Chapter 53: The Upcoming Fighting Tournament!

"By the way, Kaizen, how long are you planning to stay at Heavens Arena?"

"It might take a while," Kaizen replied. "I want to watch today's fight."

The Heavens Arena holds a grand tournament every two years.

The first stage pits the Floor Masters against one another. The champion among them then meets the former Battle Olympia champion in the final match..

After the battle between Carlisle and Juliana ended, Kaizen noticed that the crystal ball's absorption speed had slowed even more.

The progress was sitting at 90%. Just 10% remained—Kaizen had a hunch that this last stretch would coincide with the tournament. After all, this tournament was the heart of Heavens Arena.

"Battle Olympia, huh?"

Zeno gave a firm nod. "Remember the principles of the Zoldyck family."

"Yes," Kaizen responded.

He watched Zeno walk away, not turning his gaze until he had disappeared from sight.

Afterward, Kaizen headed downstairs to a nearby electronics store and bought a laptop. He brought it back to his room and connected it to the internet using a prepaid network card.

The first thing he did was send an email to Milluki.

Zoldyck Estate

Milluki had just returned from trying to discipline Killua—unsuccessfully, as always. He grabbed a soda from the fridge, downed it in one gulp, and sank into a plush chair, exhaling with satisfaction.

"Ahhh, that's better."

He sat down at his computer.

Beep, beep!

A new email notification popped up. Milluki frowned and clicked it open.

"A weird account..." he muttered. The message contained only a phone number.

Curious but cautious, he ran a quick background check on the number. Nothing came up—it had just been activated, leaving no traceable data.

His phone rang before he could investigate further.

"Hello?" Milluki answered, disguising his voice slightly.

"It's me, cousin. Kaizen Zoldyck," came the voice from the other end. "Grandpa Zeno gave me your email. I wanted to talk about a collaboration."

"Kaizen?" Milluki's brow furrowed.

He knew of Kaizen—another Zoldyck family member raised in isolation by Maha on the mountain estate. Kaizen was younger than him but definitely his cousin.

"How do I know it's really you?"

"Call Grandpa Zeno if you don't believe me."

Milluki paused, narrowing his eyes. Kaizen's calm confidence was convincing.

"All right. But... You're not at the Zoldyck Estate anymore?"

"No. I'm at Heavens Arena."

"So, what do you need from me?" Milluki asked, intrigued.

"I'm about to start accepting assassination missions, but I don't have reliable intel contacts yet. Grandpa said you're good at this."

Milluki grinned at the compliment. "That's true. But I don't work for free."

Kaizen was prepared for that. "Two options: I can either give you a cut from my commissions, or I can pay you a fixed rate."

Milluki thought it over. "I'll take the fixed rate."

"Deal. Once I pick my first mission, I'll send you the details."

"Sounds good," Milluki said, and with that, the call ended.

In the world of assassins, having solid intel was non-negotiable. Without it, even the best assassin could be at a disadvantage. Kaizen felt reassured knowing he could trust Milluki—being family eliminated the risk of betrayal that came with outsourcing intelligence.

Now, Kaizen began browsing assassination jobs online. He had no interest in lingering at Heavens Arena any longer than necessary.

The next major battle wouldn't begin for another month and a half, though it was already in the warm-up phase. That meant plenty of fighters and high-profile individuals were flocking to the city.

Among the arrivals were the Nen users, eager to witness powerful matches, and shadowy figures from the underworld.

Even the elite Shadow Beasts, under the command of the Ten Dons, had sent some of their members. These elite fighters were often recruited from Heavens Arena or were former assassins themselves.

Kaizen knew better than to waste the downtime before the tournament. Training alone wouldn't cut it—true growth came through experience in real missions.

Suddenly, his cursor hovered over an intriguing commission.

Target: Unknown Individual

Fee: 5 million Jenny

Kaizen's eyes narrowed. "This seems promising," he muttered.

It reminded him of the recent encounters he'd had—the suspicious man who tried to sneak into his hotel room, and the attacker in the alley with a pair of scissors.

Kaizen kept scrolling, looking for something with higher stakes. Five million Jenny wasn't enough to match his growing strength.

He clicked down the list, determined to find the perfect job.

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