Hunter X Hunter: Tombbound Power

"Big guy, you're really lucky! Don't scare the kid to tears!"

"Yeah, yeah, have some sympathy for the little one. How old could he be, coming here to challenge!"

"Must be out of pocket money and trying his luck, huh? Hahaha~"

Some spectators outside the arena couldn't help but ridicule Ronnel, who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old.

Ronnel, however, kept his eyes on the referee, ignoring the jeers from the crowd and the taunts of his opponent, who had a head shaped like a watermelon.

"I wonder what will happen if the referee is killed?"

As the first-level referee responsible for judging strength and arranging promotion levels, his actual combat power might not be that high, but his knowledge and experience were definitely valuable. Ronnel thought there might be something good to gain from him.

At this point, Ronnel was like a crazed player in a video game, his eyes gleaming with the hope of rewards, treating everyone like a boss ready to drop loot.

"Game start!"

The referee, unnerved by Ronnel's predatory gaze, hurriedly announced the beginning of the match.

Upon hearing the call, the Watermelon Head cracked his knuckles, grinning menacingly.

"Kid, don't worry, I'll make sure you feel nothing. And remember, this isn't a place for brats like you to play around."

He advanced slowly, wanting to give Ronnel as much psychological pressure as possible.

"Did you just say you're going to kill me?" Ronnel suddenly asked, his tone serious.

"Of course, you idiot. I'm not held responsible for killing you here," Watermelon Head replied, looking at Ronnel as though he had no idea what kind of place Heavens Arena was.

"That's it, then. Go all the way."

Before Watermelon Head could make sense of Ronnel's words, Ronnel vanished.

"Huh?!"

An ominous feeling surged within Watermelon Head, but before he could react, sharp pain shot through his neck, and he tasted something metallic.

The taste of blood.

Blood trickled from Watermelon Head's mouth, and his world spun. Desperately, he tried to look at his opponent one last time, but before he could manage it, his consciousness slipped into darkness.

"Boom!"

Watermelon Head's massive body hit the ground with a thud, the impact shaking the arena and startling the spectators and referees who had mocked Ronnel moments earlier.

"Gulp~"

Some spectators swallowed nervously, a bead of sweat rolling down their faces.

"Wow, that's incredible!!"

Admiring the strong was only natural. As Ronnel stood over Watermelon Head's corpse, the audience that had jeered at him suddenly erupted into cheers, their taunts quickly turning into shouts of admiration.

The referee, still stunned by the quick victory, watched in awe as Ronnel approached the body.

"He used a basic Throat Smash, but his speed, precision, and the angle were exceptional. Far better than the average fighter."

Throat Smash, or "Broken Throat," was a common move in Meteor City's underworld. It was easy to learn and highly lethal. Ronnel had picked up multiple copies of the skill while looting corpses in the morgue, and over time, he had refined it to an advanced level.

Even though it was a basic move, the advanced mastery Ronnel had achieved made it deadly. With one swift strike, he had eliminated Watermelon Head effortlessly.

"Nothing useful..."

Ronnel examined the loot he had earned—a basic Tiger Claw skill. He shook his head in disappointment and casually flicked it away.

"No one else can see my Nen," Ronnel muttered. Normally, with Nen, others could perceive a person's aura, but thanks to the special ability of his goldfinger, even Nen users couldn't see it.

"No. 1033, advance to the 50th floor!"

The referee announced Ronnel's promotion.

In Heavens Arena, first-time challengers could skip to the 90th floor at most. From the 100th floor onwards, no matter how overwhelming a victory, the advancement limit was only ten floors at a time. Only someone like Killua, who had already reached the 190th floor, could return and go straight to the 180th floor.

Ronnel's win was clean, and Shizuku's was no less impressive.

Watching Shizuku's battle, Ronnel chuckled to himself. Her opponent, underestimating her cute appearance, had been knocked out effortlessly by her hand chop. She joined Ronnel on the same floor.

After collecting their prize money, Ronnel and Shizuku stepped into the elevator, heading upwards.

"152 Jenny… only enough for a can of juice?"

(T/N: Jenny is the most common currency used. It has not been explicitly or clearly shown in a definitive and standardized form but is mentioned often throughout the series. As a point of reference for its value, Killua buys a canned drink with about 150.)

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