After clearing the 100th floor, Kurapika received the same news when he stepped off the ring.
But at that moment, he didn't look well.
Heavens Arena's intensity had exceeded his expectations. After reaching the 100th floor, he could still win, but the gap between him and his opponents was no longer large.
He couldn't help wondering—how had nii-san Ronin climbed to the 200th floor?
He must be unbelievably strong.
Yet someone that strong had still been attacked.
Who?
Kurapika anxiously got into the elevator, but even if he could reach the 200th floor, he had no idea where to find Ronin.
The corridor where Room 2333 was located had already been sealed off. A crowd had gathered outside, and no one could enter to check.
Still, word had already spread that the room's occupant was fine.
Kurapika returned to his private room on the 103rd floor with a sense of disappointment. But after sitting in silence for a long time, something clicked.
Could it be that nii-san Ronin had been under constant attack from the Phantom Troupe?
Kurapika remembered the headless body found outside the village. Judging from the clothing, it should've been nii-san Ronin's father.
None of the 128 should've left the village, yet Ronin's father had appeared outside—and had been decapitated. The fragments of the head had even been found far from the body.
Could Ronin have been there too?
And did he escape the Phantom Troupe's hands, then come to Heavens Arena?
And why was he standing in the open so flamboyantly?
Was he deliberately drawing the Troupe's attention?
Then what was his goal?
Revenge.
Yes—revenge.
Kurapika's conviction grew firmer and firmer.
Anyone hunting nii-san Ronin must recognize his face. And with Ronin showing up this loudly, unless the Troupe were blind, they couldn't possibly miss him.
They would definitely come to eliminate him.
That way, nii-san Ronin could lure them out and kill them—while also forcing the Troupe to focus all their attention on him.
Not only that.
With nii-san Ronin in the open, Kurapika—also a Kurta—wouldn't be attacked as long as he didn't reveal himself.
nii-san Ronin was protecting him!
And hidden in the shadows, Kurapika would have huge freedom to operate—investigating the Phantom Troupe in secret, or looking for chances to assassinate.
No.
The reason nii-san Ronin chose Heavens Arena might also be a reminder—a warning not to act rashly.
Strength was the priority.
He couldn't even reach the 200th floor, while nii-san Ronin—who could win nonstop on the 200th floor—was still being hunted by the Phantom Troupe.
If Kurapika ignored the gap in strength and let hatred cloud his mind, rushing in blindly… all he'd do was add another pair of Scarlet Eyes to the Troupe's collection.
nii-san Ronin really had gone to incredible lengths.
Kurapika was moved. Tears welled up again.
He couldn't disappoint nii-san Ronin's expectations.
He had to get stronger—fast.
Strong enough to help nii-san Ronin… even strong enough to kill the Phantom Troupe and avenge the clan!
And it would start with climbing to the 200th floor—then finding a chance to reunite with nii-san Ronin in private.
With that thought, Kurapika immediately rallied himself and began doing push-ups right there in his room.
…
Ronin hadn't thought nearly that much.
Every choice he made was based on his understanding of the Phantom Troupe's behavior patterns—and his confidence in his own strength.
With the ninjutsu he had, if he wanted to run, it would be very hard for the Troupe to stop him in a place like Heavens Arena.
And now that he had Milia as outside support, he even had the confidence to wrestle with Uvogin on the ring.
Unfortunately, Milia still hadn't been able to connect him with a second seller willing to part with Scarlet Eyes.
At this point, it seemed that reclaiming Scarlet Eyes through "normal channels" really wasn't viable.
The best method was still the same as Kurapika's in the manga: find a suitable mafia group, use them to locate Scarlet Eyes, then use mafia methods to obtain them.
That would not only be simpler than slow negotiations, it would also save him a huge amount of money.
With his current strength, Ronin obviously wouldn't value a small family like the Nostrades as highly as Kurapika did.
But the Nostrade "young lady" was worth bringing under his wing.
Neon Nostrade was born with a Specialist Nen ability: Lovely Ghostwriter. It used an invisible fairy to write prophecy poems, predicting a target's events for the next month and including warnings for avoiding danger.
If he controlled Neon and had her write a prophecy once per month, he could avoid most dangers.
Ronin wasn't about to let that practical ability fall into the hands of the Troupe leader, Chrollo.
Recently, Ronin had also looked up the Nostrade family online.
They were a tiny, unremarkable gang in a small city.
Their boss, Light Nostrade, was skilled at winning people over, and ran underground casinos and red-light businesses.
According to information Ronin bought from a professional Hunter, Light was ambitious, but lacked ruthlessness. That was why the higher-level mafia didn't take him seriously—he was just a small-time boss who was doing "pretty okay."
Light did have a daughter: Neon, currently fourteen.
After her mother died, she dropped out of school and lived in Light's villa. She rarely went out. The place she visited most was the Natural History Museum—she seemed obsessed with specimens.
Light was strict with her, and their relationship wasn't good. They often fought when Light brought other women home.
And it usually ended with Neon getting slapped.
Ronin wasn't surprised.
Light's "love" for Neon existed only because she could foresee the future.
In other words, in Light's eyes, she was more tool than daughter.
But the information suggested Neon hadn't shown her prophetic ability yet, so it was normal that Light didn't value her much at the moment.
Ronin closed the file.
Not having her prophecy ability exposed yet was perfect for him.
He planned to deal with the Uvogin showdown first, then head to the small city where the Nostrade family was based—Molding City.
After "abducting" Neon, he would then go to Yorknew.
Before September arrived, he intended to secure a seat as one of the Ten Dons—so he could obtain Scarlet Eyes faster and more efficiently to strengthen himself.
With everything planned out, Ronin's shadow clone reappeared on the 200th floor.
Because today, Uvogin would finish his 190th-floor fight and officially become a 200th-floor competitor.
And what Ronin had to do… was meet him head-on—and declare the next match.