"The strategy of creating more and weaker opponents is completely counterproductive."
"The number of rookie killers is overwhelming, so it's no surprise that many Floor Masters are outright terrible."
"With your current strength, Ron, you'd be considered mid-tier among the Floor Masters."
"But Sky Arena is a gathering ground for fighters from all over the world."
"Some of these fighters are truly exceptional."
"An individual's Nen aura is derived partly from their body and partly from their mind," Zeno explained.
"Fighters who train diligently tend to have remarkable mental fortitude."
"As a result, they become quite strong."
"The strength disparity between Floor Masters in the Sky Arena is enormous."
"The weakest among them are barely at D-level, while the strongest are at the top of A-level."
Zeno paused before continuing, "Do you remember the KUTE thieves, Ron?"
"The members of the KUTE thieves could all qualify as Floor Masters in Sky Arena, but they wouldn't rank among the strongest. There are several Floor Masters far more powerful than them."
"The Tower Lord of Sky Arena is a special case," Zeno said.
"He's older than I am."
"When I first went to Sky Arena, he was already a Floor Master."
"After years of training and experience, his strength has grown exponentially."
"By rank, he's on the verge of S-level."
Ron asked, "And compared to you, Grandfather Zeno?"
Zeno paused before replying. "In a direct fight, I might not be able to defeat him. But if my goal were to kill him, it wouldn't be impossible."
Ron's expression grew serious.
Simply using ranks like A or S to compare strength was often misleading. Ron had witnessed firsthand how two people of the same rank could differ drastically in power.
For example, within the C-level category, there were the Seven Deadly Sins of the Underworld Mafia, some Shadow Beast members, and remnants of the Republic of Gorteau. While Gorteau remnants and the Seven Deadly Sins were similar in power, the Shadow Beast members were significantly stronger. Yet, Ron himself had surpassed even the standard Shadow Beast members.
The same went for A-level Nen users.
Some members of the Mad Beast group were classified as A-level, but they were clearly weaker than the KUTE thieves. And the KUTE thieves, in turn, were no match for Silva or Zeno Zoldyck.
Yet Zeno admitted that the Tower Lord's direct combat ability surpassed his own, even though the Tower Lord hadn't truly reached S-level. He was merely on the threshold.
"That means the gap between someone like the Tower Lord and an A-level Nen user in the Mad Beast group must be vast—much greater than the gap between that A-level user and an ordinary person."
Ron recalled the Tower Lord's appearance in his mind—a frail, elderly man who looked like a gust of wind could topple him. His combat style seemed equally light and unassuming.
Ron knew the man was strong but hadn't imagined he would be this formidable.
As his thoughts drifted, Ron considered another figure.
"If the Tower Lord is this remarkable and has earned Grandfather Zeno's recognition, then what about Ging Freecss?"
"At barely twenty years old, he became one of the five greatest Nen users in the world."
"Even if it's only an officially recognized title, it still proves that Ging's strength has truly reached the S-level."
"Others spend their entire lives—decades, even a century—trying to reach that level. Yet Ging achieved it in just over twenty years. His talent..." (t/n ok when you put it like that Ging is Op)
Ron recalled something from the original storyline: Netero spent his forties and fifties training in the mountains. At that time, he likely hadn't yet reached the S-level.
This meant that Ging Freecss's talent exceeded even Netero's.
"And what about Gon and Killua in the future?" Ron thought.
The Freecss family clearly possessed unparalleled talent.
Isaac Netero had roamed the Dark Continent.
Ging, at a young age, had become one of the world's top Nen users.
Gon was unlikely to fall far behind.
As for Killua, he was handpicked as the heir to the Zoldyck family and trained in both Zoldyck assassination techniques and the principles of Shingen-ryu. (T/N is a fighting style based around training the mind. Basically a school of fighting)
"However," Zeno continued, "the Tower Lord knows about our Zoldyck family. As long as you don't do anything too outrageous there, it won't cause any issues."
Zeno changed the subject. "How is the development of your Nen weapon coming along?"
"It's almost complete," Ron replied, removing the Rotten Life Blade from his waist and placing it on the table.
"I named it Rotten Life Blade."
Zeno picked it up, examined it closely, and infused it with aura. Instantly, the blade's surface shimmered, revealing clusters of insect eggs glowing faintly.
"Impressive," Zeno said. "It's no surprise that this was crafted from materials born of a disaster."
He set the blade down. "The weapon absorbs an opponent's aura upon contact, correct?"
"Yes," Ron confirmed. "If it strikes, the Rotten Life Blade continuously drains the target's aura. Additionally, it seems particularly attuned to deathly aura."
"It undergoes changes after absorbing deathly aura."
Ron hesitated before continuing. "On my way back, I passed through a small town and encountered a peculiar deathly aura. A middle-aged man had several skulls connected to him by thin threads."
"These skulls exuded an incredibly dense deathly aura."
"But the man wasn't a Nen user. He couldn't wield aura or any specific abilities."
Ron produced a photo—the one the woman in the town had shown him—and handed it to Zeno.
Zeno's pupils contracted the moment he saw the photo. His expression darkened as he quickly passed it to Maha Zoldyck.
Maha examined it briefly.
"Grandfather, are these… those people?" Zeno asked.
"Yes," Maha confirmed. "They are."
"Great grandfather, who are they?" Ron asked.
"They're from the Kingdom of Taris," Zeno explained. (t/n their name will fluctuate between Taliesin, and Taris in the future)
"A mysterious country located on a small island in the southwestern region of the human continent. The nation's territory is small, but its strength is considerable—particularly in Nen abilities."
"Their Nen users' abilities are already bizarre by any standard."
"But the Nen abilities of Taris are bizarre to an extreme."
"Their speciality is manipulating deathly aura."
"They plant 'seeds' of aura in a location, allowing them to grow into deathly aura over time. These seeds expand, accumulating until they're ready to harvest."
"These people are madmen."
"Long ago, the V5 and the Hunter Association launched a campaign to exterminate them. Many were killed."
"We thought they had been wiped out."
"But it seems they've reemerged."
"Historically, the first disaster was cultivated by Nen users of Taris," Maha said.
"This information could be sold to the Fiora Royal Family."
The name "Fiora" was unfamiliar to Ron from the original storyline, but since arriving in this world, he had heard it mentioned often.
On the human continent, the five nations at the top of the global hierarchy were collectively known as V5.
V5 wasn't a single entity but rather a coalition of five nations, each with its own name.
Fiora was one of them.
Being part of V5 signified immense power.
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t/n I love it when we get to see HOW someone is talented/powerful, compared to others. It is one thing to just be told that, but it is better if we could compare and contrast to get an accurate picture. Plus it helps world-building.