Just as Ryker overcame his chronic laziness and decided to step out to gather intel, he remained completely unaware that he had already caught the attention of a woman with the appearance of a little girl but the age of forty—a JoJo-styled lady named Biscuit.
Ryker, deep in thought about collecting information on his opponents, suddenly realized that since his first mission, apart from his family, he had only interacted with adversaries.
He had no established channels for information gathering.
Upon realizing this, Ryker figured he might as well go out and try his luck. Perhaps, he thought, he could even find a couple of stand-ins to earn some points for him.
With that in mind, Ryker decided to leave his room, planning to swing by and check if Illumi had any matches scheduled.
Meanwhile, not far from Ryker's door, a blonde girl was stealthily observing his room with great interest.
This girl was none other than the gem hunter Biscuit. She was waiting for Ryker to leave his room so she could "accidentally" bump into him and strike up a conversation with this talented young man.
As for how she knew his room number, for someone with her skills, obtaining such information was child's play.
At the same time, Biscuit was internally complaining:
'Does this kid have some personality defect or a dark secret?'
'From the end of his match until now, he hasn't stepped out even once. Even his meals are ordered through room service. Is he allergic to fresh air or what?!'
While Biscuit was mentally ranting, her patience was finally rewarded—the long-closed door of Ryker's room opened from the inside. A small figure wearing a black hood and dark sunglasses stepped out.
The moment Ryker was about to leave his room, Biscuit darted toward him with near-teleportation speed.
Her plan was simple: as soon as the door opened, she would emerge from the blind spot and create a "bump-into-each-other" scenario.
Then, leveraging her adorable appearance and a carefully crafted fangirl persona, she would get closer to him.
'With my deceptive looks and acting skills, there's no way I can't charm a kid like this,' she thought confidently.
However, Ryker, ever alert due to years of training, had already sensed something was off. His body instinctively reacted, thanks to the muscle memory ingrained from countless surprise attacks by his father, Silva.
*Whoosh!*
The moment Biscuit was about to "accidentally" collide with him, Ryker unleashed a burst of aura and executed the Zoldyck family technique—"Rhythm Echo"—dodging her at the last possible moment.
He didn't even get a clear look at her at first; only after avoiding the collision did he take the time to observe her.
And what he saw shocked him. He immediately recognized her and deduced that this encounter was no coincidence.
Realizing this, Ryker quickly pulled out his phone and called Tsubone.
"Hey, it's me. Illumi doesn't have a match right now, right? If he's free, send him to my room immediately. I have an urgent matter to discuss."
Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the call, standing silently as he kept his eyes on Biscuit.
Biscuit, equally surprised, thought to herself:
'This kid actually dodged my move?! His actual abilities are far beyond what he showed during the matches.'
'That last technique... If I'm not mistaken...'
'I see. Only a handful of places in the world can produce someone like him. He must be here as part of his family's trial. But does he really need to dress like that? Isn't he drawing more attention to himself with such an outfit?'
Despite her internal musings, Biscuit quickly shifted into her pre-planned act. She sat up from the floor, rubbing her head and complaining loudly.
"Ouch! How did I end up falling out of nowhere?!" She then looked up with an exaggerated expression of surprise.
"Wait a second… Are you Ryker?! Oh my gosh, it's really you! You're my idol! I've watched so many of your matches—you're amazing! Can I please get your autograph? Maybe even a selfie?"
Ryker, however, remained silent, watching her performance with an expressionless face.
At that moment, Tsubone arrived at the scene and took in the situation with a glance.
Ryker broke his silence. "I don't want any distractions while I'm preparing for my next match. Take care of this, and make sure this doesn't happen again."
This was Ryker's approach—calling for reinforcements.
He believed that letting Tsubone handle Biscuit would discourage her from trying anything further. Without another word, Ryker turned and headed toward the elevator.
Tsubone, now left with Biscuit, smiled and asked politely, "Excuse me, young lady, is there something I can help you with?"
"Oh, nothing really," Biscuit replied with a bright smile. "I wasn't paying attention and tripped. Then I happened to see Ryker here and wanted an autograph."
"I see. Well, our young master is focused on preparing for his matches right now. If you'd like, you can leave your contact information with me, and I'll make sure he gets back to you."
"No need to trouble you, ma'am. I'll find another chance to ask him later. Thanks anyway!"
With that, Biscuit flashed another brilliant smile and jogged off toward the elevator.
Meanwhile, Ryker suddenly remembered something and cursed himself for overcomplicating things.
'Damn it! Why am I running around when my family already has the most extensive intelligence network in the world? I should've just asked them for my opponent's information in the first place.'
With that thought, he turned back toward his room, where Tsubone was still standing.
Once inside, he shared his idea with her, even offering to pay for the information using his prize money.
But Tsubone's response made him want to scream. She reminded him that his father, Silva, had given strict instructions—Ryker was not to receive any assistance from the family during his trial, including intel on his opponents.
Hearing this, Ryker could only groan in frustration.
After relaying Silva's orders, Tsubone asked about the earlier incident.
"Well, I doubt it was an accident," Ryker said. "I had to use 'Rhythm Echo' to avoid her, so I'd say it was intentional. My gut tells me she's no ordinary person."
"Understood. I'll keep an eye on her," Tsubone replied.
Days passed, and Ryker had to rely on his own efforts to gather intel on his next opponent, spending his winnings from previous matches in the process.
So far, all he knew about his opponent was a name: Jackie Chan.
Originally a police officer from a small island under the Kukan'yu Kingdom, Chan's career took a turn after he suffered a significant injury during a mall chase.
Remarkably, his recovery was far faster than expected, and his physical abilities improved exponentially afterward. Known for using everyday objects as weapons, Chen rarely killed his targets, opting to capture them alive instead.
Eventually, he found his way to the Heavens Arena, where his efforts earned him the position of a Floor Master, albeit one of the lower-ranked ones.
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