Chapter 268

"Ted… lost?"

"What just happened?"

"How did Ted suddenly leave such a huge opening?"

"Why would he give his opponent such a big chance?"

But the hush didn't last long.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A round of applause echoed through the dojo.

"That was a great fight."

"That Zoldyck kid is indeed impressive."

"Like the Star Dojo, he uses Nen Beasts, yet he also keeps up his training in physical combat."

"Not bad at all."

Someone felt the blood pumping in his veins.

"Now I really want to fight! Ron, have a match with me!"

A young man stepped forward. Ron glanced at Ted, then at Wendy.

"Don't worry," Ted said with a grin. "That's how we are here. If you're not up for it now, just refuse—no one will mind."

Ron looked at the young man and shook his head. "Probably not today. I just finished a fight, and I'm a bit spent."

He half-agreed, leaving the door open for future matches. If Ted couldn't fight Ron again soon, going up against other Beast Dojo members was still a good reason for him to stick around. But there was no need to do it today.

"How about tomorrow?" the young man asked.

"Sure, tomorrow."

"Deal!" The young man's eyes lit up. Once Ron agreed, even more Beast Dojo members crowded around.

"Ron, fight me too!"

"Count me in."

"I want to give it a try as well."

"Ted can't get the job done. I can tell you're still holding back—there's no way that last bout was satisfying for you. I'll give you a real battle!"

"Choose me, and you won't regret it!"

Wendy looked over. The one calling Ted useless was the same young man who'd shown absolute faith in him earlier. However, it wasn't as though he had no right to say this.

He wasn't a Beast's Heir, but he was older than Ted and thus stronger right now. In the future, of course, it might be a different story—once both reached full maturity, Ted would likely surpass him. The Fiora Kingdom's three major dojos had never chosen the wrong heirs yet. The Dragon's Heir, the Star's Heir, and the Beast's Heir were invariably the strongest three of their generation in the Fiora Kingdom.

"Ron, come with me," Ted said, leading the way.

Ron nodded and followed along with Wendy.

"You've been to the Dragon Dojo first, and I have no clue what it's like there—I've never gone in. But our Beast Dojo is pretty awesome.

"If you want to eat, the cafeteria is open anytime. The chefs work twenty-four hours a day.

"If you want to fight, just yell in the training ground, and someone will answer the challenge.

"I'll show you to our rest area first."

Ron glanced at the crystal ball. Its progress had gone from 50% to 51%.

"At this rate, in four or five days, I can probably finish absorbing the Beast Dojo's traits and hit 60% progress."

That said, Ron wasn't just wandering around blindly; as one of the Fiora Kingdom's three major dojos, the Beast Dojo's training methods were sure to have some merits. He could pick up valuable insights here. Through Chii's ability, he could record all of the data. He'd done the same thing at the Dragon Dojo.

Ron had a plan—to take the best parts from all sides, letting Chii compile a training regimen suitable for his team members, so he could help Nina and the others grow stronger.

Boom!

A young man went flying across the floor—Ron had just finished another sparring match for the day. Ted handed Ron a drink as they sat on a bench by the training ground, Wendy on Ron's other side.

"I've never really looked up to anyone my whole life," Ted began. "Not Roben, not Wendy. Even if I lost to them, I believed that as long as I stuck to my path, I'd beat them sooner or later.

"But you're different, Ron.

"After you beat me that day, I thought it over for a long time. And I realized something: you never even used your true strength against me.

"Those two Nen Beasts of yours are powerful, but your own body is just as strong. Maybe even stronger.

"Yet you hardly fought me directly. If you, Baki, and Akutagawa had all attacked at once, I would've lost even faster.

"And there's that ability that forced my body to endure heavy changes in gravity.

"A person's energy is limited. I consider myself incredibly dedicated—so driven I can even skip sleep if it makes me stronger.

"How did you do it, Ron? To develop two Nen Beasts to that level, yet still have the time and energy to forge your body to such a degree? You're no weaker than any physical-strength-oriented fighter."

In Ted's eyes, Baki Hanma and Akutagawa were excellent Nen Beasts. Creating beasts like those had to take immense effort. On top of that, Ron's physical powers—speed, technique, experience—clearly came from long, painstaking work, not sheer talent alone.

Ted prided himself on having one of the greatest innate gifts in the world. Even if Ron's talent surpassed his, could it really be by that big a margin? So he couldn't figure it out.

Wendy, too, was curious about Ted's question.

"It's not that extreme. You're overthinking it," Ron said. "I just spend a bit more time reflecting and summing things up than most people."

"And as far as talent goes, I'm probably about the same as you two."

Ron had a rough assessment of his own gifts. They were definitely good—otherwise, Mahha Zoldyck wouldn't have taken such an interest in him. But Wendy and Ted were top-tier talents of the Fiora Kingdom. Even if Ron was more talented, it wouldn't be by a vast margin. Hence, "about the same."

In truth, Ron's biggest advantage was being a transmigrator. First, he'd started life with the soul of an adult, growing stronger in spirit over time. Second, in his previous life, he had accumulated a massive trove of knowledge—information that could become power once combined with the Observer Hatsue. A small part of why his Nen Beasts were so strong was the time- and energy-consuming nature of collecting traits, plus the Contract and Oath aspect. But an even larger part stemmed from the knowledge in Ron's former life.

Third, because he possessed memories of his past life, Ron was far more mature than his peers. He knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it, staying calm and patient—and he had plenty of references to draw on.

Fourth, the Zoldyck family nurtured him personally, with Mahha Zoldyck overseeing his growth. Ron had no idea if the Fiora Kingdom had any S-level Nen masters, but even if they did, it was unlikely they would personally train Wendy, Ted, or Ronben.

Fifth, throughout the trait-collection process, Ron kept learning and refining himself.