Dick hesitated only briefly before agreeing.
"But don't try anything rash. Those traps are dangerous—one wrong move and you could lose your life. Come with me."
Leading Ron toward the center of Block Town, Dick soon brought him to a dilapidated church.
"That token is hidden inside," he explained. "I tried going in myself earlier, but got forced back almost immediately. I was nearly hurt."
No sooner had Dick spoken than a new presence quickly approached from another direction.
Dick's eyes narrowed. "Let's hide."
He ducked into a corner, and Ron followed suit.
A figure appeared at the church entrance, carefully scanning the surroundings. Seeing no one, the newcomer stepped inside.
Before long, the mechanism activated.
A flurry of arrows whizzed through the air. Alarmed, the person in black hurriedly backed out.
Dick wore a disappointed look; he'd hoped the stranger would trigger more of the traps, so that when the time came for him to act, there'd be fewer left. Unfortunately, the man in black retreated too soon.
After escaping, the stranger exhaled in relief, glancing warily back at the church. Then he turned and happened to spot a different corner—exactly where Dick and Ron were hiding.
The man dashed over, and suddenly there they were: three people, three pairs of eyes, staring at each other.
With no hesitation, the newcomer attacked, while Dick also leaped into action.
A fierce clash erupted. Unlike Ron's earlier run-in with an ordinary thug, both of these fighters were Nen users and neither was weak.
A burst of colliding blows rang out. Realizing he was at a disadvantage, the man in black glanced at Ron. Presuming Ron and Dick were allies, he thought he could threaten Dick by going after Ron.
Forcing Dick back with a sudden strike, he rushed toward Ron.
"Watch out!" Dick shouted, voice ringing with urgency.
As an assassin, Dick wasn't just some run-of-the-mill killer; he had aspirations. He respected the Zoldyck family deeply. Once he suspected Ron might be a Zoldyck, he gave up on ambushing him, stepped forward, and challenged him openly. Yet upon seeing how young Ron was, Dick decided that even if he won, there would be no honor in it, so he let it go.
But that didn't mean he wanted Ron dead. He also viewed Ron as possibly his only chance to contact the Zoldycks—he hoped to meet someone his own age in that family and test himself.
So he couldn't allow Ron to be killed.
Ron merely shook his head. The man in black had made the worst possible choice. Continuing to fight Dick would have resulted in a stalemate, or simply fleeing might have worked because Dick had little interest in giving chase.
But the man decided to target Ron instead.
Ron flicked his fingers.
A Nen needle pierced the man's body, unleashing the toxic effect of Crystal Featherbone. It was so fast that no one had noticed it.
Dick seized the moment without hesitation, lunging in and driving a blade into the man's vital spot.
An even heavier dose of poison flooded into the man's bloodstream, spreading rapidly.
He collapsed in a heap.
Dick found something about the man's final behavior odd, but gave it little further thought.
"You all right?" Dick asked, turning to Ron.
"No problem." Ron shook his head.
While Dick quickly disposed of the body, Ron headed for the entrance of the old church once again.
A red-haired teenage boy materialized beside him.
"Go get that token," Ron instructed, gesturing at the church.
Natsu strode inside. Soon the same traps fired off—but while they posed a big threat to the man in black, they barely bothered Natsu. He dodged them easily and kept going.
Hearing the commotion, Dick hurried over.
"You went in?" he asked, then relaxed upon seeing Ron still outside. "Ah, so that's your…Nen Beast?"
Dick glanced at Natsu in the church.
Ron nodded. "Exactly."
Dick's eyes glimmered. "Using a Nen Beast is smart. But…"
"Once it takes enough damage, it'll disappear. You could wait for it to be destroyed by traps, recover, and then conjure it again. Spending a bit of time should guarantee you get the token."
"So when I get that token, you're not going to try and take it from me?" Ron asked.
"Snatch it? No, I won't."
"Why not? Weren't you here for that same token? After all the effort you put in, are you really just going to stand by and let me walk away with it?"
Dick smiled. "It's only a token. All it does is secure one assassination request. Even then, there's no guarantee of payment.
"And even if it did pay off, I honestly don't care that much. I'd rather have a way to contact the Zoldycks."
"I want to find a Zoldyck my own age to challenge."
"I need to see just how strong that family really is—what it means to be the world's top assassins."
Just then, Natsu came marching out of the old church, token in hand.
"You seem really fixated on the Zoldycks," Ron said. "Fine. I'll give you that chance. Let's go outside town—I'll give you a fight."
Dick was taken aback. "You mean…?"
"Just what I said. I'll fight you."
Dick briefly hesitated, then realized what Ron meant when he glanced at Natsu.
"Great!" Dick's eyes sparkled.
Earlier, he'd wanted to test himself against Ron, but Ron pointed out he was just a kid; beating a child wouldn't prove anything. Now, though, seeing how casually Ron had used Natsu to take the token made it clear he wasn't ordinary at all.
The pair quickly left Block Town, stopping about ten kilometers outside, at a flat clearing. They stood facing one another.
"Are you ready to begin?" Dick asked, unable to hide his eagerness.
------------------------
You can read up to 120 Advanced chapters!