Once the match was finished, Ron would return to the Fiora Kingdom. That was why Wendy had arranged the car for him.
"Ron, when do you think you'll be back?"
"Right after I finish my next match," Ron said regretfully. "I'd planned to visit Ralph and the others, but so much came up that I never got the chance. Next time I return, let's go see them together?"
Ron left the Fiora Kingdom, but his name spread quickly throughout its three main dojos:
- "A genius from the Zoldyck family!"
- "A Nen user from the world's top assassin clan."
- "He defeated Wendy, Ted, and Roben in a row."
Some were curious about Ron; some admired him. But others grew wary:
"He's not from our Fiora Kingdom—he's an assassin. To prevent him from becoming a future threat, should we eliminate him before he fully matures?"
That viewpoint, however, was soon countered:
"He's a Zoldyck! Making a move against him guarantees retaliation from the family."
"So what? The Zoldycks can't compare to Fiora, can they?"
"They can't match our kingdom's power head-on, but they're assassins who strike from the shadows. Could you guarantee we'd catch them quickly?
"If we can't nab them fast, who knows how many lives they'd take first? No one can bear losses like that.
"Besides, Ron isn't our enemy at all.
"Not only is he not an enemy—he's on good terms with Wendy.
"There's no point doing something so reckless."
No matter where you go, you'll find fools. But most people in the Fiora Kingdom were sensible.
Ron boarded the airship.
"Chii, organize all newly-collected intel for me," he instructed.
Before coming to Fiora, Ron had analyzed much of its data and confirmed that almost every significant area was concentrated within the capital. Indeed, staying in the capital had brought him to 70% trait absorption. Only a few not-so-important places remained unvisited. Absorbing the traits of those spots would likely bump his progress to around 90%, leaving just the final 10%.
He had two options for that last 10%:
1. Remain in the capital. His absorption speed would slow, but he'd still progress—just at the cost of more time.
2. Travel to other locations in Fiora. Though most key spots were in the capital, there were still a few scattered elsewhere. Going there might be more efficient than waiting in the city.
At present, he wanted Chii to sift through those possibilities.
Three days later, Ron returned to Sky Arena.
Opening the door, he found only Nina, Shizuku, and White Bear inside. Sally had gone to take the Hunter Exam and hadn't returned yet.
Ron nodded and entered. "How have things been?"
"Nothing major has happened—about the same as before," Nina replied. "I'm about to qualify for the 200th floor soon, and Shizuku's climbing as planned. But we haven't made much headway with advanced Nen techniques…"
A hint of guilt flickered across Nina's face. "Big Bro, are we too useless?"
"Not at all." Ron placed a reassuring hand on her head. "I'll give you both a new training plan soon. Follow that, and your growth will definitely outpace what you had before. The two of you will have slightly different outlines—each plan is tailored just for you."
With that, Ron summoned Chii. Moments later, two emails popped up, sent to Nina and Shizuku.
"Thank you, Big Bro!"
White Bear wagged its tail enthusiastically, rubbing up against Ron. Nina felt inadequate only because she was comparing herself to him—but from an ordinary person's standpoint, she and Shizuku's talents were already impressive, even compared to typical Nen users. Ron was simply on another level.
Moreover, Ron had been personally mentored by Mahha Zoldyck, whereas Nina and Shizuku were primarily taught by Ron. That difference would naturally show. However, after receiving the new training method this time, Nina and Shizuku would improve much faster.
"Oh, right—has there been any news from Sally?" Ron asked.
"Yes," Nina replied with a nod. "A while ago, Sally said she found one of the Hunter Association's preliminary sites. She just has to wait until the official exam time to get her full qualification."
Ron's thoughts turned to his knowledge of the Hunter Exam, mostly from the 287th exam.
This year's would be the 282nd. He didn't know much about it other than that Tonpa was certain to be there—he was a fixture at nearly every exam, known for messing with newcomers. In the 287th exam, Tonpa hadn't seemed particularly strong, though some speculated he might be secretly powerful. Ron had never met him, so he couldn't say either way.
"From my previous trait-absorption experiences, obtaining all the traits from the Hunter Exam likely takes two or more tries to reach 100%. Incorporating the 287th exam would be best, because it's unquestionably the highest-quality one in recent years. The better the 'quality,' the stronger the Nen Beast I can craft from those traits."
After resting a bit, Ron headed to reception to register for a match.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side.
Currently, no other contestants on the 200th floor had signed up for a match. Those who'd been planning to fight soon gave up once they heard Ron was registering. They didn't want to step into a guaranteed loss.
Ron hadn't expected this. None of his previous experiences here had gone . But once he confirmed it, he understood the logic:
His strength was no longer just hype among the fans and spectators—his skill was genuinely recognized by the veterans of the 200th floor. He let out a wry smile.
"Never thought the day would come so soon. This is… the perk of being seen as a strong fighter."
In truth, Ron didn't consider himself "strong" yet; he still felt he was in a learning phase. On the human continent alone, there were many Nen users far stronger than him. In his mind, you had to be at least at A-level to be considered a real powerhouse, and on the Dark Continent, even an A-level user was just a newcomer—only S-level users could speak with true authority.
"All competitors have to fight at least once every three months," Ron reminded himself. "I just need to be patient and wait for someone to be forced to accept a match."
Suddenly, his phone rang with a lively chime.
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