"Let's travel separately..."
Phinks pointed at himself, then at Feitan: "I'll team up with Feitan. Two of us together, so we can watch each other's backs."
Phinks's brows raised, and for the first time, his eyebrowless face looked less menacing.
"I'm going with Uvogin..."
Nobunaga hugged the sword in his arms. "This guy is always charging headfirst recklessly. If no one's around to keep an eye on him, that would be dangerous."
"Ahahahaha, you can totally act as my bodyguard!"
Uvogin excitedly jumped up and down, waving his arms while shouting.
"Perfect timing, the money I earned here in Heavens Arena, I'll just let you handle it!"
Each floor victory in Heavens Arena awarded prize money, increasing as the floors rose.
A win at the 50th floor brought about 50,000 Jenny, the 100th floor around 1 million, and past the 150th floor, over ten million.
A win on the 190th floor yielded roughly 200 million jenny.
But after the 200th floor, battles were only for honor, no prize money.
So, if it were just for the prize money, they could call it a day and go home after winning on the 190th floor.
Therefore, after reaching the 200th floor, Uvogin and the others were already worth over 100 million.
Uvogin, however, didn't have the habit of carrying money, nor did he like to have it on him. Most of his assets were in Nobunaga's possession, under the guise of being his bodyguards.
As for Feitan and Phinks, they had also accumulated quite a bit of money.
But…
"Do you have enough money? You want to give me half?"
Luke flicked the black bank card in his hand while looking at Feitan and Phinks with interest.
"We don't need that much money."
Phinks was completely indifferent. "Besides, if we want something, or if we're missing something..."
Feitan narrowed his eyes and whispered: "We have our own ways to get it."
This so-called our own ways… Well, Luke roughly guessed it.
Feitan and Phinks had both reached the 200th floor.
Excluding their expenses, the two of them had at least 300 million Jenny combined.
And the money in the bank card they gave Luke…
No more, no less, exactly 300 million.
"Then I won't be polite."
Luke gladly accepted. With sufficient funds, the travel experience would be completely different.
Of course, Feitan and others had their own ways of playing, so there was no need for him to interfere.
Just as the four of them planned to team up in pairs, Luke also planned to embark on his own solo journey.
After a brief rest, they left the Heavens Arena before dawn.
Uvogin and others had been fighting in this Heavens Arena for two years.
Based on the ninety days of preparation, they had already fought eight matches here.
And they had won all eight. It was safe to say that if nothing unexpected happened, becoming the floor master was a sure thing.
This also earned them a lot of fans and supporters in the Heavens Arena.
They had become fairly famous.
Their absence might not cause much of a stir during the brief time they're gone.
But as time goes on, if they still haven't shown up by the time of the competition, attention will begin to gather.
And after Uvogin and the others leave, the mysterious challenger in the dark will also disappear.
This will easily lead others to connect the dots.
But…
"So what?"
Luke, who had already left, stood by the airship's floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the tall buildings of the Heavens Arena outside, his lips curled slightly.
Uvogin and the others no longer had any interest in this place, and after leaving, they generally wouldn't return.
What happens here afterwards won't affect them at all.
As for Luke…
What vanished was the challenger in the dark. What does that have to do with him, Luke?!
This is one of the benefits of not revealing your identity.
In many situations, there's plenty of room for maneuver!
"If I have the chance, I can come back and take a look..."
Luke glanced back at the Heavens Arena for the last time, then slowly withdrew his gaze.
"Now, it's time to truly appreciate the scenery of this world..."
The airship, facing the rising sun, sailed towards the unknown and distant horizon.
As everyone knows, many places around the world have flight routes connected to the Heavens Arena.
Luke, with the mentality of opening a blind box, randomly boarded one of the airships.
When he landed, he was greeted by endless jungle and mountains.
"What on earth did I get myself into?!"
Luke stopped in place and scanned the surroundings.
Aside from the airship landing area, the surrounding area was essentially covered in dense forest.
"Daragas Forest Wildlife Park, huh?"
Luke read the sign and looked at the passengers disembarking around him.
One after another, they had changed into wild-explorer outfits, excitedly chattering about the upcoming field expedition.
Luke: "..."
No wonder the passengers on the list were few, and the fare was relatively cheap.
He had boarded this airship for its tranquility... But turns out it was a route prepared especially for this group of outdoor enthusiasts.
"Never mind. Since I'm already in this place, I'll just take a look."
Adhering to the, since we're already here mentality, Luke prepared to take a look inside the forest wildlife park.
And then…
"Sorry, no trespassing!"
Luke was stopped by the security guard at the entrance to the wildlife park.
"Isn't it open?!"
Luke pointed to the sign that read open.
"The Daragas Forest Wildlife Park is a restricted area for the general public!"
The security guard confidently pointed to the sign erected nearby.
It was a triangular sign with the word, dangerous, written on it and a large exclamation point beside it.
"Then why are they..."
Luke glanced again at the hikers who, unconcerned with the sign, walked straight ahead, then he fell silent.
The leader of that group pulled out a license from his chest.
A hunter license, which is proof of being a professional hunter!
Beep!
The security guard at the park entrance calmly scanned it with a device.
Hunter licenses have anti-counterfeit measures, making them impossible to replicate.
"If you're a professional hunter, then you're allowed in."
The security guard said calmly.
Well, a hunter's license allows entry into 90% of generally prohibited countries and 75% of restricted areas.
