(Hmm... I feel I still need to clarify the situation. Many people said that not killing the Phantom Troupe here is disgusting and forcefully suppresses combat power... The main reason is that I don't want to wipe out the Phantom Troupe members so quickly. The plot direction I arranged is for them to meet again a little over a dozen chapters later. Since this chapter was written a long time ago, these are pre-written drafts...)
(That time will be the formal hunt for the Phantom Troupe, because apart from gathering for operations, the Phantom Troupe members spend most of their time in pairs. My arrangement is to kill them two by two. Furthermore, if they were all killed at once, the subsequent plot development would be hard to write and pad... I'm afraid a purely original story would easily collapse if not handled well, and I'm afraid readers won't like it and will lack a sense of immersion.)
After sailing for a day and a night, the airship arrived at the Hunter Association headquarters early the next morning.
Leo had already recovered sixty to seventy percent of his strength through deep meditation on the airship. Although his muscles still retained the soreness of overexertion, at least he could move without hindrance.
During this time, Mores had regained consciousness in the holding cabin and once again ranted frantically, using every kind of foul language to curse Leo and the Hunter Association, and even tried to smash his head against the bulkhead.
He originally intended to spare his life, but Leo changed his mind. He opened the cabin door, sent him to meet God with a single punch, and then locked the door again.
His level reached Level 44 (69%).
Upon arriving at the headquarters, the handover process went smoothly.
Leo received 50 achievement reward points, bringing his total achievement points to 206. He was still 94 points short of the 300 required for a One-Star Hunter.
After finishing up, Leo and Sophia left the association headquarters directly.
They returned to Heaven's Arena, and Leo decided to rest and recuperate for a period of time.
Looking at that battle with the Phantom Troupe on the surface, it appeared that he had crushed multiple members of the opposing side, but in reality... it was extremely perilous.
Sitting in the passenger cabin of the return airship, Leo closed his eyes and reviewed the entire battle.
If not for Silva's sudden intervention back then, killing Shirvam and forcing Chrollo to leave the scene and pursue him, the ending might have turned out completely different.
Chrollo Lucilfer, Bandit's Secret.
Just how many types of abilities were stored within that Nen book? Unknown. What the manga displayed was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Once Chrollo earnestly joined the fray, with his solid fundamentals, precise judgment, and bizarrely versatile ability combinations, Leo could never have dealt with him as easily as he did with Nobunaga and the others.
Moreover, the Phantom Troupe members present that night were incomplete.
Nobunaga, Franklin, Bonolenov, Omokage, Machi—these five were strong, but they were not the Phantom Troupe's peak combat power.
Uvogin's sheer destructive power, Phinks's Ripper Cyclotron, Feitan's supreme mobility, Shalnark's manipulation and intellect... none of these people had appeared.
More crucially, Leo had a rough understanding of each of their abilities—this was his informational advantage as a transmigrator.
Yet they knew nothing about Leo, which was why they were caught completely off guard.
If they met again next time... the Phantom Troupe would definitely adjust their tactics.
They would research him, analyze him, and formulate targeted combat plans.
By that time, his advantage would cease to exist.
Strength... is still not strong enough.
Leo opened his eyes and looked at the flowing clouds outside the porthole.
He needed more systematic tempering, needed to level up, and needed to delve deeper into the potential of Nen.
Upon returning to Heaven's Arena, Leo's life entered a regular routine.
He did only three things.
First, he guided Sophia to practice Nen alongside him.
Sophia's talent was indeed quite good, especially that unyielding tenacity of hers.
Second, he headed to the forests surrounding Heaven's Arena to hunt.
This area was not a secret territory, so large creatures were scarce, but medium-to-small beasts and special insects were numerous.
Leo set aside four hours every day to venture deep into the forest area in search of suitable prey.
Not for food, purely for life energy.
The efficiency was far inferior to that of the Moonlight Tundra, but it had the advantage of stability.
Accumulating it bit by bit could also slowly improve him.
Third, he took time to participate in Heaven's Arena matches. The opponents on the 200th floor varied wildly in strength; some were newcomers who had just awakened Nen, some were experienced veterans, and occasionally he would encounter genuine masters.
Leo did not pursue a quick end to fights, instead treating each match as actual combat training—testing new Nen application techniques, trying different tactical combinations, and even deliberately using weaker fighting styles to force himself to break through.
Just like that, five months passed.
Time flowed steadily, much like a stream winding around rocks.
Leo's level rose from Level 44 to Level 48 (22%).
The sense of enhancement brought by each level-up was not as obvious as in the early stages, but the accumulation was still considerable.
He could feel his muscle density increasing, his bones growing tougher, and his neural reaction speed becoming fast enough to track the flight path of a buzzing fly.
His record on the 200th floor was updated to seven wins and two losses.
Sophia's record was four wins and one loss.
In the match she lost, she encountered an Enhancement Type veteran.
The opponent's Nen Aura was thick and solid with rich combat experience, and the exclusive ability Sophia had just developed happened to be countered by the opponent.
After a bitter twenty-minute battle, she suffered defeat due to the exhaustion of her Nen Aura.
Yet after that battle, Sophia actually improved.
She understood that "there are no invincible abilities, only flexible applications," began adjusting details, and intensified her practice of basic Nen Aura.
Both master and disciple were growing steadily.
December 2, 1997, 10:00 AM.
The main entrance of Heaven's Arena.
A red-haired man walked into the lobby with an alluring stride.
He wore tight-fitting clothes and loose trousers, his face painted with star and teardrop makeup, a mocking curve hanging on the corner of his lips, every step carrying a bizarre sense of rhythm.
