The next day, in Room 2079 of Heaven's Arena.
Leo sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes half-closed.
A faint, mist-like Nen Aura swirled around him, rising and falling, contracting and expanding with each breath. He was practicing Ren, steadily refining both the amount of aura he could produce and the precision of his control.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window, casting bright patches across the floor.
Ring, ring, ring—
The phone in the room rang.
Leo slowly opened his eyes, and the Nen Aura around him receded into his body like a retreating tide.
He stood, walked to the table, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Leo, it's me, Mizai Istom."
The Ox's gentle voice came from the other end.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?"
"Not really."
Leo leaned against the wall.
"What's up?"
"There is something."
Mizai Istom's tone turned serious.
"The Hunter Association has an assignment, but we haven't found anyone suitable for it. I've given it a lot of thought and wanted to ask if you're available."
Leo raised an eyebrow, immediately interested.
"What kind of assignment?"
"There's an island called Estan Island off the eastern coast of the Ulubian Continent. An isolated ethnic minority lives there. They're deeply wary of outsiders. But the island produces several rare medicinal herbs and minerals that are hard to find elsewhere, along with some... powerful magical beast populations."
Mizai Istom paused, then continued.
"Every year, the Hunter Association sends a team with supplies to trade for those resources. We've kept up that arrangement for decades. But something went wrong this time. The transport team was due back seven days ago, and we've lost all contact with them."
"We tried contacting our liaison on the island, but got no response. Our preliminary assessment is that something may have happened there."
Leo's