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Chapter 126 - Silence

The Championship Prizes

An unknown Phantom Beast egg.

A golden armillary sphere.

A fossilized claw of an ancient creature.

A violin once owned by the late maestro Fehermon.

The Domed Treasure Box of a long-lost kingdom, only recorded in a handful of historical texts.

The Heart of Corundum gemstone, excavated from the ruins of the ancient city of Pombo.

The Golden Scepter of Selma, a desert kingdom that perished 300 years ago.

These were the prizes for this year's Heavens Arena Fighting Olympics.

In a world obsessed with collectibles, the inflated value of these artifacts was staggering.

Just reading their names reeked of wealth.

But among all these treasures of antiquity, Moro was only interested in one thing—

The Phantom Beast Egg.

Not for historical value—

But because of what Menchi had said.

If prepared correctly, it could be used as an ingredient for a meal that enhances Nen.

Food That Strengthens Nen?

This was never mentioned in the original story.

Moro was shocked.

Then he thought about it—

Nen was fundamentally a form of life energy.

If Phantom Beasts were creatures of immense vitality, it made sense that consuming them would provide Nen-related benefits.

His mind then drifted to the Gourmet Hunters introduced in the Hunter Exam Arc.

Beyond that, the only other time a Gourmet Hunter appeared was Linnie during the Hunter Election Arc.

Linnie had once journeyed to the Dark Continent with Netero—

Perhaps she also knew how to extract the nutritional value of Phantom Beast-level ingredients.

"Are Phantom Beasts Common?"

Moro turned to Menchi, his curiosity piqued.

Food was one of life's greatest pleasures—

And if it could also enhance Nen, it would be perfect.

"Extremely rare," Menchi replied.

Her previous excitement faded as she said this.

The world was vast, filled with mystical regions—

Six continents, hidden lands, dangerous magical zones—

And yet…

Phantom Beasts were almost nonexistent.

Even in places teeming with rare lifeforms, true Phantom Beasts were hardly ever found.

The Heavens Arena officials themselves had no idea what species this Phantom Beast Egg belonged to.

All they could confirm was that it emitted an unusually strong life force, qualifying it as a Phantom Beast.

As for hatching it?

That was a mystery.

From their perspective, the egg was meant to be consumed—

A nutritional reward for the champion.

"This thing is just too rare," Menchi sighed.

Even in a world as rich as this, only an elite organization like Heavens Arena could afford to offer a Phantom Beast Egg as a prize.

"If they're that scarce here, maybe they're common in the Dark Continent," Moro mused.

"Dark Continent?"

Menchi's eyes widened.

"What's that?"

Moro blinked.

"You don't know?"

Menchi looked confused.

Should she?

Then Moro realized something.

Information about the Dark Continent was heavily restricted.

Netero had classified it as forbidden knowledge—

And the V5 nations actively suppressed its existence.

For Menchi, not knowing was normal.

"The Dark Continent is a vast land beyond our known world," Moro explained simply.

Even just that much was shocking to her.

Even Kastro and Callista, who had no interest in history, suddenly paid attention.

If the Dark Continent was a place full of Phantom Beasts, then no fighter could ignore the potential benefits.

Menchi's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"And then?! What else?!" she asked excitedly.

"Too much to explain in a few words," Moro shrugged.

Menchi's excitement froze.

Then she snapped back and said seriously—

"That's fine! I have patience! Just explain slowly—"

"Yeah, but I don't."

"...?"

Menchi froze again.

Then she glared at Moro, resisting the urge to strangle him.

He had baited her curiosity, only to leave her hanging!

What a bastard!

She fumed silently.

Meanwhile, Moro grabbed Kastro's phone and examined the other prizes.

The Heart of Corundum was a square-cut orange gemstone with a delicate, web-like pattern—

The Domed Treasure Box was inlaid with precious gems, shimmering with royal elegance.

"Biscuit would love these," Moro noted.

As for the other prizes, he couldn't tell if they contained Nen energy just from photos.

But given their rarity, the chances were high.

Especially the violin.

"I have to win this tournament."

Moro handed back the phone, while Kastro and Callista discussed how absurdly wealthy Heavens Arena was.

Moro agreed.

The arena's ticket sales, merchandise, and gambling revenue were beyond imagination.

This level of wealth and influence couldn't simply be called "rich."

To win those prizes, he needed to reach the Floor Master level quickly.

Menchi's New Obsession

Menchi still looked at him bitterly.

So Moro casually said—

"If you want to learn more, find a book called New World Chronicles."

"It has more details than I could ever explain."

"If you can find it."

"New World Chronicles..."

Menchi immediately perked up.

She memorized the title.

Once she had time, she would hunt it down.

But Moro smirked internally.

She was getting excited too early.

New World Chronicles was written centuries ago.

At first, people dismissed it as a madman's fantasy.

No one believed it was real—

So it was never valued or preserved.

Now, it was a lost book.

Just like the Phantom Beast Egg, even money couldn't buy it.

But that wasn't Moro's problem.

Testing His Strength

The next morning—

Moro woke up full of energy.

"This feeling..."

He sat up, surprised.

Previously, his brutal training routine left him exhausted every morning.

But now—

Not only was he fully recovered, he felt stronger than ever.

"The power of medicinal cooking..."

He clenched his fist.

His odds of winning had just gone up.

After confirming the effects of Menchi's food, he wanted to test his progress.

He thought of the Testing Gate at the Zoldyck Mansion.

The first door required 4 tons of strength to push open.

Killua had opened the third gate (16 tons)—

And with Nen, he later pushed open the fifth gate.

Moro estimated—

"Without Nen, I probably can't open even the first door."

"But with Nen, it should be easy."

If he kept training, he could reach that level naturally.

"But first—"

"Let's win today's match."

Heavens Arena – 221st Floor

By 4 PM, the arena was packed.

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

Today's match mattered.

"Fighting from the East Corner—Shalley!"

"With a 9-3 record, one more win earns him the right to challenge a Floor Master!"

"And from the West Corner—Moro!"

"After disappearing for two months, he's finally returned to the ring!"

The audience roared.

Even other fighters watched closely.

This match could change the rankings.

"Moro is being watched carefully, huh?"

Among the crowd, a glasses-wearing man observed the energy in the arena.

This was Yamen, Biscuit's disciple.

"Something's off… Why are so many Nen users here?"

"Is it because of the tournament?"

Yamen's blood boiled with excitement.

"This is going to be good."

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