The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.
At the bottom of the explosion crater in the middle of the street, Franklin's corpse lay in a twisted posture.
His chest was completely collapsed, the result of a direct hit from Leo's Super Destruction Fist.
This Phantom Troupe firepower specialist didn't even manage to fire a second wave of Nen Bullets before dying.
Leo retracted his fist and looked down.
A familiar warmth radiated from the dark red tattoo on the back of his hand, even more pronounced than when he killed Uvogin earlier.
[Rank: Level 49 (46% → 83%)] He was only 17% away from Level 50.
Killing two main members of the Phantom Troupe in succession brought a considerable amount of Life Energy.
Leo felt the power surging within him; his wounds accelerated their healing under the nourishment of the Life Energy, and the hidden injuries left from the previous fight with Kalluto were also fading.
He turned and walked in Shizuku's direction.
Shizuku stood at the edge of the ruins; her vacuum cleaner had already been put away.
She had a few scrapes on her body, and her clothes were slightly damaged, but her overall condition was good.
Facing Franklin's storm of Nen Bullets, she displayed astonishing dodging ability—a movement style that looked clumsy but was actually precise, which even Leo secretly admired.
"Shizuku, are you okay?"
Leo walked up to her, his tone apologetic.
"I'm very sorry for dragging you into this."
Shizuku raised her head and adjusted her slightly crooked black-rimmed glasses, her expression as calm as ever.
"Hmm, it's okay, I'm used to it."
"Used to it." This simple answer made Leo pause slightly.
He carefully studied Shizuku—there was no emotional fluctuation on that seemingly harmless face, as if what they had just experienced wasn't a life-or-death battle, but a common street conflict.
When she said "used to it," what did that mean? Leo didn't ask further.
Everyone has a past they don't want to mention; when Shizuku is willing to talk, she will naturally tell him.
"Shizuku, can I ask you for a favor?"
Leo pointed to the messy battlefield around them.
"Use your ability to clean up all traces of the battle here. Including the corpses of these two, the bloodstains, and even the broken bricks—everything that might leave a clue."
Shizuku looked in the direction of his finger and then nodded.
"No problem."
She manifested her vacuum cleaner again.
The peculiarly shaped vacuum cleaner made happy "Hayo! Hayo!" sounds, as if looking forward to working.
"vacuum cleaner, start working, suck everything here clean!"
Shizuku said softly, and she pressed the switch.
The nozzle at the front of the vacuum cleaner opened, and a powerful suction force instantly erupted!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!!
A bizarre scene appeared.
Uvogin and Franklin's corpses were sucked in first—followed by the bloodstains on the ground; those dark red liquids sprayed on the rubble and seeped into the cracks were stripped away from every corner like a video playing in reverse, converging into thin streams and pouring into the nozzle.
Then came the traces of the battle.
The ground Leo had crushed, the walls Uvogin had knocked down, the craters exploded by the Nen Bullets—all the destroyed things, whether they were concrete chunks, broken steel bars, or flying glass shards, were all swallowed up by the vacuum cleaner without leaving a trace.
Even the dust floating in the air was sucked clean.
In just three minutes.
The entire street returned to a bizarrely "clean" state—not repaired, but "cleared."
Not a single hair, a drop of blood, or a speck of dust could be found on the ground.
It was as if the intense battle that just happened never occurred, and Uvogin and Franklin had never existed.
Leo watched this scene and nodded with satisfaction.
Shizuku's ability is simply the perfect tool for home travel and killing!
The reason he requested a thorough cleanup was because he knew the bizarre and varied nature of abilities in the hunter world.
In the original work, there were abilities that could track targets through hair, blood, or even residual Nen traces.
The Phantom Troupe might find such a person—letting them join the Phantom Troupe or stealing their ability to find him; since there was such a risk, it was natural to take precautions.
"That's good."
Leo said.
"Let's go."
Shizuku put away the vacuum cleaner and followed behind him.
The two walked through the unusually "clean" street, hailed a taxi, and headed to the airport.
Neither of them spoke along the way; Shizuku stared blankly at the scenery rapidly receding outside the window, while Leo replayed the recent battle in his mind.
Killed Uvogin in two minutes, finished off Franklin in one minute.
This record seemed brilliant, but Leo knew there was a lot of luck involved—Uvogin was too confident and chose the stupidest frontal confrontation; Franklin was blinded by hatred and ignored tactical coordination.
