After Machi Komacine left, the hospital room returned to silence.
Leo leaned against the headboard, his gaze falling outside the window. The afternoon sun filtered through the glass, spilling onto the floor and forming a warm patch of light.
He tried to move his fingers, and a stinging pain immediately shot through his entire body—the doubled pain sensation was still in effect, and even the slightest movement was amplified.
But he had long since grown accustomed to it.
The double pain sensation brought by "Proof of Humanity" had been gradually adapted to during his past battles.
Although he was currently wrapped in bandages from head to toe, and his multiple bone fractures and internal organ injuries had not yet fully healed, the powerful self-healing ability within his body was repairing everything with astonishing efficiency.
He could clearly perceive the reorganization of his cells, the knitting of his bones, and the regeneration of damaged tissues.
"Five days at most."
Leo estimated.
"I'll be able to recover to a state where I can fight."
The hospital room door was gently pushed open.
Sophia stood at the doorway, her face filled with undisguisable worry.
When she saw that Leo had already woken up, her eyes immediately lit up, and she walked quickly into the room.
"Master! You're finally awake!"
Her voice was somewhat emotional.
"I rushed over yesterday as soon as I received news of your injury. By the way, Wing also asked me to send his regards; he said he wants to treat you to a drink once you've recovered."
Leo smiled slightly.
"He's thoughtful. Don't worry, I'm not going to die yet."
Sophia walked to the bedside, wanting to say something, but seeing Leo covered in bandages, she swallowed her words back.
She bit her lip, her eyes full of self-reproach—if she had been stronger, perhaps she could have accompanied Master, and maybe he wouldn't have been so severely injured.
"During the days I was away."
Leo took the initiative to speak, changing the subject.
"You haven't fallen behind in your Cultivate, have you?"
"Mm."
Sophia nodded.
"I've been following the plan every day."
"That's good."
Leo paused.
"If there's nothing else, you don't need to stay here all the time. Go back. Your master here isn't so weak that he needs others to take care of him."
"But—"
"No buts."
Leo interrupted her, his tone firm and decisive.
"Go. When you become a Floor Master of Heavens Arena, I'll listen to you."
Sophia opened her mouth, eventually sighing.
"Alright... Master, you must rest well."
She looked back repeatedly as she left, finally closing the door.
The hospital room went quiet again.
Leo looked down at his bandaged body and smiled helplessly.
Since his Transmigration, this was the most serious injury he had sustained.
The suicidal self-detonation by Kote Nas was more powerful than he had anticipated.
If not for the super regeneration power in the "Instant · Release" state, combined with using "Ken" to protect his vital points at the last moment, he likely would have really perished on the island.
"Still too arrogant."
Leo closed his eyes and began to review the entire battle.
Kote's strength wasn't actually top-tier—he lacked combat experience, his techniques were crude, and he relied entirely on the terrifying regeneration and massive Nen provided by the scepter.
If Leo had adopted a hit-and-run strategy against Kote from the beginning to drain the scepter's energy, the battle would have been much easier.
But Hisoka had taken the initiative to strike first, and ended up getting injured, forcing him to face it head-on.
"The waters of the hunter world are indeed very deep."
Leo muttered to himself.
A boy who obtained forbidden power and had a mental breakdown could force him to this point.
What about the true powerhouses?
Netero, Maha Zoldyck, Beyond... and those unknown existences in the Dark Continent.
"Need to hurry up and increase my Rank."
He stopped thinking about it, adjusted his breathing, entered a shallow state of meditation, and guided the Life Energy within his body to accelerate the healing of his injuries.
Six days later.
Leo removed the last batch of bandages from his body, stood at the hospital entrance, and took a deep breath of the outside air.
In the early morning streets, there weren't many vehicles yet, and pedestrians were few and far between.
The sunlight was warm but not glaring, and the breeze carried the city's unique scent—car exhaust, the cooking fumes of breakfast stalls, and the faint fragrance of street trees.
"The air outside is indeed more comfortable."
Leo stretched his body.
His joints emitted a slight crackling sound, but there was no discomfort.
After six days of recovery, his injuries were ninety percent healed, and the remaining minor internal injuries would fully recover in a day or two.
The powerful self-healing ability brought by "Proof of Humanity" made his recovery speed far exceed that of an ordinary person.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Sophia and Wing: "Discharged, all is well."
After thinking about it, he added another sentence for Sophia: "Cultivate with peace of mind, I'll return to Heavens Arena in a few days."
Putting away his phone, Leo rubbed his stomach.
During his hospitalization, he had only eaten hospital meals, which were so bland they could make one's mouth go tasteless.
Now he desperately needed a big meal to replenish his energy.
Walking along the street for over ten minutes, the sign of a barbecue restaurant caught his eye—"Charcoal Prairie."
The shop wasn't big, but through the glass, one could see it was almost full, and the aroma of barbecue wafted out from the door gap, making one's mouth water.
Leo pushed the door and entered.
"Welcome! Just one?"
The waiter greeted him warmly.
"Yes, a seat by the wall."
Eating barbecue, of course, required sitting by the wall. After sitting down, Leo ordered a five-person signature barbecue set, plus three bowls of rice and a pitcher of ice-cold beer.
The waiter froze for a moment, looked at Leo's not-so-sturdy physique, then looked at the menu, and confirmed.
"Sir, five servings might be a bit much..."
"It's fine, I can finish it."
While waiting for the meal, across the street, Leo noticed a figure walking past the door.
She stood at the street corner, looking left and right, with obvious confusion on her face, as if she were lost.
Leo didn't think much of it and withdrew his gaze. The barbecue arrived at this moment.
The sizzling meat slices were bubbling with oil on the grill, the aroma mouth-watering.
Leo picked up a slice, dipped it in the special sauce, and put it in his mouth—the pork belly, with its mix of fat and lean meat, melted on his tongue, the rich aroma of the fat mixed with the slight spiciness of the sauce, making him squint in satisfaction.
He ate quickly, but his movements weren't rude.
A plate of meat was soon bottomed out, and the waiter brought the second plate, the third plate...
Just as he was finishing the fourth plate of barbecue, a commotion suddenly came from outside the shop.
"Get out of the way! Everyone get lost!"
"This shop is closed today! Do you hear me!"
Rude cursing was mixed with the crisp sound of glass being smashed.
The guests in the shop stood up one after another to look, some showing expressions of fear.
Leo frowned and put down his chopsticks.
Through the glass window, he saw a dozen people gathered at the shop entrance.
They were all young people around twenty years old, dressed flashily, holding weapons like baseball bats and iron chains.
The man in the lead was about twenty-five or twenty-six, with yellow hair and a scar on his face, leading the way into the store.
"Brother Pino said so!"
A henchman shouted at the top of his lungs.
"The owner of this shop offended someone who shouldn't be offended! Today we're going to smash it! Those who are sensible, get out quickly!"
The guests began to leave their seats in a panic, and some even ran to the back door without paying the bill.
The waiter tried to stop them but was pushed to the ground by a thug.
Leo sat still.
He leisurely picked up the last piece of meat, dipped it in sauce, put it in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
Then he took a sip of beer and wiped his mouth.
He wasn't a meddlesome person, but these guys had disturbed his mood for eating.