"Or perhaps a combination of both?"
"For now, it seems that combining both would be the better choice."
Upon arriving at the small town at the foot of the mountain, Ron saw two familiar figures.
The last time Ron left the Zoldyck estate, a master and apprentice had come to challenge it but were easily defeated by Zebro. Ron had thought they would have left long ago.
Unexpectedly, it seemed they had settled down in this mountain town.
"Could it be that they were unwilling to accept defeat last time and decided to train nearby?"
"Waiting until they're confident enough to challenge the Zoldyck estate again?"
"That's not a wise choice."
Zebro's strength isn't particularly strong. In the Zoldyck estate, he's considered one of the weakest.
Even if those two defeat Zebro, so what?
What could they possibly do to the Zoldyck estate?
Could they be a match for Mike?
Absolutely unimaginable.
Ron took a taxi to a nearby city, purchased an airship ticket for the next day, checked into a hotel, and early the following morning headed to the airship station. With a ticket in hand, he boarded the airship.
After taking his seat, he pulled out his phone and dialled Nina's number.
"Big brother!"
"Nina, I'm preparing to return to Heaven's Arena."
---
# Back to the small town.
Rumors of monsters were still circulating, with many people discussing them.
But those who remained fearful were now fewer.
That courtyard had become ruins.
After the great fire, everything combustible had been burned clean.
Several heavy rains had washed away most of the traces.
A middle-aged woman sat in the courtyard.
A young girl was chasing butterflies like a fool.
Because of the monster rumours, more visitors were coming to the town, and more people were staying in the guesthouses.
Business improved, but the middle-aged woman's mood remained unchanged.
To her, her future was her daughter.
But her daughter had already been ruined.
Even if she had more money, what could it change?
Remarry? Have another child?
Marry off her ruined daughter?
Who would want her?
Anyone willing to accept her daughter's condition must have problems themselves.
In that case, what future could there be?
The middle-aged woman's brow furrowed deeply, her face full of worry.
A figure entered the small town.
It was a middle-aged man, somewhat thin, dressed in black, exuding an aura that kept strangers at a distance.
"This is the place."
Ito Hughes arrived at the ruins, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Yes, this is it."
Ito Hughes extended his hand.
An attractive force appeared in his palm.
In the next moment, a wisp of black aura emerged from the ruins.
"Even the seed has been absorbed?"
"In that case, there's no way to track who intervened."
A sinister glint flashed in Ito Hughes's eyes.
Then, he made a decision.
"Since you saved this town and I can't find you, then I'll destroy this town once more!"
A new seed appeared in Ito Hughes's hand, condensing into a tiny human figure.
Ito Hughes left.
But the seed remained in the town.
A peculiar sense unfolded
A woman watched a young man's departing figure from a distance, her eyes filled with resentment.
"Why?"
"You clearly said that once my hair reached my waist, you'd officially date me."
"Why are you now with someone else?"
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh.
Trickles of red blood seeped out.
The woman turned and returned home.
Sitting in front of her dressing table, she looked into the mirror, seeing her own reflection.
She reached out, touched her long hair, and fell into memories.
A black shadow entered her body.
---
Heaven's Arena.
The moment Ron got off the airship, Nina and the other two were already downstairs.
Originally, Nina had wanted to go to the airship station to meet Ron.
But none of the three knew how to drive.
And given their ages, and all being girls, they especially fit the typical victim profile in criminal cases.
The crime rate in this city wasn't low at all.
After all, fighters from all over the world came here.
Some pursued the pinnacle of martial arts.
Some walked a spiritually clean path.
But many fighters simply chased money, power, and violence.
These people all had the potential to become criminals.
Once they found suitable targets, they'd make a move.
With the strength of Nina and her two companions, they weren't afraid of ordinary people.
Even without using Nen, Nina had already reached over 100 floors in Heaven's Arena.
Sally was even a C-level Nen user.
Even though Shizuku didn't know Nen, she was someone who had survived the harsh environment of Meteor City.
In this situation, few could pose a threat to the three of them.
But if they did encounter someone, it would be troublesome.
Today was the day Ron returned to Heaven's Arena—a time worth celebrating.
So after weighing their options, the three decided to give up on going to the airship station and instead waited for Ron on the first floor of Heaven's Arena.
They sat in a café on the first floor, waiting for Ron's call.
"Ring ring ring!"
The phone rang, and Nina quickly answered.
"Big brother!"
"I'm here."
"Great, we're on the first floor—we'll come out right away."
At that moment, a young man sitting in a corner saw the three girls stand up and hurriedly approached them, his gaze fixed on Sally, seemingly very interested.
Dressed lavishly with a frivolous demeanour, he was clearly a playboy.
He approached them because he'd set his sights on Sally.
"Excuse me, my lady..."
He caught up, ready to strike up a conversation, but before he could finish speaking, his mouth was suddenly covered, and a tall figure appeared beside him.
Sally heard a sound and instinctively turned her head.
But the young man had already been pulled away.
Sally shook her head and followed behind Nina and Shizuku.
Only after the three had left did the tall figure release the young man.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't tell me you've also taken a liking to that girl?"
The tall figure frowned, his expression serious.
"Don't talk nonsense. Do you know who those people were just now?"
"Who? Just some beautiful girls, right?"
The young man said nonchalantly.
"Girls?"
The tall figure snorted coldly. "I don't know about the two older ones, but that younger one is a fighter—a martial artist on the 131st floor of Heaven's Arena."
"What?"
The young man's pupils shrank sharply, as if doused with cold water, instantly sobering up.
"A fighter on the 131st floor?"
"That's right. I remember clearly; I've seen one of her matches. She's very strong. Not to mention us—even the strongest bodyguard in our family wouldn't be her match."
A trace of fear arose in the young man's heart.
"Thank you. I almost brought big trouble upon myself."
He gave a bitter smile.
For people like Ron and those with his background, fighters over 100 floors in Heaven's Arena weren't anything impressive.
But to ordinary people, they were already extremely formidable existences.
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