Hisoka's Unexpected Discovery

(*Hmm... I think I should explain this. A lot of people have said that not killing the Phantom Troupe after all this is disgusting, that I'm forcibly suppressing power levels, and so on... The main reason is that I don't want to kill off the Troupe members so quickly. The plot I've arranged has them meeting again a little over ten chapters later, and I wrote this chapter a long time ago—these are all advance drafts...

That's when the real hunt for the Phantom Troupe begins. Aside from acting collectively, most Troupe members operate in pairs, so my plan is to kill them two at a time. Also, if I kill them all at once, it'll be hard to develop the later plot, hard to pad it out... I'm afraid a purely original story might fall apart if I don't handle it well. I'm afraid readers won't like it or won't be able to immerse themselves in it.*)

After a day and night of travel, the airship arrived at Hunter Association headquarters the following morning.

Leo had recovered sixty to seventy percent through deep meditation aboard the airship. Though his muscles still ached from overexertion, he could at least move without issue.

After Mores regained consciousness in the holding cell, he had ranted wildly, cursing Leo and the Hunter Association with every foul word he knew. He had even tried to smash his head against the cell wall.

Leo had originally intended to spare his life, but he changed his mind. He opened the cell door, sent him to meet God with a single punch, then locked it again.

He reached Level 44 (69%).

The handover process went smoothly after they arrived at headquarters.

Leo received 50 Merit Points as a reward—total Merit Points: 206. He still needed 94 more to reach the 300 required for a One-Star Hunter.

Once everything was handled, Leo and Sophia left Association headquarters directly.

They returned to Heaven's Arena, where Leo decided to rest and recuperate for a while.

On the surface, his battle against the Phantom Troupe had looked like a crushing defeat of several of their members. But in reality... it had been extremely dangerous.

Sitting in the passenger cabin of the returning airship, Leo closed his eyes and replayed the entire battle in his mind.

If Silva had not suddenly intervened and killed Shirvam, forcing Chrollo to leave and pursue him, the outcome might have been completely different.

Chrollo Lucilfer. Bandit's Secret.

How many abilities were stored within that Nen book? Unknown. What had been shown in the manga was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Once Chrollo seriously entered the fight, his solid fundamentals, precise judgment, and bizarre, ever-changing combinations of abilities would have made it impossible for Leo to deal with him as easily as he had dealt with Nobunaga and the others.

Besides, not all of the Troupe members had been present that night.

Nobunaga, Franklin, Bonolenov, Omokage, and Machi—though these five were powerful, they were not the Phantom Troupe's strongest fighters.

Uvogin's pure destructive power, Phinks's Ripper Cyclotron, Feitan's extraordinary mobility, Shalnark's control abilities and intelligence... none of them had appeared.

More importantly, Leo had a general understanding of each of their abilities—an informational advantage he possessed as a transmigrator.

They, on the other hand, knew nothing about Leo. That was why he had caught them completely off guard.

If they met again next time... the Phantom Troupe would definitely adjust their tactics.

They would study him, analyze him, and formulate battle plans specifically designed to counter him.

By then, his advantage would be gone.

"I'm still... not strong enough."

Leo opened his eyes and looked out at the drifting clouds beyond the porthole.

He needed more systematic training. He needed to level up. He needed to explore Nen's potential more deeply.

After returning to Heaven's Arena, Leo's life settled into a regular cycle.

He did only three things.

First, he guided Sophia as they trained Nen together.

Sophia truly had considerable talent, especially that unyielding stubbornness.

Second, he went hunting in the forests surrounding Heaven's Arena.

This area was not a secret realm. There were few large creatures, but plenty of small and medium-sized beasts, as well as unusual insects.

Leo spent four hours every day venturing deep into the woods in search of suitable prey.

Not for food, but purely for life energy.

The efficiency was far lower than it had been in the Moonlight Tundra, but it was steady.

Bit by bit, it could still slowly increase his strength.

Third, he made time to participate in Heaven's Arena matches. The fighters on the 200th floor varied greatly in strength. Some were newcomers who had only just awakened Nen, while others were seasoned veterans. Occasionally, he encountered genuine experts.

Leo did not seek to end his fights quickly. Instead, he treated every match as practical training—testing new ways to use aura, trying different tactical combinations, even deliberately adopting disadvantageous fighting styles to force himself to break through.

And so, five months passed.

Time flowed steadily, like a stream winding around stones.

Leo's level rose from 44 to 48 (22%).

The sense of strengthening brought by each level-up was no longer as noticeable as it had been early on, but the accumulated gains remained considerable.

He could feel his muscles becoming denser, his bones tougher, and his neural response speed growing so fast that he could see the path traced by a fly's beating wings.

His record on the 200th floor had become seven wins and two losses.

Sophia's record was four wins and one loss.

In her loss, she had faced a veteran Enhancer.

Her opponent possessed deep, solid aura and extensive combat experience, while Sophia's newly developed personal ability happened to be countered by his.

After a hard-fought twenty minutes, she lost after exhausting her aura.

Yet after that battle, Sophia improved instead.

She understood that there was no invincible ability, only flexible application. She began refining the details and strengthening her foundational aura training.

Both master and disciple were growing steadily.

December 2, 1997, 10:00 a.m.

The main entrance of Heaven's Arena.

A red-haired man walked into the lobby with seductive steps.

He wore a tight-fitting shirt and loose trousers. His face was painted with star-and-teardrop makeup, and a half-smile hung at the corner of his lips. Every step carried a strange sense of rhythm.