If all the Phantom Troupe members were present, if Chrollo had formulated tactics, if Feitan, Phinks, Nobunaga, and others joined forces...
"I still need to get stronger."
Leo clenched his fist.
Two days later, in the city where Heavens Arena is located.
In a simply decorated restaurant, Leo and Shizuku sat by the window.
The afternoon sun shone through the glass onto the table, casting dappled light and shadows.
Shizuku sipped her orange juice, her eyes fixed on the pulp floating up and down in the glass, as if researching some profound question.
The restaurant door was pushed open.
Sophia walked in. Behind her followed another person—a short, chubby boy wearing a white suspender suit, clutching a laptop tightly in his arms.
He kept his head down while walking, appearing very reserved, stealing a glance at Sophia from time to time, and then quickly looking away.
"Master! You're back!"
When Sophia saw Leo, her eyes lit up immediately, and she walked over quickly.
But when she noticed Shizuku beside Leo, her steps paused, and she curiously sized up this strange girl.
"Who is this...?"
"Shizuku, my newly recruited partner."
Leo introduced, then turned to Shizuku.
"This is Sophia, my disciple."
Shizuku raised her head, adjusted her glasses, and nodded at Sophia.
"Hello."
"Hello!"
Sophia responded enthusiastically, then looked at Leo, her eyes full of inquiry.
Leo smiled.
"Shizuku is very strong; you can communicate more in the future."
"That's great!"
Sophia's eyes brightened even more.
She pulled over the chubby boy who had been keeping his head down behind her.
"By the way, Master, there's something I need to tell you. Some time ago, I went to execute a mission to hunt down a wanted criminal alone, and on the way, I encountered an accident and happened to save someone—it's him, Nico."
Nico was pushed to the front by Sophia, the whole person so nervous he almost curled into a ball.
He bowed deeply to Leo and Shizuku, his voice slightly off-key due to trembling.
"H-hello! My name is Nico! P-please take care of me!"
Sophia continued.
"Afterward, he kept following me, saying he wanted to become a disciple and get stronger. I couldn't make up my mind, so I brought him to see you, Master. However—"
She added.
"His computer skills are really amazing! I saw with my own eyes that he hacked into the backend of a security System in just ten minutes."
Hearing Sophia praise him, Nico's face flushed slightly, but he lowered his head even further.
Leo leaned back in his chair, eyeing the chubby boy in front of him.
Nico. He had an impression of this name—in the Hunter Exam that Gon participated in from the original work, he was the Examinee who gave up earliest in the first long-distance running test.
A self-righteous computer Genius, actually with extremely poor psychological quality, collapsing at the slightest setback.
But looking at his cowering appearance now, he was probably scared out of his wits.
But Sophia said his computer skills were good, which was a fact.
In the hunter world, the role a top hacker can play is sometimes greater than that of a combat-type Nen User.
Intelligence gathering, fund transfers, System hacking, information encryption and camouflage... these were all things Leo urgently needed now.
Especially now.
He had formed a deadly feud with the Phantom Troupe.
Uvogin and Franklin were dead, and the Phantom Troupe would never let it go.
Rather than passively waiting for them to come to him, it was better to take the initiative—but the prerequisite was that he had to know where the Phantom Troupe was, what they were doing, and which members were active.
A computer expert like Nico could just fill this gap.
However... Leo looked at Nico's body that clearly lacked exercise, and that nervous, cowering appearance, and frowned slightly.
His strength was too weak, and his psychological quality was also not good enough.
If he accepted him directly, not only would he not be able to help, but he might also become a burden.
"You want to become my disciple?"
Leo spoke, his voice calm.
Nico suddenly raised his head and nodded vigorously.
"Y-yes! I want to get stronger! I don't want... I don't want to be like that day again, just watching helplessly, unable to do anything..."
There was a hint of lingering fear in his voice, as well as unwillingness.
"What happened that day?"
Leo asked.
Nico bit his lip, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.
"I... I was originally a freelance hacker, taking on some System hacking jobs. Half a month ago, I took a job to invade a company's database. I succeeded, but I didn't expect that company to have ties to the underworld..."
His body began to tremble again.
"They found me. Three people, all with guns. I couldn't run away, and I thought I was dead... It was Young Miss Sophia who passed by and saved me. She was alone, bare-handed, and took down all three of them."
