Even though Killua had taken down the Cyclops with seeming ease, he could tell during the fight that the creature wasn't actually weak. If he hadn't aimed for its single eye, there was no way he could have defeated it.
But this kind of monster was only ranked G?
Killua felt a pang of frustration.
"What's wrong, Killua?"
Killua flicked his wrist, sending the card flying toward Gon.
"Take a look for yourself."
Gon caught it and was just as surprised.
"A monster that strong is only G-rank?"
Instead of being discouraged, Gon grew excited.
"Then the higher-ranked monsters… how strong must they be?"
Killua shook his head.
"I don't know. But defeating a Cyclops isn't difficult if you know its weakness. Aim for the eye and you'll bring it down. That's probably why it was assigned a G ranking."
Having lost interest in the Cyclops, Killua nodded toward Gon.
Killua retreated to the safe zone, while Gon stepped forward to face another Cyclops. The battle began once more.
Biscuit nodded approvingly.
"Good habit. They know to use Gyo to observe before the fight starts. Otherwise, finding the Cyclops's weakness wouldn't be so easy."
It didn't take long before Gon too had defeated his opponent. Then the two switched targets again. But this time, with less experience against new monsters, they quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.
Biscuit stepped forward.
"Enough. Time for me to join in!"
Meanwhile, Ron's research into the Favor Cushion was reaching its conclusion. Based on the process he had used earlier to crack spell cards, he had started to recognize patterns in the way the game's creators embedded their mechanics. And with Chii's analysis backing him up, her computing ability rivaling a supercomputer, the breakthrough finally came.
He pulled out a metal plate and began inscribing on its surface.
Before long, a new symbol glowed on the plate.
It resembled the symbol for "Kei" (Contract), but it was not quite the same. The difference lay in the binding force. "Kei" demanded absolute fulfillment, while "Yaku" only required best-effort completion.
Ron thought for a moment. He couldn't yet imagine a scenario where it might be applied. But that didn't mean it had no value. All Divine Characters carried value.
He stored the metal plate in Sumas's space and then headed toward the outskirts of Antokiba.
Three figures entered his view.
Glancing at the crystal orb in his hand, Ron confirmed what he suspected: here, its absorption rate had increased significantly.
"So to gain the maximum amount, I must observe the real-time process of clearing the game…"
Ron himself had no intention of clearing it the normal way. His goal was to break it. Most other players here were also less than pure in motive—more interested in shortcuts than in experiencing the full game. Only Gon and Killua were here to truly play it as it was intended.
Biscuit looked back at her two students.
"You two, keep training."
With that, she flickered forward, reappearing directly across from Ron. Gon and Killua hadn't even noticed his arrival. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel✦fire.net
"So the Chairman was right. You really are exceptional."
"Wing once told me you were a formidable senior, Biscuit."
"Don't call me senior. I hate that word. You came to see how your little cousin's training is going?"
"Since I'm in this game too, of course I want to check on him."
Biscuit studied him closely.
"Gon's here for Ging. Killua's here to accompany Gon. But you, Ron… this game shouldn't interest you. What's your purpose?"
Ron was silent for a moment.
"I am interested in Greed Island—but not in playing. I'm interested in cracking it."
"Cracking… it?" Biscuit blinked.
"Yes." Ron's gaze was steady. "Ever since I first heard about Greed Island, I've wanted to create something similar. Biscuit, Ging wouldn't object to that, would he?"
"With Ging's personality? Of course not." She waved it off, though her curiosity was clearly piqued.
"So, how far have you gotten?"
"I've already cracked two Divine Characters," Ron replied. "If you're interested, you can join me."
This was part of Ron's true reason for bringing it up. Biscuit's power, experience, and knowledge could be of great help. She would share in the discoveries, but Ron didn't mind. These things were already accessible to Ging's team anyway.
And with Biscuit's help, he could progress even faster.
Biscuit hesitated, tempted. Her passion had always been rare gems. To her, Gon and Killua were like unpolished stones—worth nurturing. But the idea of cracking Greed Island itself was fascinating too.
"But I still have to teach them." She glanced back at the boys.
"Just come when you have free time," Ron said.
"Fine. Then it's settled."
She returned to stand beside Gon and Killua.
Ron, watching from a distance, drew another card.
Suck on one, and you could produce any voice.
With a thought, the card transformed into a piece of candy. Ron unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth.
A voice completely unlike his own emerged.
"It's just Nen. No research value."
He spat the candy out and drew another card.