Weeks stretched into months spent on the 100th floor of Heavens Arena. The frantic, almost overwhelming pace of the lower levels, where fights were frequent and the crowds a constant presence, gave way to a more measured rhythm. Fights were scheduled less often, sometimes days, even a week or more, apart, granting me ample time between bouts. My assigned room, while spartan compared to true luxury accommodations, felt like a palace after the cramped, communal waiting areas below. It was small, functional, containing little more than a simple cot, a desk, and a private bathroom with basic utilities. A single window offered a dizzying view of the sprawling cityscape far below – a constant, tangible reminder of how high I'd climbed, both physically in the tower and figuratively since leaving Ryujinshima. More valuable than the privacy or the view, however, was the sheer amount of uninterrupted time it afforded for focused training.
My core strategy remained unchanged for the fights between the 100th and 199th floors. These were still the domains of non-Nen users, their strength and skill capped by natural limits. Before each match, I'd assess my opponent, gauge their perceived physical capabilities – their speed, strength, agility, reaction time – activate "Inner Peace," and consciously throttle my own physical parameters down to precisely match theirs. This ensured each fight wasn't a simple, quick victory through overwhelming force, but a challenging lesson in pure martial arts, forcing me to rely on technique, footwork, timing, and tactical thinking at their level, rather than simply overpowering them.
Between matches, my self-directed training was unwavering, a discipline ingrained by Dad that felt as essential as breathing. Physical conditioning was maintained at peak fitness with demanding solo workouts. The Hatsu Foundation Training cycle Dad had taught me continued daily, a rigorous rotation designed to build proficiency across the fundamental categories of Nen: Enhancement, Emission, Transmutation and Manipulation. Conjuration training had ceased entirely after I succeeded in materializing the single earring stud that would become crucial to my Hatsu; that particular well was now locked for training purposes, the ability channeled entirely into that one creation as per its restrictions. I simply pushed my limits in each remaining category during its rotation, seeking incremental improvement in control, output, and capacity, adhering to the principle that a strong foundation in all aspects of Nen strengthened one's overall power, even outside their natural affinity. It was a slow, often frustrating process for the non-Manipulation categories, where my natural efficiency was lower, but it was essential work.
It was within the continued exploration and refinement of my core Hatsu, "Inner Peace," that the most significant, transformative development occurred, one that unlocked a capability I hadn't initially anticipated. As I refined Inner Peace, gaining increasingly minute control over my own body's functions using my aura, I discovered it created a bizarre feedback loop. My aura controlled my body, and my body, in turn, influenced the flow and nature of my aura. Instead of causing a metaphorical "short circuit" or simply not working – outcomes I half-expected from such intricate self-manipulation – this loop amplified something unexpected. It was through this amplified feedback that, by painstaking trial and error, I discovered I could manipulate my own Nen type.
At first, changing my Nen type was a slow, restricted, and incredibly hard ability to implement. It felt like wrestling with the fundamental nature of my own energy. I could slowly, painstakingly shift it, but using the ability even once came with a debilitating 24-hour zetsu period. Training it was disheartening; minor improvements came at a glacial pace, making it clear that relying on natural progression alone would take an unacceptably long time to achieve any practical usefulness. I had no choice but to impose Vows and Limitations to amplify its effect.
Brainstorming what Vows to use, what sacrifices I could make for this nascent ability, was incredibly difficult. Each potential limitation felt like closing off future possibilities. But in the end, I formulated the core Vow for this type-changing ability, which I named "Retroversion," one that resonated with my nature as a Manipulator and complemented it by focusing on its opposite on the Nen spectrum. Retroversion would only ever allow me to shift my Nen type into Transmutation. This vow, focusing the ability solely onto Transmutation, was crucial. It allowed the potential to access other Nen categories with significantly increased efficiency when in the Transmuter state, taking advantage of how proficiency changes based on proximity to one's natural type on the Nen chart. In my normal Manipulator state, I had 100% efficiency in Manipulation and 80% in Emission. By shifting to Transmuter via Retroversion, I would now have 100% efficiency in Transmutation, and a remarkable 80% efficiency in both Enhancement and Conjuration. This ability allowed me to take advantage of maximizing my training efficiency in different categories by switching between my natural state and the Retroversion state.
