After a day and a night of sailing, the airship arrived at the Hunter Association headquarters by the next morning.
Leo had recovered sixty to seventy percent through deep meditation on the airship. Although his muscles still retained the soreness from overexertion, he could at least move without hindrance.
During the journey, after Morex woke up in the holding cabin, he had screamed frantically, using every foul word to curse Leo and the Hunter Association, and even tried to smash his head against the cabin wall.
Originally intending to spare his life, Leo changed his mind. He opened the cabin door, sent him to meet God with one punch, and then locked the door again.
His Rank reached 44 (69%).
After arriving at the headquarters, the handover process went smoothly.
Leo received a reward of 50 Merit points—bringing his total Merit points to 206. He was still 94 points away from the 300 needed for a One-Star Hunter.
After finishing, Leo and Sophia left the Hunter Association headquarters directly.
They returned to Heavens Arena, and Leo decided to rest for a while.
That battle with the Genei Ryodan, on the surface, looked like he had crushed several members of the opponent, but in reality... it was extremely dangerous.
Sitting in the airship cabin on the return journey, Leo closed his eyes to review the entire battle.
If Sliva hadn't intervened suddenly at that time, killing Shalnark and forcing Chrollo to leave the field to pursue him—the outcome might have been completely different.
Chrollo Lucilfer, Bandits Secret.
How many types of abilities were stored in that Nen book? Unknown. What was shown in the manga was just the tip of the iceberg.
Once Chrollo seriously joined the battle, with his solid basics, precise judgment, and bizarre and ever-changing ability combinations, Leo could never have been as relaxed as he was when dealing with Nobunaga and the others.
Moreover, the Phantom Troupe members present that night were not complete.
Nobunaga, Franklin, Shalnark, Omokage, and Machi—these five were strong, but they were not the strongest combatants of the Phantom Troupe.
Uvogin's pure destructive power, Phinks' "Ripper Cyclotron", Feitan's super mobility, Shanark's control and intelligence... none of these people appeared.
More importantly, Leo had a rough understanding of each of their abilities—this was his informational advantage as a Transmigration.
And they knew nothing about Leo, which was why they were caught off guard by him.
If they met again next time... the Phantom Troupe would definitely adjust their tactics.
They would study him, analyze him, and formulate targeted combat plans.
By then, the advantage would no longer exist.
"Strength... still not strong enough."
Leo opened his eyes and looked at the flowing clouds outside the porthole.
He needed more systematic tempering, needed to increase his Rank, and needed to dig deeper into the potential of Nen.
After returning to Heavens Arena, Leo's life entered a regular cycle.
He only did three things.
First, guiding Sophia to Cultivate Nen with him.
Sophia's talent was indeed good, especially that unyielding tenacity.
Second, going to the forest around Heavens Arena to hunt.
This area was not a Secret Realm, there were not many large creatures, but there were many medium and small beasts and special insects.
Leo spent four hours every day going deep into the forest area to find suitable prey.
Not for food, purely for Life Energy.
The efficiency was far inferior to when he was in the Moonlight Tundra, but it was stable.
Accumulating bit by bit, he could also improve slowly.
Third, taking time to participate in Heavens Arena matches. The opponents on the 200th floor varied in strength; some were newcomers who had just Awakening Nen, some were experienced veterans, and occasionally he would encounter real masters.
Leo did not pursue ending the battle quickly, but treated every match as actual combat training—testing new Nen usage techniques, trying different tactical combinations, and even intentionally using weak playstyles to force himself to Breakthrough.
Just like that, five months passed.
Time passed steadily, like a stream flowing around a rock.
Leo's Rank increased from 44 to 48 (22%).
The sense of strengthening brought by each upgrade was not as obvious as in the Early Stage, but the accumulation was still considerable.
He could feel his muscle density increasing, his bones becoming tougher, and his nerve reaction speed was already fast enough to see the trajectory of a fly flapping its wings.
His 200th-floor record was updated to seven wins and two losses.
Sophia's record was four wins and one loss.
In the match she lost, she met an Enhancer veteran.
The opponent's Nen was thick and solid, with rich combat experience, and the exclusive ability Sophia had just developed happened to be restrained by the opponent.
After a bitter fight of twenty minutes, she lost due to the exhaustion of Nen.
But after that battle, Sophia actually improved.
She understood that "there is no invincible ability, only flexible application", began to adjust details, and strengthened the Cultivate of basic Nen.
The master and apprentice were both growing steadily.
December 2, 1997, 10:00 AM.
Heavens Arena main entrance.
A red-haired man walked into the hall with a bewitching gait.
He wore a tight suit and loose trousers, with star and teardrop makeup on his face, a half-smile on the corner of his mouth, and every step carried a strange sense of rhythm.
Hisoka.
He looked up at the towering giant tower, a flash of excitement in his eyes.
The hall was bustling with noise.
The huge electronic screen was looping highlights of matches from various floors—KO moments, exquisite dodges, and ability clashes.
The cheers of the audience, the discussions of the bettors, and the exclamations of the newcomers mixed together, forming the unique clamor of this tower.
