Hisoka was accustomed to waiting and enduring.
Waiting for fruit to ripen, holding back like a coiled spring...
All for the sake of a more intense reward.
Thus, he eagerly anticipated his six-month agreement with Morrow.
But before that, he needed a place to pass the time.
Heavens Arena was, without a doubt, the perfect choice.
Hisoka had been here for a while now.
If not for Illumi's recent disturbances, he might have been enjoying himself.
However, he soon took notice of Kastro's presence.
But what caught his eye wasn't Kastro's current strength; it was his rapid rate of improvement.
Just observing from the sidelines was enough to intoxicate Hisoka.
After some time, he could no longer resist.
He wanted to taste the tartness of this unripe apple.
Yes, just a small taste.
He wasn't ready to pluck it just yet.
Yet Morrow's sudden appearance was like a bucket of cold water dumped over Hisoka's head. The towering desire that had been standing firm now showed signs of wilting.
Slowly reining in his aura, Hisoka turned his gaze toward Morrow, who was descending from the opposite corridor.
"Mmm~"
Studying the aura enveloping Morrow, a flicker of surprise passed through Hisoka's golden eyes.
More refined. More mature.
That was the message Hisoka read from Morrow's Nen.
In just about a month, such a drastic change?
Beyond surprise, Hisoka couldn't help but grow curious about what Morrow had experienced during this time. At the same time, an even fiercer sense of anticipation welled up within him.
Growing stronger... at a speed akin to a mad sprint.
Pondering how Morrow achieved this was meaningless.
Hisoka only knew one thing…
The stronger Morrow became, the closer he was to death.
But that was exactly what Hisoka sought.
To feel the strength of his prey with his body and soul, then utterly destroy it under death's watchful gaze.
Hisoka abruptly closed his eyes, struggling with immense difficulty to suppress the emotions surging within him.
—--
On the opposite corridor.
Seeing Hisoka standing still and behaving himself, Morrow initially wondered if Hisoka had changed.
But he quickly noticed the faint, rapid twitching beneath Hisoka's tightly shut eyelids.
"..."
Those were unmistakably Hisoka's eyes.
Judging by their state, he was holding back with great effort.
That's more like him.
Morrow shook his head slightly, ignoring Hisoka's reaction, and strode down the walkway toward the arena.
Kastro and Calista, watching Morrow step onto the stage, both wore expressions of excitement.
But upon seeing Morrow up close, they, like Hisoka, detected something different about him.
Unlike Hisoka, however, they lacked his keen perception and experience. They only vaguely sensed that Morrow's aura now carried a heavier pressure, as if a wave of force swept outward with each step he took.
Morrow, meanwhile, studied the surging auras of Kastro and Calista, vibrant yet slightly chaotic, but vastly improved compared to a month ago.
This was the result of natural talent.
Some people, after suddenly unlocking their potential, would experience a rapid growth spurt, as if years of accumulation had finally burst forth.
Others, upon awakening Nen, could only progress step by step, gradually improving over time. Calista's talent was slightly inferior, likely due to her years of martial arts training. After awakening her Nen, although the intensity of her aura didn't increase significantly, her control over it was remarkably refined.
Kastro, on the other hand, clearly possessed greater innate talent. Setting aside precision, the aura output Morrow currently observed from him was nearly equivalent to what he himself had achieved after half a year of training before his Death Rewind.
One month of cultivation yielding results equal to another's six months.
This was the gap created by natural talent.
Morrow felt somewhat wistful.
Truth be told, Kastro's talent could only be considered that of a genius.
As for Gon and Killua, they were geniuses among geniuses.
Compared to these prodigies, Morrow knew he couldn't even compete on the same stage. Yet he had his own areas of expertise...
It seems you haven't been slacking off during this time.
Morrow collected his thoughts and smiled at Kastro and Calista standing before him.
Before leaving Heavens Arena, he'd instructed them to rigorously practice Ten and Ren from the Four Major Principles. Judging by their progress, both had clearly devoted considerable effort.
Interestingly, Kastro's Ren surpassed Calista's, while her Ten was stronger than his.
Calista stepped forward earnestly. "Master, I can now maintain stable Ten even while sleeping."
Beside her, Kastro merely smiled faintly, showing no inclination to boast about his own achievements.
Morrow gave Calista a thumbs-up.
"Wait here for me."
With that, Morrow walked past them straight to the arena's edge, looking at Hisoka some ten meters away.
Kastro and Calista quickly suppressed their excitement, their expressions turning grave as they mentally prepared for potential combat.
Their interactions with Hisoka had been limited, yet they'd heard enough.
He was thoroughly dangerous. This much they understood perfectly.
At the arena's edge.
Morrow's expression remained calm. "Hisoka, as per our prior agreement, you weren't to appear before me until the deadline."
"Hmm."
Hisoka slowly opened his eyes, the unnatural curvature of his eyelids gradually returning to normal.
Instead of responding immediately, he leisurely scanned Morrow's body. "You... have grown stronger."
"And?"
Morrow's demeanor didn't waver.
Suppressing a chuckle, Hisoka flicked a playing card toward Morrow.
Reflexively focusing aura in his eyes, Morrow caught the ordinary card Hisoka had thrown.
A Joker.
Morrow flipped the card over, staring at Hisoka.
Hisoka simply turned his back, his voice trembling slightly: "I'll wait... until you can respond to me without holding anything back."
"..."
Morrow crumpled the card, silently watching Hisoka depart.
In terms of aura output, the gap remained significant.
Yet such disparities could be bridged with tactics.
The problem was, tactical mastery happened to be Hisoka's greatest strength.
Moreover, one couldn't underestimate his command of advanced Nen techniques like In, Ryū, and Shu.
Not to mention his superb martial skills.
Comparatively, Hisoka's Nen ability wasn't particularly remarkable.
The real concern wasn't the ability's nature itself, but rather the swift and formidable Nen activation technique that even Razor had acknowledged.
Perhaps I should slow down a bit. Watching Hisoka walk to the passage, Morrow thought to himself, To better utilize tactical abilities, I must master more advanced Nen Techniques and improve my physical strength...
After secretly learning the Zoldyck Rhythm Echo, Morrow realized his physical strength was starting to hold him back.
Even just the normal application of Rhythm Echo required a significant amount of aura as support.
Morrow decided to devote this period to quietly improving his Nen Techniques.
As for enhancing his physical strength, it would depend on whether Menchi's so-called "medicinal cuisine" proved reliable.