Beaten to His Knees~

"Left hook."

"Bang!"

"Right hook."

"Bang!"

"Watch your lower abdomen."

"Urgh!"

The blazing sun baked the bluestone slabs, sending distorted waves of heat rising from them. After taking three heavy blows in a row, Carl spat a mouthful of blood-flecked saliva onto the ground.

Barely managing to maintain Ten, Carl covered her head with both hands and watched the swaying hem of Hisoka's burgundy clothes through her swollen eyelids.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his neck, eventually leaving salt stains on his white tank top.

He was utterly unable to fight back. Even though Hisoka had told him beforehand where he would strike, he still had no ability to resist.

For Carl, humiliating as the outcome was, it was also what he had expected.

Without an external aid like the Bomb Pomegranate, it was only natural that he couldn't beat Hisoka!

There was just one thing...

"It hurts. It hurts so much."

It had been a long time since Carl had taken a beating, and she suddenly realized that her tolerance for pain had dropped dramatically.

"You need to keep Ten over your eyes at all times. Only then might you be able to keep up with Hisoka's movements."

Lianke waved the exquisite fan in her hand and offered a pointer.

As her master, she had intended to hone Carl's skills, not put her through a pointless ordeal!

"Left hook."

Lianke had barely finished speaking.

Hisoka's voice quickly swept in, accompanied by thick, hot breath.

A fist coated in pale purple Nen Aura pierced her guard and struck Carl squarely on the upper arm.

The dull sound of bone mingled with the cicadas' cries, forming a strange rhythm in the sweltering air.

I blocked it!

A flicker of pale golden aura passed the corner of Carl's eye.

One true word is worth ten thousand books of false teachings!

Teacher Lianke didn't mislead me!

"Bring it on!"

Clenching her fist, Carl swung it at Hisoka with all her might.

Now it was her turn to counterattack!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sounds of fists striking flesh rang out again and again at the entrance to the little courtyard.

"Urgh!"

"Thud~"

A moment later, Carl was beaten down onto both knees, bringing the brief fight to an end.

"Junior Brother Carl, I haven't even warmed up yet~"

Hisoka stepped back, his face full of regret.

Forcing herself to her feet, Carl gritted her teeth and pulled a Bomb Pomegranate from her sleeve.

That bastard Hisoka was definitely going out of his way to hit his handsome face hard!

After that whole beating, his stomach had only taken seven or eight light hits, but his face had taken at least twenty heavy punches!

"Swish~"

A sharp tug sounded, and Carl felt the weight vanish from her hand. In an instant, the Bomb Pomegranate was in Hisoka's grasp.

Bungee Gum?!

Staring at the pale purple blob in Hisoka's hand, Carl instinctively licked the corner of her cracked lips.

Normally, since his Nen Aura had been focused on his eyes the whole time, he should have been able to see that thing!

"So this is a Bomb Pomegranate? What a beautiful, plump fruit~"

Holding the fruit above his head, Hisoka's slender eyes slowly widened as he clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Smack!"

A pale yellow twig fell through the air and landed right on Hisoka's face, making his pupils contract sharply.

"Throw it!"

Lianke's anxious voice rang out.

"Whoosh~"

With a faint rush of air, the fruit flew straight into the sky, hurled with all Hisoka's strength.

"Boom~"

A moment later, a tremendous explosion sounded from the sky, and the image of a pomegranate flower slowly took shape among the clouds.

Tiny pomegranate seeds fell from the sky like a light shower of rain.

"How beautiful~"

Gazing at the pomegranate flower in the clouds, Hisoka blushed and instinctively pressed his legs together.

The combination of danger and art was exactly to his taste.

"More beautiful than me?"

A gentle voice sounded in his ear.

"Of course!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Hisoka's expression froze.

A fair, delicate arm slowly settled on his shoulder. With just a squeeze and a lift, Lianke raised Hisoka into the air with one hand, as if he were a wooden doll.

Seemingly realizing that resistance was futile, Hisoka deftly hugged his knees and curled himself into a ball.

"Bang!"

A heavy punch came down, and a large pink bump rose on Hisoka's head.

"Thud~"

His eyes rolled back, and the unconscious boy fell to the ground, collapsing into a limp heap.

"Hiss~"

Seeing this, Carl drew a sharp breath.

Although Hisoka was the one who had gone too far, Carl was the one who had taken out the Bomb Pomegranate.

Lianke's gaze slowly shifted. After studying Carl's face, swollen like a pig's head, for a few moments, she finally looked away.

"Teacher Lianke, why couldn't I see Hisoka's Nen Aura?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Carl quickly raised her right hand and put the question to Lianke.

As long as I change the subject fast enough, I definitely won't get beaten!

"Two reasons."

Ignoring Hisoka, who lay sprawled on the ground, Lianke walked over to the rattan chair.

"First, Hisoka used Texture Surprise to conceal Bungee Gum."

"As for what those two things are, you can ask Hisoka yourself when he wakes up!"

As she spoke, she reached the rattan chair and sat down naturally.

Picking up her fan again, Lianke glanced at Carl's bruised and swollen cheeks.

"Second, whenever he made a move, he did it while your eyes were closed."

"Every time a fist came at your face, you instinctively closed your eyes."

"Hisoka seized that opportunity."

She pointed at Carl's eyes, her tone full of puzzlement.

"Normally, children from Meteor City shouldn't have that habit, should they?"

Judging others by herself, as a former resident of Meteor City, she had grown up fighting!

Wasn't keeping your eyes open when getting hit common sense?

"I-is that so?"

Carl gave a stiff smile, at a loss for words for the moment.

"All right, it's not a big problem."

Looking at Carl's dazed expression, Lianke smiled reassuringly.

"Practice with Hisoka more from now on, and you'll get used to it!"

"Okay, Master Lianke..."

Carl nodded and replied respectfully.

Wasn't it just a few more rounds of getting beaten up?

As long as he could grow stronger, he could endure that much hardship!

"Then I'll go practice Ten first."

After a while, seeing that Lianke had no intention of speaking, Carl spoke up and prepared to practice on her own off to the side.

There was no helping it. Hisoka was already down and out; she couldn't very well beat up her unconscious senior brother, could she?

Watching Carl walk away, Lianke waved her fan, a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes.

Though she was only his master in name, she had seen clearly whether that little brat Hisoka had held back, and by how much!

A sufficiently strong body and a sufficiently firm will were essential qualities for becoming a powerful Nen user!

And this little brat seemed to possess both~

Was this what one would expect of a natural-born Nen user?

"How enviable!"

Enjoying the cool breeze by her ears, Lianke leaned back comfortably in the rattan chair.