Shizuku felt warm in Liam's arms. Small. Soft.
It was a weird contrast, considering she had nearly as much aura as he did and probably twice his combat experience. Shizuku had grown up on Meteor City. Normal human morality? Hard to say how much of that she'd internalized. If Liam ordered her to kill everyone on this street, she probably wouldn't even blink. No hesitation. No guilt. She'd just summon Blinky afterward and clean up the corpses like nothing had happened.
If Shizuku tried pushing the Testing Gate, she'd probably match his performance. Maybe exceed it.
"Chirp?" Jaku landed on Liam's shoulder and tilted its head, staring at the two of them.
Liam let go. Shizuku took half a step back and looked at him with that neutral, unreadable expression she always wore. Liam reached up and adjusted her glasses, which had slipped halfway down her nose.
"Want me to put that away?" Shizuku asked, nodding at the parachute backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Yeah." Liam followed her upstairs.
Back in the hotel room, Shizuku summoned Blinky and vacuumed up everything Liam didn't need right away. The parachute, his extra clothes, supplies he'd picked up at the mall. All of it vanished into the vacuum cleaner's infinite storage.
"Were you practicing Ken when I got here?" Liam asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Your aura's lower than usual."
"Yeah." Shizuku nodded and walked over to him.
Liam held out his hand. Shizuku took it.
"Then keep going," Liam said, squeezing gently before letting go. "You're already halfway through the session. Better to finish it completely. That's when the training is most effective." He leaned back against the headboard. "I need to rest anyway. And there's no guarantee this place doesn't have strong Nen users around. It's better if one of us is always at full combat strength while the other trains."
"Okay." Shizuku agreed.
She moved to the center of the room, planted her feet, and released all her aura at once. Ken wrapped around her like a second skin, steady and uniform. Time passed. Her aura circulated, grinding itself sharp through sheer willpower and repetition.
When night fell, the two of them left the hotel and walked toward Heavens Arena.
The tower loomed against the dark sky like a spear thrust into the stars. 991 meters tall. Impossible to miss. They passed by the main entrance, took a long look at the glowing facade and the crowds streaming in and out, then turned away.
Food first. Arena later.
They found a restaurant on a nearby street. Busy place, lots of chatter, good smells. Perfect.
Between Shizuku's savings and Liam's share of the Ghost Island payout, money wasn't really an issue. And tomorrow, when they started climbing the Arena, they'd earn prize money with every win. In the manga, a single victory on the 190th floor was worth 200 million Jenny. In the Hunter world, power translated directly to wealth. Ging Freecss reportedly had a personal fortune comparable to a small nation's GDP.
Most of the diners around them were Arena regulars. Some had just won money betting on fights. Others looked like they'd lost big. Occasionally, someone overheard Liam and Shizuku's conversation and shot them suspicious looks. The two kids were talking about the Arena like it was a casual training ground, not the brutal meat grinder it actually was.
At a nearby table, a man in his twenties lowered his newspaper and glanced back at them. Young guy, relatively energetic. Young girl, quieter. But both had the same calm presence. No impatience. No nervousness.
So many capable people in this world, the man thought. His name was Wing, and he was currently stressed about his assignment: obtain a Floor Master title at Heavens Arena, or his teacher would never let him hear the end of it.
He stood, paid his bill, and left.
"I didn't expect there to be an Elf Playground here," Liam said.
They were walking through a bustling night market after dinner. In the distance, a massive entrance gate glowed with flowing neon lights. The unmistakable logo of Blanchett Company.
"The Elf Playground is a great place," Liam said with a grin. "I picked up a Doraemon for free there."
"I'm not free," Shizuku said.
"Details." Liam waved a hand. "Let's check it out."
They wandered through the amusement park and the surrounding market, buying snacks and trinkets along the way. Shizuku was endlessly curious, trying every specialty food she saw. If she didn't like it, she'd turn to Liam with big, innocent eyes and hand it over. If it was truly awful, Liam would reluctantly finish it. If it was just mediocre, he'd stuff it back in her mouth with a wicked smile.
"Whoa!" "Amazing!"
A crowd gathered nearby. Street performers, probably. This close to Heavens Arena, the city was full of talented people. Some couldn't cut it in the Arena itself but made decent money performing magic tricks, juggling fire, doing acrobatics in the night market. Liam and Shizuku stopped to watch a few acts.
Eventually, they walked along the lit-up riverside and returned to the hotel.
Late at night, lying in bed, Liam stared at the ceiling and suddenly asked, "Shizuku, can I hold you?"
A warm hand reached out from beside him and grabbed his.
Liam squeezed it and turned his head. Shizuku had turned to face him. Without her glasses, her eyes looked huge in the dim room. Half-purple in the low light. Almost hypnotic. Liam had the sudden urge to put her glasses back on. It felt illegal to leave eyes that pretty uncovered.
