After an unknown amount of time, Victor opened his eyes and saw a ceiling. He looked around his surroundings and saw a boy doing push-ups.
Because the boy was face-down, Victor couldn't see his face, but he looked older than him. Looking at the boy, Victor thought, 'Did he save me?'
While Victor was lost in thought, the door opened and a muscular blonde woman walked in. Victor immediately shifted his attention to the newcomer.
After looking at her, he instantly discarded his earlier assumption. 'She was the one who saved me,' he realized. Looking at her, only one word came to mind: Strong. He could feel the sheer oppression coming from her even from his bed.
The blonde woman looked at Victor and said, "Oh, so you're finally awake."
"Yes," Victor replied. "Thanks for saving me. My name is Victor Kross."
"No problem," she said. "I couldn't just stand by and watch a rough diamond get shattered."
Hearing that terminology, Victor felt a sense of familiarity, but he still asked, "And your name is...?"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," the woman said. "My name is Biscuit Krueger. I am a One-Star Stone Hunter." She pointed at the boy. "And this is my disciple, Wing."
Wing stepped forward, his shirt untucked as usual. "Hello, my name is Wing. It's nice to meet you."
"I am Victor Kross. I'm from Meteor City," Victor replied.
Wing looked confused, so Bisky explained, "It's a junkyard city inhabited by outcasts. That's why you haven't heard of it, Wing."
Victor stared at her, his mind racing. Biscuit Krueger... the future 'gorilla'... I mean, the future Double-Star Hunter. The one who polished Gon and Killua into elite Nen users.
While Victor was lost in his inner monologue, Bisky's sharp senses picked up on his wandering thoughts. She narrowed her eyes. "Are you thinking something rude about me?"
Victor snapped out of it hastily. "No! No... I just thought I recognized your name from somewhere."
Bisky suspected he was lying, but she had no proof. "How are your injuries?" she asked.
"I'm fine. I think they've healed," Victor said. He stood up and removed his bandages. The bullet holes had already closed, leaving only faint scars.
Bisky was amazed. His self-healing is amazing, she thought.
Victor, however, wasn't looking at his scars. He was focused on his Aura. Unlike before, his energy wasn't escaping wildly; a thin layer was naturally clinging to his skin.
Bisky noticed his gaze and asked, "Can you see the gas-like substance coming from your body?"
"Yes," Victor replied. "I can see it, but I haven't been able to manipulate it until today."
"I can teach you to master it," Bisky said seriously. "But Nen is dangerous. I can only teach you if you become my student."
Victor thought for a moment and agreed. He knew that while he understood Nen theory from the "anime," the reality was much more complex.
"Since you fought a Nen user and lost consciousness immediately after," Bisky explained, "your body performed a crude version of Ten to protect itself. Your nodes were forced open, but they aren't fully open yet."
She continued, "Before we do anything, I want to explain what Nen is. Nen is a technique that allows a living being to use and manipulate their own life energy, also called Aura. A person capable of utilizing Nen is called a Nen User.
I am a Master of the Shingen-ryu school. our philosophy is to train the willpower alongside the body and Nen. Our founder is Chairman Netero, the head of the Hunter Association."
Bisky paused, then looked at Wing. "Wing, bring me a notebook and a pen." Wing quickly grabbed them from a desk drawer and handed them over.
Bisky wrote in the notebook and explained, "To fully understand Nen, one must first learn the Four Major Principles." She went on to explain Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu in detail.
After the explanation, Bisky looked at Victor. "Now, try performing Ten."
Victor stood up, closed his eyes, and focused. Slowly, his aura began to spread, covering each part of his body. It even started pushing over the areas where his nodes were still partially closed.
"Try to cover every part of your body evenly," Bisky coached from the side.
Victor adjusted his focus, and his aura smoothed out, wrapping around him like a thin, steady shroud. After thirty minutes, he had successfully performed a stable Ten.
"Good," Bisky said. "You've performed it, but it's still crude. Now we will refine it."
For the next several hours, Bisky guided Victor. Eight hours passed quietly as Victor worked with intense concentration.
"Okay, let's call it a day," Bisky finally said. "You have mastered the basics of Ten, but you still need to practice it daily. And don't participate in the Battles on 200th floor"
"I understand. Thank you," Victor replied. "I'll come back tomorrow." With that, Victor left the training room and began the walk back toward Heavens Arena.
After Victor left, Bisky looked at Wing, who was reading a book, and said, "Wing, from tomorrow on, you will start training with Victor."
Wing looked up at Bisky and nodded. "Yes, Teacher."
On the other side, the man in the white suit was talking with his subordinate.
"So, you are saying the man we sent is dead?" the man in white asked.
"Yes, Boss," the man in the black suit replied. "His body was found. Since he killed civilians during the fight, the police are inquiring about his background."
The man in white sighed. "Suppress the matter and leave the boy alone for now. We cannot afford to lose another Nen user."
After saying that, the man in the white suit stood up and disappeared into the shadows of his office.
The next day, Victor stood in the middle of the ring as his opponent collapsed onto the floor. The referee hurried over, checked the fallen fighter, and announced, "Critical hit and knockdown! The winner is Victor!"
Victor glanced at his defeated opponent and walked toward the exit.
The audience erupted in cheers. "That kid is incredible! With only one loss, he's already reached the 200th floor!"
The commentator's voice boomed over the speakers: "Victor has cleared the 190th floor and officially advanced to the 200th floor!"
Victor headed to the elevator lobby and pressed the button. Ten seconds later, the doors opened to reveal the familiar elevator attendant. She smiled as Victor stepped inside, and the lift began its ascent.
When the doors opened fifteen seconds later, Victor stepped out into a long, quiet corridor. He walked to the reception counter, where the attendant greeted him. "Welcome to the 200th floor. Please fill out these forms."
Victor completed the paperwork and handed it back.
"Do you want to register for a fight?" she asked.
"Not right now," Victor replied.
After checking out his new 200th-floor room, Victor left Heavens Arena and headed toward Bisky's House. As he walked, he thought to himself, 'Why didn't I run into any "newbie crushers"? I guess only main characters have that kind of luck.'
Ten minutes later, Victor arrived at Bisky's place. Inside, Wing looked up and smiled. "Congratulations on reaching the 200th floor."
"Thanks," Victor replied. "You'd reach it just as easily if you decided to fight."
Bisky set down her book of "unspeakable secrets" and stood up. "Before we begin your training, Victor, I need to test you." She moved to the center of the room, her presence suddenly becoming heavy and sharp. "Fight me as if I were a serious opponent."