"Ron, the commission I mentioned to you last time is almost ready to begin. Come to Yorknew in the next few days."
Ron nodded. "Alright, Cousin Illumi. Once I've taken care of the things on hand, I'll head over."
After ending the call, Ron spent the following day with Alice in the Gourmet Secret Realm. The two divided the tasks between them—Ron focused on capturing ingredients, while Alice was responsible for preparing the dishes. For a while, it truly felt as if they were living in a world far removed from society.
Meanwhile, Illumi had already arrived early in Yorknew. After surveying the area and confirming that nothing seemed out of place, he entered a nearby café, where a figure was already seated in a corner. Illumi walked over and sat down across from him.
At Heaven's Arena, a match that had drawn considerable attention was underway, though in truth, the gap in strength between the two fighters was massive.
One side was Hisoka.
The other was Gon.
Killua sat in the stands, his expression stern and tense. To his left was Kastro. To his right, Sadaso. Not far away, Wing sat with Zushi.
"Kastro, can you feel how far you still are from Hisoka?"
"I don't know," Kastro shook his head. "Hisoka is far stronger than I am. The gap between us... I can't quantify it."
"Oh right, Killua—do you know anything about the general classification levels of Nen users?"
Killua froze slightly. "Classification levels?"
Kastro continued, "The strength of a Nen user can't be judged entirely by rank, but for convenience, there's a rough classification system. It helps give some reference points, though it's far from absolute."
"Typically, it's divided into E, D, C, B, A, and S levels. Right now, I'm only at about C-rank."
"Hisoka, at minimum, is A-rank."
"As for you and Gon, you'd both be considered D-rank overall."
Even though neither Killua nor Gon had yet developed a personal ability, and had only just learned the core techniques—Gyo, Ren, Ten, and Zetsu—their physical traits stood out. Both were twelve years old with strong combat instincts and rich experience, which was why Kastro had evaluated them as such.
"So I'm only D-rank," Killua murmured, glancing at Sadaso. "What about you, Sadaso?"
"I'm D-rank too," Sadaso replied with an awkward expression, clearly a little frustrated. But he had grown used to it. Years ago, he had watched as Killua caught up to him and then surpassed him. Though he'd gotten ahead again by learning Nen earlier, once Killua began training, the speed of his progress was astonishing. Without realizing it, Killua had already caught up once more.
Sadaso truly envied that kind of talent. But ever since joining TST, he too had improved. He believed that he would one day break into C-rank—and one day become a Floor Master at Heaven's Arena.
"What about Cousin Ron?"
"Ron-senpai is also A-rank."
"And Wing-sensei?"
"Probably A-rank as well."
Kastro explained, "Most of the Rookie Killers at Heaven's Arena are around E-rank. A few contestants can reach D-rank. Floor Masters range from D to A. But B-rank and above are extremely rare—most are at C-level."
"Even D-level Floor Masters are few, and those who qualify are only there because their abilities are unique—Nen users who, despite being D-rank, can hold their own against C-rank opponents."
"Rank is just a broad concept. Hisoka is A-rank. Ron-senpai is also A-rank, but Ron is much stronger than Hisoka. The difference between me and Hisoka isn't just a C-to-A gap—it's far more than that."
Killua unconsciously glanced in Wing's direction. For several days now, Wing hadn't taught either him or Gon anything new. They had opened their aura nodes, learned the Four Fundamentals. Of the Four Major Techniques, only Hatsu was left unexplored. They had already learned Gyo. Killua didn't quite understand why Wing had stopped teaching.
But Wing had his reasons. He felt that from this point on, he wasn't qualified to continue teaching. He had already submitted a suggestion to Netero—his recommendation was that Biscuit Krueger should take over. Biscuit was not only Wing's teacher but also a leading figure in the Shingen-Ryu school. If Wing wasn't capable of handling it, only someone like Biscuit could.
As for Netero himself, he had no plans to instruct the two personally.
"Begin!"
The referee's voice echoed.
Gon's expression turned serious, while Hisoka remained relaxed. For Hisoka, this match was just for amusement. He didn't expect Gon, in his current state, to be a real opponent. But if Gon could surprise him even a little, Hisoka would be satisfied.
"Let me see your progress, Gon. Don't disappoint me."
In the next moment, Gon charged straight toward Hisoka. "Not bad speed," Hisoka noted as he dodged. But Gon's second strike followed immediately—also evaded. And yet again, Gon closed in without delay.
Bang—Gon's fist landed square on Hisoka's face, sending him flying backward. But rather than showing panic, Hisoka looked ecstatic.
"Not bad, not bad. I was right about you. You've improved even faster than I expected. This is the surprise I was hoping for."
"My investment was worth it!"
Getting back up, Hisoka touched his cheek—already swollen red.
In the stands, the crowd froze.
"What's going on? Hisoka was knocked down by Gon?"
"Is Gon really that strong?"
"Even Ron didn't beat Hisoka this easily. Could this be an even greater genius than Ron?"
But Hisoka quickly proved otherwise. This had all just been a temporary misconception.
Once Gon failed to continue delivering surprises, Hisoka ended the match cleanly. One blow—and Gon was knocked out of the arena.
"Winner: Hisoka!"
...................
......
.
That night, after returning from the Gourmet Secret Realm, Ron entered Sumas's space. A crystal orb floated silently before him. Its progress indicator had reached 100%.
Ron closed his eyes and tried to hold off the excitement.
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