Bang!
Kastro slammed hard into the wall, his bones almost breaking beneath his numb skin. With surprise, he opened his eyes to see four dark figures hurtling towards him!
"I'm done for," he thought fearfully.
Unexpectedly, all four cards that Hisoka had flung between his fingers were deflected by a warped Cleaver and embedded into the wall just two centimeters from Kastro's head, quivering.
In shock, Kastro looked around the room at the three mysterious figures.
One seemed irritated by his interference, attacking with deadly intent; another watched coldly; and the last, inexplicably, had intervened to save him.
He sensed that without the man in the black robe, he would not have survived.
After just two exchanges with Hisoka, Kastro realized his arrogance and ignorance, deeply regretting his actions.
Luckily, he was still alive.
At that moment, Kastro keenly felt the vast gulf between himself and these three individuals, as if they existed in different dimensions.
Monsters.
Those who could launch such attacks were monsters, and those who could effortlessly block them were monsters too. To associate with such beings made one a monster as well.
Kastro shivered, cold sweat drenching his back, his silver hair disheveled, legs numb and unable to stand.
"Are you interested in him?" Hisoka shuffled his cards, eyeing Germain, who stood in his way.
"I didn't want it to end like this for him. It's a shame, but he persisted, leaving me no choice but to show him reality. There was no other way."
Hisoka's expression seemed resigned, yet he was oddly relaxed. After all, Kastro had yet to master "Nen ability·Doppelganger," knowing only "Tiger Bite Fist."
Now, Kastro was showing signs of practicing "Doppelganger" through his "Nen".
Theoretically, anyone can become a "Nen user" by "opening their pores".
There are two ways to "open the pores": natural and forced. A few months ago, Kastro fought with Hisoka and underwent "baptism", a forced opening of his pores.
Afterwards, even without a teacher, Kastro explored and mastered Nen abilities on his own.
He believed he had caught up to Hisoka and challenged him.
But unexpectedly, he was still vulnerable. Hisoka used a cleaner method outside the arena, revealing a clear gap.
How could I be so arrogant? Kastro heard Hisoka's sarcasm but had to swallow his pride.
Because he lost, and couldn't fight back.
"Let's not kill each other here," Germain persuaded Hisoka differently, knowing he would listen.
"Private fights aren't allowed in the Heavens Arena, right? Are you ready to give up this paradise of yours? If you're determined, I won't stop you."
Hisoka pondered but didn't reply. Instead, he shuffled and spread playing cards with their backs facing Germain, like a fan.
"Let's compare cards. Choose one."
Germain picked a card randomly.
Hisoka also drew a card randomly and turned it over: it was the "Six of Diamonds".
Germain turned over his card: it was the "Seven of Spades", then returned it to Hisoka.
"You're lucky, you've saved your life."
Hisoka showed both cards to Kastro and smiled, "But if you're only at this level next time, don't waste my time."
Kastro froze with anger. He wanted to fight Hisoka to the death right then, but he hung his head in humiliation instead.
This is the punishment a loser deserves. Kastro accepts his defeat willingly.
"That's enough for today," Hisoka declared, holding a stack of playing cards in one hand and resting the other on his slender waist. With a graceful stride, he walked away, his movements reminiscent of a cat's.
Illumi, seeing no more excitement, shrugged and settled back on the sofa.
Germain glanced at the embarrassed Kastro and began to close the door, but then noticed him make a move.
"What's your name?" Despite his pain, Kastro struggled to rise. "You saved my life. I owe you."
"No need," Germain replied, refusing the offer.
"But... but..." Kastro persisted. The fighting spirit still burned in his eyes. "How can I become as strong as you?"
Germain pondered for a moment before asking, "You've been practicing 'Nen abilities' and trying to develop your own techniques, right?"
Kastro's eyes widened in surprise. "You... you can tell? Yes, I've had some ideas. I wanted to conjure 'another me'..."
"Don't," Germain interjected, catching him off guard.
"Everyone has their own talents," Germain continued. "From your aura, I can see you're straying into unfamiliar territory."
Kastro was naturally inclined towards Enhancement, but he persisted in pursuing Conjuration and Manipulation Nen Abilities like creating a Double, wasting his natural talent.
By using Nen abilities he couldn't master against Hisoka, a master of Transmutation Nen Ability, he was destined to lose every time they fought. Whether he survived depended solely on Hisoka's mercy.
"If he corrects it now, it's not too late."
"I..." Kastro was shocked. He stood up. "What should I do?"
"Figure it out yourself. Find your own way and your own teacher. I'm not your babysitter."
Germain slammed the door, leaving Kastro standing there in a mess.
After a while, with many onlookers watching, Kastro, who had been arrogant, surprisingly bowed towards Hisoka's room.
Then, he dusted himself off and left.
In less than half a day, this strange incident and the news that Kastro withdrew from the Heavens Arena that night spread rapidly.
People talked about it, but no one knew the reason.
At the same time, Hisoka hung up the phone, leaned on the balcony railing, and laughed sinisterly in the cool evening breeze.
"From the looks of it, he should have succeeded." Illumi combed his black hair with a horn comb that flowed like a waterfall. He was talking to Germain nearby.
Germain sat silently in the corner, ignoring Illumi, which bored him.
Illumi entered the room and took over Hisoka's single bed.
As a result, Germain and Hisoka would either sleep on the sofa or the floor tonight.
But the room's owner didn't mind, and Germain had nothing to say.
He held an open book in his hand, but his eyes weren't on the pages; they were on the projection of the "Hunter Badge." He confirmed once more that his "narcolepsy" had completely disappeared.
"It truly was a mental disorder," Germain thought. After more than a month of self-care and following the doctor's advice strictly, "narcolepsy" had finally disappeared from his life.
Lately, everything seemed to be going well for him. Maybe it was just luck.
********
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