Although Morrow had been absent for nearly two years and his appearance had matured considerably, his longtime fans could still recognize him at a glance.
In fact, many employees at Heavens Arena were devoted fans of Morrow. The elevator attendant was one of them.
When she suddenly saw Morrow, who hadn't been seen for so long, she was overjoyed and instantly forgot about the annoying Killua.
Morrow glanced at the elevator attendant bowing as she handed him an autograph book, then observed Gon and Killua's reactions. He immediately understood.
The person who had beaten those two black and blue outside of a match was likely this elevator attendant whom Killua called a "freakishly strong she-ape."
As for the reason they were beaten...
It went without saying.
This wasn't the first time Killua had been thrashed for running his mouth.
Morrow took the autograph book from the elevator attendant while keeping his gaze fixed on Killua.
Noticing Morrow's stare, Killua guiltily turned his head away.
Morrow smiled wryly, withdrew his gaze, and looked at the elevator attendant maintaining her Ten in front of him.
She remained in a respectful posture, bowed low, head down, hands cupped together.
Morrow discreetly scanned her with Gyo, then picked up the ballpoint pen clipped to the autograph book. He signed the name he had used back at Heavens Arena, adding the character "Ro" afterward.
"Here you go."
Morrow handed the autograph book back to her.
The elevator attendant treated it like a priceless treasure. When she looked up, her eyes brimmed with unconcealable excitement. "Mr. Morrow, have you returned to compete in the arena again?"
"Not for now."
Morrow shook his head.
The elevator attendant couldn't hide her disappointment and sighed softly. "What a shame. Many spectators, including me, were looking forward to your comeback."
Her gentle, soft-spoken demeanor made Killua roll his eyes nearby.
Morrow simply smiled without further comment.
If his goal was to continue honing his combat skills...
Then Heavens Arena, now bound by various rules, could no longer meet his needs.
Moreover, he had never pursued fame or fortune to begin with, so he certainly wouldn't stay in the arena for the sake of glory or audience expectations.
Some time later, the elevator reached the upper floors.
Amid the elevator attendant's gentle farewells, Morrow, Gon, and Killua stepped out of the cabin.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, Killua finally couldn't resist complaining, "Teacher, that woman's a freakishly strong she-ape. Don't be fooled by her fake gentle voice."
Thwack.
Without a word, Morrow flicked Killua's forehead with his finger.
Killua rubbed his forehead and refrained from saying anything more about the "she-ape."
Beside them, Gon shot him a smug look.
Morrow led the way ahead and said calmly, "Two of my disciples are Floor Masters at Heavens Arena. I'll introduce you to them now. If you run into any problems here in the future, you can seek their guidance."
"Are you leaving, Teacher?"
Gon's focus, however, was on whether Morrow would stay.
"Yes."
Morrow had never planned to linger. His main purpose in coming was simply to escort Gon and Killua here personally.
"The combat atmosphere at Heavens Arena is quite good. It's well-suited for you to accumulate Nen battle experience, and that's exactly what you're lacking most right now."
Morrow kept his eyes forward as he instructed them:
"However, once you reach the 200th floor, you might only get to fight on the arena periodically. If you feel the arena matches aren't satisfying enough, my two disciples can serve as your sparring partners. I've already discussed this with them."
Halfway through his words, Morrow glanced back at the two, his tone turning serious:
"As I've said before, you should cherish this platform and accumulate as much experience as possible. This will become crucial capital for your Greed Island journey. I won't dwell on other minor details to avoid sounding tedious."
"We would never think you're being tedious, teacher."
Both Gon and Killua wore earnest expressions.
Morrow smiled and nodded.
Currently, the two youngsters had extremely solid foundations; what they lacked was actual Nen combat experience.
The battle environment at Heavens Arena, combined with sparring sessions with Kastro and Calista, would certainly help Gon and Killua make up for this deficiency.
This way, even when they went to Greed Island in September, they should be able to navigate through it smoothly.
After all, his promise to Ging to look after them ended here.
Morrow brought Gon and Killua to meet Kastro and Calista, and then everyone had dinner together.
Kastro was naturally approachable, and although Calista was an Emission type, she didn't possess the impatience commonly associated with that category.
Both were the easy to get along with type.
So after just one meal, Gon and Killua had already grown much closer to them.
