The card number for Favor Cushion was B-21. The B indicated the difficulty of acquiring the card. B wasn't very high—above it were A-rank and S-rank cards. The number following the letter indicated how many copies could exist at once. In this case, twenty-one.
"If I can get it through a trade, that would be ideal."
Ron's figure flickered, and the next moment he was standing inside a small coffee shop. Most of the establishments within Greed Island were run by NPCs. They never made mistakes, but the food wasn't particularly good—it was just enough to fill one's stomach. For Ron, that was useless as it did not help his gorme cells. However, for people who had never tasted true delicacies, it was probably decent enough.
Before long, a young man entered. Spotting Ron, he hurried over.
"I need a Favor Cushion."
"You'll have to trade four other cards to get one."
Greed Island had its own currency, but money was mainly used for trading with NPCs. Between players, cards were far more valuable. Currency held little weight. In Masadora, money could be exchanged for spell cards, but the amount required was massive. So in practice, calculating value in cards was far more convenient.
"That's fine. I can have them by tomorrow. Same place for the trade?"
"That's right."
"Good."
The youth left. Ron lingered only a little longer before preparing to go himself—when he noticed two familiar figures approaching. Gon and Killua. They didn't enter the coffee shop, instead heading into the restaurant next door.
They hadn't noticed him.
"Bisky isn't here… so that means Gon and Killua must have just arrived."
He wondered if Morena and Nina had entered the game yet. Ron glanced down at the crystal sphere before him. Its progress had risen slightly, from twenty percent to twenty-one.
The next day, Ron received the Favor Cushion. The moment he had it, he left the café and found a secluded corner. There, he materialized the cushion to begin his research. Extending his aura into the Favor Cushion, he probed carefully, wrapping it bit by bit.
Soon, he confirmed one thing: this was not a fixed Nen ability from a Hatsu.
If it wasn't fixed Nen, then it had to be one of three sources: Divine Characters, Nen Tools, or Nen Beasts. Ron was familiar with both tools and beasts, and he didn't sense their aura here. That meant the Favor Cushion's power most likely came from a Divine Character.
He began dismantling it. But the instant he did, a strange aura surged forth, trying to destroy the Favor Cushion.
Ron was ready.
"Lock."
The Divine Character for Lock descended, binding the aura, restraining it so it couldn't act. Ron fully dismantled the Favor Cushion, revealing the intricate patterns within. He recorded them, then released the Lock.
At once, the aura rushed into the Favor Cushion and obliterated it.
"So this was Ging Freecss's team's safeguard? To prevent others from seeing the Divine Characters?"
The spell cards hadn't had such measures, but those were single-use and vanished after activation. The Favor Cushion, however, could persist indefinitely. Without protection, any Nen user with enough skill could study it. No overwhelming strength required.
"Then the next step is to decode this pattern."
Ron sank into his work.
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Meanwhile, Gon and Killua had arrived at the mountains outside Antokiba. Most of Antokiba's bounties targeted the monsters living here. Slay them, claim their cards, and exchange them in town for game currency.
Both boys were excited, though in different ways.
For Gon, just being inside the game was thrilling. This was Ging Freecss's creation. Simply playing it made him feel closer to his father, almost as if he were about to find him. That closeness was natural to him.
For Killua, the excitement came from finally having the chance to use the ability he had developed. Back in Yorknew, he had already finished developing his Nen ability, but he'd had only one real fight since then—and his opponent had been much stronger. Honestly, it hadn't been satisfying.
Killua knew that developing an ability was only the beginning, not the end. What he needed was battle against opponents of roughly equal strength. That was where inspiration and growth came from.
The two hadn't noticed that a figure was trailing them from a distance. She looked like a little girl, but in truth, she was a grandmother-level figure, not much younger than Zeno.
Suddenly, a massive one-eyed giant loomed before them.
"So big!"
Both tensed, wary.
"Gyo!"
They immediately used Gyo, scrutinizing the aura. Their expressions eased.
"It's not as scary as it looks. Just big in size."
"The aura around its body is solid… but there's much less around the eye."
"So that's the weak spot."
They exchanged a glance. Killua darted forward, lightning crackling around him, boosting his speed in a burst. In a flash, he was at the Cyclops's side.
The giant sensed him and swung its enormous wooden club downward. Killua sidestepped, leapt lightly, and landed on its arm. Its other hand lunged for him, but Killua had already jumped higher, reaching the level of its single eye.
His fist crashed forward, wrapped in electricity.
Bang!
The blow landed squarely on its eye. The Cyclops staggered, its huge body swaying before collapsing. White smoke burst outward. A card floated gently into Killua's hand.
"Nice one, Killua!" Gon cheered.
Killua looked at the card—and blinked.
"G?"
"Only a G-rank?"
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