Chapter 35: Chapter 35
The little girl's name was Lina, her large dog was named Ash, and her father's name was Kyler.
Kyler was a fairly strong fighter.
In the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena, he had already achieved five victories, though he had also lost twice.
The two of them, along with the dog, had been at Heaven's Arena for many years.
Lina's mother had passed away early on, leaving just the father and daughter to rely on each other.
From a young age, Lina had followed Kyler around, without any friends of her own.
So when she met Ron, she was very happy.
Lina really wanted a friend her own age.
At first, Kyler was cautious of Ron, but after several interactions, he finally relaxed around him.
Ron turned on the TV and played a show.
Lina watched while chatting with Ron.
Beside them, Ash lay on the floor.
This feeling wasn't bad.
In his previous life, Ron had been an only child, with no siblings.
In this world, it was the same.
Illumi and Killua were technically his cousins, but Ron didn't interact with them often.
Since childhood, he had been trained by Maha Zoldyck.
It was only after he mastered Nen that he began interacting more frequently with Zeno, and even that was after Maha had gone into seclusion.
---
A Month Later
Ron saw a match announcement on TV.
The two fighters were none other than Isaiah and someone else he knew well—his neighbor, Kyler, Lina's father.
"Lina, would you like to go watch your father's match?"
Lina shook her head and said, "My father doesn't like me watching, so I'll stay home."
"I want to go check it out, so I won't be able to keep you company that day."
"Mm-hmm, it's okay. Go ahead, big brother."
---
The Next Day
Before the match, Ron headed to the audience seats in the arena.
On the 200th floor, there was only one arena.
It was enormous.
It could hold tens of thousands of spectators.
Moreover, there was a considerable distance between the ring and the audience seats.
Several large screens nearby broadcasted the action in the ring so that spectators wouldn't miss any detail.
Two enthusiastic commentators provided commentary as well.
Ron sat in his seat, glancing around.
"This is a completely different experience from below the 200th floor."
"Even the 199th floor doesn't compare to this. The difference in quality is huge."
"The gap is immense."
In fact, this was true. Matches on the 199th floor happened almost daily.
However, battles on the 200th floor were much rarer, taking place only after several days.
Moreover, the contestants in this match were both popular figures.
Both Isaiah and Kyler had racked up numerous wins.
Ron could sense that the reputation he had accumulated through his streak of victories was now gradually fading.
It was inevitable.
Heaven's Arena regularly produced rising stars.
But those stars quickly became old news.
To maintain one's fame, one had to keep generating attention.
This wasn't Ron's objective.
Ron noticed a few familiar figures—other contestants on the 200th floor. Many of them were injured or disfigured, each one a "rookie killer."
These rookie killers generally only competed against each other or against newcomers who didn't know Nen.
Ron recalled that in the original story, contestants on the 200th floor could be grouped into four tiers.
The first tier comprised newcomers to the 200th floor who hadn't yet learned Nen.
The second tier was made up of rookie killers.
The third tier included fighters with decent talent who had unlocked Nen, like Kastro, the Hidden Fighter.
The fourth tier was the floor master.
Ron knew that the first three tiers were no match for him.
However, he didn't know much about the floor master.
The floor master only had to fight when a challenger appeared.
Without challengers, the floor master could hold their position indefinitely.
Judging by Hisoka and Chrollo's status as floor masters, it seemed that floor masters were very strong.
Yet, based on Kastro's record, the floor master's power didn't appear to be overwhelming.
Kastro, who hadn't even mastered Gyo and whose Nen abilities were poorly developed, had managed a record of nine wins and one loss. He was just one victory away from challenging the floor master.
So how powerful could the floor master actually be?
"In terms of strength, Kastro may not even be on par with the Shadow Beasts."
The Shadow Beasts were actually quite strong.
The Shadow Beasts were overpowered and suffered a major loss to the Phantom Troupe, but that was only because the Phantom Troupe was too strong.
As the Ten Dons' elite enforcers, the Shadow Beasts weren't weak.
At the very least, they had mastered skills like Gyo.
"However, in terms of raw talent, Kastro is stronger than the Shadow Beasts."
"He may even surpass some members of the Phantom Troupe."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have caught Hisoka's attention."
"But...."
Ron shook his head.
"What a pity."
Isaiah and Kyler stepped into the arena.
The aura surrounding each of them grew intense as they prepared to fight.
"Good luck, Kyler!"
Ron looked at the arena, shouting encouragement.
Isaiah saw Ron in the audience and his face darkened slightly.
But he quickly averted his gaze, focusing intensely on Kyler across from him.
"Begin!"
The battle between Kyler and Isaiah erupted.
Ron glanced at his crystal ball.
As the fight unfolded, he noticed the crystal ball was absorbing aura at an accelerated rate.
Ron had already anticipated this.
That was why he had come to watch from the audience seating in the first place.
"Gyo!"
Ron focused his aura on his eyes, watching the fight in the ring.
Beside Kyler, a figure began to materialize.
"There it is!"
The announcer enthusiastically explained.
"Kyler's puppet!"
"In previous matches, Kyler has defeated opponents using this exceptionally powerful puppet."
"It possesses incredible defensive power and strength!"
"Let's see what it can do this time."
Ron frowned slightly.
This puppet gave him a somewhat unsettling feeling.
"I can see it even without using Gyo."
"It doesn't seem to be an Emission-type ability."
"Nor does it appear to be a Conjuration-type ability."
Ron glanced at Isaiah across from Kyler.
Isaiah's expression was serious; he knew very well that Kyler wouldn't be easy to deal with.
But instead of retreating, Isaiah advanced, attempting to close the distance between them.
Isaiah wanted to bypass the puppet and reach Kyler directly.
However, Kyler was equally aware of Isaiah's abilities.
The commentator continued his commentary.
"Isaiah intends to use his absolute Jujutsu technique on Kyler."
"When it comes to martial arts, I would call Isaiah the strongest!"
"Once he gets hold of his opponent, that signature smile of his always appears."
"Now, it's just a question of whether Kyler will give him the chance."
Ron analyzed the situation between the two fighters.
"In terms of aura, Kyler surpasses Isaiah."
"With the aura connection between Kyler and his puppet acting as a bridge, it's almost like Kyler is a Manipulation-type Nen user, and Manipulators often struggle in close-range combat."
"Both have a chance to win."
"But neither of them is truly strong."
"Killer Queen could easily defeat them."
After making his assessment, Ron's interest in the fight onstage diminished considerably.
The two continued to clash fiercely.