BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion shook the entire castle, sending cracks spiderwebbing across ceilings and walls. Visitors and staff alike froze, half-expecting the structure to come down around them.
"What happened?!"
Faces paled as the group rushed toward the source.
"It came from Grandpa's training ground!" Killua gasped.
They burst into the ruined chamber.
Ryker stood there, shirt blasted to rags and fluttering away in tatters. His lean, cheetah-like musculature gleamed under the dust-choked light—perfect, predatory, every line honed for explosive power.
His black hair drifted upward as though caught in an unseen current.
He looked every inch a war god, though his aura had already settled into calm stillness.
Opposite him, Zeno appeared completely unharmed.
To any outsider, it might have passed for a "friendly spar"… if you ignored the devastation.
Behind Ryker stretched a hundred-meter trench gouged into the stone floor, bricks flipped and scattered as though a colossal dragon had clawed through the earth.
Behind Zeno, the far wall no longer existed. In its place yawned a thirty-meter-wide fist imprint—deep, clean, radiating the aftershock of incomprehensible force.
"This… this was a friendly spar?" Gon stared, mouth hanging open.
"I'm dreaming. That punch could level a city block," Leorio muttered, voice hoarse.
"Too strong… far beyond human," Kurapika whispered. His eyes flickered faintly scarlet as his analytical mind pieced it together: Zeno had deployed his Dragon Head technique, and Ryker had met it head-on like a humanoid tyrannosaur.
Ryker looked the messier of the two—shirtless, dusted in debris—but Zeno stood pristine.
"Grandpa?!" Killua shouted.
Milluki, Kalluto, and Illumi stared in blank shock. Their own battles suddenly felt like children play-fighting.
"Father-in-law!" "Father!" Kikyo and Silva called in unison.
Silva, having personally tasted Ryker's power, felt fresh confusion. This wasn't berserk mode. How had the boy summoned such devastating force?
I underestimated him. Again.
"Cough… cough… I'm fine. Just a friendly spar." Zeno waved a hand, chuckling despite the ruin. "Young friend Ryker! That's enough. You've truly opened these old eyes."
"I envy that lucky bastard Netero. Why does fortune always favor him?" He paused, then added with genuine curiosity, "By the way… are you interested in learning our Assassination Arts?"
Zeno sighed inwardly. If only he had discovered this prodigy first.
"Uh? Grandpa… didn't you say those techniques are family secrets?" Killua asked, bewildered.
The Zoldyck assassination arts were reserved strictly for heirs—Killua, Illumi, maybe Kalluto someday. Even Milluki had been excluded for lack of talent. Teaching an outsider risked torture and betrayal if the knowledge ever leaked.
"Father-in-law! That's our core inheritance! You can't just—" Kikyo's voice pitched high with panic.
Milluki shifted nervously. Offering the arts to Ryker was tantamount to adopting him into the family.
Uh… can I just say I already copied them?
Ryker thought wryly. Why bother training when the system handed him the finished product?
"Thank you for the generous offer, Lord Zeno. If I ever have the time, I'd be honored to learn. But right now I'm quite busy. I'll ask Killua to teach me the basics later."
Ryker declined politely while leaving the door cracked open. He already possessed the traits—he just needed a believable excuse to use them openly down the line.
"Hehe. Fair enough. Killua! Teach Ryker everything you know about our arts!" Zeno's wrinkled face split into a delighted grin.
"Yes, Grandpa! Brother Ryker, I'll teach—no, let's learn together!" Killua flushed, correcting himself quickly. The idea of "teaching" Ryker felt absurd.
"Hahaha! Excellent! Come, everyone—to the banquet hall! We'll welcome Ryker properly and celebrate Killua finding his true path!"
Zeno declared, already turning toward the exit.
Ryker's Internal Monologue:
He pulled up the system log in his mind.
[DING! You defeated Zeno Zoldyck.]
[Trait: [Strong Luck] Double Trigger!]
[Copy Successful! Acquired: [Transmutation Grandmaster] (Red), [En] (Gold)!]
[Trait [Transmutation Master] (Gold) absorbed → [Transmutation Grandmaster] (Red)!]
HAHAHAHA!
Ryker barely contained the urge to whoop aloud.
Strong Luck had carried again. Ten percent chance? Child's play.
Two high-tier traits in one go—one straight Red!
[Transmutation Grandmaster] (Red): Peak mastery, surpassing even Hisoka's level.
[En] (Gold): Elite sensory field. Zeno's range stretched three hundred meters; now Ryker's talent sat at Golden tier.
The Zoldyck family was an absolute goldmine. He'd have to farm them again once the cooldown reset.
The Banquet Hall buzzed with life. Canary, Gotoh, and the rest of the household staff had turned out in force.
"Lord Ryker, I am Gotoh. Please summon me whenever you need anything." Gotoh bowed deeply.
"Lord Ryker… thank you again for earlier!" Canary's eyes shone with gratitude.
"No trouble at all. Actually, Canary—could I ask you for a small favor?" Ryker smiled.
"Anything, sir!" Canary nodded eagerly.
"Lord Zeno, may I borrow Canary for a short while?" Ryker turned to the elder.
"Of course! Canary, accompany Ryker. Obey his every command."
"Yes, sir!"
Zeno added with a knowing wink, "If you take a liking to her, I'll gift her to you outright."
Canary's cheeks flushed faintly with expectation. Serving someone of Ryker's caliber would be the highest honor.
Both Zeno and Silva quietly hoped he would accept. Binding Ryker closer to the family was strategic gold.
Especially after what Zeno had witnessed in the spar.
Ryker had deliberately controlled that tenfold burst. He had pulled the final punch the instant victory was secured.
In raw explosive power, Ryker already stood at Netero's level—and he was still a teenager.
Securing such an ally was the greatest stroke of fortune the Zoldycks had seen in generations.
"Just a small errand. I'll return her soon," Ryker assured them.
Canary's shoulders dipped slightly in disappointment, but she recovered quickly. Even temporary service was more than enough.
Departure.
The Zoldycks escorted the group all the way to the Testing Gate.
"Sigh… the era has truly changed," Zeno murmured as Ryker's figure receded into the distance.
"Illumi, remain at home and train. Inform our entire intelligence network: protect Ryker and his companions at all costs. Reject any and all contracts targeting them."
"Yes… Grandpa," Illumi replied quietly. Ryker had become the insurmountable mountain he might never crest.
"Father-in-law, why did Ryker take Canary with him?" Kikyo asked, puzzled.
"Don't ask. Don't pry into Ryker's affairs. It's safer for everyone that way," Zeno warned sharply. "Return to your duties. Silva—train harder."
Zeno turned and walked away without another word.
Silva lingered a moment longer, staring after the departing group.
Canary…
Why her specifically?
Meteor City?
A dark intuition stirred in Silva's mind.
A colossal storm was brewing over Meteor City—and it was coming fast.
Read ahead with 30+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Authorizz