Nico looked at Sophia, his eyes full of admiration.
"At that time, I thought... if I were as strong as that, I wouldn't be pushed around by others, and I wouldn't have to wait for death when in danger. So I begged Young Miss Sophia to take me as a disciple, but she said she had to ask you first."
Leo was silent for a moment.
"I can give you a chance."
He said slowly.
"But I won't take you as a disciple directly. When you reach the 150th floor of Heavens Arena, I will let Sophia officially take you as a disciple."
Nico was stunned.
The 150th floor? He had heard of the legend of Heavens Arena—it was the Holy Land for fighters, and every floor represented a gap in strength.
The 150th floor was already a height that ordinary humans could hardly reach.
"R-really?"
His voice trembled.
"Really."
Leo looked at Sophia.
"You can guide him appropriately, but don't interfere in his battles. He has to fight his way up on his own."
Sophia nodded.
"I understand, Master."
Nico was so excited his face turned red, and he bowed deeply again.
"Thank you! Thank you very much! I will definitely work hard! I will definitely not let Young Miss Sophia down!"
Sophia patted his shoulder.
"Since that's the case, come to Heavens Arena to find me first thing tomorrow morning. With your current physical fitness, you might not even be able to beat the 50th floor, so I can guide you in some basic training."
"Yes!"
"Alright, sit down and eat first."
Leo signaled.
Sophia and Nico sat down.
The waiter came over to add two sets of tableware and ordered a few more dishes.
At the dining table, the atmosphere gradually became lively.
Sophia had a cheerful personality and kept looking for topics to chat with Shizuku—although Shizuku's answers were usually so concise that people couldn't continue the conversation.
"Shizuku, what do you like to eat?"
"Anything is fine."
"What hobbies do you usually have?"
"Reading."
"What kind of books do you read?"
"I don't remember."
Sophia was not discouraged; instead, she found Shizuku's dazed and cute personality very interesting.
She noticed that Shizuku's glasses were a bit old and even offered to take her to get a new pair next time.
Leo occasionally chimed in, but spent most of the time observing.
Nico sat quietly in the corner, eating his meal in small bites, eyes stealing glances at Sophia and Shizuku from time to time, and then looking at Leo, as if silently remembering everyone's characteristics.
This meal lasted nearly two hours.
When it ended, it had already turned dark.
Streetlights turned on one by one, and the city's night began.
"Shizuku, stay with Sophia for the time being."
Leo arranged.
"Nico, you go back to the hotel first, and training starts tomorrow."
"Yes!"
Sophia left with Shizuku, and Nico also bowed to say goodbye, then hurried away clutching his laptop.
Leo returned alone to his exclusive room on the 200th floor of Heavens Arena.
He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the brightly lit city below.
Traffic flowed like a tapestry, neon lights flickered, and this city that never sleeps was always full of vitality.
Leo fell into deep thought: It had been almost two years since his Transmigration.
From struggling to survive in the Secret Realm at the beginning, to now having his own small team.
From an ordinary person to his current respectable strength of Level 49.
From being alone, to now having Sophia, Shizuku, and possibly one more, Nico.
The changes were great, but it still wasn't enough.
Leo's gaze became sharp.
The Phantom Troupe was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
Uvogin and Franklin were dead, and the Phantom Troupe would never let it go.
Given Chrollo's personality, he would definitely investigate, plan, and launch a fatal blow at the most unexpected time.
Passive waiting was not Leo's style.
"I must take the initiative."
He whispered to himself.
During this time, he would let Nico train while using his hacking skills to search for traces of the Phantom Troupe on the internet.
Although the technology tree in this world was a bit crooked, the internet and various high-tech gadgets still existed, and the speed of information circulation was faster than imagined.
If online searching didn't work, he would have to find Retz or Kalluto from the Hunter Association; he remembered that the abilities of these two could search for people's tracks.
As long as he could lock onto the Phantom Troupe members' locations in advance... Leo clenched his fist.
The tattoo on the back of his hand glowed slightly in the dark.
Level 50, it was coming soon.
By then, his strength would have a qualitative leap.
Combined with Sophia's "Duel Arena," Shizuku's "vacuum cleaner," and Nico's intelligence support...
"Phantom Troupe..."
A cold light flashed in Leo's eyes, and the night outside the window grew deeper.