Luke knew this, of course.
"No wonder there's a direct route like this..."
Luke understood.
"If it's for professional hunters, then it's understandable."
He watched the group, led by the professional hunter, walk straight in without trouble.
"Perhaps I should also take the hunter exam?"
In this world, a hunter's license is an indispensable item.
His travels were just beginning, so it might be better to get a hunter's license first.
As for Gon and the others taking the hunter exam later... that would be more than a decade away; there's still plenty of time.
"Huff, huff, finally here."
While Luke considered his future plan, heavy breathing sounded behind him.
Looking back, he saw a large, bare-chested, burly man running towards him from a distance.
He had afro hair, a tangled mustache, and was breathing heavily with his mouth wide open.
Looking at him, Luke immediately felt a sense of familiarity and thought he was seeing Uvogin.
But Uvogin didn't yet have the explosive curly hair, and although both were large men, Uvogin's upper body, his chest and arms, was muscular and explosive.
Conversely, the heavy-breathing burly man…
He was massive, but more of that was in his abdomen and lower body.
In short, he was just a bit fatter.
As for chest muscles... There seemed to be more chest hair than muscle.
"No wonder he looked familiar..."
Luke's familiarity grew stronger and stronger, and he recognized the other party immediately.
"Daragas Forest Wildlife Park, I'm finally here."
After catching his breath, the man looked at the gate and the sign in front of him with great joy. Then he threw his head back and bellowed at the sky in a booming voice: "I have been running for three days and three nights, and I've finally arrived here!"
"Great, I caught up with the breeding season of the Two-headed Wolf, now I can go in and protect them!"
He swung his arms vigorously: "Those damn poachers! If I see them, I'll tear their heads off!"
Both his voice and expressions were very much like Uvogin's, just with emotions poured on a little more thickly.
For example, right now…
"Wait a moment!"
The security guard at the gate stopped the burly man who was about to enter the park.
"This is off-limits, didn't you see?!"
"I saw it!"
The burly man puffed out his chest and raised his head. "I'm a professional hunter too!"
"And I'm a Poacher Hunter specializing in preventing rare and valuable wild animals from being poached..."
"Alright, alright, I don't care what you do."
The security guard waved his hand.
"I just want a hunter's license."
"As long as you have a hunter's license, I'll let you in without further ado."
"But if you don't have one..."
The security guard looked at the burly man up and down.
"Then I have reason to suspect you're a poacher masquerading as a professional hunter..."
"You're talking nonsense!"
The strongman flew into a rage when he heard that.
It was as if those words carried some great insult against him, making his face flush red with fury.
Commonly known as: going red hot.
Indeed, for a hunter specializing in hunting poachers, being called a poacher was truly infuriating.
"Don't get so worked up."
The security guard pressed his hands down. "I'm just following the rules."
"After all, many poachers have sneaked in here disguised as professional hunters before."
"If you're a genuine hunter..."
The security guard extended his hand toward the burly man. "Then prove it to me."
The so-called proof, of course, is a hunter's license, symbolizing a professional hunter's status.
"This is a fact!"
The burly man huffed angrily, reaching into his exposed chest pocket.
Then, with a grunting sound, he began to grope.
And then… the next second, his figure froze in place.
His hands stiffened for a moment, then grew more frantic as he searched around.
His face gradually hardened, and sweat began to drip from his head.
"That's strange! I clearly have it with me..."
He muttered softly, and it wasn't just one hand that was moving.
His other hand also began to search his chest, but it still couldn't find it.
And then… he simply stripped off his entire upper garment.
Security guard: "..."
Luke: "..."
Both of them stared speechlessly at the burly man in front of them, who kept scratching through the hair on his chest and rifling through his clothes.
He even shook out the shirt he had taken off.
Clatter, clank.
The rest of his ID, wallet, and even some small collectibles all fell out and onto the floor.
"That doesn't make sense. Everything else is here. My hunter license should be here too..."
The burly man searched with increasing anxiety.
"I remember clearly, I packed it, even checked it before leaving..."
"Could it have slipped into my pants?!"
He reached down with his hands, somewhat recklessly.
Security guard: "...?!"
Luke: "..."
"Stop it!"
The security guard hurriedly stopped the burly man from committing a rather unseemly act. He looked at the burly man, who was already somewhat bewildered, with a slight headache.
"You didn't use Godard insect repellent, did you?"
"Godard insect repellent? I remember someone reminded me when we were crossing this forest before..."
The burly man rubbed his head uncomfortably.
"And then you forgot about it, right?"
The security guard looked at him speechlessly. "So you probably didn't know there were Crownstealer Cicadas in this forest you came from, right?"
"Crownstealer Cicadas? Those insect thieves?!"
The burly man's expression suddenly changed. As a self-proclaimed Poacher Hunter, he naturally knew about these notorious bugs!
"These bugs don't target other creatures, but they have a special fondness for humans."
"They steal humans' most valuable possessions silently and without a sound."
The security guard sighed. "Although we still don't understand how these nasty bugs determine which items are most valuable to humans, they always manage to steal them with pinpoint accuracy."
The burly man fell silent.
He knew that, through his negligence, his hunter's license had been stolen by those nasty bugs.
Now the forest was vast, and there was no telling where that damned bug had gone.
"Although, based on my feelings, I'm almost willing to believe you're indeed a professional hunter, but..."