027 Is Life More Important Than Victory?

"It's very simple.

There are so many spinning tops, and Nen is attached to them.

With your level, it's impossible to maintain the same amount of Nen on all the spinning tops while attacking, right? The Nen must be focused on the one that launches the attack.

As the spinning tops tilt, the one that gains more Nen will give away which one you'll use to attack."

"Yes, but the window is so short—how are you still unscathed?!"

Gido was starting to panic, an ominous feeling welling up in his chest. This newcomer, Ronnel, seemed different from anyone he'd faced before.

"Nonsense. How can the Nen you scatter on the spinning tops, detached from your body, compare to the Nen I cloak myself in?"

Ronnel looked at Gido as if he were a fool. This guy was a third-rate Nen user who had barely opened his Aura Nodes and had developed a crude ability. How he'd survived on the 200th floor of Heavens Arena this long was nothing short of luck.

"It's better to die quickly than cling to life in this world with one's last breath~"

Ronnel's figure blurred, disappearing from Gido's sight in an instant.

"Where did he go? Where did he—"

Boom.

A sharp sound echoed as Gido's iron mask, resembling a pig's nose, shattered, and his body crumpled to the ground.

The referee approached, crouched down to inspect him, and immediately raised his hand:

"Gido is dead. The winner, Ronnel!!"

One hit. A direct KO!

The audience in Heavens Arena gasped at the outcome, but that didn't stop them from giving their loudest applause to Ronnel.

"Predictable. Nothing impressive about beating someone so weak~"

Ronnel casually absorbed the last trace of pure Nen from Gido's body before stepping off the ring, returning to the stands alongside Shizuku.

"Not bad. That throat-slitting technique of yours is almost on par with Feitan's if you were a bit faster," Machi commented, cleaning her glasses.

"Meh, his strength was just a notch above Kortopi. Even Shalnark could've beaten him without activating his solo mode, though it might've taken some effort."

Machi, sitting in the audience, observed Ronnel and Shizuku with a faint glint in her eyes.

"But... I noticed something. Right when Ronnel killed that spinning top guy, his Nen seemed to spike for a second. Could it be a gift from the dead? The difference is subtle, but it's there."

Machi stood up, leaving her seat.

"Anyway, since we're all in the same troupe, the stronger he gets, the better it is for us.

If he ever thinks of betraying us, the others won't stand idle...

Oh, speaking of betrayals, isn't the new number four, Hisoka, supposed to arrive at Heavens Arena in two days?"

In the audience, Sadaso and Riehlvelt, Gido's companions and fellow members of the rookie hunter trio, watched the fight with a growing sense of dread.

Seeing Gido's limp form being carried away, a cold sweat broke out on both their foreheads, though they felt a strange sense of relief.

"Good thing we weren't the ones fighting him first," Riehlvelt muttered, wiping his brow. He exchanged a glance with Sadaso, neither of them saying a word.

After a moment, Riehlvelt spoke, breaking the silence. "So... what do we do next?"

Seeing Ronnel take down Gido so effortlessly, Riehlvelt couldn't muster the courage to challenge him.

"What else can we do? Do you really think you can beat him?" Sadaso rasped, giving him a sideways glance.

"...No," Riehlvelt admitted, his mouth twitching. "But the woman next to him..."

"Are you out of your mind? If we attack her, you think he won't come after us?"

Riehlvelt shuddered and quickly dismissed the absurd thought. "We're lucky he hasn't come after us yet. We should lay low for a while."

Sadaso bowed his head, his voice heavy as he watched Gido's body being casually carried off the ring.

"Yeah, you're right."

Though they'd only been united by mutual interests, Gido's death stirred something in them. They had fought alongside him for years, a strange camaraderie had formed.

Seeing a comrade fall so suddenly was... unsettling.

"But..." Riehlvelt hesitated, "My 90-day battle prep period is almost up. If I don't fight..."

"Then submit a challenge. If your opponent is weak, fight. If it's someone strong, just abstain."

"But—"

"Life is more important than winning or losing! You think you'll make it to the Floor Masters at this rate?"

After a brief discussion, the two of them fled the floor in a hurry. It was likely they wouldn't show their faces anytime soon.

Although Ronnel had neutralized Gido's spinning top attack with ease, he had only done so because he'd instinctively gathered too much Nen into his hand, leaving the rest of his body with less protection.

Had Gido struck then, the injury wouldn't have been severe, but the pain would've been unavoidable.

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