Hisoka's gaze swept over the big screen casually.
Suddenly, his gaze froze.
The screen was playing highlights of a match on the 200th floor.
A black-haired young man calmly dealt with the opponent's wild attack on the ring, and then with a simple straight punch, the opponent flew out of the ring like a broken kite.
The screen cut to a close-up.
That face... Hisoka's eyes widened instantly.
His golden pupils contracted into dangerous thin lines, his breathing stalled at that moment, his muscles tightened involuntarily, and he stared fixedly at the figure on the screen.
"...So... you are here."
The voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the surrounding noise.
But the next sentence, the tone rose sharply, carrying a distorted tremolo due to extreme excitement.
"Your name... is Leo!"
The bottom right corner of the screen displayed the contestant information: [Leo, 200th floor contestant, record 7 wins 2 losses].
Hisoka suddenly tilted his head back, his neck tilted back to a strange arc that was almost broken, and an irrepressible, beast-like low laugh came from his throat.
"Finally... finally... let me meet you!"
He remembered that night five months ago at the Xililike Auction House in Chirok City.
That figure who suppressed several members of the Phantom Troupe with his own power.
That pure, violent, hair-raising power.
The longing that remained after that brief exchange, which had tortured him like a drug addiction for five months.
"This must be... a gift from heaven!"
The screen began to replay other match clips of Leo—easily blocking Emitter Nen Bullets, punching opponents away... each segment made the flames in Hisoka's eyes burn brighter.
He recalled the subsequent developments of that night.
After killing Omokage, he was just about to leave when he happened to run into Chrollo returning to the scene.
Chrollo caught up with Sliva, and the two fought in the old city area.
Sliva's assassination techniques and Emitter abilities caused quite a bit of trouble for Chrollo. Although Bandits Secret was varied and changing, facing the powerful strength of the head of the Zoldyck family, Chrollo could not gain the upper hand.
And just at this moment, the explosive sound of Super Destruction Fist came from the direction of the Xililike Auction House.
Chrollo was worried that Machi and the others would have an accident, so he had to give up the pursuit and return at full speed.
When Chrollo saw Hisoka standing next to Omokage's corpse, and looked at Shalnark who had died in a pool of blood.
In those eyes that were always calm, for the first time, substantial killing intent ignited.
"It seems the Phantom Troupe hasn't been active for too long..."
Chrollo's voice was as cold as ice.
"Being treated as a soft persimmon."
He opened Bandits Secret.
"Let your death be a tribute to Shalnark and Omokage."
Hisoka looked at Chrollo, who had unleashed his aura, and immediately became interested.
The two fought, and in just three minutes, Hisoka understood—this man was very strong, terrifyingly strong.
His abilities were bizarre and ever-changing, his battle IQ was extremely high, and his foundations were extremely solid.
And... just as they were fighting, Franklin, Machi, and Pakunoda surrounded them from three directions.
Four people surrounded him.
Chrollo stopped attacking, looked at Hisoka, and gave him a choice.
"Now I give you two choices."
"One is to die here."
"Two is to replace Omokage, join us, and become a member of the Phantom Troupe."
Hisoka scanned the circle.
Pakunoda and Franklin's gun barrels were aimed at his back, and Machi's Nen threads blocked the sky.
Surrounded, he was silent for a few seconds, then laughed.
The smile was as bright as a child receiving a new toy.
"It seems... I have no choice~"
He paused, looked at Machi and the others who were about to make a move, slowly raised his hands, and made a gesture of surrender.
"Alright then."
Hisoka licked his lips, dangerous light flickering in his golden eyes.
"My choice is—"
He deliberately drew out his tone, looking into Chrollo's eyes.
"—Join you."
For the next five months, Hisoka followed the Phantom Troupe's operations. The Phantom Troupe had also searched for Leo's information, but unfortunately, there was too little intelligence, and they couldn't find Leo's specific information.
He wanted to find an opportunity to have a one-on-one fight with Chrollo, but Chrollo was extremely cautious—every time he acted, at least two members followed him.
Hisoka spent a few months, but could never find a suitable opportunity.
Moreover, the Phantom Troupe's operational mode gradually made him lose interest. Although there were battles, they were mostly crushing games, lacking the pleasure of life-and-death struggle that he craved.
Finally, after another boring jewelry robbery, Hisoka decided to leave temporarily.
He wanted to find some fun.
So he came to Heavens Arena, but didn't expect...
"Too great~~~~!!"
Hisoka's wild laughter rang out in the hall, causing people around to cast sideways glances.
But he didn't care at all, instead laughing even more wantonly.
The desire for battle that had been suppressed for five months erupted like a volcano at this moment!
"Wait for me..."
He calmed his breathing, but the flames in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"I will come to find you soon, Leo."
Hisoka turned around, walking with that iconic bewitching gait, towards the registration desk on the first floor.
Between his fingers, a playing card floated out silently, shining with a cold light under the lights.
The corners of Hisoka's mouth raised in a twisted and joyful arc.
This time, he must pick that... most delicious fruit.