Refusal X Reputation

Since arriving at the Sky Arena, Kurapika and his companion have finally witnessed the cruel reality of the Nen user community.

When I first entered the 200th Floor and saw those with physical disabilities, they were people who had entered the 200th Floor without having learned Nen ability, and were thus subjected to "trials" by Nen user above the 200th Floor.

Without the protection of Nen Aura, they were almost all crippled when faced with Nen Aura attacks, and then learned to control Nen Aura through pain.

In this situation, these Nen user learn on their own without guidance, due to their disabilities, are prone to developing Nen ability that go astray. Therefore, they become the "gatekeepers" above the 200th Floor, specifically to "test" those who have just reached the 200th Floor.

Facing these Nen user, Kurapika and his companions didn't need to use their Nen ability; they could easily defeat them using ordinary combat skills.

The Nen user they encountered afterward were much more challenging.

Today marks Kurapika's fifth battle.

Prior to this, he had won four consecutive matches.

Pairo sat in the stands, quietly watching the battle unfold in the ring below.

"Hey, are you guys good friends?" A voice suddenly came from the side, making Pairo turn around.

Upon recognizing the speaker, he frowned deeply—it was the "pervert" he had encountered in the corridor yesterday.

"So, what exactly do you want?" Pairo asked, frowning.

He felt he should have never seen this person before; their brush past each other in the corridor yesterday should have been their first meeting.

"I'm very interested in both of you and would like to be friends." The other person gave a strange smile.

"Sorry, we don't want to be friends with you," Pairo said bluntly.

"Don't say that, it makes me very sad. I love making friends," Hisoka said with a smile, and before Pairo could respond, he introduced himself, "My name is Hisoka, and you are Pairo?"

Pairo wasn't surprised that the other party called him by name directly. After all, as a contestant, his information, including his combat skills, could be found through previous battle recordings.

He ignored them and turned back to focus on the battle below.

Seeing that Pairo didn't want to pay attention to him, Hisoka just smiled and focused on the battle below.

On the ring, Kurapika is engaged in a fierce battle with a gaunt man.

The opponent was a user of Nen abilities, who was currently raising his arms to unleash his power—but most of the spectators in the stands couldn't see the specific movements clearly.

Kurapika skillfully dodged the attacks, seizing the opportune moment to unleash his Chain.

This time, the Chain wrapped around the opponent's neck at a tricky angle and was pulled sharply! The enemy was choked, had difficulty breathing, and his fighting ability dropped sharply. He desperately pulled on the Chain with both hands and frantically waved his hands to signal surrender.

Seeing this, Kurapika retracted his Chain, wiped the wound on his face, and stepped off the ring amidst the victory announcement.

Pairo immediately got up and left the stands, with Hisoka following closely behind.

"Pai--" As soon as Kurapika stepped out of the arena, he saw Hisoka behind Pairo and couldn't help but frown.

Hisoka, seemingly oblivious to their wariness, smiled and waved, "My name is Hisoka, I'm a friend of Pairo's."

This introduction startled Kurapika. He looked at Pairo, but the latter shook his head.

"What do you want from us? We don't know each other at all, we've never even met before!" Kurapika asked, puzzled.

It's really annoying when a complete stranger keeps bothering you.

"Of course I want to be friends with you, and then—fight, battle!" Hisoka said with a bloodthirsty smile.

He wasn't joking.

Kurapika paused for a moment. "So, just because we brushed past each other in the hallway yesterday, you want to fight us?" Although he found it hard to understand, he also knew that such strange ideas were not uncommon among Nen user.

"Ah, that's right, exactly."

Hisoka said, pulling a list from behind his back, "So? Want to have a good, hard fight with me?"

He thought the two of them had reached the 200th Floor of the Sky Arena and had fought five matches in just two months.

They should not resist fighting.

However, both of them shook their heads.

Because they had to go back.

It's been almost two months since I left, and it's time to go back.

Furthermore, they have already fought four or five battles in the Arena, and have roughly figured out how to fight between Nen user, and have also gained corresponding experience.