Seeing them get along so well, Morrow felt completely at ease and considered leaving that very night.
However, when Kastro and the others heard Morrow planned to leave that night, they all urged him to stay, requesting he spend at least one more night.
Unable to refuse their persistence, Morrow agreed.
—--
Meanwhile, among the 287th Hunter Exam passers, most had reached the final stages of their training, except for Leorio who was completely focused on studying medicine.
Normally, every teacher responsible for teaching Nen would give newcomers about half a year.
This was a relatively standard timeframe, though some with poorer aptitude might require longer.
During the teaching process, these instructors would receive updates from the Association about other newcomers' training progress.
This mechanism was designed to continue the competitive spirit from the Hunter Exam, stimulating rivalry among the newcomers.
However, some teachers, even after receiving progress reports about others from the Association, wouldn't specifically inform their hard-training disciples.
Typically, they might only mention it briefly after the Nen training was complete.
Other teachers never discussed such matters at all.
Morrow was like this; he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to such things.
As long as Gon and Killua didn't ask, he wouldn't bring it up voluntarily.
But most instructors chose the first approach, occasionally revealing other newcomers' training progress to motivate their disciples.
Because of this, most other newcomers from the same period had learned about Gon and Killua's rapid progress.
"Their teacher is Morrow!?"
"Although Morrow is very powerful, he's just like us, a passer of the 287th exam. How could he..."
Even upon hearing that Morrow was assigned as the mentor for Gon and Killua, newcomers like Hanzo, Ponzu, and Pokkle were utterly astonished.
In fact, it wasn't just Hanzo and the others who were shocked; even the Hunter Association members responsible for teaching them Nen were initially taken aback.
However, as seasoned members of the Association, they were well-versed in its customary practices. They understood clearly that if the Association had made such an arrangement, it meant Morrow was fully qualified.
Anticipating this possibility, these veteran Pro Hunters quietly took note of Morrow's name.
—--
The next day, Morrow prepared to leave.
Kastro and the others attempted to repeat their previous tactics, hoping to persuade Morrow to stay a few more days.
But Morrow's mind was made up.
Seeing his determination, Kastro and the others could only reluctantly see him off.
The group took the elevator down to the first floor.
Since both Kastro and Calista were star-level Floor Masters, their presence quickly caused a commotion.
Spectators who had come to watch the matches, as well as lower-level fighters from Heavens Arena, swarmed toward them.
A small number of spectators even recognized Morrow at a glance.
As someone shouted the long-dormant title of "Meditator," the scene descended into chaos.
Sensing the situation turning unfavorable, Morrow swiftly slipped away from the frenzied crowd and headed toward the back exit.
Gon and Killua had never witnessed such a spectacle. Seeing the enthusiastic fans rushing toward Kastro and Calista, they quickly used their small size to their advantage, squeezing through the crowd and searching for Morrow.
"Where did the teacher go?"
Gon looked around but could no longer spot Morrow.
Killua glanced at the main entrance, where people continued to pour in, then instinctively turned his gaze toward the quieter back exit.
"He probably went that way."
With that, he dashed toward the less crowded direction.
Gon quickly followed.
—--
Meanwhile, Morrow was walking along the corridor leading to the back exit, pulling out his phone to send a brief message to Kastro and the others, informing them that he had left and not to worry.
Just as he sent the last message, he received a reply from Kurapika.
The night before, before going to bed, he had tried calling Kurapika but couldn't get through.
So he had sent a message asking for his location.
Only now did he receive a response.
Morrow opened the message, which contained only a set of coordinates and a short sentence: "I'll be waiting for you here."
Coordinates down to the decimal... must be a hard-to-find place.
After glancing at the latitude and longitude Kurapika provided, Morrow chuckled and shook his head. He replied with a confirmation message and was about to put away his phone when he noticed three people standing ahead.
"Hmm?"
Morrow looked up at the trio.
In the center stood a refined man wearing glasses, his shirt untucked and casually hanging over his pants, giving off an air of effortless nonchalance.
It was Wing, now a Floor Master at Heavens Arena.
Beside him stood a striking blonde woman. Her tall figure was complemented by flowing golden hair, and her emerald eyes occasionally flashed with sharp intensity, exuding an imposing aura.
This woman was Siper, who had exchanged contact information with him after the final phase of the Hunter Exam.
