Uvogin and others are among those who emerge out of nowhere.
He, Feitan, and Phinks have fought a total of four times this year.
Each time, they fought during the final ninety-day preparation period.
And the result, unsurprisingly, was a perfect four-match victory!
After reaching the 200th floor, their opponents were all Nen users.
Perhaps, in their first match, Uvogin and others seemed a little uneasy.
But with Luke's guidance, coupled with their immense talent and physical fitness, they were able to successfully defeat them.
And then, after six months of training, even if their talent might not be as great as Gon and Killua's, who were truly exceptional individuals chosen from among millions of people.
Considering that under Wing's guidance, Gon and Killua were able to adapt to the intensity of the Heavens Arena in less than two months.
For ruthless thugs like Uvogin and others, who are more suited to licking blood on the edge of a knife and killing without blinking an eye, six months is enough time for them to be reborn.
Time + focused study + the essence of the Shingen-ryu school + personal guidance + life-and-death battles between Nen users…
With all these factors added together, it would be truly strange if they still didn't grow!
It was also this year's winning streak that garnered Uvogin and the others much attention, especially because of their wild and brutal fighting style.
They attracted many supporters, and every time they appeared in battle, they were greeted with cheers.
"Although this isn't the way I originally thought we would win applause, by traveling around and performing..."
Uvogin muttered softly: "But gaining applause by beating down opponents isn't bad either."
"So, do you want to stay here and challenge one of those floor masters?"
Nobunaga asked casually while wiping his sword.
"That so-called floor master, sure, I'd like to test their strength..."
Uvogin cracked his knuckles with a grin. "But staying here? Forget it."
"Luke already said, if you keep playing chess against lousy players, your own skills won't improve."
His words were filled with disdain for the Heavens Arena fighters.
"These scumbags, are they worthy of my presence here?!"
"Besides, I've never forgotten our goal!"
There was a hint of bloodlust in his words.
The hatred for kidnapping the children of Meteor City, and the ambition to become the world's number one villain, none of that would allow Uvogin to stop at Heavens Arena.
For him, this place was merely a transitional stage, a temporary stepping stone to help him improve his strength, nothing more.
Feitan and Phinks had no intention of staying here either.
Compared to staying in this dungeon, exploring the outside world would be more interesting.
And while Uvogin and others were growing stronger in the Heavens Arena, Meteor City was also gradually changing.
"It seems you've basically taken over some of the management of Meteor City."
Inside the room, Luke smiled at Chrollo on the large television screen.
"Well, some of the systems and rules here in Meteor City have certain problems..."
A year later, Chrollo, now a year older, had shed some of his immaturity and youthfulness and begun to mature.
Chrollo's face on the screen still has the same smile as before.
"Father Lisores and Elder Veyron are very supportive of me, and everyone is working hard to train and become stronger."
"And every week, we also rerun the Battle of the Beasts, and sometimes we call on Shalnark and Franklin to shoot some side stories..."
As for the foundation of Dr. Heimerdinger in the Battle of the Beasts, Luke wouldn't let go of that easily.
The prayers and requests of so many children in Meteor City for an inventor were the best source of Luke's own inventions.
That included the very video-call screen he was using to speak with Chrollo now.
Luke himself had forgotten which great inventor had manifested it.
But whether it was Doraemon, Village Chief Slowy, Wolffy, or even Dr. Agasa, any of them could've invented something like a video phone.
"Franklin and the others have been diligently training the Shingen-ryu techniques you gave them, Luke."
"Shalnark and the others have also been training well this year."
"It won't be long before Franklin can help them open their aura nodes."
"And Machi, she's already taken the ticket you gave her and headed for the Kirimori Valley, and hasn't returned in six months."
"But from what I heard from Father Lisores, she's doing well, though perhaps her training is a bit too harsh."
"Sarasa kept saying she missed you guys, and when she grows up, she wants to go out and look for you."
"And here in Meteor City, thanks to your surveillance robot, Luke, the kidnapping incidents have decreased significantly..."
Chrollo went over everything in detail, reporting to Luke everything that had happened in Meteor City.
They regularly exchanged updates like this.
Over the past year, Chrollo had already earned the trust of Meteor City's elders.
He had proven himself with his outstanding abilities.
Now, even without the traumatic impact of the Sarasa incident from the original timeline, Chrollo's thoughts had changed as he began managing Meteor City.
The others in Meteor City were also finding their own paths.
As far as the current situation is concerned, everything is stable and improving.
Luke chatted with Chrollo for a few more minutes, then he sent Chrollo more books and the knowledge he had collected before ending the call.
Though Chrollo was already in charge of Meteor City and trusted by Elder Veyron and the others, gaining valuable knowledge from them, Meteor City was still an abandoned place; knowledge here was limited.
Over the past year, Luke had also given Chrollo many books only available in the outside world, which he treasured.
Luke had a feeling that under his interference and influence, Chrollo, who had successfully emerged from the mountains and grown through his cultivation, might... Becoming even more terrifying than before!
"Of course, that's for the future..."
After hanging up the phone, Luke stretched briefly.
He felt the strength within him, and a smile crept onto his lips.
"As for now, I'm not weak at all!"
A year was enough time for him to fully digest the experience and insights he'd gained from the miniature Biscuit!
He had already mastered nearly every advanced application of Nen.
What he needed now was a high-intensity combat to fully integrate it into his own body.
