Malice from a Floor Master

"Sorry, Master Wing! I really couldn't hold back!"

Killua had just met up with Gon, who had also finished his match, when he saw Zushi standing in the corridor, bowing deeply to Wing and repeatedly apologizing with a guilty expression.

Driven by curiosity, they did not turn around and leave. Instead, they hid in a corner and eavesdropped on the conversation between the two.

"No, Zushi. Wanting victory isn't a bad thing. But for you, it's still too early to use that kind of power. The patience you show now is so that you can climb to even greater heights in the future. Just like Allen, whom you admire—he must have done countless basic exercises to reach his current level." Wing gently stroked his disciple's head in consolation.

"Understood! I'll continue tempering myself until I'm qualified to stand on the two-hundredth-floor arena." Zushi clenched his fists tightly, his eyes shining with determination and an unwillingness to admit defeat.

"Very good! From now on, you must be prepared to endure hundreds, even thousands, of losses. Come on, let's return to the room and begin today's training."

After saying that, Wing led his disciple around the corner and disappeared from the corridor.

Only after watching the two leave completely did Killua turn to his friend and ask, "Gon, did you hear what they were talking about? I'm really curious now. What exactly is this 'kind of power'?"

"I'm curious too! But they seemed to mention Allen over and over. Maybe we can find the answer through him." Gon replied, blinking.

"That's right! Do you remember the feeling that came from Hisoka and Allen during the Hunter Exam? I think we're already very close to the truth! Come on! Let's register on the two-hundredth floor first, then buy two tickets for tomorrow's match."

There was no doubt that Killua was the type to act the moment he made up his mind.

Since Hisoka was still unable to use Nen and had not yet appeared at the Sky Arena, the two boys completed their registration without any trouble and spent a hefty sum on tickets for tomorrow morning's match.

Filled with excitement and anticipation, they barely slept that night. The next day, they hurried out of their room as soon as it was nine o'clock and took their seats in the stands to wait for the match to begin.

About fifteen minutes later, more than half the audience had arrived early and begun quietly discussing the story behind today's match.

"Hey! Did you hear? They say today's match involves a grudge between the Floor Masters and Allen."

"A grudge? What grudge?"

"Idiot! Don't you think it's strange that a Floor Master would lower himself enough to challenge a mere two-hundredth-floor fighter?"

"I know! They say Allen has repeatedly shown contempt for the position of Floor Master, severely damaging their pride. This time, Valensa, the Floor Master of the 224th floor, decided to step in personally to teach Allen a lesson he'll never forget."

"Then who do you think will win?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course it is the Floor Master! They're experts who stand above all other fighters!"

"No, I think the exact opposite! Allen has never gone all out since reaching the two-hundredth floor. With his strength, he could have become a Floor Master long ago, yet he always gave up for some inexplicable reason."

As he listened to the various speculations and rumors around him, a playful expression appeared on Killua's face. He said to his friend, "Gon, you know, I looked up Allen's record last night. Guess what I found?"

"What?" Curiosity gleamed in Gon's eyes.

"He fought a total of twenty-six matches on the Sky Arena's two-hundredth floor in one month. He won eighteen and lost eight." Killua rested his chin on his hand and gave the precise figures.

"Huh? Even someone as strong as Allen has lost?" Gon's mouth fell open in surprise.

Killua shook his head with a serious expression. "No! In all eight losses, he suddenly declared surrender while holding an overwhelming advantage. In other words, he hasn't actually lost a single match. He just didn't want to complete ten victories and become a Floor Master, so he deliberately lost those matches. And throughout all twenty-six fights, he was never injured even once. His opponents never even earned a single knockdown point against him. Do you know what that means?"

"It means he's stronger than every fighter here!" Gon immediately reached the conclusion.

"That's right! I don't know why he's doing this, but it has clearly angered the Floor Masters. If I'm not mistaken, today's match will definitely be exciting."

The moment he finished speaking!

Killua suddenly noticed two familiar figures sitting directly behind him. It was none other than Wing and Zushi.

"Ki... Killua?!"

Zushi was clearly startled when he saw his opponent from yesterday's match.

"Yo!" Killua hurriedly waved with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Gon Freecss, Killua's friend." The naturally friendly Gon turned around and greeted them as well.

Just as the three boys were getting acquainted, Wing suddenly interjected, "It's starting!"

"Starting?"

Killua froze for a moment, then quickly turned his gaze downward.

Valensa, the Floor Master of the 224th floor, had already stepped onto the arena, radiating an astonishing aura.

He was a muscular giant over two meters tall.

What stood out most were the four gemstone rings of different colors on his hands. For some reason, they gave off an oddly mismatched, uncomfortable feeling.

On his left middle and ring fingers were rings set with white and cyan gemstones, while the same fingers on his right hand wore rings set with red and brown gemstones.

In comparison, Allen, who was only around one meter seventy and looked neither strong nor fierce, resembled an ordinary boy next door. A faint smile hung on his face, as though he did not take the powerful opponent before him seriously at all.

"Hmph! Arrogant brat, today you'll pay the price for looking down on the Floor Masters." Valensa was the first to speak, delivering a threat.

"Pay the price? From you? Sorry, but I don't think a place like the Sky Arena can produce any truly powerful Nen users. Compared to the real Hunters outside, you are like beasts raised in a zoo. You lost the most important thing long ago—the drive to improve—and have been confined within this tiny tower." Allen replied with a disdainful smile.

After more than a month of frequent battles, he had finally realized why truly powerful Nen users like Ging, Chairman Netero, the Zodiacs, and the Phantom Troupe—almost every one of them—did not think much of the Sky Arena's Floor Masters or the world fighting tournament it hosted.

Of course, Hisoka, that pervert obsessed with searching for "unripe fruit," was an exception.

The reason was very simple!

On one hand, some people did not want to reveal their abilities in front of too many people. On the other, the level of Nen users here was simply rather poor. Most had been forcibly awakened through the trials of battle, while very few had received systematic training, and their ability development was a complete mess.

On top of that, the venue was firmly limited to a small arena. It was far less thrilling and challenging than unrestricted life-and-death battles outside, where one wagered one's own life.

In fact, Allen had already let Red Dragon devour enough cocoons. This time, he planned to complete ten consecutive victories in one go, take down a Floor Master while he was at it, and leave.

Who would have thought that one of the Floor Masters would be unable to sit still and take the initiative to submit a match request against him?

PS: Please bookmark and recommend the new book. Many thanks.