Sky Arena.
Kevin hadn't set foot in this tower for nearly two weeks, being preoccupied with making potions and developing his Nen ability.
He had just stepped into the building and hadn't even reached the elevators when he saw a white-haired kid waving wildly at him.
Wasn't that Killua?
Kevin walked over to see Killua holding some snacks, quickly running his way.
"Where've you been these days? I thought you were dead."
Killua's opening line was as blunt as ever.
After all, when he noticed Kevin hadn't shown up in a few days, he'd done a bit of digging.
Ever since Kevin came to the arena, he had never gone a full week without fighting at least once.
"Thanks for the concern. I've been holed up training these two weeks. Got a lot out of it." Kevin smiled, even deliberately showing off a burst of aura.
He knew full well that aura wasn't visible—but it had become a habit to demonstrate it in context.
But in that instant—
Killua's expression shifted dramatically as he leapt back several meters, staring at Kevin with a stern gaze.
Kevin was a little surprised. He let his aura settle back down immediately.
Killua also began to calm down, but his face was still full of suspicion.
"You've got sharp instincts," Kevin couldn't help but praise him.
There were countless people in the world without Nen, but someone like Killua who could sense it and react that fast? Kevin had never met one.
No wonder this kid had reached beyond the 150th floor by the age of six. This must be talent.
Damn talented kid!
Killua returned to his usual self, his small face serious as he asked Kevin, "What was that just now? That pressure?"
He paused, then added, "I've felt something similar from my brother before…"
"Ah, that explains it," Kevin nodded in understanding.
He'd done some research online about the Zoldyck family and still found this world unbelievable.
A family of legal assassins—who'd have thought?
Their home was even a tourist attraction. How was that reasonable?
Still, that only further confirmed their immense strength.
Clearly, the Zoldyck family had some sort of Nen heritage, which explained Killua's insane potential.
As for why Killua hadn't been taught Nen yet—maybe he was still too young?
Kevin wasn't sure.
But given what he knew about Nen, he had a few guesses.
Nen was deeply tied to a person's life experiences, upbringing, and personality.
Killua was still a kid—his sense of right and wrong, worldview, and even personal likes and dislikes were still forming.
Learning Nen too early might actually be a bad thing.
Kevin didn't know the full story, so this was the best guess he could make.
"That was a special kind of pressure. You'll understand it when you grow up," Kevin gave a typical adult response.
Sure enough, Killua frowned, clearly displeased by that answer.
Kevin chuckled and ruffled Killua's white hair. "Don't sulk, kid. Growing up's just part of the journey."
Killua slapped his hand away, grumpy as he munched on his snacks.
"By the way, what floor are you on now?"
Killua huffed. "170th. Thought you were dead, so I fought a few more matches."
Kevin nodded. "Nice. That means we're more likely to run into each other. Want to go sign up together?
I bet you're itching to fight me now."
"Heh, you got that right. Let's go."
Killua tossed his snack and dragged Kevin off toward the registration desk.
He hadn't cared much about this before—he just considered Kevin a friend.
But now he was curious.
He still remembered Kevin saying they could spar no matter who won or lost. Right now, he was full of excitement.
Maybe, just maybe, he could learn that kind of ability from their matches? Killua had absolute faith in his ability to learn.
…
In a corner of the lobby.
A tall man with straight black hair stood with a dark expression.
His eyes were hollow, locked onto the sight of Killua dragging Kevin away—especially that moment where Killua grabbed Kevin's hand.
"No… I can't make a move. Father's orders are to observe."
He muttered to himself, holding back his murderous urge with great difficulty.
People around him instinctively avoided him.
"But if he tries to teach Killua Nen… then maybe…"
He kept mumbling, clearly deep in thought.
Right now wasn't the time for Killua to learn Nen. Preventing that from happening—wasn't that the right thing to do?
Suddenly, his emotions settled. He pulled out his phone.
"Hello."
"…Yes, I understand."
After hanging up, his expression looked a bit regretful. His whole demeanor grew even more gloomy.
After registering—
Kevin said goodbye to Killua. Their match had been scheduled for tomorrow.
Both of them were rising stars, so the arena wanted to build up some hype first.
Ring ring ring.
Kevin picked up his phone.
Since he'd bought it, he rarely used it. Aside from calling and texting, it barely had any other functions.
He didn't have many numbers saved either. Very few people even knew his number.
The caller ID read: Mito.
"Hello?"
"I see."
"No problem, I'll head over now."
Kevin hung up and went straight to the BBQ restaurant he'd been to before.
A server led him directly to a private room.
Inside, Mito was staring at a mountain of skewered meat with a grim expression, lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
Kevin's sudden voice startled Mito.
"Really, what are you thinking? You're completely letting your guard down." Kevin looked a bit puzzled.
Mito let out a long breath and muttered, "While you were gone these past two weeks, I made it to the 200th floor.
And while walking down the hallway there… I felt a wave of malice. Overwhelming, bone-chilling malice."
Kevin immediately understood. He had a good idea why Mito called him here.
Sure enough—
Mito asked, "What was that? That suffocating malice? You must know, right? I mean, you're insanely strong."
He didn't consider himself weak, but against Kevin, he always felt powerless, like he couldn't even scratch him.
Without question, Kevin was the strongest person he knew. So when he felt that terrifying malice on the 200th floor, Kevin was the first person he thought of.
"Honestly, it's kinda embarrassing." Mito leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "All I could think about was running. That's pretty shameful for a martial artist."
Then he locked eyes with Kevin, eyes burning with seriousness.
"Please. Tell me what that was."
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