"Altan, look into anything related to Kroll."
Kaizen handed off the intelligence-gathering assignment to Altan.
Then he headed toward the training ground.
At that moment, Nina and the others were in the middle of a simulation session.
When it came to intel gathering and infiltration, Nina and Ponzu usually took the lead.
Nina's ability was honestly kind of broken.
She could quietly take control of a target without being noticed.
In terms of infiltration, she was in a league of her own.
Here's a simple example.
Take the auction house during the Yorknew City incident.
It's a massive venue, packed with people.
To cover the entire place, you'd need a large number of guards stationed at key points.
Even someone with S-rank aura couldn't guard it alone.
Even someone as powerful as Neferpitou could only monitor a radius of about a kilometer in base form.
With transformations, that range extended to several kilometers.
But how long could Neferpitou even maintain that form?
And how much aura would it burn through?
In contrast, Nina could target a relatively weak individual, take control, and use them as an entry point to breach security.
That kind of precision infiltration wasn't something others at her level could pull off.
Even Nen users on par with Nina couldn't match her finesse.
Another example—the Zoldyck estate.
Nina could have used her ability to control Zebro and sneak in undetected.
But if Tessia had tried it, she might've triggered a response.
Tessia's presence caused more commotion than Nina's. Her infiltration just wouldn't be as smooth.
Ponzu, on the other hand, could release her bees over a wide area to gather intel.
Her queen bee also had a remarkable instinct for sensing danger and hostile intent.
In direct combat, Tessia took the front line.
Siper and Sally provided long-range support.
When Kaizen arrived, everyone noticed, but they didn't stop their training.
...
Meanwhile, Gon and Killua were climbing the floors of Heavens Arena fast. They'd already made it past the 100th floor.
At this stage, they were assigned private rooms by the Arena.
These rooms weren't large, but they were enough to rest and train in comfort.
They were located within the Arena itself, which made it easy for fighters to show up for matches, and there was a shared training ground available for use.
Fighters could interact and practice with one another there.
The facilities also included restaurants and entertainment spots—everything you could want in one place.
There were two main reasons for this setup:
One, it showed that fighters above the 100th floor were a cut above the rest and deserved better accommodations.
Two, those fighters were high-value customers—big spenders with little time to waste.
In short, they had money, and they spent it freely.
Earn it in the Arena, spend it in the Arena.
"No one's leaving this place with their wallet intact," as the saying went.
However, Gon and Killua weren't exactly popular among the other fighters.
Most had already seen the forum posts about the two young geniuses.
And fighters in Heavens Arena were rarely humble.
A common mindset floated among them: I'm the strongest here.
Seeing Gon and Killua getting so much attention—fame that far exceeded their current level—stirred envy and jealousy.
Plenty of people itched to challenge them.
If the two boys hadn't been avoiding the Arena's public training ground and instead stayed in the apartment rented by Wing, they would've been swarmed by invitation after invitation.
Some fighters were just looking to defeat them to make a name for themselves.
...
"Killua, when do you think we'll finally start learning Nen?"
After finishing a day of training, Gon sprawled backward over a chair in their room.
His arms dangled over the backrest as he stared up at the ceiling.
"No idea," Killua replied, shaking his head.
"I've done everything Wing told us to do... but honestly? I don't feel like I've improved at all."
He didn't usually say things like that, but deep down, Killua was growing a little frustrated.
Gon's eyes sparkled with hope.
"I really want to learn Nen soon. It sounds like such a fun power!"
"Once we learn Nen, we'll be real Hunters."
Gon's goal in becoming a Hunter had always been to follow in his father's footsteps.
When he got his license, he thought he'd made it.
But after leaving the Zoldyck estate and hearing what Kaizen said about the real Hunter world, Gon realized just how far he still had to go.
To be a true Hunter... you needed Nen.
...
"Maybe we'll have to wait until we qualify for the 200th floor," Killua said.
"Everyone up there uses Nen. If you don't, you don't stand a chance."
"Like Sadaso."
"A few years ago, he was weaker than me. I had already qualified for the 200th floor while he was still stuck on one of the white floors."
"But now he's learned Nen. And without Nen, I wouldn't stand a chance against him."
"There's no way he got that strong through regular training alone."
Gon nodded thoughtfully.
"So... should we try speeding things up?"
"You mean take on more matches?"
"Exactly."
"Alright. Let's do it. (We're broke anyway.)"
The decision was made.
...
Meanwhile, Sadaso had left Heavens Arena and arrived at a dojo.
But this wasn't just any dojo—this one belonged to Doppo, one of the core members of TST.
He was also one of the people closest to Kaizen within the group.
Kaizen had offered significant support to TST in the past, not just with resources, but with the sheer weight of his reputation and strength.
He didn't need to lift a finger—his presence alone was enough to benefit them.
So it made perfect sense that Kaizen would recommend Sadaso for a spot within TST.
...
"Hi, I'm Sadaso. I made an appointment earlier."
"Sadaso?"
The disciple at the entrance eyed him for a moment, then gave a respectful nod.
"Our master is waiting for you in the study. Please, follow me."
"Alright. Thanks for your help."
Sadaso followed the disciple slowly through the dojo, glancing around at his surroundings.
"So this is the dojo of a Floor Master..."