023 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

The Ant King stood at the pinnacle of individual strength across the Six Continents. After coming into contact with the King's corpse and absorbing his aura, Ronnel is now the undisputed number one in terms of power.

Even his trump cards include corrosive body poisons and a timed mode that pushes all six Nen systems to their maximum potential.

In short—Ronnel's current Nen kit is as close to all-encompassing as one can get.

...

However, there's still one area where he feels a bit lacking.

He lacks a solid defense against Nen that specifically targets and exploits an individual's weaknesses.

In direct combat, Ronnel fears no one. But what if he runs into an opponent with an ability tailor-made to counter him? Something like Kurapika's chain—designed to neutralize a specific target. If someone were to create a similar ability specifically to bind Ronnel and drive him into a hopeless state...

Sure, it's unlikely anyone could restrain him with something as simple as a rope, but the concept is what matters. These specialized abilities do exist.

Even though Ronnel maintains a low profile across the Six Continents and most avoid making him an enemy, unforeseen threats could always arise. What if something like Alluka's wish-granting Nen came into play? If chaos broke out and Ronnel got caught up in it, the result could be disastrous.

Nen, at its core, is a system built on rules—and when used well, those rules can be terrifyingly unfair.

No matter how strong you are, a well-crafted rule can still bring you down.

...

The Six Continents sit nestled within Lake Mobius, surrounded by the uncharted Dark Continent. A place shrouded in secrets, danger, and ancient curses.

Anyone who stumbles into those secrets could die without even understanding what killed them.

That's precisely what Ronnel wants to avoid—he's looking for a Nen ability that can counteract the hidden, rule-based curses lurking in the shadows.

If he can eliminate those unseen threats, he would become truly invincible—like a blade without a single flaw.

And beyond that, there's the environment of the Dark Continent itself.

It's not just deadly—it's unforgiving. One wrong step, one misjudged breath, and you're gone.

...

So Ronnel's next ability isn't just about countering targeted Nen. It also needs to help him survive the wild, untamed hellscape of the Dark Continent.

He needs something capable of withstanding the so-called Five Threats: the unknown "disasters" recorded by the V5. 

Against disasters like these—some physical, some conceptual—you need both raw power and clever Nen.

According to the principle of equivalent exchange, the more versatile and powerful the ability, the steeper the price to activate it.

Thankfully, the evolution of Ronnel's game-inspired abilities grants him a rare advantage. Once he constructs a new Nen ability, he can choose to nullify two or three activation conditions unconditionally.

That's huge.

He's already planned the restrictions he's willing to accept—and which ones he'll erase post-creation.

...

In The Adventures of Jackie Chan, one of the main character's famous lines (besides "Go away, you monsters!") is:

"Use magic to fight magic."

Ronnel took that to heart.

If Nen-based curses are the problem, the solution must also be Nen.

That's why he created his newest ability: Ability Encyclopedia.

Thanks to the foundation he'd laid beforehand, the development process was smooth. Even the complex structure involving all six Nen types took him less than a day to complete—thanks in no small part to the Heavenly Posture talent he inherited from the Ant King.

...

Nen Ability: [Ability Encyclopedia]

Effect:

Convert abilities into encyclopedia points, which can then be used to strengthen other Nen abilities, reduce their activation conditions, or resist incoming Nen-based attacks.

Usage Rules:

When Ronnel acquires a Nen ability, he can convert it into a set number of encyclopedia points based on the ability's power and his understanding of how it works.

Stronger, better-understood abilities yield more points.

Points can then be spent to:

Strengthen existing Nen abilities.

Reduce or nullify their conditions.

Counter Nen attacks.

Restrictions:

Ability Acquisition

Only Nen abilities stolen from others can be converted.

The user must not be discovered during the process, and the original user must still be able to use the ability without interference.

Point Conversion Limits

Once an ability is converted into points, it disappears permanently. Even if reacquired later, it can't be converted again.

...

These are the full details of Ronnel's new Nen ability—[Ability Encyclopedia].

Its function and rules are clearly defined, and the ability follows the logic of Nen's principle of equivalent exchange.

At first glance, the restrictions seem steep.

But for someone like Ronnel—who still possesses the absorption ability granted by the Ant King—they're basically a non-issue.

It's not "cheating." If anything, it's just smart Nen crafting—maximizing his natural advantages.

After all, Kurapika's Emperor Time shaves time off his lifespan while active.

That's what smart Nen use looks like.

Rules are fixed. People are flexible. Knowing how to use the rules is the key to surviving—and thriving—in the world of Nen.