To the right stood a young man with a buzz cut, dressed in a white martial arts uniform. He appeared to be around the same age as Killua and Gon. Morrow's gaze lingered on him briefly before shifting away, realizing this person was likely Wing's disciple, Zushi.
As for why Siper was with Wing, it probably had to do with Nen instruction.
In the original timeline, Wing should have been the one to assist Gon and Killua with their Nen awakening. But under the butterfly effect of Morrow's influence, Siper, who should have died during the Hunter Exam, not only survived but also became Wing's disciple.
"Wing."
Morrow put away his phone, already guessing Wing's intention for intercepting him here, and sighed softly. "I don't have time right now."
"Morrow, you're as sharp as ever."
Wing spoke with a tinge of nostalgia. "You saw through my purpose immediately."
After learning yesterday that Morrow had returned to Heavens Arena, he'd been itching for a rematch.
When he first came to Heavens Arena, his main goal was to observe various experts' duels in the ring, never imagining he'd become a competitor himself.
But influenced by Morrow, he followed his heart and stepped into the arena, eventually climbing all the way to the position of Floor Master.
Over the past two years, he'd continuously honed his skills and enthusiastically accepted challenges from various masters.
This wasn't just due to his pursuit of martial arts; it was also to catch up to Morrow, who had once handed him a crushing defeat.
Now that he had another chance to fight Morrow, how could he let it slip away?
"Sorry, please allow me this moment of selfishness..."
Wing adjusted his glasses and offered Morrow an apologetic smile.
Hearing this, Morrow raised an eyebrow.
He certainly didn't think Wing intended to force a fight here. The confidence to make such a request... could it be he'd enlisted Biscuit's help for this?
After all, Pro Hunters tended to follow their own whims; some would sacrifice anything to get what they wanted.
And those of the stubborn Enhancer were the worst offenders.
Thinking this, Morrow subconsciously glanced at the phone peeking out from Wing's shirt pocket.
Buzz...
Right then, the phone Morrow had just pocketed began vibrating faintly.
Not a message, an incoming call.
No surprise, it was probably Biscuit calling.
Yet Morrow showed no intention of answering. As he walked toward the passage behind Wing, he said calmly, "Then you'll be disappointed, Wing."
Wing froze momentarily. His ears, enhanced with Nen, could clearly hear the faint buzzing from Morrow's pocket.
But Morrow wasn't planning to answer at all.
"Morrow, your phone's ringing! Why aren't you answering?"
Wing urgently reminded him.
To ensure he could formally spar with Morrow, he'd even asked his teacher Biscuit to intervene.
So he knew this call was definitely from Biscuit.
Yet Morrow seemed completely unconcerned about answering; instead, Wing was the anxious one.
Watching Wing's reaction, Morrow grew more certain of his guess and remarked offhandedly, "Just telemarketers and insurance sales calls. No need to answer."
"???"
Wing was utterly dumbfounded.
Nearby, Zushi and Siper both looked at Wing with puzzled expressions.
Wing had no attention to spare for his disciples' reactions. Extending a pleading hand, he exclaimed urgently, "But this call probably isn't–"
"I know, it's Biscuit calling. But if I don't answer, it doesn't count."
Morrow interrupted Wing, his expression unchanged as he said, "I'm in a hurry to meet someone, so let's make it next time. I'll definitely keep you company then."
"..."
Wing was dumbfounded. Seeing that Morrow was really about to leave like this, he disregarded etiquette and other concerns, instinctively taking several steps forward to block the path.
Seeing this, Morrow stopped and sighed inwardly, knowing that Enhancement types were always like this.
"Fine."
Morrow let out a light sigh and released his aura output.
Wing's eyes shifted slightly, as if receiving a signal, and he too released his maximum aura output.
Seeing that Wing was prepared, Morrow pushed off the ground and shot forward, his right hand darting out like lightning.
His exceptionally refined Ryū was unmistakably revealed at that moment.
Wing's pupils contracted, immediately recognizing Morrow's current level.
As expected, I'm not the only one striving to improve...
Wing's heart surged with excitement as he prepared to counter.
However, Morrow vanished into thin air.
The next moment, a faint, sharp stinging sensation pricked Wing's temple.
"Understand now?"
Morrow's calm voice followed immediately after.
Wing's heart jolted, his contracted pupils trembling in response.