Seeing Kisho's darkened face, he patted Kisho's shoulder as if to comfort him.
"Don't worry so much. The leader wouldn't assign a task to a member that is completely impossible to accomplish."
He then smiled.
"Even if you can't do it, you don't really lose anything. If you fail, you fail. Worst case, we can just go rob it together."
Kisho: "..."
Talking about "going to rob it together" with such righteous confidence—what a scummy Shalnark.
However, failing the task really wasn't "no loss" for him.
Kisho said bitterly, "I mortgaged my Hunter license to the leader."
Shalnark: "Ah."
A flash of schadenfreude flickered through the blond fox's emerald-green eyes, though he said aloud:
"That's really miserable. I can only wish you good luck and cheer for you."
Kisho: "..."
"But since it's the leader's arrangement, there must be no problem." Shalnark rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.
"I guess the leader also wants to use this opportunity to let you properly improve your strength."
"If you can get that book through battle and also improve a member's combat ability, it's killing two birds with one stone."
Shalnark glanced at Kisho.
"As for the Hunter license, the leader probably doesn't want you running away halfway, so he just gave you a little pressure, haha~"
Kisho was speechless. After a long silence, he spoke gloomily.
"I really thank him."
...
An hour later, Chrollo pushed the door open and walked in.
He glanced around at the two people in the room. Shalnark was sitting on a chair playing with his phone, while Kisho was lying on the companion hospital bed in the room slacking off.
An excellent leader does not allow members to slack off.
So Chrollo smiled at Kisho and said:
"It seems Shalnark has already explained the situation to you—let's depart."
Kisho lay spread on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a look as if he was questioning his life. Only after a long while did he unwillingly climb up.
Under Shalnark's gleeful gaze, he followed behind Chrollo and left.
The journey began once again.
...
Several hours later, Kisho pressed himself against the giant glass window of the airship, looking at the towering building not far away.
Even in his previous life, he had never seen such a structure—one that seemed to pierce into the atmosphere, as if you could even see the curved horizon.
He turned back to look at Chrollo sitting on the sofa.
"Leader, that's Heaven's Arena, right?"
Dressed in a black suit with bandages covering the tattoo on his forehead, Chrollo casually responded with a soft "Mm."
Kisho clicked his tongue, feeling despair about the life that awaited him.
—It had been a long time since he fought people without Nen abilities. He was honestly panicking.
"Leader, do you really think I'll be fine?" Kisho muttered.
Hearing the question, Chrollo closed his book and looked at him seriously.
"What aspect of being fine are you referring to?"
"For example, defeating Shinichi Fujimoto and getting the book..." Kisho thought for a moment. "Is there a time limit for the task?"
"Within two months, you must rise to the 200th floor. For you, if you work a little harder, it should be achievable." Chrollo said. "That is the minimum requirement."
Kisho frowned slightly.
"Everyone there is an ordinary person. There's no way I can't even reach the 200th floor, right? What I mean is—how exactly am I supposed to fight that Shinichi Fujimoto—"
"No matter what method." Chrollo gently interrupted before Kisho finished speaking.
"As long as you obtain that book."
Kisho: "..."
Alright. He had been thinking about it the wrong way.
How could the Phantom Troupe possibly obtain treasure through a fair and square victory?
"The ancient book is not the main reason I sent you to Heaven's Arena."
Chrollo smiled faintly.
"I simply think your strength urgently needs improvement."
Kisho: "—?"
Seeing Kisho's unconvinced expression, Chrollo said:
"That battle during the Hunter Exam allowed me to gain a certain understanding of your combat skills."
As he spoke, he showed a "friendly" smile.
"Unfortunately, in my evaluation, you only receive a 'fail.'"
Chrollo's merciless judgment, completely devoid of team camaraderie, made Kisho furious.
"Even if I failed, I still punched you!"
Chrollo smiled.
Only after venting his anger did Kisho remember that the punch had purely relied on Nen ability to bully someone. When neither of them used Nen, he had no idea how many punches Chrollo had landed on him...
