Chapter 840
Night had fallen by the time Ron and Wendy arrived at the place Gel had mentioned. Aside from Gel, several of her disciples were also present.
"Senior Gel," Ron greeted.
Gel smiled as she saw them and stepped forward to welcome them. "Ron, Wendy—it's been a while."
"It has," Ron replied.
"Come in and have a seat."
She led them into a reception room.
"In the blink of an eye, you've both grown so much," Gel said with a touch of emotion. "The first time I met you, you were still children. Now you're already among the top Nen users of your generation."
"Time really flies," Ron said with a smile, then changed the subject.
"Senior Gel, what's the current situation with the Hunter Association's new chairman election? I heard there have already been several rounds of voting."
Gel shook her head. "I don't pay much attention to those things. But from what I can see, the only one who's actually serious about it is Yorkshire. Ging and Pariston don't care about the position at all."
"The Hunter Association has always been a loosely organized group. It only changed because of Chairman Netero. With his passing, it's returning to what it was. The Association takes orders from the V5—Netero was the exception, not the rule."
Then her tone grew more serious.
"Ron, are you planning to head to the Dark Continent?"
"Yes," Ron replied.
"In that case, will you join our team?"
Ron hesitated for a moment, then declined.
"Thank you for the invitation, Senior Gel. But I'm afraid my situation makes it inconvenient. I have things I need to do on my own. If I joined your team, I'd only slow you down. I'm sorry."
"That's fine. Honestly, I already guessed that would be your answer—they just insisted I ask."
Gel didn't seem surprised by the refusal. She was well aware of Ron's accomplishments during the Chimera Ant incident. In terms of power, Ron could easily rank near the top, even among the Zodiacs. And with his background as a Zoldyck, it made perfect sense that he'd have his own plans.
Gel glanced at the time. "Dinner is ready. Let's head to the dining room and eat while we talk."
"Alright."
It wasn't until 10 p.m. that Ron and Wendy finally left. After returning to their hotel, they washed up and changed into sleepwear. They sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the night view. Lights flickered across the skyline.
As he chatted with Wendy, Ron also checked on Specter's progress inside Sumas's space. Two days had passed since his special training began. Chii's analysis had already produced results.
A data sheet appeared before Ron, listing extensive test metrics—strength, speed, reaction, endurance...
The improvements were clear.
"The numbers haven't changed much—but it's only been two days. As expected, Sequence-tier individuals really are extraordinary. I wonder how far Specter can go if he keeps training like this."
The night deepened.
..............
........
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The next day, around noon, Ron and Wendy were having lunch when a call came in—it was Mizaistom.
"Senior Mizaistom," Ron answered.
"Ron, where are you now?"
Ron gave the name of the restaurant.
"Ging is heading your way. Is that alright?"
"No problem."
Before long, a figure stepped into view.
He moved with a casual gait, but the atmosphere around him shifted subtly. Conversations quieted. Even without releasing any aura, his presence alone was enough to draw attention from those with sharpened instincts.
It was Ging Freecss.
An exceptionally powerful S-Class Nen user, Ging had already reached that level long before Ron even became a Nen user. He was Gon's father, a descendant of Dong Freecss, one of the creators of Greed Island, and Razor's target of admiration. He was Kite's teacher and someone even Netero held in high regard.
Among the younger generation, prodigies like Illumi, Hisoka, and Chrollo already stood at the pinnacle—but Ging belonged to a completely different tier.
"Ron."
"Senior Ging."
"Sorry to bother you. This may take a bit of your time."
"Not at all. I've heard of you for a long time. If you're here to see me, there must be something important."
Ging glanced toward Wendy. She looked at Ron, who gave a nod, and she quietly stepped away, giving them some space to talk privately.
"Have we met before?" Ging asked, giving Ron a once-over, his eyes sharp with curiosity.
"No," Ron replied, shaking his head. "But my Nen beast encountered you once. Back in Meteor City—when we were dealing with the KUTE thief group."
Ging thought for a moment. "Ah, that one."
"That Nen beast was impressive. So you specialize in Nen beasts? Still, from the looks of it now, your main body isn't lagging behind. Netero praised you more than once in front of me."
"He even said—never mind. We'll leave that aside for now. During the Hunter Exam, thank you for helping Gon."
Ron shrugged. "You're too polite. I didn't really do anything for him. We just happened to be on the same ship. Plus, Gon and my little cousin got along well—they became friends."
Ging chuckled. "Ron, could you tell me a bit about Gon?"
"Of course."
Ron began recounting his experience with Gon, and Ging listened carefully. Judging by his current expression, it was hard to tell Ging was the kind of father who had left Gon to grow up on his own, barely meeting him in childhood. Yet Ging had gone so far as to create Greed Island for him.
Even if Ging's parenting style seemed neglectful, if Gon himself didn't mind, then no one else really had the right to criticize—it was a matter between father and son.
"That kid… he really is just like me when I was young," Ging muttered with a faint sigh. "Just as reckless."
"He definitely dragged Kite into a mess."
"But knowing Kite, I doubt he'd die so easily. That guy's ability is pretty unique."
"Thanks for telling me all this, Ron. As thanks, let me give you a bit of intel on the Dark Continent. You're planning to go there, right?"
Ron nodded.
"In the Dark Continent, there's something called the World Tree. It can grow to a truly massive height, rooting into magma and rising above the clouds."
"If you ever get lost in the Dark Continent, head toward the World Tree. If you run into danger, it can be a good escape route too."
"The World Tree has a unique power. It calms the creatures around it—at least a little."