The streets of Karym City carried an unmistakable charm, steeped in a uniform, orthodox Western style remi of Gothic architecture. The city’s meticulously arranged brid stone roads painted a picture of elegand precision—an absolute paradise for ah an obsessive need for order.

  Houses lined both sides of the street, each a proof to the city's historical aesthetic. Standing two or three stories tall, these buildings, with their stone frameworks and imposing flying buttresses, bore an uny resembo churches. The grayish-white color palette added to the city’s and pristine aura, giving passersby an unscious sense of liness and tranquility.

  As Larry wahrough the city, he found himself unsciously paring it to the cities of his past life. While the architectural style was uo this world, the ambiance felt strangely familiar. The bustling market streets reflected the city's close ties to the Karym Ruins. Shops and vendors alike catered to adventurers and tourists, selling all sorts of relics allegedly excavated from the ruins. However, with the passage of time, the outer city had been picked of anything valuable, and ordinary citizens were forbidden from entering the inner city.

  As a result, most of the so-called "antiques" were nothing more than well-crafted fakes, and it was a well-known fact that of ten items sold here were scams. Walking along the brick-paved streets, Larry's leisurely stroll came to an abrupt halt. "Huh?" A sudden ge in his Nen ability caught his attention. The Pokémon breeding progress bar that had been slowly ing forward suddenly... stopped. It had been progressing steadily up until now, albeit slowly, but now it was as if it had hit an invisible wall.

  Larry narrowed his eyes, instinctively gng toward the looming Karym Ruins in the distance. A moment ter, his figure flickered and vanished, reappearing in an open space outside the ruins. As soon as he arrived, the progress bar resumed its movement, accelerating as though it had been given a shot of adrenaline. "So that's how it works..." Larry ran a hand through his hair, staring at the t wall of intricate reliefs beside him.

  It was now clear—the breeding progress had a proximity limit withiy. O reached a certain threshold, he o physically get closer to the ruins for further adva. ‘Does this mean I’ll always o approach the tral point of each breeding location?’ Larry wohis was his first real experieh the Pokémon breeding meic; Gardevoir had appeared instantly when he first awakened his Nen ability, making this his first proper attempt at the process. His musings were soon interrupted when the progress bar came to another halt—this time at exactly 50%.

  Without hesitation, Larry stepped into the Karym Ruins, and sure enough, the progress bar resumed moving forward. The interior of the Karym Ruins rawling maze of winding corridors and t walls. Pale yellow stone surfaces stretched in all dires, creating an eerie yet majestic atmosphere. Scattered throughout the ruins were remnants of statues and colpsed walls, left untouched for years.

  The reliefs ad the walls were breathtakingly detailed, eae a testament to the extraordinary craftsmanship of the a sculptors. Despite the damage from time, their artistry remained undeniable. Acc to local legends, the Karym Ruins were ohe grand pace of a fallen kingdom, its destru shrouded in mystery. Ruin hunters and archaeologists had long been fasated by its secrets, but much remained unknown. From the intricate carvings, it was evident that this was once a kingdom of romand artistry. The citizens were said to have been deeply emotional, with art forms such as painting and sculpture flourishing to an unparalleled degree.

  The royal family, in particur, was said to possess immerength. Each ruler was revered as the kingdom’s stro protector, ensuring their people’s safety in the war-torn times of the past. Surprisingly, despite the chaos of those days, the kingdom had never faced aential threat—something attributed to the kings' mysterious power. Statues scattered throughout the ruied these monarchs in various heroic poses, immortalized in stone by their devoted subjects.

  The gover had decred these cultural artifacts off-limits, imposing strict regutions to protect them. Ordinary sgers could take gold tris and jewelry, but toug the statues or reliefs was sidered a serious offense.

  Larry meandered deeper into the ruins, his footsteps eg against the a stone. With each step, the progress bar in his mind climbed higher and higher—60%, 65%, 70%... Then it happened. His progress halted at 70%, and no matter how long he waited, it refused to budge.

  Larry sighed, his gaze shifting toward the swirling bck mist that marked the boundary betweeer and inner ruins. Death Aura... The ominous bck fog slithered and writhed like a liviy, its tendrils flickering in and out of existe exuded an aura of malice, as if it was eager to e anyone foolish enough to step beyond the boundary.

  Larry stood at the precipice, arms crossed, deep in thought. "So... the progress stops here, huh?" he muttered, staring into the abyss. "I'm already at 70%, and walking away now would be a waste."

  Death Aura, known more accurately as Post-Mortem Nen, was the lingering will of the deceased. When a person with stroions or unfinished business died, their intense grudge or determination could cause their o persist, often taking on a violent and untrolble form—much like a vengeful spirit driven by a singur purpose.

  In many ways, it was remi of zombie lore from horror movies; just as a grudge-filled soul could rise from the grave, the will left behind by a powerful Nen user could ma as an ominous preseer death.

  However, Post-Mortem Nen wasn't limited to an eerie prese could be onized ihal ways. Larry recalled how Chrollo Lucilfer demonstrated the deadliness of Nen in his battle against Hisoka in Heavens Arena. Using stolen abilities such as Order Stamp to manipute bodies and vert Hands to switch objects, Chrollo transformed aire audieo deadly projectiles, f Hisoka into a desperate battle of survival.

  Although not true Death Aura, it showcased how Nen could manipute life ah in terrifying ways. Staring at the swirling bck fog in front of him, Larry sidered his options. "How do I get past this?" he murmured, tapping his . He had no desire to risk direct tact with Death Aura—not without a pn. Ahe allure of disc what y deeper in the ruins tugged at him.

  Suddenly, aruck him. "What if... Gardevoir’s aura could teract it?" Psychid Fairy-type Pokémon were known for their protective abilities. Summoning Gardevoir, Larry watched as she emerged gracefully, her presence radiating an overwhelming sense of purity. “Use Misty Terrain."

  Without hesitation, Gardevoir extended her delicate arms, and a shimmering veil of translut aura formed arouhe soft, misty glow enveloped her entire body like a protective barrier. As soon as the barrier took shape, something fasating happehe Death Aura visibly recoiled, retreating slightly. Larry's eyes widened. "So it does work." A smirk tugged at his lips. "Looks like I’ve got my way in."