Kisho: "..."
Wait! Maybe it was precisely because he punched Chrollo that Chrollo sent him off to fight underground matches!
Kisho ground his teeth silently.
Petty man! Annoying Chrollo!
After laughing, Chrollo continued:
"The other members of the Troupe are not suitable opponents for you."
He clearly knew how brutal the members he had gathered were.
"And the enemies you might encounter in Meteor City vary greatly in strength, so that isn't very suitable either."
—A truly tough opponent might turn a little spider without Nen into a dead little spider. But weaker opponents would have no training value.
"But in Heaven's Arena, you can improve your combat experience and awareness very well, and you're unlikely to encounter life-threatening danger—it's very suitable for you."
Kisho clicked his tongue.
Seeing that Kisho was unconvinced, Chrollo said slowly:
"Do not underestimate opponents just because they are ordinary people. After the 100th floor, even ordinary people are not all easy to deal with."
"There are plenty who can defeat a hundred enemies alone with only physical ability and combat skills."
Kisho responded with a simple "Oh."
He muttered:
"Then according to what you're saying, I'm probably going to suffer quite a lot."
Chrollo smiled slightly, but his eyes were filled with seriousness.
"If you suffer enough injuries, you will learn to protect your vital points in battle."
"If you realize your speed isn't enough to attack your enemy, you will learn how to create openings and lure your enemy into attacking you so you can counterattack."
"If your strength isn't enough to deal damage, you will learn to target the enemy's vital points or discover and exploit their weaknesses."
Kisho fell silent for a moment.
He had never expected Chrollo to say something like this to him—these words...
He stared into Chrollo's bottomless black eyes.
These were probably lessons that the leader had learned through countless life-and-death situations.
Under Kisho's gaze, Chrollo's expression didn't change.
After a brief pause, he continued:
"Besides, your body has already been strengthened through 'Ken.' Even without Nen, you are definitely stronger than you imagine—you should learn how to use it."
Kisho: "...Oh."
Chrollo had already said everything. What could he even reply with?
Besides, even if Chrollo had some motive he didn't understand yet, these words were ultimately meant to improve his combat strength.
Unlike that unlucky Mr. C·L, perhaps...
Perhaps he was truly being treated as a member of the Troupe.
Kisho's feelings became slightly complicated.
...
While they were talking, the skyscraper was already right in front of them.
After a slight tremor, the airship gradually slowed down, slowly entering through the designated airship passage before coming to a stop.
"We're here."
Chrollo placed his book back on the bookshelf beside the sofa and stood up.
Kisho let out a heavy sigh and stood up as well.
The two walked one after the other until they reached the end of the corridor.
At the end was a hall of about four hundred square meters, packed with people. Calling it a sea of people would not be an exaggeration.
Kisho looked around.
"There are so many people."
"The registration desk is over there. Go register." Chrollo patted Kisho's shoulder.
"Let's confirm the final tasks: the minimum requirement is to reach the 200th floor before your Nen sealing period ends."
"The second task is to obtain the ancient book titled 'Telzi Symbol Compendium' by any means necessary."
Kisho said expressionlessly:
"Oh."
Chrollo looked at Kisho. Seeing the kid showing no motivation, he decided to stimulate the member who didn't want to work hard.
"You haven't forgotten about your Hunter license, right?"
Kisho's already dark face became even darker.
Seeing this, Chrollo nodded in satisfaction.
"As long as you remember."
The stick had already been used. Next came the carrot.
"By the way, the victory rewards in Heaven's Arena are cash—and the amounts are quite considerable."
Kisho's eyes suddenly widened.
The vitality in his eyes practically overflowed.
"Really?!"
His tone jumped excitedly.
"I don't have to hand over the prize money after winning, right?"
Chrollo smiled.
"Naturally, you may use it as you wish."
The previously dispirited kid suddenly became eager and energetic.
"Awesome—!"
"Then hurry and go."
Watching Kisho run toward the registration counter, Chrollo stood in place for a moment before turning and walking in another direction.