There's not much point in continuing the fight.

After all, this is a ring-style arena, and continuing to fight might expose more information. Moreover, ring-style fighting is not suitable for the situation they will face later.

Because if they wanted to hunt down the Phantom Troupe, they would be facing a group.

A group of thirteen people.

The Phantom Troupe is so formidable because they consist of thirteen members, each of whom is likely quite Nen ability. When they stick together, they are almost always victorious.

Based on existing intelligence analysis, not everyone in the group is exceptionally skilled, but almost everyone possesses basic combat abilities.

Several of them were dedicated combat personnel.

Hisoka is standing in front of me.

This strange guy inexplicably came over, wanting to fight them one-on-one.

It's hard not to be wary.

Refusing to leave is the best option.

So the two of them refused to leave again, leaving Hisoka standing there.

"Oh dear, finding the perfect venue is really difficult."

Hisoka had been gathering information ever since he saw Kurapika and his companion yesterday.

These two can be described as inseparable.

If we take one person's combat performance as an example, Hisoka believes that it has reached a standard that can be emulated, but it may not have reached a perfect state yet.

But if an apple reaches the picking standard, Hisoka will pick it without hesitation if he has the time.

But this time he was clearly too late.

These two were clearly tired of the Sky Arena and were preparing to leave. His behavior had put them on guard, and they didn't want to have any further interaction with him.

When two wary people are inseparable, he finds it difficult to find a one-on-one situation.

Although the two fought in the Arena, the specific abilities they developed through Nen ability training could not be determined by watching the battle recordings.

Especially that little guy named Pairo, all we can deduce is his Nen ability, which seems to be able to interfere in some way.

As for Kurapika, all he knew was that one of his Chain could be used for sealing, and another could be used for marking; he knew nothing else.

In this situation, Hisoka wasn't very confident about fighting two opponents at once, and he disliked non-one-on-one battles.

What he wanted was a one-on-one duel, without any interference from others.

"The Airship is almost here, but we need to be vigilant on the way. That freak might still be following us," Pairo said.

Their original plan was for Kurapika to leave today after his last match.

As for that seemingly powerful freak, they had no intention of fighting him. He was just too strange.

Although that pervert claimed he wanted to fight and kill them, it was impossible to determine what he actually wanted to do.

Kurapika nodded.

Night.

As the two men made their way through the crowd and left the Arena, two tall men stood on a low rooftop.

"It's really surprising that you would come all this way to see me," Hisoka couldn't help but say.

Standing next to him was none other than Illumi.

Illumi, still with his eyes wide open and expressionless, didn't even turn his head when he heard this, and said...

"Maintaining contact with clients is also part of my job."

After all, Hisoka is a frequent customer and can be considered a long-term client.

"So, is there some information you want to give me?" Hisoka asked.

If it weren't for something important, Illumi definitely wouldn't have come looking for him; for him, time is money.

"Didn't you encounter a target you really wanted in the Arena a while ago?" Upon hearing this, Hisoka immediately showed an excited expression.

"You found it?"

"I guess so, but it was my father who ran into that group and had a minor conflict with them."

"Your father?" Hisoka was taken aback.

Although he had some interaction with the other party, they didn't know each other very well. He only knew that the other party was a very skilled assassin, and apparently one of the more well-known assassins in the world.

However, Hisoka is only interested in the person; he finds it difficult to be interested in their background.

I didn't expect the other person to have family.

"Of course, I have a large family, and we love each other very much."

Love each other?

It's hard to imagine.

"The person you mentioned earlier is from the Phantom Troupe, and he's their Chrollo."

"Phantom Troupe-- "

Hisoka muttered to himself, his interest already piqued.

"You'll have a hard time finding information about them because they all come from Meteor City, but our family's intelligence network can easily locate them," Illumi said.

Finding information about the Phantom Troupe might be difficult for others, but it's easy for them.

Because his family has very deep connections with Meteor City, they can be said to have very close cooperation; even his mother comes from Meteor City.

