Hunter X Hunter : The Boundary

Chapter 18: The Name of the Tower

In Tower City's southeast, buildings cast long shadows in the twilight. Ryan accompanied his father to the site. He never missed an opportunity to listen to the workers' conversations; the world's most valuable knowledge was often hidden in the proletariats who run society.

This time, he overheard something.

"Heavens Arena... it's not just someplace for fights."

"You mean those weirdos? The ones who can knock you out without even touching you?"

"Exactly. Heard that once you get past the 200th floor, you see stuff that just can't be explained. An old buddy of mine worked security there. Came back muttering about a girl who could make people faint just by looking at them."

"For real?!"

"He quit. Said that place wasn't for normal people. The higher you go, the less real it feels."

The men were gathered in a shed, smoking and chatting— but for Ryan, standing at the edge of a concrete slab nearby, the world had just tilted on its axis. His fingertips tightened. He didn't turn around; he just closed his eyes.

200th floor. Not normal power. Just one look.

This wasn't an urban legend. It was Nen. It was the other layer of reality, hidden just beneath the surface, confirmed by the casual words of working men. He remembered the anime. He remembered that above the 200th floor was where Nen users fought.

That night, Ryan didn't train. He realized something critical. The true Hunter World was a world of Nen-users. He was still on the outside.

He began to map the two potential paths to entry.

Path One: The Hunter Exam.

Pros: Legitimate channel. Access to Association resources and data.

Cons: Timing is fixed. High barrier to entry. Information is likely still tiered.

Path Two: Heavens Arena.

Pros: Direct, immediate confrontation with Nen-users. A chance to observe, perceive, and break through under pressure.

Cons: Extreme risk. Opaque rules. No guarantee of safety.

His conclusion was swift. He had to walk both paths. The Hunter Exam would be his primary goal, but concurrently, he would prepare to infiltrate the Heavens Arena. It would be his crucible, a place to seek a breakthrough under the pressure of real combat.

He walked to the balcony and looked west, toward the faint, spear-like silhouette of the tower thrust into the night sky. It was a barrier between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

"The 200th floor," he murmured. That was his goal. "Without mastering the basics of Nen," he whispered to the wind, "I am not yet ready for it."

For the next three days, he didn't touch his slingshot. He dedicated all his time to research and self-assessment. He sifted through old newspapers, cached web searches, and even his father's construction documents, piecing together a mosaic of information about the Arena.

The lower levels, up to 150, were open to the public. Beyond that, challenger data became restricted— and above 200, there was only silence and rumor.

The rumors, however, alarmed him of a gray market— an underground ecosystem that preyed on aspirants. Illegal betting rings. Nen "awakening experiments" on the higher floors. And Nen-users offering "tutelage" in exchange for indentured servitude, trapping the newly awakened in contracts of "debt."

Nen wasn't just power; it was a system of control. If he couldn't open the door himself, he would be forced to pay someone else's price to walk through it. His path became clear.

I must achieve a breakthrough on my own terms—through will, through combat, through self-controlled release—before I officially enter the world of Nen.

That night, during meditation, he simulated his first confrontation with a Nen-user. He imagined an assassin with the ability to conceal their presence. He gave himself three seconds to make three decisions: Perceive the aura infiltration. Determine its source. And choose a counter: reveal himself, flare his own aura, or lure the enemy into a mistake.

As he ran the simulation, a sudden heat bloomed in his core. The faint aura in his palms pulsed, intensified. His breathing deepened, approaching the state of Ten.

And in that instant, he "saw" it— a faint current of aura, expanding three inches from his body, brushing against the corners of the room, cutting through the darkness. It wasn't imagination. It was the gate of Nen, responding to the call of combat.

He then understood. One more battle, one more moment of extreme, focused pressure, and he could push that door wide open.