As I was caught up in my emotions, I couldn't suppress the joy welling up inside me.
The Ant King's talent isn't just strong—it's overwhelming.
Back in the East Gorteau Kingdom, the Ant King demonstrated the extent of this terrifying gift.
Simply by reading the rules of various board games once and playing a few rounds, he could rapidly reach mastery—or even surpass it!
This kind of learning ability is monstrous. If Ronnel were to acquire this talent, then in fields like business, medicine, biology, chemistry... as long as he had the will, he could achieve mastery in no time and make groundbreaking achievements!
Of course, while this ability is unbelievably powerful, it's also exceedingly rare.
For instance, Meruem, despite his intelligence, was constantly met with defeat in Gungi.
Komugi was born for the game.
If we analyze it in this way, then this talent allows the Ant King to achieve an SS+ ranking in any field.
Meanwhile, Komugi might reach SSS in Gungi, yet in all other aspects, she would be graded F-, or even lower.
The Ant King can reach the peak of any discipline, but Komugi alone can surpass the limits in Gungi.
Such individuals are true anomalies—blessed beyond belief, but only in their specific domains.
However, the Ant King's talent isn't limited to one specialty—it encompasses everything.
Beyond his overwhelming physical strength, he possesses the ability to eliminate weaknesses, perfecting himself in every way.
God has been so generous to the Ant King!
And yet, all the privileges that Togashi bestowed upon the Ant King have now become Ronnel's rewards!
With this talent, he will never again need to rely on raw potential in any field~
With this in mind, Ronnel pressed the glowing sphere of talent against his forehead.
A flood of knowledge surged through him, and when he opened his eyes again, he had never felt sharper—both mentally and physically!
For the first time, Ronnel was truly without weaknesses.
Suppressing his excitement, he turned his gaze to the final talent he had acquired from the Ant King.
If the previous ability, Innate Talent, had brought him such immense gains, then what would Reproductive Traits bring?
Wait. Reproductive?
Only then did Ronnel realize something was off about this particular talent. The name alone was enough to raise suspicion…
He looked closer—and his expression quickly shifted.
Talent: Reproductive Traits
Capable of absorbing and integrating superior genetic material to enhance the talents and abilities of future offspring.
Multiple genes...
Ronnel's expression turned strange.
Wasn't this the defining ability of Chimera Ants?
They consume and assimilate the strongest traits from various species, producing powerful soldiers, Royal Guards, and even Kings.
The best testament to this ability's strength was Meruem himself—born as the culmination of the Chimera Ants' absorbed essence.
The Royal Guards' overwhelming strength, the ants' unparalleled learning ability—all of it could be traced back to this trait.
But...
Ronnel still wanted his descendants to be fully human.
If he started combining other genetic materials, wouldn't that...
To put it bluntly—wouldn't that make them bastards?
Shaking his head, Ronnel made a swift decision:
Let's just toss this talent into the storage space and let it collect dust.
...By the way, thinking about future generations, wasn't he still in his early twenties? There was no need to rush.
I wonder if Shizuku would ever want kids?
As Ronnel's thoughts began to wander, elsewhere—on the bustling streets of a major city...
...
"What's wrong, Shizuku?"
Bisky held up an elegant princess dress, glancing at Shizuku, who had suddenly zoned out.
"Nothing... I just felt like someone was thinking about me."
"Thinking about you? Tsk tsk, let me guess—Ronnel again, right? You two are so close, I'm actually jealous. When you get older, it's not so easy... some of us don't even have a place to call home~"
Swallowing a mouthful of "dog food," Bisky furrowed her brows in mock sadness.
Of course, she was envious. But more than that, she was happy for her apprentice.
"Alright, alright, let's not think about that guy for now. He's probably off doing who-knows-what! Anyway, how does this dress look on me?"
While Ronnel was temporarily staying on Greed Island, Bisky and Shizuku were happily enjoying their shopping trip. Both were living quite comfortably...
They were at ease, but others weren't so lucky.
...
Hunter Association Headquarters
For once, Ging actually showed up on time for the Zodiacs meeting, where the group was discussing the fallout of the recent events.
Neither East Gorteau nor NGL posed a major issue.
In East Gorteau, the puppet dictator, Ming Jol-ik, had perished. The leadership vacuum left behind had sparked internal struggles for power, keeping them too busy to point fingers at outsiders.
As for the locals… they were so convinced that other nations suffered even worse conditions that they wouldn't dare challenge the official narrative.
It was easy enough to fabricate a few details and brush everything under the rug.
On the NGL side, the V5 had long been dissatisfied with the nation's "naturalist" facade. In reality, NGL had always been a thorn in their side, subtly interfering with global affairs.
Now that the Chimera Ant crisis had provided them with the perfect excuse, there was no reason not to intervene.
Perhaps from the very beginning—back when they extradited the Queen from the Dark Continent—they had already set their sights on NGL. Beyond being a prime breeding ground for the ants, it was a region they had always wanted to bring under control.
With Netero now gravely injured but victorious, the crisis had ultimately been resolved.
Rather than condemning the Hunter Association, the V5 instead rewarded them—along with all the Hunters who had taken part in the battle.
But within the Hunter Association, there was an entirely different kind of turmoil brewing.
No one objected to the rewards.
Ronnel, Morel, and Knov had all earned their due.
Even though Ronnel hadn't been on the official action roster, the reward meant little to someone who had single-handedly defeated the Ant King.
Pariston, ever the strategist, wisely refrained from making a fuss over it.
He knew that whether he caused trouble or not, it wouldn't change anything.
However, outside of this, there was one major point of contention—the Hunter Association itself was now caught in a storm of internal conflict and bitter disputes.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)