Hisoka picked up his phone, made a few movements, and transferred some money.

Illumi picked up his phone, glanced at it, and nodded slightly. This was why he enjoyed cooperating with the other party.

"I can provide you with their intelligence, and I'll give you an additional piece of information: their team is currently short-staffed; any capable individual who gains recognition can join."

"I don't like joining any teams, just help me find his place." Hisoka has absolutely no interest in joining teams for fun or anything like that.

Although Illumi didn't say it, he didn't think Hisoka could get his wish so easily.

He was able to know his father's actions because of his father's words.

His father thought it was a losing proposition.

This is very rare for them.

Their family has been assassins for generations, and they have accumulated a wealth of experience.

His father is still the head of the family and is very experienced; it's rare for him to make a losing deal.

This must be avoided.

He especially hated losing money. So he brought the news directly to Hisoka, hoping Hisoka could get more information.

"Have you been keeping an eye on those two?" After their conversation, Illumi, unusually, didn't leave immediately but asked.

"You know him?" Hisoka asked.

Illumi's unusual question led him to discover a clue.

Since Illumi happened to be there, Hisoka said, "How about I ask you for another favor? Help me lure one of those two away."

Illumi refused Hisoka's request for the first time, shaking his head and producing a Black Card in his hand.

He used to have Gold Card, but he overspended and it became Black Card.

"I'm a member of their store, and they're also my customers. While I don't object to making purchases from customers, I won't do that with their store."

"Oh~"

Hisoka's interest was piqued as he looked at the Black Card.

He memorized the mark on the Black Card.

Those who work at Red Stone Pharmaceuticals, especially those within the Manor, are strictly forbidden from taking action; this was explicitly emphasized at Illumi's house.

Especially while Pharmacy are still operating.

For their family, the medicines from the Pharmacy were very effective and inexpensive.

The Zoldyck Family are practically regulars at Kevin's Pharmacy. They're the biggest buyers, accounting for over 60% of the annual sales.

The regular customer Pairo gave each of the three assassins he had hired a Member Card.

Now, their whole family has a Member Card, not because it was given to them, but because they overspended.

If the whole family are customers, then making a purchase is strictly prohibited.

They can't possibly lose such a channel just because of one or two deals.

This is an absolutely unprofitable deal, and it's not allowed to happen.

If the shop closes down, then that's a different story.

And the other side also has Kevin.

Kevin's information was not difficult to obtain, especially considering that Illumi himself had been beaten up by the other party.

They weren't much older than me, but their growing power was alarming.

Especially given their quick access to information, they do know about the [Food Village].

This is a major event in the Nen ability world.

Because so many Nen user suddenly appeared, and they were all very skilled, with some even having family traditions.

This is no joke.

Not wanting to lose a regular customer, Illumi advised, "I suggest you don't attack them, and don't even approach their family."

"Why? Is there someone very powerful in their family?" Hisoka was now very interested. This was the first time he had seen Illumi so serious, and it sounded like something very interesting.

Illumi pondered for a moment, considering whether or not to charge him.

After thinking about it, I realized that Kevin's information didn't seem too difficult to find.

"They have an elder in their family, probably in his twenties, not very old, but a very capable person."

There's another reason he keeps up with Kevin's news: Qi is paying close attention, which makes him feel a sense of crisis.

If it were anyone else, he would have killed them long ago, but after thinking it over, he decided to let it go; it wasn't worth it.

Ah, I'm getting more and more curious.

Judging from Illumi's words, the other person was clearly not older than him, or even his peer.

Given that he was the same age as Illumi, who was so wary of him, his desire began to rise.

He wouldn't listen to Illumi's advice at all.

This is exactly the kind of opponent he wants.

As for whether he is a rival, only he can verify that himself.

With that in mind, he simply followed after them.

Illumi pondered for a moment, then realized this was a rare opportunity and followed suit.

Although he wouldn't take action, he wanted to see just how far Kevin had progressed.

Besides, he wasn't the one who got hurt.

This is a rare opportunity to gather intelligence.