Chapter 810
Killua remained silent for a moment before asking, "Father… may I ask something about Ron-nii?"
Silva turned to look at him.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything you know."
Silva scanned the room briefly.
"You may all be curious too, so I'll just say it here. At this point, none of this information would mean much to Ron anyway."
"First of all, there's no doubt—Ron is a member of the Zoldyck family. He carries our blood. But not long after he was born, his parents passed away."
"Because of his extraordinary talent, your 2nd great-grandfather decided to raise him personally."
"Before Ron, the only one your 2nd great-grandfather ever raised himself was your 2nd great-grandfather's own son—Zigg Zoldyck."
"As a child, Ron also underwent the traditional Zoldyck family training. Similar to all of you."
"Killua, your case was a little special. The electric shock training was tailored specifically to you."
"Ron didn't begin learning Nen until the age of nine. But within just one month, he reached the level of a D-rank Nen user and created his first Nen beast."
"To be honest, I didn't think much of Nen beast systems at first. They require a huge investment of time and energy—and humans don't have infinite reserves of either."
"Splitting your focus so much seems less efficient than concentrating everything into a single field."
"But later, Ron's performance shattered my doubts."
"I had to admit—those with true talent can afford to be willful."
"Ron's progression through Nen ranks wasn't particularly fast at first. In fact, it may have even been slower than yours, Killua."
"But every time he advanced, his overall strength changed drastically. Much more than an ordinary Nen user would experience with a similar leap."
"When he stepped into A-rank, his foundation was already equivalent to someone who had spent ten or twenty years accumulating power at that level."
"As for now… I'm afraid I may no longer be a match for him."
As he spoke, Silva turned to Zeno.
"Father, I believe Ron's current strength may already be comparable to yours."
Zeno gave a small nod, his tone tinged with emotion.
"Ron's rate of progress has been incredible—especially in recent years."
Killua suddenly interrupted.
"Grandpa, I think Ron-nii may already have surpassed you."
"You think he's stronger than I am?"
"Yes," Killua said calmly. "When we were in the Republic of East Gorteau, Ron-nii defeated two Royal Guard Chimera Ants by himself. I remember it clearly—at one point, his aura underwent a very distinct transformation."
"The Royal Guards are incredibly powerful. Even Chairman Netero's aura wasn't as intense as theirs."
"If Ron-nii could defeat them, then there's no way he's just an A-rank Nen user."
Zeno's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're saying Ron's strength has already reached the level of someone like Netero?"
"I don't know for sure," Killua replied, "but Ron-nii is strong. With my current strength, even with Gon's help, we were only just able to defeat an A-rank Chimera Ant Squadron Leader."
"But even together, Gon and I would never stand a chance against Ron-nii."
"Killua, tell us the details of that battle," Silva said.
"All right."
Killua began recounting what had happened.
As he spoke, Zeno and Silva exchanged a glance. Their expressions grew serious.
Because if what Killua described was accurate, then no ordinary A-rank Nen user could possibly reach that level.
They had heard reports from Morel and Knov before. They were familiar with the strength of the Chimera Ants.
And as for Netero—they knew his abilities well.
Morel, Shoot, and Gon had tried to take on a Royal Guard, and the Guard had easily broken through their defenses. Shoot and Gon had been gravely injured. Pouf's power was not to be underestimated.
On another front, Knuckle, Killua, and the chameleon-type Chimera Ant had teamed up and could barely hold off Youpi. They couldn't inflict real damage on him.
Even Netero, in his final battle against the King, had needed to use Poor Man's Rose—and had given his life in the process.
The level of power required to fight the King? It was nearly unimaginable.
All of this made Zeno and Silva feel certain—Ron had truly stepped into that level.
For a moment, both were filled with complex emotion.
There was admiration, yes. But also envy.
Still, for the Zoldyck family, Ron's ascent to such strength was a good thing.
Maha Zoldyck had long passed his prime.
No one could say how much longer he would live. Even if he survived, his strength would inevitably decline.
Without a new S-rank Nen user, could the Zoldycks really maintain their reputation as the world's top assassin family?
Zeno had worked hard toward that goal—but effort alone wasn't always enough.
Silva, in comparison, still had a long way to go.
But now, Ron had already reached that level.
"An astonishing talent," Silva muttered.
He looked at Killua.
"Killua, now that you've reached this point, the only way to grow stronger is through accumulation. There's no shortcut anymore. Back in my day, all I could do was pour everything into my work."
"But since you don't plan to be an assassin, I don't really have any experience to offer you."
"Maybe you could consider joining the fighting tournaments at the Heaven's Arena."
Killua thought about the rules of the arena.
"I don't think I can enter anymore. I've forfeited twice already. According to the rules, I can't sign up again."
Illumi suddenly spoke up.
"Father, maybe Killua could go to Minpo."
"Minpo?"
"That's right. Their Grand Martial Tournament is about to begin."
Illumi continued, "During the tournament, countless factions across Minpo will compete through open combat. The losers lose everything. The winners take it all."
"When it comes to fighting, there's probably nothing more intense than Minpo's Grand Martial Tournament."
"And they're allowed to hire outsiders—there's just a limit to how many."
"With Killua's current strength, some of the factions there would definitely be interested in him."
Silva nodded.
"That's actually not a bad option. But it's dangerous. Killua, what do you think?"
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Note: what do you all think about calling Maha 2nd great-grandfather?