And conveniently, he had Uvogin, Feitan, Phinks, and Nobunaga before him.
Enhancers for close combat, Transmuters with versatility, and Nobunaga with his swordsmanship.
All of them were excellent training partners.
Thus, for the coming year, Luke set the tone: combat, combat, and more combat!
With the power booster to raise his aura capacity, the profound techniques and insights of Shingen-ryu, and this real combat experience…
With all of these three combined, Luke felt that at the very least, he could finally gain a solid foothold in this world.
That was only counting his own strength, without even including the strange inventions he possesses.
If he added those inventions to the mix, then...
Luke felt he couldn't dwell on it any further.
Otherwise, he would get carried away.
So, over the following year, Luke dragged Uvogin and the others into serving as his sparring partners.
Uvogin and Phinks were overjoyed upon hearing they would be fighting Luke.
They had no such reservations, as Luke is the leader, so it's hard to attack him; on the contrary, they were quite willing and eager to try.
Luke naturally saw through their thoughts. He also expressed his admiration for Uvogin and Phinks's willingness to challenge him.
Then, he struck back, beating them so hard they wouldn't even be recognized by their own mothers.
In battle, Enhancers had the strongest raw combat ability, but they were also the easiest to deal with.
In a head-on, physical confrontation, the test was between basic physical fitness and the control of aura. Honestly, Uvogin and Phinks are no match for Luke.
Feitan could still hold his own for a bit thanks to his speed.
But under Luke's sharp fighting skills that he inherited from Biscuit and unrelenting assault, even he couldn't endure for long.
Perhaps Luke's fighting skills were a bit rusty at first.
But after repeated rotations of battles with the others, what started as back-and-forth duels quickly turned into one-sided beatings.
No matter how much fighting spirit Phinks and the others had, after getting strung up and pummeled repeatedly, they eventually hid away and stopped sparring with him.
Only Uvogin, that reckless brute, truly loved fighting.
Every time Luke flattened him, after a while, he would bounce back with full confidence, challenge again, and then get beaten down again, only to recover and challenge Luke once more.
Defeat after defeat, yet battle after battle, an endless cycle.
But this wasn't without its benefits.
At least, Uvogin's strength improved the fastest among the others.
Even Phinks, a fellow Enhancer type, was inferior to Uvogin in arm strength.
And since they could never win against Luke, they vented their pent-up frustration on their opponents in the Heavens Arena instead.
As a result, the fighters above the 200th floor of the Heavens Arena suffered recently.
Uvogin, Feitan, and Phinks took turns beating them, leaving them crying and wailing.
Of course, some people did quietly investigate and collect intel on Uvogin and Feitan.
But once they stepped into the ring and began fighting, they were stunned to discover that the strength displayed by Uvogin and the others was completely different from before.
Their strength had clearly improved!
This also made it difficult for the Nen users in the Heavens Arena to keep up.
They could only grit their teeth and fight against Uvogin and the others, who had risen to a new level and then were knocked down.
"Thank goodness he's not my opponent..."
In the audience, many fighters from the same 200th floor sighed.
They were thankful for their luck in not being assigned to the same match as Uvogin and the others.
But… They were clearly celebrating too early.
For some time, a strange story has been circulating in the Heavens Arena.
Fighters above the 200th floor have been experiencing mysterious attacks!
At first, some fighters left the Heavens Arena to train or have fun.
Then, they encountered a strange, masked figure.
In his words, he wanted to…
"I just want to weigh the true strength of Heavens Arena's top fighters."
With that, he unhesitatingly attacked them without even considering the other party's agreement.
You have to know, anyone who made it past the 200th floor in the Heavens Arena was undoubtedly arrogant.
Not to mention, they had mastered Nen, convinced they were superhuman and a cut above the rest.
Therefore, faced with this provocative attack, the fighters unceremoniously met the enemy head-on.
And then… they were utterly annihilated.
"So strong! How could such a powerful guy suddenly appear?!"
"He feels at least a whole tier above us; we can't handle this at all!"
"His strength is no less than the floor masters themselves, who on earth is he?!"
"Why?! If he's this strong, why not just compete in the Heavens Arena's matches?!"
"Exactly! He could earn money, applause, and honor openly, so why hide his identity?!"
The battered, humiliated 200th-floor fighters all had the same burning doubts.
Their opponents clearly had the strength to defeat them in the ring.
So why insist on attacking in secret like this?!
They simply couldn't understand it.
"Of course, it's because I don't like being studied by others..."
After battling with those fighters above the 200th floor, Luke returned to his room and summarized his experience.
He didn't like being in the spotlight, being known by the public, and being noticed by the world.
Rather than showing himself, it would be better to hide and remain unknown.
Being an unremarkable behind-the-scenes mastermind was the most comfortable thing.
Of course, in this regard, Luke still felt that the man who abandoned his son had done the most effective job.
"He has accomplished many great things and made many contributions to this world, and is remembered by countless professional hunters."
"But the general public and ordinary Nen users are unaware of him, and there's no way to find any information about him."
"Even on the official website dedicated to professional hunters, there's no way to find him..."
"Still not strong enough!"
Luke calmed himself down again and slowly shook his head.
Ging Freecss's ability to achieve that level is undoubtedly inseparable from his own incredible strength.
Professional hunters who possess the power and wealth of a president are rare.