"Do you know this person?"
In the heated atmosphere of the arena, Oboro and Hisoka sat side by side in the spectator stands.
Hisoka looked at a Nen user fighting on stage and chuckled softly.
This kind of ordinary Nen duel wouldn't interest Oboro… He occasionally watches such matches, picking some inexperienced fruits, but Oboro's presence here must have a reason.
If it were Killua or Gon's match, that would be understandable.
"I know him… When I first came to the Sky Arena, I owed him a lot." Oboro nodded slightly.
He truly never expected to see Charl again—the bald Charl.
It was him back then, the martial artist who ran errands for him when he was looting money at the Fels family's casino… Later, he went out to train, and was captured by the Fels family to be used as a threat against him.
He was eventually rescued by Oboro and placed in the hospital.
They hadn't contacted each other since.
"He actually… became a Nen user." Oboro was a little surprised.
But it was within his expectations.
Back in those days, at the Sky Arena, although he didn't take Charl as a disciple, he did teach him some body-strengthening techniques. Charl was very dedicated to martial arts. To showcase his skills in the Sky Arena, he visited many martial arts schools, and after experiencing the dangerous kidnapping by the Fels family… it was perfectly normal for him to come into contact with Nen and become a Nen user.
Almost eight years have passed…
It's been eight years, and Charl is still wandering around the 200th floor of the Sky Arena, which shows his talent is quite average.
That's the norm for most people.
"Oh!!! Charl! Our contestant Charl has knocked down his opponent and scored another point!!" As the host screamed, the crowd's cheers reached a climax, and Charl seemed quite popular.
"Many viewers might not know, but Charl has been active in the Sky Arena for many years. However, he has always competed at relatively low floors… During this time, he leaves and returns every one or two years. And each time he comes back, his strength becomes even stronger! Charl started climbing floors at an astonishing speed five years ago, reaching the 200th floor in half a year. Although he's been eliminated countless times due to rules, and has to go through long waiting periods to start over again… Charl has never given up. His perseverance and persistence have earned him a huge following!"
"He is a pure martial artist, and now he has become a role model for many juniors."
During a break in the broadcast, the host added some information about the contestants.
Another judge also sighed, "The person who had a profound influence on Charl is a contestant from many years ago, also one of the hosts of our Sky Arena. His name is Oboro. His appearance caused the rules for climbing floors in the Sky Arena to be changed, and it was a sensation back then. However, because Oboro never returned to the Sky Arena and never participated in the regular host battles, his qualification was revoked… But Charl has said in multiple interviews that he is Oboro's registered disciple, and he respects and admires him deeply. His biggest dream is to become a host in the Sky Arena like Oboro."
Hisoka propped his chin with his hand and glanced at Oboro with a sideways look.
It seemed he didn't expect there was such a story between Oboro and Charl.
"I didn't take him as a disciple…" Oboro chuckled softly.
"After the match with Killua, your points should be enough, right?" Oboro changed the subject.
He was referring to the qualification to challenge the host.
"Not yet, still one point short…" Hisoka replied.
Oboro was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized.
In the original story, Hisoka's fight with Chrollo Lucilfer took place two months ago. But at that time, Hisoka had survived the Black Tide Incident with serious injuries… and hadn't appeared in the Sky Arena at the original scheduled time. His contact with Killua and Gon was also delayed, causing some chain reactions… In other words, Chrollo Lucilfer was still alive.
"No wonder his and Killua's scheduled fight was postponed." Oboro thought to himself.
"Don't you want to stay and watch?" Hisoka asked.
"Watch?" Oboro replied with a question.
"Haha…" Hisoka chuckled.
Hisoka's fight with Killua was just to experience the thrill of the fruit… to feel Killua's extraordinary potential and talent.
"Congratulations to Charl for winning!"
After a long moment, the host excitedly announced the end of the match.
Charl helped up the defeated opponent from the ground, showing the spirit of a true fighter.
Compared to many years ago, Charl now appears much calmer, no longer as impulsive as in his youth… He has also experienced some upheavals, and naturally, he has grown internally.
