As long as you follow a step-by-step approach, anyone can learn to use nen. In other words, there is no threshold for cultivating nen abilities. As long as you master the practice methods, anyone can learn nen.
However, nen is broad and profound; learning it is not difficult, but mastering it is.
Ryuuji is not a reckless person, and he has two reasons for responding to Marza's provocation.
One is that he wants to verify the effect of "Ten," and the other is that he can sense that the nen overflowing from Marza's body is minimal, still within the ranks of ordinary people.
The result of the verification is that Ryuuji easily caught the seemingly powerful punch, which satisfied him, but made Marza very unhappy.
"Brat, you're dead meat!"
Marza didn't want to think about why his full-strength punch could be so easily blocked. In front of everyone, he only felt unbearable shame and just wanted to pound Ryuuji into minced meat with another punch.
The endless thoughts of humans can give them ideas far beyond their abilities. For example, at this moment, Marza's strength is considerable, but it is absolutely impossible for him to pound Ryuuji into minced meat with a single punch.
However, when pure malice is put into action, it can sometimes push someone slightly beyond their limits.
At this moment, the malice emerging from Marza's heart turned into killing intent. He genuinely wanted to kill Ryuuji. Perhaps he still regarded Ryuuji as an outsider, so he didn't care about one of the iron rules of Meteor Street.
If this punch, full of killing intent, lands, it could harm Ryuuji, who is covering his upper body with a thin layer of nen.
Ryuuji realized the danger. This was a very stark contrast. The first punch, which seemed powerful, was not actually so threatening, but the second punch Marza threw contained a feeling that made him very uneasy.
Is it because... he wants to take my life?
At this very dangerous moment, Ryuuji fell into contemplation, and time seemed to stagnate.
He pondered why a dispute caused by a mere middle finger would lead the other party to want to kill him. Is it because this is Meteor Street? Or is the strong man in front of him inherently brutal?
When the opponent wants to kill him, what level of counterattack must Ryuuji make?
To repay him in kind?
Around them, about 80 residents of Meteor Street were watching the spectacle. Seeing Marza lose his mind and aim to kill Ryuuji, they all showed excitement.
"Ryuuji!" Machi stabilized herself after staggering a few steps. Seeing that Ryuuji had no reaction to Marza's murderous punch, she suddenly became anxious.
At this moment, she didn't realize why she would be anxious for Ryuuji, whom she had met not long ago. Perhaps it was because Ryuuji still owed her a lot of money for meals, or maybe she thought Ryuuji hadn't yet brought her the value she expected.
Ryuuji reached his decision in less than 0.5 seconds.
There was no doubt that Marza wanted to kill him, but Ryuuji didn't intend to repay him in kind.
Because Marza was just an ordinary person, Ryuuji's considerations were for ordinary people.
He gave himself two choices: one, withstand the opponent's punch and then disable him, or two, forgive the opponent if he stopped.
Even if one day, under compelling circumstances, his hands were covered with the blood of his kind, the motive for such an outcome could not be something as trivial as this moment.
To die over a cheap dispute would undoubtedly belittle the value of his own thoughts.
It's like... In the absence of tools, you might hesitate to use your hands to process ingredients for a delicious meal. They would get stained with a strong fishy smell and suffer many subtle cuts.
However, to do all this and then end up digging up a lump of stool would be unbearable.
"Stop."
Ryuuji raised his head, facing the approaching fist, his eyes cold.
He voiced his resolve.
When Marza met Ryuuji's cold and deep eyes, a bone-chilling fear suddenly eroded his entire body.
In just a few moments, he reached a conclusion: if he didn't restrain his inner anger, when his fist reached its target... he would die!
This inexplicable conclusion forced Marza, who didn't want to die, to stop his fist. At this point, his fist was only a few centimeters away from Ryuuji's eyes. Throughout, Ryuuji calmly stared at the fist, his expression unwavering.
Being so close, Ryuuji could see that Marza's fist was trembling slightly, and the tremor was growing stronger.
The lingering echo of the single word "stop," like a sledgehammer striking a large bell with all its might, produced a terrifying noise that messed up Marza's thoughts.
"Am I... afraid?" Marza's face showed confusion. He stopped his fist but didn't retract it, and his body trembled even more visibly.
Unable to understand the source of his fear, he felt a bizarre sense of relief, as if narrowly escaping disaster. This contradictory feeling, like a saw cutting through steel and making a sour, piercing noise, was deeply unsettling.
This is nen, the insurmountable boundary between superhumans and ordinary people. Just a word or even a glance can bring an ordinary person to their knees.
"Oh, my friend is so obedient. It's a pity I don't have any candy, or I'd reward you with one."
Ryuuji's cold expression gradually faded, replaced by a playful smile. He released Marza's right fist, leaped lightly, and landed on Marza's outstretched sturdy arm. Then he bent his knees and squatted, making his eyes level with Marza's.
Looking at Ryuuji's smiling face, Marza's eyes quivered, and drops of sweat trickled from his forehead to his cheeks.
The reason for fear was practical yet incomprehensible. The simple answer was that the child in front of him, who seemed to be only about ten years old, was very dangerous and he couldn't afford to provoke him.
"Buddy." Ryuuji stretched out his hand and patted Marza on the head, lowering his voice and smiling, "Don't show up in front of us in the future, okay?"
Marza's face trembled slightly, and his mouth slowly opened and closed, but he couldn't form a complete sentence.
The surrounding residents of Meteor Street all looked shocked. Moments before, Marza's fist had been firm, with a clear intent to kill Ryuuji. Yet when Ryuuji said "stop," Marza immediately halted his fist and didn't move.
The most outrageous part was that Ryuuji patted Marza's head as if he were a pet, and Marza didn't react at all.
Given their understanding of Marza's character, this scene was incredible. It was as if Little Red Riding Hood had patted the head of a giant bear, far more ferocious than a big bad wolf, and the giant bear didn't retaliate at all.
They probably knew Marza's nature, so they couldn't comprehend the scene before them. Had this little guy done something?
Machi also couldn't understand. Knowing Marza's character, in a state of anger, how could he listen to Ryuuji and immediately stop? How could he allow anyone to slap his head in such a humiliating manner? Pushing aside the rising doubts in her heart, she walked over.
"What did you do?" Machi put the string away, looking confused.
"Buddy, if you don't speak, we'll take it as your agreement," Ryuuji said, stretching out his hand to pat Marza's cheek. Then he jumped down and smiled at Machi. "He just stopped moving for some reason, and I don't know why."
"Do I look stupid?" Machi stared at Ryuuji.
"Haha..." Ryuuji's mouth twitched, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Um... Can I move?" Marza, feeling awkward, looked at Ryuuji carefully. In order to leave quickly, he mustered up the courage to ask.
Ryuuji looked up at him, pondered for a moment, and then said lightly, "You should maintain this position until we leave."
Machi frowned, her doubts growing more intense. She glanced at Ryuuji and then at Marza, who seemed to be suppressing fear, and suddenly remarked, "He's terrified of you."
Ryuuji smiled but didn't respond. In truth, he probably knew why Marza had reacted like this. It was simply a matter of psychological manipulation.
"If you tell him not to move, he won't move," Machi said calmly, squeezing her fingers.
Ryuuji shrugged. "You could say that. Let's ignore him and head to the landfill quickly."
"Alright, I understand," Machi nodded slightly. Then, with surprising agility, she leaped up and delivered a swift kick to Marza's right cheek, sending the tall man flying a meter to the side.
Ryuuji was speechless, gaping at the petite girl exuding a cold aura in front of him.