"Stock up on some food and water; it will help you recover faster."
However, the one who really needed recovery was Dominica.
Wendy hadn't fought, merely expending a great deal of aura while boarding and disembarking the airship.
Ron had fought but wasn't injured, just drained of his aura.
Dominica had taken a severe beating.
Crawford's desperate counterattack had left Dominica seriously injured.
Healing from such injuries is much more difficult than simply restoring aura.
Ron removed his necklace and handed it back to Wendy.
Wendy took it and immediately put it on.
Only then did she realize something was off—the necklace still carried Ron's warmth.
She then recalled that when she had given Ron the necklace earlier, it had also carried her own warmth.
Wendy's ears tinged slightly red at the thought.
Dominica ate some food and water, closed his eyes, leaned against the cave wall, and began to rest.
Ron also closed his eyes.
However, he did not fully enter a restful state but instead activated En.
Wendy sat near the cave entrance, watching the outside while stealing glances at Ron with her peripheral vision.
Ron had brought her many surprises.
At first, Wendy thought Ron was a genius among their peers, just like her.
But as the monster fish died, she realized Ron was much stronger than she was.
Yet, at that time, Wendy still couldn't imagine Ron killing an A-rank Nen user.
After all, it was an A-rank Nen user!
The rank of a Nen user doesn't tell the whole story.
Lower-ranked Nen users often defeat higher-ranked ones. Strength and rank are related but not always proportional.
Because the battles among Nen users also involve the environment, experience, and intellect.
Moreover, Nen users come in many types.
Some are combat types, some are support types, and some are non-combat types.
However, Shusuke Ito was a genuine combat-type Nen user.
Even though Shusuke Ito was already severely injured before fighting Ron.
But in her heart, Wendy evaluated and realized she was no match for Shusuke Ito.
Not even if there were two or three of her.
Yet, Ron took the initiative as soon as he entered the ring.
"He has a lot of aura, much more than other Nen users of the same rank, much more than me."
"His Nen beast is also very strong."
"He can instantly switch places with his Nen beast and even with the enemy, which is a unique ability."
"He possesses explosive damage abilities."
"And the destructive power of his explosions is so great, even Shusuke Ito couldn't withstand it."
"He employed a very clever strategy."
"He laid traps for Shusuke Ito at every step."
"Even a normal A-rank Nen user, Ron might not be able to defeat."
"But it at least shows, among B-rank Nen users, many might no longer be a match for Ron."
This made Wendy feel a pang of admiration.
"Is this what a real genius looks like?"
"Compared to Ron, what kind of genius am I?"
Wendy recalled the praises she received back in the Kingdom of Fiore, feeling a bit ashamed.
"Fortunately, the first time I met Ron, I didn't make any unseemly moves, or I would have been mortified."
"How many people like him are there in this world?"
Wendy fully acknowledged Ron's strength.
Yet, there was still a part of her that refused to give in.
Having been considered a genius from a young age and raised as an elite, Wendy was the focus of many expectant gazes.
"It seems I've been slacking."
A touch of self-reproach grew in Wendy's heart.
"Ever since I received praise from my grandfather."
"Ever since there was no competition among my peers."
"Ever since I advanced to C-rank."
"My training hasn't been as diligent as before."
"My mindset has also changed."
"This is where I've fallen short."
Wendy's eyes showed a firm resolve.
"Going forward, I can't continue ; I must try harder. Only then will there be the hope of catching up to Ron."
The night quietly passed.
Dominica opened his eyes, got up, and stretched his body. His injuries hadn't fully healed, but he was already capable of continuing the fight.
Wendy was asleep against the wall.
Ron was at the entrance of the cave.
Dominica didn't wake Wendy but instead approached Ron.
"Dominica, you're too polite," Ron replied, shaking his head. "On the airship, if it weren't for your all-out effort, we might all have died there. Those people were too fierce."
"It was my poor judgment."
Dominica blamed himself.
"Because of the Colosseum, I let my guard down. I didn't expect them to be so strong. If it weren't for that person stepping in, and if it weren't for your strength, Ron, we would all have died because of my mistake."
"In that case, I wouldn't have been able to explain myself to the Zoldyck family and the Fiora Royal Family."
"Ron, I need to thank you."
From Ron's perspective, it was normal for him to step in—it concerned his own safety.
But from Dominica's perspective, he had never considered letting Ron fight, so Dominica thought he had made a major error.
Wendy woke up to their conversation.
"You're awake? Let's eat something first."
After breakfast, Dominica said, "Let's go check the wreckage of the airship. Also, I'll try to contact others. According to Captain Crawford, the Nen users from the Taris nation aren't just a few."
"I don't know what the situation is elsewhere."
Taris nation's Nen users have limited destructiveness to other Nen users.
But their destructiveness to ordinary people was far too great.
If unnoticed and unmanaged, they could easily obliterate an entire city.
The trio headed towards the wreckage of the airship.
It was deserted around them.
This was a wilderness, with no human habitation nearby. Even if the disturbance was significant, it wouldn't attract attention.
And the disappearance of the airship wouldn't be discovered quickly since no one aboard had sent out any message.
The flames had already died down.
Apart from the non-burnable parts, the rest had turned to ashes.
Dominica took out his phone and dialled a number.
Soon, the call was returned.
Ron didn't eavesdrop but instead assessed his own situation.
This mission had been very fruitful for him.
First, the progress of the Observer's Intent had reached 26% from 10% before arriving at the airship, more than a quarter.
Second, the Rotten Life Blade had reached a level where it was on the cups of evolution, and it was sure to be stronger after evolving.
Third, Ron gained a valuable experience.
And now, he had a clear understanding of his own strength.
Dominica ended the call.
"Uncle Dominica, how's the situation?" Ron looked over.
Dominica replied, "Apart from us, Nen users from the Taris nation have caused considerable destruction in two other cities, sparing no civilians."
"The only fortunate thing is, those cities were not very large."
"Not a single survivor?"
Even a small city would have a population of at least several hundred thousand.
Due to the retaliation of the Nen users from the Taris nation, everyone living in those two cities had died—a consequence Ron had previously heard about during the disaster on Meteor City.
Ron knew that many lives had been lost during that incident on Meteor City.