it for two days."

"Okay!" Gon and I shouted at the same time and started to train our techniques again.

After days of improving our techniques, and also my other offense technique, we finally made it to the day that Killua will be returning. We didn't finish our techniques yet, but I'm sure we'll still be continuing after we greet Killua from his exam.

"Welcome back, Killua." Gon said first as he ran towards him, while the latter just walking to us with no hint of exhaustion or depression at all. That means, he passed the exam in just a quick time. And by the looks of him, he might be done something overboard in the exam area, like torturing the other examinees for him to immediately passed the exam.

"How was the exam?" I asked him since I'm not sure if my deductions are correct.

"I passed it in no time, naturally." He just answered with a smirk on his face and rested his head in his arms on his back.

"Yay!" Gon and I shouted simultaneously and we both reached each other's hands to do high-five. Even though I knew it from the start, I'm still happy that he did it.

"Sorry to interrupt your celebration, but look at these spell cards," Bisky said as she showed the spell cards that we bought to Killua, and they both started their strategic meeting. I wish I have a smart mind as Killua and Bisky.

Killua told us about a specific spell card, Contact, which can make us talk to other players that we met inside the game. We tried it and started to see our list of names.

But all of a sudden, Killua found in Gon's list a name of someone we didn't expect to run into. It was Chrollo Lucilfer, the leader of the Phantom Troupe.

As far as I can remember, Kurapika already shut down his Nen and in order to enter this game, he must use his Nen. Don't tell me it can be removed?

My friends also had the same idea and Bisky started explaining that it's possible to remove Nen. Since Conjurers can place Nen to others, it's also obvious that there are other Nen users that can remove it as well.

To ensure that it was Chrollo, Killua went to the outside world and tried to call Kurapika about the problem we faced. Since he was the most affected by this encounter, it's best if he knew about it. Although we declared conflict between us, he's still my friend and I will have no doubts about helping him.

After minutes of waiting, Killua went back from the outside world and told us that it wasn't Chrollo at all, and just someone that was using his name to enter the game.

I was shocked by that news he brought, but I was more shocked that Kurapika didn't even react too much about the problem. Like he didn't even care. Did he already control his anger and bloodlust towards the Spiders?

"Now that's been solved. It's time to pay attention to your goals." Bisky advised as we finally lead to a conclusion of the problem. But I'm still paranoid though. If he's really inside the Greed Island, then the difficulty in completing the game will increase, now that there are two dangerous players lurking around.

And even though that wasn't Chrollo, the only people who knew his name and identity were us and the Spiders. Then maybe, it was one of his members, which are also very strong ones.

"Yeah, let's start training!" Gon shouted with excitement and eagerness to continue his training. I also followed his shout too, since I'm also excited to continue improving my defense and offense techniques.

"No," Bisky said as she crossed her arms in her chest, with a wide smirk in her face. All three of us looked at each other, wondering what she was talking about, "We're not going to train."

It took a long time for us to understand what she was talking about, until she stood straight and put a wide smile on her face towards her ears, showing confidence and determination.

"It's time to start beating this game!"