Chapter 49: Haze vs. Sato (3)
"Awesome!"
Haze had to praise Sato.
He was the first person to recognize the "limitations" of Haze's Nen ability!
Even though Haze had reduced the "restrictions" of his Nen ability slowing down time with the system's help and drawing on unlimited energy he could not ignore the rules. Nen ability rules were rules everyone had to follow.
First, the activation condition of his ability, The Treasure House of the Infinite Fantasy Game, required someone to be hostile and murderous toward him, considered a "player enemy." After all, the structure of his ability was a competitive game it required an opponent!
Second, the five main game effect categories carried different "disadvantages."
Resource category: once a transmission channel was opened, it could not be transferred. Soldiers, wild monsters, etc., had the same attack range as in the game.Equipment category: if Haze lost to an opponent, his equipment disappeared and had to be recreated.Runes: had a cooldown any rune used in battle could only be reused after 72 hours.Heroes: their Psychic Power consumption depended on their abilities, generally very high, especially for ultimate skills.Maps: unavailable, forcing Haze to customize the entire game world.
Haze had done his best to mitigate these limits using his knowledge of Psychic Power rules. He exploited loopholes to avoid the most problematic situations. For instance, while he could evade monster aggression by gaining distance, opponents could not attack effectively from afar. To defeat him, a player needed Haze-range attack capabilities, like a sniper. Otherwise, ordinary Haze-range attacks were mostly ineffective. Haze had ample time to react and counterattack.
Equipment disappeared only at the end of battle, not affecting his combat strength. The same applied to runes and heroes. Side effects were almost negligible. He could create the game world almost endlessly, and teleportation black holes could be paired or tripled to extend coverage and suppress monster aggression though violating Psychic rules was impossible.
Even if abilities reached terrifying levels, restrictions never disappeared completely. This is the fundamental principle of the world's power system the principle that allows Psychic abilities to exist.
Feitan's Brigade psychic skills, "Unforgivable" and "Burned by the Sun", required extreme rage to activate, with the disadvantage of massive area damage potentially harming allies. Power consumption was immense.
Kuroro's Nen ability, "Thief's Ultimate", required:
Witnessing the target's Nen ability firsthand.Asking questions about the target's Nen and receiving answers.The target placing a hand on the book's handprint page within an hour.
To use the stolen ability, the book had to materialize in the right hand and open to the page containing the Nen ability. If the target died, the ability vanished. The last two conditions were considered "restrictions."
Another subtle restriction Haze speculated about but could not confirm was that all who appeared in Kuroro's book would die. This applied to the Knight, Chibi, and Nion, the prophetic daughter of the Nosra patriarch. Rumors said Nion survived after exorcism, and perhaps the Owl, one of the Yin Beasts, as well. Both abilities later disappeared from Kuroro's book. Haze was unsure.
Reducing restrictions to this level maximized power, but at a tremendous energy and time cost, aided by system-generated data analysis.
The "anatomy" of Nen power:
The original manga states only Kurapika and Gon are subject to oath and restriction; not all Nen users are. Haze observed that some people seem immune due to relatively "neutral" Nen development, not because rules don't apply. Kurapika, for instance, duplicated his strength to defeat the Spiders temporarily.
Everyone seeking short-term invincibility faced predictable consequences. The "restrictions and oaths" shown were extreme cases, epitomizing the principle. Most Nen users sought "ready-to-fight" capabilities, avoiding risk or cost.
A simple analogy: shooting a gun. You need bullets, a functioning gun, and a target direction. Loading, aiming, and firing, absorbing recoil this is the basic restriction and oath. The real power is the method and intent. Most Nen users are minimally affected by these restrictions.
The essence revolves around Nen.
Many start with combat styles within their comfort zones. Developing Nen requires talent, skill, and determination. Invincibility cannot be wished for it must be earned.
Is Haze's ability untouchable? Clearly not!
A sufficiently powerful Nen user can overcome distance and range limits. Equipment defeat still counts as loss, even if escape is prevented.
But Haze continues strengthening, refining his Nen abilities, aspiring to the peak, growing aHazeside his game world.
"As the saying goes, the essence lies within the individual. The strongest fist holds the key. Nen is just a means to exert combat power. No Nen ability is useless, only its user."
At a certain level, sophisticated techniques lose meaning. Haze had not mentioned drawbacks because no one had truly recognized his defects yet. Biscuit might have noticed but did not comment inevitable. Current limitations had little impact on his system and combat style so they could be ignored.
Sato was the first to recognize them and react.
As expected of someone Haze deemed threatening he lived up to expectations.
Haze glanced at the distant black dome and smiled.
He counterattacked instantly, targeting Brown and the others nearby.
The returning Swamp Frog and Razorback focused on the gang, including the Ten Donss. Some of these individuals shared Haze's hostility and murderous intent they were "player enemies." Even without monster marking, Haze could defeat them alone.
As expected, sensing Haze's intent, Sato leapt from the palace, entering the "zone" again.
Haze had a vital point pinned on his side, preventing Sato from evading. He had chosen the battle location carefully Sato had no choice but to confront the "game product" head-on.
Nen users around Brown fled, grabbing their boss.
The dozen Yakuza bodyguards did not even get a chance to fire; Haze's two hands downed them instantly.
"Run with the boss! If we get far enough, these monsters will lose their target!"
Sato's approaching roar echoed from behind.
"Hehe…"
Haze's mind moved; the Swamp Frog and Razorback pursued Brown and the others.
He then turned to Sato charging at him. Haze reached into the alternate dimension of the game world through the black hole.
Sato's pupils contracted, seeing Haze's telekinetic surge pouring into the black hole like a torrent.
"The game… officially begins… now,"
Haze whispered, retracting his arm after a burst of telekinesis.
The plaza floor began to tremble, like an earthquake.
The black hole's space tore and expanded, producing sounds of stretching and compressing.
Two monstrous black figures emerged from the black hole, facing each other. Despite the black hole's expansion, they dwarfed everything else.
One was a towering Crimson Arboreal Demon, with an immense trunk and crown.
The other was a terrifying Blue Glyph Golem, its stone body covered in glowing blue patterns.
These two giants' size and presence were unlike the previous monsters.
Sato had to crane his neck to see them fully they reached nearly twenty meters tall.
The Crimson Arboreal Demon and Blue Glyph Golem commonly called Red and Blue were Haze's largest creations to date.
Compared to them, Haze and Sato seemed tiny.
"They cannot escape," Haze said softly, standing before the monsters.
Instantly, the arboreal demon and golem roared, generating terrifying sound waves that became a strong wind.
The golem raised its massive arms. To Sato, looking up, the shadow in the sky almost blocked half the wall and crashed down with full force.
"Attack range this wide… speed this high… can I dodge it?" Sato asked, stunned.
Boom!
The ground violently shook; countless rocks were thrown into the air aHaze with waves of earth.
(End of Chapter)