Chapter 20: Ken Endurance
Full and satisfied, the three of them lay on the deck, staring up at the bright moon of this new world. The night air was clean and salty.
"Kyle," Gon said, "why does it feel like using Haki drains my Nen?"
He had just been trying to activate his Armament Haki and his own Nen at the same time, and his Aura reserves felt like they were emptying twice as fast.
Killua nodded. "Same here. When I tried to coat my hand in Haki, I could feel my Aura draining way faster."
Kyle sat up, the moonlight soft on his face.
"Haki, Nen... it doesn't matter," he explained with a smile. "In essence, they are both just life energy. They look different, but they're drawn from the same root source—your physical and spiritual stamina. When you use either one, you're consuming the same 'Aura'."
He paused, looking at his two friends. "So when you use both at the same time, the drain naturally doubles. It's like you're used to carrying one bucket of water, and now you're trying to carry two with the same arm. It's going to feel harder."
"I get it," Killua said, the realization dawning on him. "So it's not that Haki consumes Nen. It's that we're outputting both at the same time."
"Exactly," Kyle said, pleased. "So, why does fusing them make our attacks stronger?"
Gon tilted his head. "Because... the power stacks?"
Killua thought for a second. "I think it's because the fusion lets us mobilize more Aura at once. It's like... we're doubling our output, even though it's all drawing from the same pool."
Kyle nodded, then looked at Gon, who was still completely lost.
He smiled and tried again. "Let's use an example. Say your total Aura pool is 100. When you use Ken," (the Hunter x Hunter term for maintaining a full-body Aura defense) "how much of that pool do you think you're actually outputting at any given moment?"
Gon started to count on his fingers, clearly confused by the abstract concept.
Killua, however, thought back to his training. "At my current level... holding a full Ken, I'm probably maintaining an output of about 10% of my total Aura. And while I can replenish it as it burns, I can't add more to make the Ken itself stronger."
"Ten percent is pretty good," Kyle said. "We'll call that your 'Aura Output.' With training, you can raise that—15%, maybe 20%. But it takes a long, long time."
He stood and paced the deck, his shadow long in the moonlight.
"This is where Haki fills the gap. When you activate Armament Haki andKen at the same time, the Haki outputs 10% and the Ken outputs 10%. That means your total output is now 20%, double what it was. Of course, the drain is also double."
Gon and Killua finally understood. It was like two equal fighters, but one could only punch with one fist, while the other could punch with the force of two. The advantage was obvious.
"Since you get it, why don't we start training?" Kyle suggested, a spark in his eye.
"Okay!" Gon leaped to his feet.
"Yeah, I can't sleep anyway," Killua agreed.
Kyle grinned. "Alright. We'll start with Ken endurance."
"Ken endurance?" they both asked, confused.
"Imagine one person can hold Ken for an hour, and another can only hold it for five minutes," Kyle said. "To throw the same punch, the first guy might only use 10 units of Aura, while the second guy burns 20, or even more. It's about efficiency."
"So, it's just endurance training," Killua muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Basically," Kyle laughed. "Now, let's all activate Ken and see who can hold it the longest."
Gon immediately did as he was told, his Aura flaring to life. "So we just... stand here?"
"Yep. Just focus and maintain." Kyle activated his own Ken.
In an instant, a massive Aura exploded from him, so dense it was visible even in the moonlight. Gon and Killua's eyes went wide.
"Kyle, your Aura is huge!" Gon exclaimed.
Killua analyzed it, calculating. "Your output... it's at least six times greater than mine."
Kyle, holding his Ken effortlessly, said, "To be precise, my total Aura capacity is around 60,000. It's nothing to brag about—I've been training five years longer than you."
He paused, then continued, "And awakening Nen early isn't always better. Think about Killua's family. They're all Nen users, but they waited until he was 12. You need life experience and a mature mind to build a strong Hatsu. Awakening too early, when you're not ready, can actually make it harder to build a powerful ability."
Kyle's words weren't just theory. The strength of one's Nen was tied to their entire being. Pitou, for example, was born with an Aura capacity in the hundreds of thousands, but that was pure physical talent.
Of course, Kyle wasn't worried. As a transmigrator, he already had an adult mind, and his near-death experiences had given him a huge head start. Even at 13, his Aura capacity was already on par with a veteran Pro Hunter.
In the moonlight, the three boys held their defensive stance, their bodies glowing faintly.
After just three minutes, Gon and Killua were already dripping with sweat, their bodies trembling.
Kyle, in contrast, looked perfectly fine, watching them with a relaxed smile.