"Riiing!"
A burst of phone ringing echoed as Ron took out his phone and answered.
"Milluki."
"Ron, where are you?"
Ron gave his location.
"Hurry over. I found something interesting."
"What kind of thing?"
"You'll know when you get here."
After hanging up, Ron paid his bill and made his way to the spot Milluki had mentioned.
"Ron, over here."
Milluki waved to him. Once Ron arrived, Milluki immediately pointed to the side.
"Guess who I just saw?"
Ron glanced at the crowd without any change in expression. "Let me guess—Killua?"
Milluki's face froze. "You actually guessed it?"
For someone who knew the original plot like Ron, this wasn't hard to deduce. After all, there were very few things—or people—that could excite Milluki. And for Milluki to be both interested and believe Ron would be as well, that narrowed it down even further.
"Killua is actually running a street stall here, and he set up some cheap game event. Is this guy seriously trying to make money with that? How much could he possibly earn?"
Ron followed Milluki's finger and looked. At the center of the crowd were Killua, Gon, and Leorio. One challenger after another was stepping up, goaded on by Leorio.
"I don't believe I can't beat a little brat!"
"The ones before me were weak—such a disgrace."
"How strong can a kid be?"
"Watch me! That gemstone necklace is mine!"
Leorio watched the challengers approach, a satisfied smile on his face, while Gon looked eager. Ron also noticed that a few Phantom Troupe members—whom he had seen earlier through the window—had arrived nearby and seemed interested in the trio.
"All three of them are Nen users."
"That little kid's not bad. To have that kind of power at his age..."
"Think Shalnark would be interested in them?"
Phinks said, "Shalnark's always wanted to scout potential new members for the troupe, right? Ron's performance proved his eye for talent wasn't wrong. I didn't think it was necessary before, but now... maybe it is."
"Hmm especially with spot #3 now vacant."
As he spoke, Phinks took out his phone and snapped a photo of the group. He wasn't the only one doing it, so Leorio and the others didn't notice.
"Want to test them yourself?"
Phinks looked at Feitan, who shook his head. "Kortopi, you go."
"Okay."
Kortopi nodded and stepped forward, drawing the crowd's attention. His unusual appearance—small stature and long hair covering most of his face and body—made him stand out as a strange figure.
"Pleased to meet you."
He stood before Gon and reached out his hand. The two clasped hands and began their match. The table seemed to sink slightly from the force; the strength from both sides was clearly extraordinary. The crowd buzzed.
"Who do you think will win?"
"That little brat's strong—definitely not your average kid."
"That challenger looks weird, but he doesn't seem weak either."
"They're about the same size... is that one also a kid?"
"No way, that's clearly an adult. Probably a dwarf."
"A dwarf freak?"
Some bystanders muttered with obvious ridicule. Those words reached Kortopi's ears, and he immediately glanced coldly at the offenders, as if to memorize each of their faces.
Gon seized the opportunity.
"Bang!"
He slammed Kortopi's hand down and won.
Leorio's voice rose cheerfully, "Too bad, our challenger didn't win, but it was close! Let's give a round of applause and hope the next challenger does better!"
Leorio didn't sense anything odd about Kortopi's strength—but Killua did.
"Gon, was that guy strong?"
Killua stepped up beside him and whispered.
Gon nodded. "Very. I almost lost. But, even if he hadn't been distracted, I still think I would have won."
Ron observed Kortopi walking away. In the Phantom Troupe, there was an internal ranking for arm strength: Uvogin ranked first, Phinks second, Hisoka third... and Kortopi was last.
In the original story, it had been Shizuku who arm-wrestled Gon. But in this world, Shizuku wasn't part of the Troupe—she was part of Ron's team instead. Compared to the original, this Shizuku was far stronger. While the Troupe had some instruction, Ron had been taught directly by Maha Zoldyck. That, combined with the vast amount of data Chii had gathered to create a personalized training regimen for Shizuku, gave her a clear advantage the Troupe's members lacked.
In the original, Shizuku used her right hand and narrowly lost to Gon. But that was because she was left-handed. In terms of overall arm strength, Kortopi was weaker than Shizuku. However, since he wasn't left-handed, his right hand was stronger than Gon's—yet Gon still managed to win.
That alone spoke volumes of Gon's talent. At such a young age, and having only recently learned Nen, he was already capable of matching Kortopi in arm strength. Especially considering Kortopi was much older and had been training in Nen far longer. Even though Kortopi was a Conjurer and Gon an Enhancer, it still proved something important—Gon's innate talent was likely greater than Kortopi's.
"So?"
Phinks and Feitan looked toward the returning Kortopi.
"I lost."
Phinks raised an eyebrow. "So that kid actually beat you in a strength match... he really might be something."
"Wonder how the other one measures up."
Feitan glanced away. "Just send the photos to Shalnark. The rest isn't our concern. Let him handle it. We'll focus on our part—action's about to start."
The three turned and left.
Just then, Milluki stepped up in front of Gon.
"Let me try."
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