Vega didn't rush to take revenge on the Shelby family right away. After all, he had just acquired the system and still needed time to understand how to use it effectively.
Although he had already tested it—enhancing a grenade and wiping out his enemies in one blast—that process consumed experience points. Right now, he was severely lacking in XP. And the only way to gain more was by killing a large number of enemies.
While Vega wasn't exactly a noble person, he still had a basic moral compass. He wasn't about to go on a senseless killing spree just to farm XP. So instead, he set his sights on the Shelby family's gangs. They were his enemies anyway, and hunting them down would be a justified act of revenge.
This strategy was both practical and safe.
Even with the power of the system, Vega preferred to act cautiously. Charging in recklessly might get him killed—especially if the Shelby family had already hired someone with Nen abilities. In the world of Hunter x Hunter, while Nen users are rare, they're not unheard of. Even the Nostrade mafia family had recruited Nen users.
Though the Shelby family wasn't on the same level as the Nostrade family, it wasn't impossible for them to hire a professional Hunter through the Hunter Association. If that happened, Vega could end up walking into a trap.
So instead, he planned to grow stronger first—gain a massive amount of experience points, enhance a powerful item, and then obliterate the Shelby family all at once.
For now, he would weaken their forces—clip their wings—before going after the head of the dragon.
Before beginning this hunt, however, Vega wanted to familiarize himself with Nen, the power he had just unlocked. The gangs under the Shelby family were armed and ruthless, so mastering Nen would give him a much better chance of surviving and winning.
In the Hunter x Hunter universe, Nen is the foundation of all true power. Only those who master it can hope to become truly strong—and only the strongest can even begin to approach the mysteries of the Dark Continent.
Nen is what grants someone the freedom to live on their own terms. Theoretically, anyone can learn Nen, but in reality, it's a tightly guarded secret. The V5 and the Hunter Association deliberately suppress knowledge of it to prevent misuse and maintain societal order.
Ordinary people have almost no way of learning Nen unless they pass the Hunter Exam, which is brutally difficult. Millions apply every year, but even a single person passing is rare. Just clearing that hurdle is enough to stop most.
Thanks to years of information control, most people don't even know Nen exists.
From Gon's experience—fighting in the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena and killing dangerous opponents just to trigger Nen training—it's clear that learning Nen as an outsider is nearly impossible.
By focusing and manipulating the life energy inside the body, one opens the "aura nodes," gaining access to Nen. When this energy—called aura—is used to surround the body, it greatly enhances both offense and defense.
Anyone without Nen stands no chance against a trained Nen user.
The four foundational Nen techniques are:
Ten: Maintaining the flow of aura throughout the body. It serves as a defensive shield.
Zetsu: Halting the flow of aura to conceal your presence—but leaves you vulnerable.
Ren: Expanding and amplifying aura output to increase power.
Hatsu: Personal expression of aura, used for unique techniques and abilities.
These basics are essential for any beginner and form the training core of the Hatsu lineage. There are also more advanced applications like Gyo, Ken, En, and more.
Vega also remembered special cases—like the "Grudge" ability used by the Clean-Up Team in Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission, a variant of Nen with terrifying effects.
Usually, even someone with great talent needs an excellent teacher to master Nen. Without that guidance, learning it can take years, if not a lifetime.
Now, Vega wanted to determine what type of Nen user he was. He prepared to use the classic Water Divination technique to find out.
There are six main Nen types: Enhancement, Emission, Conjuration, Manipulation, Transmutation, and the mysterious Specialization. Each has its own characteristics and opens unique pathways for ability development.
Training in the wrong type without knowing your affinity can be a waste of time—or even dangerous.
"Well, by now, Uvogin is probably just arriving at Heaven's Arena," Vega thought. "He hasn't even met Hisoka yet, that fruitcake of a clown."
The image of Hisoka's creepy smile popped into his head, and Vega instinctively shook it off.
Returning to the task at hand, he took out a cup, filled it with clear water, and gently placed a leaf on the surface. Then, he lightly touched both sides of the cup and poured his aura into it.
Soon, shimmering crystals began to appear in the water.
"So I'm a Conjuration type?"
That was good news. Conjuration was a strong and versatile category—and combined with his enhancement system, it had endless potential.
Now Vega could conjure countless items and then enhance them. The more XP he had, the stronger those items could become. He could theoretically even create and strengthen legendary gear—like Excalibur, Imperial Arms, or Curry Stick—beyond their original limits.
Suddenly, an idea struck him: What happens if I enhance this right now?
He let the thought guide him, and in an instant, a tiny bit of XP was consumed.
The result was shocking. The crystals in the cup turned pitch black. A dark mist began to rise from the water, and faint screams echoed around him—whispers of agony.
As the black mist swallowed the cup, a strange creaking noise filled the air. When Vega withdrew his aura, the mist quickly faded—and the cup had completely dissolved. Nothing remained but a bit of black residue.