Oboro slowly stood up and left with some spectators.
Hisoka followed.
After a moment, Oboro arrived at the exit corridor of the contestants' area ahead of everyone. He saw Charl, with a beard and a towel over his head, bowing his head as he stepped into the corridor, walking slowly.
"Just one point short. Why not let him catch up before fighting Killua… I'm quite interested in him." Hisoka leaned against the wall in the corridor and whispered.
He was referring to Charl.
Oboro's cold eyes swept over him. "You can try."
"I'm joking."
Noticing Oboro's murderous intent, Hisoka smirked.
For a brief moment, Charl passed by them, sensing Oboro and Hisoka's presence, but he didn't bother to look carefully.
He just wanted to go back to his room and rest.
"Um…" Oboro suddenly spoke, "Would you mind signing my notebook?"
He took out a small notebook and a pen.
Charl skillfully took it, and wrote his name on the paper.
This scene was very familiar. Back on that bus, Charl sitting with Oboro, he had voluntarily given him an autograph… and then, fate started to turn.
At that time, Charl dreamed of becoming a big star in the Sky Arena. Now, he had achieved that.
But it didn't seem as enjoyable or as happy as he had imagined.
"Thank you for supporting me… I will…" Charl forced a smile, and looked up at his fan.
When he saw Oboro, the bald man froze instantly.
He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it.
"Master… Father…?" Charl's mind went blank, muttering.
"Long time no see." Oboro nodded and smiled.
This was the first time he directly responded to Charl's respectful address.
It also made Hisoka's eyes flash with a glint, and he took a few more looks at this unremarkable Charl.
Such a person… actually accepted as a disciple by Oboro?
Although it was a registered disciple…
Not someone like Killua or Kurapika, but an ordinary guy…
This indicated that something else must have happened between them that he didn't know about.
Hisoka was amused.
"Ahhhhh…"
Then Charl snapped out of it, suddenly rushed forward, hugged Oboro tightly, and burst into tears.
He cried so heartbreakingly… even Oboro hadn't expected it to turn out like this…
He came to watch Charl's match, to see him, because back then, Charl was captured and beaten half to death by the Fels family, which also involved him. He never expected that when they met again, Charl would be so emotional.
Now Charl was over thirty, broad-shouldered, and was being held by a man weighing over a hundred kilograms, crying uncontrollably—this scene…
"Okay, okay, don't get so emotional." Oboro coughed lightly, patting Charl's head to comfort him.
After a few minutes, Charl's emotions finally settled.
Hisoka nodded to Oboro and turned to leave.
"Is… he… Hisoka?" Charl looked at Hisoka's back, surprised.
"Yeah."
"Master, do you know him? He's very dangerous…"
Charl's expression was serious.
"It's fine. We're just friends."
Oboro secretly thought—Hisoka really had a bad reputation wherever he went; he wasn't well-liked.
After a brief exchange, Charl invited Oboro to his room.
The bald man vividly recounted his experiences and growth over the years. He was a Enhancement-type Nen user, with a skill called "Power of Faith." This ability isn't practical in actual combat; it's about constantly refining one's will and mindset, setting a clear goal every day, assigning tasks, and completing them to improve oneself bit by bit.
Charl's development of this Nen ability suited his personality, but… it was quite average.
However, since he had already developed it, Oboro wouldn't interfere anymore.
If they had met earlier, Oboro could have helped him develop a better Nen ability…
But now, it was too late.
Since they met again, Oboro planned to guide Charl's training during these days at the Sky Arena.
...
"Eh??!!"
The next day, Oboro met with Charl and Yun.
When they learned that the bearded, muscular bald man in front of them was Oboro's registered disciple, everyone, including Yun, was stunned.
Gon pointed at Charl and confirmed to Oboro, "Are you serious?"
"Of course."
Oboro nodded.
"Too… too… strange…" Gon didn't know what to say; Charl's image and Oboro's… were too mismatched.
Moreover, Killua and Gon had already fought against 200-floor Nen users.