With that major Vow implemented, the debilitating 24-hour zetsu vanished. I could now change my Nen type anytime. But the next problem became apparent: the speed of the change. Initiating the shift still took roughly a minute or two of intense concentration. While not long in isolation, in an emergency or, crucially, in the middle of a fight, I might not be able to concentrate enough, or would be too vulnerable, to complete the transformation.
So, another Limitation was added, directly addressing the speed issue by leveraging the power of increasing danger. To change my Nen type using Retroversion, I must announce the change verbally. Not only was this potentially outing my ability and Nen type to any listeners, thus increasing the danger to myself, but the verbal command was also a declaration for myself, a necessary trigger, a powerful self-hypnosis that bypassed the mental friction and drastically accelerated the shift. To change my Nen type from Manipulation to Transmutation, I must say in a clear voice, "I'm a Transmuter!" To change back to my natural Manipulation type, I just needed to say, "I'm a Manipulator!"
Using Retroversion was now routine, integrated seamlessly into my training week. Standing in my room, perhaps preparing for the day's Hatsu foundation training, I might calmly declare, "I'm a Transmuter!" Instantly, I would feel a profound shift in my aura's nature, the energy feeling sharper, more malleable, more reactive to my will specifically for shaping and forming. It was like switching from a blunt instrument to a fine scalpel, specifically for Transmutation. I could then proceed with Transmutation exercises at a full 100% efficiency, the process feeling natural and powerful. Notably, when in the Transmuter state via Retroversion, my baseline Inner Peace Hatsu, anchored to the earring and focused on self-manipulation, still worked, but in a limited capacity, its full potential tied to my primary Manipulation state.
This transformed my Hatsu Foundation Training week. On Transmutation and Enhancement days, I'd switch into my Transmuter state using Retroversion, accessing Transmutation at 100% and Enhancement/Conjuration at 80% efficiency. On Emission day, however, I trained in my normal Manipulator state, taking advantage of my natural 80% efficiency, as Retroversion would drop Emission down to 60%. The impact was undeniable: my overall progress in Nen fundamentals, particularly in Transmutation and Enhancement, began to accelerate dramatically. The strengthened aura control pathways gained through pushing my limits in these categories via Retroversion also seemed to benefit my overall Nen capacity as a whole, with no negative side effects observed. It was a risk that was paying off handsomely.
Beyond Retroversion, my baseline Inner Peace Hatsu continued refining my physical responses even when not actively throttling my stats. By constantly manipulating my own internal systems at a subconscious level via the earring, I'd effectively streamlined the connection between mind, aura, and body to an extraordinary degree. Sensory input felt like it bypassed biological delays; conscious thought translated into physical action almost instantaneously via these internal aura pathways. My reflexes were now extraordinary, not just quick, but seemingly predictive. It wasn't Killua's incredible speed-boosting ability "Godspeed" – I couldn't suddenly move at lightning speed across a distance – but I could react to stimuli, perceive threats, and adjust my posture, guard, or position with near-precognitive quickness, anticipating and countering movements fractions of a second faster than physically possible.
Now, months into my stay on the 100th floor, having steadily climbed and refined my skills, I stood on the cusp of the 190th floor. The fights here, even artificially challenging via Inner Peace, felt repetitive. I'd honed my basic martial arts against countless styles, learned to read opponents, and tested my reactive abilities. My gaze, and my anticipation, turned relentlessly towards the 200th floor – the undisputed domain of Nen users.
My objective shifted once more. Profit was still relevant, as were resources, but secondary now to experience. I needed to face actual Hatsu, to learn how Nen was truly applied in combat by others, to analyze abilities, perceive weaknesses, and formulate counters in real-time. Up there, on the 200th floor and beyond, Inner Peace would no longer be used to throttle my physical stats down to match opponents. The challenge wouldn't be self-imposed; it would be the raw, unpredictable reality of Nen battles, where opponents could warp reality, control elements, or strike with invisible force.
Finishing a deep meditation session, feeling my aura circulating smoothly, my body honed and ready, my mind sharp, I opened my eyes. A sharp glint of determination reflected in their green depths, mirrored by the distant lights of the city visible through the window. The lessons learned below the 200th floor were valuable, the fundamentals solidified, the initial steps of Hatsu taken, but they were prologue.
"Alright," I thought, a predatory stillness settling over me as I looked towards the door, imagining the ascent ahead. "Time to stop playing games with non-Nen users. Time to see what the real fighters, the Nen users, are capable of."