After traveling far, the first thing I did was change my appearance. I bought new clothes, along with a pair of sunglasses and a hat. I burned my old Kurta clothing—I didn't want anything to do with them anymore.
But for some reason, I couldn't burn or throw away the Kurta pendant. I'm not even sure why. Maybe if I burned it, tossed it aside, or tried to sell it, I'd get cursed. There's nen infused into it as well, which only makes it feel more dangerous.
So I still keep it, hidden away, unsure of what to do with it. I'm too afraid to wear it—what if, instead of protecting me, it curses me for abandoning the clan? I resent it… but maybe that's just my karma. I decided to put the thought aside for now.
After that, I rented a cheap hotel room for one night.
I really wished I could buy a phone, but if I did, I wouldn't have enough money left for the travel. Once everything was settled, I headed out to buy a travel ticket to Heaven's Arena. It cost all of my remaining money, but I wasn't discouraged. I was confident I could earn it back quickly.
Time passed, and I finally arrived at Heaven's Arena. When I entered, I saw crowds of people registering as fighters. I joined them—thankfully, registration was free. They gave me the number #1991, the same as a year. Maybe it was a sign of good luck.
I waited while watching the other fights. Eventually, my number was called.
We stepped onto the stage and took our positions. The referee signaled the start. My opponent rushed at me immediately, but all I thought about was how I should knock him out. Like Gon? Like Killua?
Hmm…
Ah, I knew.
I slipped one hand into my pocket. When he got close, I unleashed the fastest jab I could—a clean strike to the jaw, straight out of Baki. I held back, of course; if I hadn't controlled my power, I probably would've crushed his jaw. Even so, he dropped instantly.
The crowd and even the referee didn't realize what had happened. But I was declared the winner and promoted straight to the 50th floor. As I walked away, I heard whispers behind me:
"What happened? Did he just fall?""I didn't even see what he did!""His hand stayed in his pocket the whole time!"
I took the elevator up to the 50th floor. The staff girl inside explained the rules of Heaven's Arena to me. I just nodded, even though I already knew everything. After claiming my prize money, I bought a drink and waited for my next fight.
When it was time to step into the ring again, the screen replayed my previous match—slow motion and all. My new opponent was shaking the moment he saw how fast the punch was. He probably considered forfeiting on the spot.
The match started. He almost raised his hand to quit, but changed his mind and charged at me. Honestly, I was impressed. If I were him, I wouldn't have even stepped into the arena.
I knocked him out the same way as before.
Time passed quickly. I won six matches in a row and advanced to the 100th floor. I received a private room but didn't stay long—only a day of rest. The next morning, I fought again and climbed to the 150th floor. Eventually, I reached the 190s.
There, I met an opponent who scoffed, "Your punch might be fast, but you only aim for the chin. Once I guard my jaw, you're done. Bet your punch is actually weak."
I simply replied, "Bet?"
When the fight started, he charged in with both hands guarding his chin. I struck his body with a quick blow, and he collapsed immediately. After that win, I headed to the counter, claimed my money, and left without even visiting the 200th floor.
Time passed. After finishing everything I needed to do at Heaven's Arena, I headed to Yorknew City and gambled at the casino until I earned over 10 billion jenny. The staff never suspected me of cheating—not that I needed to because i am a pro. I could've kept going, but I had a feeling that pushing my luck any further would drag me into something dangerous. So I decided that was enough.
With that money, I bought a private house in a secluded area. I didn't intend to stay there forever; five, maybe ten years at most. Once it was set up, I filled it with training equipment. With my aura, I could increase the weight of everything, making it perfect for pushing my limits.
I also bought several black-market supplies: poisons and antidotes ranging from mild to dangerously potent for resistance training and combat, steroids to speed up physical development—though knowing myself, I'd probably develop resistance to those too—and a surprising amount of high-quality materials for crafting weapons and armor.
The black market offered some impressive weapons, but I still preferred making my own. I already knew exactly what I wanted to create.
All the items were delivered to a secret pickup point. I collected them quietly.
I would also occasionally hire some poeple—either to help train me or to apply Nen-based enhancements to my equipment whenever possible.
Once everything was prepared, I decided it was time to begin training again—and to start crafting my weapon and armor—until the anime's Hunter Exam timeline arrived.
...
Kairo ended up completely forgetting about the Kurta pendant. Someday, though, the memory of it will return.