Shizuku scooted closer and hugged his entire arm.
Liam turned and pulled her into a proper hug.
Early the next morning, they packed up and set out for Heavens Arena.
Apparently, up to 4,000 challengers registered every day to fight their way up the tower. The Arena had over a billion viewers worldwide. Liam and Shizuku had left early, but there was still a massive line snaking out from the entrance.
The receptionist behind the counter handed them each a form. "Welcome to Heavens Arena. Please fill out the information here."
Name, age, fighting experience.
When Shizuku leaned over to glance at Liam's form, she noticed he'd used a fake name.
Then she saw him write a big "0" under fighting experience. She wrote "0" on her own form too.
After submitting their paperwork, they each received a contestant number and were escorted toward the competition area on the first floor.
On the way, Shizuku asked, "John Smith?"
"Just a random fake name," Liam said, gesturing at his face. "I look different now, remember?"
They walked out of the corridor into a massive stadium-like venue. The noise hit them like a wall. Cheering crowds filled the stands on all sides. In the center, sixteen fighting rings were arranged in a four-by-four grid. Each ring had a referee. On each stage, two contestants fought. Some were getting their faces bashed in. Others were being carried off unconscious.
The air stank of blood and sweat, fermented by the roar of the audience.
Please don't let too many people die here, Liam thought. He found an empty seat with Shizuku and sat down. "I'm here to train my combat skills. Gain experience. What about you, Shizuku?"
Shizuku pointed upward. "I'm curious what the higher floors are like."
"Then you're going to be waiting a while," Liam said. "I'm not climbing fast. I need the practice."
"That's fine," Shizuku said. "I'll wait."
A speaker crackled overhead. "Contestant 725, Contestant 988, please proceed to Ring C."
"Ah, that's me." Liam stood up.
Shizuku waved. She watched him walk down to the competition area, step onto Ring C, and listen to the referee explain the rules to him and his opponent: a burly man who looked like he bench-pressed small cars for fun.
From a distance, the crowd didn't laugh at Liam's age the way they had with Gon in the manga. But the burly man on the ring saw his young face clearly and frowned.
"Kid, you're in over your head," the man said gruffly. "Leave now before you get hurt."
"Why do I feel like I'm exactly where I need to be?" Liam muttered. He was already running calculations. How do I practice hand-to-hand combat without accidentally killing this guy?
The referee raised his hand. "On the first floor, contestants are evaluated based on performance within three minutes. Please demonstrate your abilities."
"The match begins."
The burly man charged immediately, swinging a heavy fist straight at Liam's head.
How should I respond?
Liam's eyes tracked the movement. As he focused, everything seemed to slow down. The punch moved like a scene from an action movie played at half speed.
Dodge? Or block?
Punch back? Or counter with a throw?
Lightning-fast calculations flickered through Liam's brain. There were so many ways to deal with this guy that he couldn't decide.
The huge fist stopped dead in Liam's palm.
Liam, who could push open the second Testing Gate barehanded and didn't budge an inch.
The burly man's face turned red. He pulled. He twisted. His fist was stuck in the kid's grip like it had been welded there.
He roared and threw a knee at Liam's chin.
Liam reflexively slapped the man's thigh.
The burly man screamed. His leg buckled. A palm-shaped dent appeared in his thigh muscle, red and swelling.
"Ah, sorry, I forgot to hold back," Liam said, releasing the man's fist. "My bad. I've never actually fought like this before. No experience. Let's go again."
Go again? The referee stared. This kid isn't even in the same league as his opponent. Just win already and move on!
The burly man limped back into position, cold sweat pouring down his face. He looked at the young boy across from him, who seemed eager for a second round, and more sweat formed on his forehead. Finally, he lowered his hands.
"Referee, I forfeit," he said hoarsely. "I'm not his opponent."
"No, wait, come back!" Liam called after him as the man limped off the ring. "Can't I just hit you softer?"
The referee looked embarrassed. He turned to Liam, who seemed genuinely disappointed. "Number 988, you advance to the 50th floor."
"I refuse!" Liam raised his hand immediately. "Can I stay on this floor? I won't learn anything if I skip ahead like this. It's boring!"
"No," the referee said flatly. "If you win, you move up. That's the rule." He paused, then added, "If you really want combat experience, start from the 10th floor. Every ten floors is a tier. Lose on the 10th floor, you drop back to the 1st. Win, you move to the 20th. Understood?"
"Fine," Liam said. "If you insist."
The referee printed out a slip from a handheld device and handed it over with a smile. "Good luck. With skills like yours, you'll shine on the higher floors."
Liam waved the slip and left the ring.