Chapter 44: Plan!
A young man smirked, his expression a blend of amusement and mockery as he addressed the old man in front of him.
"Do you really think your plan will work?"
"Time isn't on your side," the old man said calmly. "You don't have the luxury of patience. But we do."
Suddenly, the sharp sound of knocking interrupted them.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Kaizen opened the door to find a familiar face on the other side.
"Hello!" chirped the little girl standing there, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Lina. Come on in," Kaizen said, stepping aside.
"Uh-huh!" Lina replied cheerfully, skipping through the door.
Trailing behind her was a large dog, its fur ashen gray.
Kaizen glanced at them both, already familiar with their situation. Lina was the lively neighbor from next door, and the big dog was Little Gray. Her father, Carlisle, was a skilled fighter.
Carlisle had been competing on the 200th floor of Heavens Arena for a while now. He had won five matches but lost two, a respectable record for a seasoned fighter. The two of them—Carlisle and Lina—along with Little Gray, had lived in the arena for years. After Lina's mother passed away, father and daughter had grown inseparable.
Lina, who had no friends her age, was thrilled when she met Kaizen. She desperately wanted a companion—someone her age to talk to. At first, Carlisle had been cautious of Kaizen, suspicious of his intentions. But after several conversations, Carlisle gradually let his guard down.
Kaizen switched on the TV, flipping to a show to entertain Lina. She plopped onto the couch beside him, chattering away as the big dog flopped lazily on the floor, his tail thumping now and then.
Kaizen leaned back, letting himself relax.
It wasn't a bad feeling—this domestic quiet.
He had been an only child in his previous life, and things hadn't changed much in this one. Though he was connected to the Zoldyck family—Killua, Illumi, and the others were technically his cousins—his interactions with them were limited. He had been raised under the supervision of Maha Zoldyck, his great-grandfather. Even after mastering Nen and gaining more freedom, Kaizen's connections with Silva and the others were distant.
Time passed, and a month slipped by like sand through his fingers.
One day, Kaizen noticed a familiar face flash across the TV screen during a match preview.
On one side of the arena stood Isaiah, a fighter well-known on the 200th floor.
And on the other side...
Kaizen's eyes narrowed. The opponent was Carlisle, Lina's father.
He turned to Lina, curious.
"Hey, Lina, your dad's got a match coming up soon. Are you going to watch it?"
Lina shook her head, her expression somber.
"Dad doesn't like me to watch his matches. He says it makes him nervous. I'll just stay home."
"I want to go check it out," Kaizen said. "So I won't be able to hang out with you that day."
"That's okay," Lina replied with a sweet smile. "Go cheer for Dad!"
The Day of the Match
The next day, Kaizen made his way to the colossal arena on the 200th floor. It was vastly different from the lower floors. Unlike the matches below, where fights happened daily, the 200th floor operated on a grander scale. Fights here were spaced out, building anticipation among the audience.
The sheer size of the arena was overwhelming—it could hold tens of thousands of spectators. Gigantic screens surrounded the arena to ensure that every move on the ring was visible, no matter how far back a spectator sat. Energetic commentators hyped up the crowd, ensuring no lull in the excitement.
Kaizen settled into his seat, observing the atmosphere with interest.
"It's completely different from the floors below," he muttered to himself. "Even the 199th floor doesn't compare to this. The gap in scale and energy is insane."
He scanned the crowd, noting the presence of several familiar fighters. Many of them were labeled rookie killers—veterans who targeted new competitors unversed in Nen. Some sat with noticeable injuries, remnants of brutal matches on this cutthroat floor.
Kaizen recalled that the 200th floor divided fighters into distinct tiers.
First-tier: Those who had just arrived and hadn't yet learned Nen.
Second-tier: The rookie killers, experienced but not elite.
Third-tier: Fighters like Wing, who had unlocked Nen but still had much to learn.
Fourth-tier: The floor masters, the elite fighters of Heavens Arena.
Kaizen knew he could easily surpass the first three levels. But the floor masters? That was a different story. Their true strength remained an enigma.
The floor masters only fought when challenged, meaning they could retain their title indefinitely unless someone strong enough appeared. Fighters like Hisoka and Chrollo Lucilfer held floor master status, suggesting that the role demanded formidable skill. Yet Kaizen wondered just how much power these masters truly wielded.
After all, Wing, despite his flawed abilities and poor strategic development, had nearly achieved floor master status with a nine-to-one record. How strong could a title really be if someone like Wing was only one win away?
"In raw strength, Wing probably isn't even on par with the Shadow Beasts," Kaizen thought. "The Shadow Beasts lost to the Phantom Troupe, but that doesn't mean they were weak. They were just up against monsters."
(T/N: The Shadow Beasts were a special group consisting of the ten most powerful Nen users within the Mafia Community.)
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"But Wing has potential. Maybe even more than some members of the Troupe."
That kind of latent talent was exactly what drew someone like Hisoka's attention.
"Too bad," Kaizen whispered.
The announcers' voices boomed across the arena, snapping Kaizen back to the present.
Isaiah and Carlisle had entered the ring.
Both fighters exuded powerful auras—an unmistakable intensity that filled the arena.
"Come on, old man!" Kaizen shouted, grinning as he leaned forward.
Carlisle raised his head at the sound of Kaizen's voice, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he refocused on Isaiah.
Isaiah shot Kaizen a brief, irritated glance but quickly shifted his focus back to the fight.
The battle was about to begin.
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