Chapter 31

Remaining within the Sky Arena allowed Ron's "Observer's Essence" ability to absorb traits at an accelerated rate.

"At this rate, it will take about two months."

"That's double the time it took at the Zoldyck Estate."

"However, there's bound to be the same problem: staying too long in one area will slow the rate at which the crystal ball absorbs traits."

"I'll need to change locations eventually."

Ron glanced upward.

"However, this likely won't be an issue below the 200th floor."

"My progress through the floors will be relatively fast."

"But above the 200th floor, things will be different."

The 200th floor and above belong to the realm of Nen users. Ron understood this much, though his understanding was somewhat limited.

Those at the lower levels of the 200th floor are likely novice killers. But there could also be powerful individuals like Hisoka and Chrollo up there.

Anyone qualified to be a "Floor Master" won't be weak. And there's an even more important figure: the Arena's "Tower Master."

Every four years, the Sky Arena holds a special tournament. This tournament's battles are fought among the Floor Masters.

Match after match, the strongest among the Floor Masters emerges. The victor earns the right to challenge the Tower Master.

If the Tower Master loses, the challenger becomes the new Tower Master. If the challenger loses, they remain a Floor Master.

"Only someone who can emerge as the strongest among dozens of Floor Masters would have the strength to be Tower Master."

*Night falls.*

Ron lay on his bed with his eyes closed. In a tall building across from the Sky Arena, Zeno stood by a window.

"Reaching the 100th floor this quickly—impressive."

"However, now that Ron resides in the Sky Arena, it'll be harder for those assassins from the underground guilds to make a move on him."

"I need to find another way to give Ron a true test."

From Zeno's perspective, the structured battles of the Sky Arena were far from enough.

The bright, rule-bound arena has only one hidden element: the Nen abilities of the opponent. But the true situations an assassin might face are far more complex.

Unknown environments. Unknown enemies.

Weapons banned in the Arena. Poisons. Traps.

There are countless variables like these.

While Ron's years at the Zoldyck Estate had indeed included training for such conditions, they had ultimately lacked real-life application.

Now, Zeno intended to provide Ron with this kind of experience.

*"Ding!"*

At that moment, Zeno received a message.

"The contract has been accepted?"

"An assassination attempt within the Sky Arena?"

"A hitman with enough guts for that?"

The Sky Arena has strict regulations against such things. If something like that happens, the Arena might even hire fighters from above the 200th floor to investigate.

Ron, at present, is the Arena's latest rising star.

Zeno checked the detailed information and soon smirked in realization.

"So that's the plan."

The hitman who accepted the contract was actually one of the fighters in the Sky Arena, currently on the 130th floor.

As long as the hitman set things up cleverly, he'd be matched with Ron in the ring, giving him the chance to confront and possibly kill Ron.

In the Sky Arena's 130th-floor rest area, two figures sat across from each other.

It was clear from their similar ages and appearances that they were twins. Both possessed formidable strength.

*The next day* 

Ron spent the morning in his room, training in fundamental Nen techniques. On the wall, the TV was broadcasting live matches from the ring, though it was a pay-per-view service.

Two days later, Ron advanced to the 120th floor.

Above the 100th floor, progress slowed down considerably, even though Ron continued to win by overwhelming margins.

Not that it made much difference to Ron; he didn't seem affected by it at all.

Ron didn't mind the slower progress up the floors of the Sky Arena. Since he didn't need to leave the arena, he was free to take his time advancing.

"Begin!"

With the referee's signal, the match officially started.

In the stands, two brothers, Claude and Clet, were watching.

"Today, Ron's opponent is no pushover."

"That's right. If I recall, he's a prodigy of Shinshinkai."

"Yeah, Shinshinkai is a major dojo in the karate world."

"This guy, Wylde, has already reached a master level."

"His true strength is probably suited for at least the 150th floor."

"Even we aren't his match."

"This is where Ron's winning streak ends."

"Watching Wylde take down Ron will be insightful. Then we can use a similar strategy to defeat Ron ourselves and kill him in the ring."

"Not only would we win prize money, but we'd also get the assassination commission."

Claude smirked.

But at that moment, Ron and Wylde's battle began.

Ron took a powerful step forward, closing the distance between them in an instant.

With two quick palms, he struck Wylde's chest and abdomen.

Wylde hadn't even had time to fully position himself for an attack.

*"Boom!"*

A loud sound reverberated through the arena.

The next instant, Wylde's body was hurled backwards.

Claude and Clet froze in shock.

"This…"

They looked at Ron again, terror creeping into their hearts.

"No, we can't take this assassination contract."

"This kid is abnormal!"

"Too powerful!"

"Wylde, a genius master, was defeated in a single strike. What level is this kid's real strength? Is he really just a teenager?"

Zeno received a message and raised his eyebrows.

"The contract has been withdrawn?"

"Realized they weren't a match for Ron, huh?"

Zeno shook his head, not so much surprised by their withdrawal, but more by their hasty acceptance of the contract in the first place.

By Zeno's standards, if one realizes they're outmatched, the wisest decision is to retreat and decline the mission—a rule deeply embedded in the Zoldyck family's code.

But there was another crucial point: before accepting a mission, one must thoroughly investigate the target.

Taking a contract without proper reconnaissance carries a price.

Even though Claude and Clet, after realizing they weren't a match for Ron, made the wise choice to withdraw, they still faced a hefty penalty for breaking the contract.

For fighters around the 130th floor, this was no small sum.

"I'll increase the bounty."

Zeno raised the bounty on Ron's head to ten million jenny.

Yet, no one seemed willing to take the contract.

---

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Ron had reached the 199th floor.

This match, if he won, would earn him the qualification to enter the 200th floor.

By now, Ron had accumulated quite a bit of prize money, exceeding one hundred million jenny.

Spectators and fighters below the 200th floor were completely awestruck by Ron's prowess. His victories were continuous and decisive, and he eliminated his opponents swiftly.

This meant Ron's strength was leagues beyond his competition.

Even those who had previously lost to Ron had accepted their defeats, and many found themselves surprisingly at peace with the outcome.