Hisoka.
He looked up at this towering giant tower, excitement flashing in his eyes.
The lobby was bustling with noise.
The huge electronic screens circularly played highlights of matches from various floors—KO moments, exquisite dodges, head-on ability clashes.
The cheers of the audience, the discussions of betters, and the gasps of newcomers blended together to form the unique clamor of this tower.
Hisoka's gaze swept over the huge screen listlessly.
Suddenly, his sight locked in place.
A highlight of a certain match on the 200th floor was playing on the screen.
A black-haired youth calmly dealt with his opponent's frantic onslaught on the ring, and then with a simple straight punch, the opponent flew out of the ring like a kite with a broken string.
The frame cut to a close-up.
That face... Hisoka instantly widened his eyes.
His golden pupils contracted into dangerous slit-like lines, his breathing halted at that moment, and his entire body's muscles tightened involuntarily as he stared fixedly at the figure on the screen.
...So... you are here.
The voice was very soft, almost swallowed by the surrounding commotion.
Yet the next sentence instantly pitched higher, carrying a distorted trill born of extreme excitement.
Your name... is Leo!
The bottom right corner of the screen displayed the contestant information: [Leo, 200th Floor Contestant, Record 7 Wins, 2 Losses].
Hisoka abruptly tilted his head back, his neck arcing backward to a bizarre angle that seemed close to breaking, while an irrepressible, beast-like low chuckle spilled from 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 suppressed multiple Phantom Troupe members with sheer strength alone.
That pure, violent, hair-raising might.
The craving left behind after that brief clash, which had tormented him like a drug addiction for five months.
This must be... a gift from the heavens!
The screen began replaying other match clips of Leo—easily blocking Emission Type Nen bullets, blowing an opponent away with a single punch... Every single segment made the flames in Hisoka's eyes burn brighter.
He recalled the subsequent developments of that night.
After killing Omokage, he was preparing to leave when he happened to run into Chrollo, who was returning to the scene.
Chrollo caught up with Silva, and the two fought in the old district.
Silva's assassination arts and Emission Type abilities caused Chrollo no small amount of trouble; although Bandit's Secret varied boundlessly, facing the formidable strength of the Zoldyck Family head, Chrollo failed to gain the upper hand.
Right at that moment, a thunderous explosion of the Super Destruction Punch came from the direction of the Xilirike Auction House.
Worried that Machi and the others might be in trouble, Chrollo had no choice but to abandon the pursuit and return at full speed.
When Chrollo saw Hisoka standing beside Omokage's corpse, he then glanced at Bonolenov, who lay dead in a pool of blood.
Within those usually calm eyes, a substantive killing intent ignited for the very first time.
"It seems the Phantom Troupe has been quiet for too long..."
Chrollo's voice was cold as ice.
"People are starting to treat us like soft persimmons."
He flipped open Bandit's Secret.
"Use your death to pay tribute to Shirvam and Omokage."
Watching Chrollo with his aura fully unleashed, Hisoka immediately grew interested as well.
The two clashed, and within a mere three minutes, Hisoka understood—this man was strong, terrifyingly strong.
His abilities were bizarre and versatile, his combat IQ was extremely high, and his fundamentals were exceptionally solid.
Moreover... right as they exchanged blows, Franklin, Machi, and Pakunoda closed in from three directions.
A four-sided encirclement.
Chrollo halted his attack, looked at Hisoka, and presented a choice.
"Now I give you two choices."
"One is to die right here."
"The other is to replace Omokage, join us, and become a member of the Troupe."
Hisoka swept his gaze around.
Pakunoda and Franklin's gun muzzles were aimed at his back, while Machi's Nen threads sealed off the space above.
He was surrounded. He fell silent for a few seconds, and then he smiled.
His smile was as bright as a child receiving a new toy.
"It seems... I have no choice~"
He paused, looking at Machi and the others who were poised to strike, and slowly raised both hands, making a surrender gesture.
"Very well then."
Hisoka licked his lips, dangerous light flashing within his golden eyes.
"My choice is—"
He deliberately dragged out his tone, gazing straight into Chrollo's eyes.
"--to join you."
For the next five months, Hisoka followed the Phantom Troupe's activities. The Phantom Troupe had also searched for information and data on Leo, but unfortunately the intelligence was too scarce, failing to dig up Leo's specific details.
He wanted to find an opportunity to engage in a one-on-one death match with Chrollo, but Chrollo was exceedingly cautious—every operation had at least two members accompanying him.
Hisoka spent several months without ever finding a suitable opening.
Furthermore, the Troupe's operation patterns gradually caused him to lose interest; although there were battles, most were crushing sweeps, lacking the thrill of life-or-death slaughter he craved.
Finally, after yet another boring jewelry heist, Hisoka decided to leave temporarily.
He wanted to find some amusement.
And so he came to Heaven's Arena, never expecting...
"That's wonderful~~~~!!"
Hisoka's wild laughter echoed through the lobby, causing the surrounding people to cast sideways glances.
Yet he cared not a whit, instead laughing even more wantonly.
The combat desire that had been suppressed for five months erupted at this moment like a volcano!
"Wait for me..."
He steadied his breathing, yet the flames within his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"I'll be coming to find you very soon, Leo."
Hisoka turned around, walking with that signature alluring stride toward the first-floor registration desk.
Between his fingers, a playing card quietly materialized, casting a cold gleam beneath the lights.
A twisted and blissful curve hung upon the corners of Hisoka's lips.
This time, he would definitely pluck that... most delectable fruit.
Before you continue