Hisoka.

He tilted his head up at the towering structure, excitement flashing through his eyes.

The lobby was bustling with noise.

The enormous electronic screens continuously played highlights from matches on every floor—instant KOs, exquisite evasions, clashes of abilities.

Cheers from spectators, discussions among bettors, and awed exclamations from newcomers blended together into the distinctive clamor of this tower.

Hisoka's gaze casually swept over the giant screen.

Then suddenly, his eyes stopped.

The screen was playing highlights from a match on the 200th floor.

A black-haired young man calmly handled his opponent's furious assault on the stage, then sent him flying off the platform like a kite with a snapped string with one simple straight punch.

The image cut to a close-up.

That face... Hisoka's eyes instantly widened.

His golden pupils contracted into dangerous slits. His breathing stopped at that instant, and every muscle in his body involuntarily tensed as he stared fixedly at the figure on the screen.

"...So... you're here."

His voice was quiet, almost drowned out by the surrounding noise.

But his next sentence suddenly rose in pitch, his voice trembling in a distorted way from overwhelming excitement.

"Your name... is Leo!"

The lower-right corner of the screen displayed the fighter's information:

[Leo, 200th-floor fighter, record: 7 wins, 2 losses]

Hisoka suddenly threw back his head, his neck bending into an almost broken, unnatural arc as a suppressed, beastlike chuckle escaped his throat.

"Finally... finally... I've found you!"

He recalled that night five months ago at the Xilirike Auction House in Kirok City.

That figure who had suppressed several Phantom Troupe members all on his own.

That pure, violent, shudder-inducing strength.

The craving left behind by their brief exchange had tormented him for five months like an addiction.

"This must be... a gift from heaven!"

The screen began replaying clips from Leo's other matches—easily blocking Emission aura bullets, blasting opponents away with a single punch... Every clip made the flames in Hisoka's eyes burn brighter.

He recalled what had happened afterward that night.

After killing Omokage, he had been preparing to leave when he happened to run into Chrollo, who had returned to the scene.

Chrollo had pursued Silva, and the two fought in the old district.

Silva's assassination techniques and Emission abilities had given Chrollo no small amount of trouble. Though Bandit's Secret was endlessly adaptable, Chrollo had failed to gain any advantage against the overwhelming strength of the Zoldyck Family's head.

Then, an explosive boom from the Super Destruction Punch came from the direction of the Xilirike Auction House.

Worried that something had happened to Machi and the others, Chrollo could only abandon the pursuit and rush back at full speed.

When Chrollo saw Hisoka standing beside Omokage's corpse, then glanced at Bonolenov lying dead in a pool of blood—

For the first time, tangible killing intent ignited in those ever-calm eyes.

"It seems the Phantom Troupe has been quiet for too long..."

Chrollo's voice was cold as ice.

"We've been mistaken for soft targets."

He opened Bandit's Secret.

"Your death will serve as an offering for Shirvam and Omokage."

Hisoka immediately became interested as he watched Chrollo unleash his full aura.

The two fought, and in just three minutes, Hisoka understood—this man was strong. Terrifyingly strong.

His abilities were bizarre and varied, his combat intelligence was exceptionally high, and his fundamentals were extremely solid.

And then... while they were locked in combat, Franklin, Machi, and Pakunoda closed in from three directions.

Four against one.

Chrollo stopped attacking, looked at Hisoka, and gave him a choice.

"You have two options now."

"First, die here."

"Second, take Omokage's place, join us, and become a member of the Phantom Troupe."

Hisoka swept his eyes around.

Pakunoda and Franklin had their guns aimed at his back, while Machi's Nen threads sealed off the air above him.

Surrounded, he fell silent for several seconds before smiling.

His smile was as radiant as a child receiving a new toy.

"Looks like... I don't have a choice~"

He paused, looking at Machi and the others as they eagerly prepared to strike. Then he slowly raised both hands in surrender.

"All right, then."

Hisoka licked his lips, a dangerous light gleaming in his golden eyes.

"My choice is—"

He deliberately dragged out the words as he stared into Chrollo's eyes.

"—to join you."

For the following five months, Hisoka had continued acting alongside the Phantom Troupe. The Phantom Troupe had also searched for information on Leo, but there had been too little intelligence to uncover any concrete details about him.

He had wanted to find an opportunity for a one-on-one death match with Chrollo, but Chrollo was exceptionally cautious—at least two members accompanied him on every operation.

Hisoka spent several months searching, yet never found a suitable opportunity.

The Troupe's methods of operation had also gradually bored him. There was fighting, certainly, but most of it was utterly one-sided. It lacked the exhilarating life-and-death struggle he craved.

Finally, after another tedious jewel heist, Hisoka decided to leave for the time being.

He wanted to have some fun.

So he came to Heaven's Arena, never expecting that...

"Wonderful~~~~!!"

Hisoka's wild laughter rang through the lobby, causing people around him to turn and stare.

But he did not care in the slightest. Instead, he laughed even more wantonly.

The desire for battle that he had suppressed for five months erupted like a volcano at that moment!

"Wait for me..."

He steadied his breathing, but the flames in his eyes did not diminish at all.

"I'll come find you very soon, Leo."

Hisoka turned and headed toward the registration desk on the first floor with his signature seductive gait.

A playing card silently appeared between his fingers, gleaming with a cold light beneath the lamps.

A twisted, delighted smile curled across Hisoka's lips.

This time, he would definitely pluck that... most delicious fruit.