Shizuku could feel that the muscles beneath his clothes, the precision and toughness, were entirely different from yesterday, as if an explosive power was now concealed within him.
"Have you gotten stronger again?"
Shizuku blinked, her curious eyes glancing over him. "I sense a dangerous aura from you that I haven't noticed before."
"Oh really? It seems I've gotten stronger. Maybe I'll catch up with you soon~"
Ronnel fingered the coin in his pocket. After spending the night experimenting in the morgue, he had tested his abilities with the coin, just like when Gon and the others encountered the Zoldyck family and were challenged by Canary to guess the coin's movements.
Ronnel found the coin-tossing techniques quite effortless.
Given that Shizuku could sense some danger from him, Ronnel guessed that his current strength was likely somewhere between the likes of Canary and the average members of the Phantom Troupe.
Among the corpses he encountered, many had been users of Nen, and Ronnel had managed to absorb a considerable amount of aura from them, greatly enhancing his energy.
This was the result of just one night in the morgue, and the increase in his strength was already noticeable.
Ronnel couldn't help but wonder, in the coming days, could he surpass Shizuku entirely? Perhaps even challenge the likes of Chrollo or Silva Zoldyck?
With these aspirations in mind, he returned to the morgue the following night, but was met with disappointment.
New bodies had arrived, but there were only thirty or forty, mostly challengers from the 100th to 200th floors of Heavens Arena.
Additionally, Heavens Arena had a system of scheduled matches, and fighters above the 200th floor were granted a 90-day period to prepare for their battles. As a result, clashes between real Nen users were rare, and finding dead bodies was even less likely.
While the quality of these corpses was better than the lowly residents of the streets of Meteor City, and Ronnel had gleaned some valuable information through his Nen abilities and Restrictions, it couldn't compare to the previous night's haul.
"If you can't find a corpse, then create one yourself. It looks like if I want better results, I'll have to rely on myself."
Slapping a martial arts manual he'd taken from one of the bodies against his forehead, Ronnel muttered to himself while glancing up at Heavens Arena.
It was time to stretch his muscles~
Heavens Arena, the ultimate battleground for fighters, was open to anyone. As long as one could keep winning, they could achieve anything they desired.
Although a bit of an exaggeration, it held some truth.
Because of its nature, Heavens Arena attracted countless challengers. But in such a high-stakes environment, where fists and feet flew without mercy, it was inevitable that lives would be lost.
Every participant was required to sign a waiver, a life-and-death contract, acknowledging that the arena would not be held accountable if they perished in a match.
Without signing, there would be no entry—similar to the Hunter Exam. Heavens Arena only welcomed those who had made up their minds to risk it all.
Ronnel and Shizuku filled out the necessary forms and life-and-death contracts, and were led to the waiting area.
Rather than waiting idly for corpses to pile up, Ronnel decided to actively participate in the challenges, killing powerful opponents and immediately reaping the benefits from their bodies.
Additionally, engaging in combat allowed him to observe and understand the skills of his opponents. This meant that when he took their bodies, he could focus on extracting exactly what he needed through Restrictions.
It was far more efficient than scavenging random corpses without knowing their exact capabilities.
Don't mistake Ronnel for being cold-blooded or cruel. After living in the brutal streets of Meteor City for months, he had long since shed any hesitation that remained beyond basic morality.
Survival and personal growth were paramount.
As for others, especially those who had willingly signed the life-and-death contracts—well, since they made that choice, there was nothing more to be said.
If he let them live, that was his kindness. But if he killed them? It was justified.
Outside of Heavens Arena or in other places, Ronnel wouldn't take lives so casually just to gain strength, but here? Here, all bets were off.
Resolute in his decision, Ronnel brought Shizuku with him to sign up at dawn.
In the waiting area, Ronnel took a casual glance around before closing his eyes again.
There were some decent fighters, but most were far too weak to interest him.
Just then, his number—1033—was called over the loudspeaker.
"I guess I'm up first~" Ronnel stood, gave a quick nod to Shizuku, and walked towards the waiting area exit.
All new fighters were required to test their strength on the first floor. Within three minutes, the judges would assess each contestant's abilities and determine which floor they would be assigned to. The stronger the fighters, the higher the floor.
Ronnel's opponent, a bulky man with a shaved head and wearing a black vest, was already waiting in the ring.
"So, you're my opponent? Heh, looks like this will be an easy win for me. I wonder how high I'll be promoted after this?"
The muscular man sneered, looking Ronnel up and down with disdain.
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