Although these two kids weren't very strong yet, they already realized that among the Nen users in the Sky Arena, very few truly possessed formidable strength. In other words, Charl's level was probably… It's hard to imagine how someone like Oboro, standing at the peak of Nen, would accept such an ordinary person as his disciple?
"Wow, I envy him. Becoming Oboro-sensei's disciple must be really impressive," Killua said, introducing himself and extending his hand to Charl.
"Compared to my master, I'm far behind…"
Charl also looked kindly at Killua and shook his hand. "I know you, and Gon. Your match was very exciting."
Seeing this, Gon secretly stepped forward and whispered to Charl, "Hey, bald guy… do you know who Oboro is? His status?"
Charl chuckled without answering.
"Gon, you again…"
Killua was speechless.
Oboro was chatting with Yun.
Over these years, Yun had rarely left the Sky Arena. He knew some things about what happened back then, and he also knew about Charl's relationship with Oboro—the information about Charl in the Sky Arena was also told to him by Oboro. However, he didn't expect Oboro to actually accept him as a disciple.
In both martial arts and Nen schools, establishing a master-disciple relationship was quite formal—no trivial matter.
Yun thought Oboro would find some talented individual, perhaps not as talented as Killua or Gon, but still with excellent aptitude to train… but instead, it was someone like Charl.
The contrast was huge from what he had imagined.
Charl was over thirty now, with little room for growth, and no significant potential.
Why do ordinary people prefer to find young disciples?
When Yun first trained with Bisji, he was also very young. It was because training from a young age could increase the upper limit and maximize potential… Without Bisji, Yun felt his current strength would be at most half.
Oboro, in a way, had picked up a discarded item—not that Charl wasn't capable, but the gap between him and Oboro was too vast.
Not just in the Sky Arena, but even within the Fels family, Yun believed that among Nen users like Charl, there would be plenty of others.
He saw no shining points in the bald man.
Just two words: mediocre.
Except… Charl's personality was quite good—an honest, kind person with a martial artist's spirit.
Yun had also watched Charl's matches and knew his level.
"This world has never lacked geniuses… What's the point of guiding someone with already outstanding talent to reach a certain height?" Oboro saw Yun's thoughts and smiled slightly. "Don't you think, instead, that a person who's considered by the outside world as unlikely to have any future, and has been subjectively denied, can, through training to a certain realm, break through themselves, shatter everyone's perception, and become more of a challenge?"
"…"
Yun was suddenly speechless.
So, this is how Oboro thinks…
"Of course, I don't have time to teach him too much, so I've only registered him as a disciple." Oboro glanced at Charl, who was with Killua and Gon, and said softly.
"I have no doubt about your ability, but his foundation is already set. Even if he improves further, it's only visible in the future."
Yun exhaled a turbid breath and gave his opinion.
Anyway, taking disciples is Oboro's own matter. As long as he's happy, that's fine… Yun just shared his thoughts.
"Originally, I was just planning to stay a few days and then leave, to see you all… but now, I might stay for another week."
Oboro looked at Yun with a half-smile. "How far do you think he can be trained by me?"
"That…" Yun hesitated.
"He's been on the 200th floor for a long time. Every time he gets eliminated, he has to wait nearly two years before registering again. I've been paying attention to him… with his ability, he can barely become an excellent Nen user, but it takes time to accumulate. However, with you here, he might be able to challenge the host…"
"So, you think his limit is the host?" Oboro asked.
"The level of each host varies. He still needs luck to become the host."
"A one-star Hunter, in a week, I can help him qualify to become a one-star Hunter in the future."
Oboro spoke.
"One-star?"
Yun's pupils shrank, and he looked skeptical.
"The human body is limited, but the spirit is infinite… That's the innate gift of our race, and closely related to Nen. You should understand that."
"That said, not everyone can do it."
"Time is too short. If I could guide him for half a year or a year, his future achievements would be even greater."
"…"
Yun was shaken by Oboro's casual words.
He looked at Charl… Could someone like him really reignite the light of life?
____________________
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