Chapter 4 — The Old Ape's Trial: Enlightenment & Other Bad Ideas
If you've ever had a heart-to-heart with a demigod-sized gorilla radiating the aura of an enlightened warlord, let me tell you: it's both majestic and bowel-loosening.
The Old Ape of Masadora stood at least five meters tall. His fur shimmered with silver Nen particles, flowing like a waterfall of moonlight. His eyes—calm, ancient, almost tired—pierced straight through me.
> [Warning: Power level difference — absurd.]
[Recommendation: run, cry, or improvise spirituality.]
"...So, which one's most effective?" I whispered.
> [Not the last one.]
Too late. I raised my hands in mock meditation pose. "Namaste, O great primate Buddha of potassium."
The Old Ape blinked. Slowly.
Then said, in the kind of deep voice that rearranges your organs:
"You are loud."
"Genetically."
He exhaled, shaking the jungle with the weight of his patience.
"You carry man's thoughts inside a beast's body. That imbalance will consume you."
I tilted my head. "That's... racist?"
> [He means your aura signature is unstable.]
"Oh. Then, like, spiritual racism. Got it."
The Old Ape's aura expanded, swallowing the forest in silent gold. I felt every leaf vibrate with intent.
He was using Ko effortlessly—concentrating every drop of aura into a single point—without aggression, without effort.
"Show me," he said. "Show me your Instinct."
---
⚙️ The Trial Begins
I swallowed hard.
"Alright, big guy. Let's get philosophical."
> [Objective: Survive ten minutes against The Old Ape.]
[Bonus: Don't die looking stupid.]
Aura flared through my fur—wild, unrefined. My heartbeat synchronized with the jungle around me.
Ten. Ren. Zetsu. I cycled through them in seconds, each technique raw but instinctive.
He watched quietly. Then vanished.
One blink later, his palm was inches from my skull.
I leapt backward, barely dodging. The ground where I'd stood imploded.
"Okay, okay, you're fast. Great genetics. Respectfully terrifying."
> [You are currently 0.2 seconds from death.]
"Encouraging!"
I retaliated with Instinct Edge, aura slicing forward like a crescent blade.
The Old Ape caught it—caught it—with his bare hand, crushed it into sparks, and let the energy dissipate.
"Your aura is loud," he rumbled. "It screams for recognition."
"Well yeah, I'm an ex-human trying to reinvent martial philosophy with fruit bombs."
> [This is not helping.]
"Silence," the Old Ape said. His aura shifted—and suddenly I was drowning in pressure.
It wasn't just power. It was… intent. A Nen presence honed over decades, steeped in harmony with nature itself.
He wasn't fighting me. He was teaching me through pain.
---
🧠 Comprehension Mode: Suffering Edition
I tried to steady my breath.
What did he mean by "imbalance"?
Nen wasn't just about control—it was emotion, logic, rhythm.
Humans intellectualized it. Beasts felt it.
Maybe the key was merging both.
So I stopped thinking.
Stopped strategizing.
I let the primal rhythm take over.
Aura flowed differently now—softer, instinctive.
Every movement of the Old Ape became a lesson: the tilt of his wrist, the timing of his exhale, the weight behind his steps.
Instant Mastery triggered.
> [Comprehension accelerating: Adapting to natural flow of aura.]
[Warning: Emotional overload risk — primal consciousness emerging.]
My vision sharpened. I saw his energy trails before he moved.
For a moment, it wasn't a duel—it was a dance.
When he struck again, I caught his arm mid-swing, redirected it with fluid motion, and used my tail to push off his chest.
He grunted—barely impressed, but surprised.
"Better," he said.
I landed, panting. "So... I passed?"
"Not yet."
He clapped his hands together—lightly.
A shockwave flattened half the clearing.
> [Impact incoming. Suggestion: play dead.]
"Tempting."
I rolled through the debris, aura compressing into a sphere—then fired it like a bullet.
Banana Bomb Mk. III. Controlled explosion.
The blast cracked through the air, throwing smoke and fire around his feet.
When it cleared, he stood unharmed—smiling faintly.
"You fight like a fool," he said. "But a curious fool."
> [Compliment detected.]
"Thanks," I wheezed. "It's genetic too."
---
☯️ The Core of Instinct
Then, suddenly, his aura vanished. Total silence.
No energy signature. No presence.
In.
He disappeared from all senses—then materialized behind me. A palm strike hit my back, sending me flying.
Pain flooded my senses—but also understanding.
I'd felt that moment of disappearance. The aura flicker. The emotional intent of hiding.
Not suppression—acceptance.
In wasn't about hiding your existence. It was about aligning it with the world.
To vanish, you must stop resisting the flow of everything around you.
> [Comprehension complete.]
[New skill unlocked: In (Basic).]
As I crashed through a tree, I started laughing.
Blood trickled down my nose. My ribs screamed. But I was grinning like an idiot.
The Old Ape tilted his head. "Why do you laugh?"
"Because," I said, standing, "I think I finally get it."
I extended my aura outward—not to fight, but to connect.
It spread through the ground, trees, even the wind.
Soft, primal, alive.
For the first time, the Old Ape nodded.
"You are learning to be both beast and man. But beware."
His eyes glowed brighter. "The more you master instinct, the harder it will be to remember why you wanted to."
That line hit me deeper than his punches.
Before I could answer, he stepped forward and pressed his massive palm to my forehead.
A pulse of energy surged through me—ancient and warm.
> [Trial complete.]
[Reward: Instinct Seal — a memory of primal Nen.]
[Trait evolved: Adaptive Instinct → Primal Symbiosis.]
I blinked. "So... I passed?"
He smiled. "You survived."
Then, in true anime mentor fashion, he vanished into golden light, leaving only silence and a faint smell of bananas.
---
I sat in the crater, staring at the sky. My body ached, but my aura hummed like music.
"S.I.S," I murmured, "do you think I'm losing my humanity?"
> [Statistically, yes. Philosophically, you're becoming something else.]
"What, like an enlightened monkey?"
> [More like an existential meme with abs.]
"Good enough."
The jungle wind brushed my fur. For once, it felt like it welcomed me.
Maybe I wasn't meant to pick between being human or beast.
Maybe the point was to understand both—and laugh in the face of either.
> [Congratulations. You are now 5% enlightened and 95% chaos.]
I smirked. "Progress, baby."
Somewhere, far beyond Masadora, Gon and Killua were probably chasing cards and friendship.
And here I was—redefining enlightenment through violence and fruit.
Greed Island, I thought, looking at the moon.
You haven't seen anything yet.