Gotoh was still in the passageway.
When he saw Ronin walking down, he even gave Ronin a friendly smile.
Ronin waved a hand—he'd simply done the job for the money.
Leaving the arena, what worried Ronin most was whether Illumi would make a move on him.
That killing intent earlier had been very real. Ronin had no desire to provoke a possessive, obsessive "brother-con" lunatic like that.
Ronin had no intention of approaching Killua. With a freak like Illumi and a butler watching over him, trying to get close to Killua now would be nothing but suicide.
Ronin, who only had C-rank ninjutsu, didn't consider himself anywhere near invincible.
Fortunately, Illumi didn't actually come after him. It seemed that killing intent had only been triggered because Ronin had bullied Killua on the ring, and it didn't spill over into daily life.
Ronin also suspected it might be the Zoldyck family's "pay for service" rule that made Illumi decide not to bother dealing with a Nen user like him.
Still, Ronin didn't lower his guard. Being cautious was never wrong—especially since he also had to stay alert for the Phantom Troupe showing up again.
In this world, investigating identity information was fairly strict. With the internet becoming more and more widespread—and Hunters existing as well—information gathering was getting easier. As long as you had money, you could usually dig up someone's exact whereabouts.
Unless you vanished into deep mountains and lived completely cut off from society.
Which obviously wasn't possible.
Ronin's judgment about his injuries proved accurate. On the eighth day after reaching Heavens Arena—the day he completed the 190th-floor match and earned qualification for the 200th floor—his arm and the wound along his side were fully healed.
When he won, Ronin spotted a little white-haired kid in the crowd below the ring.
Killua.
He was probably still unwilling to accept how easily Ronin had beaten him before.
But Ronin also sensed a flash of killing intent from Killua—quick to appear, quick to vanish.
Watching Killua hurry away, Ronin couldn't help thinking: had Illumi already stuck that needle into Killua's brain this early?
But none of that was Ronin's problem.
By the time he reached the 200th floor, the money in Ronin's pocket had reached 200 million.
His victory on the 190th floor had earned him a 200 million jenny prize.
After that, further wins only granted him entry to the 200th floor—they didn't bring any additional prize money.
Instead, when Ronin stepped down from the ring, he saw someone waiting for him again in the passageway.
This time it wasn't the butler Gotoh, but a woman Ronin didn't recognize.
"Hello, Ronin-san. I'm Milia, a gold-level agent. I'd like to discuss a win-win deal with you."
As she spoke, she smoothly offered him a business card.
Ronin took it.
Milia. Gold-level Agent.
He put the card away and looked her over carefully.
Waist-length black hair that fell like a waterfall. A delicate, fair face with light makeup. A black professional skirt suit. With one hand she gently nudged a pair of gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose—an image of a polished career woman.
But like Ronin, she was also wrapped in Ten.
Meaning: this "agent" was a Nen user.
Ronin's caution rose immediately.
"I think Ronin-san's personal value is enormous. If I support you from the side, you'll have a very strong chance of becoming a Floor Master," Milia said politely, her voice cool but sincere.
The "cake" she was offering felt a little too big.
Ronin did know a bit about agents.
Heavens Arena's fights drew over a billion viewers daily—and the number was still growing year by year.
The highest ratings came from fights above the 200th floor. Every fighter above 200 had huge potential, and the Floor Masters were brighter than celebrities.
When Ronin first arrived in the city, nearly every poster on the streets featured those 200+ fighters or Floor Masters endorsing products.
Floor Masters, in particular, dominated—because being a Floor Master didn't just mean you were strong, it also meant you were less likely to die.
The death rate above the 200th floor was pretty high.
Agents like Milia specialized in turning fighters into stars. They had resources that could help promising fighters earn money and fame faster and on a larger scale.
The fact that Milia was a "gold-level" agent was proof she was competent.
Ronin didn't reject her immediately. Instead, he brought her to a lounge. Along the way, he kept thinking: if he worked with Milia, what would he actually gain?
He didn't really mind becoming famous.
But he needed enough strength first. Otherwise, a famous Ronin would be—against the Troupe, or more accurately against Uvogin—an extremely tempting piece of bait.
And as long as he prepared properly, Ronin believed that after killing Uvogin, he could still escape intact.
"You think I have the potential to become a Floor Master?" Ronin asked, puzzled.
Uvogin was still a distant problem, and Ronin himself didn't have much confidence he could become a Floor Master—at least not in the short term.
Milia shook her head. "Your strength probably isn't enough yet. But your image is excellent. And I said you'd have a chance with my support."
Ronin started to understand what she meant.
"You can strengthen me?" Ronin wasn't good at scheming. And he had to admit—sometimes Hisoka's read on people really was accurate. He didn't have that many tricks up his sleeve.
But his instincts also told him Milia wasn't malicious—she was simply calculating.
"You can understand it that way." Milia nodded. "I've watched your fights and I have a rough sense of your aura volume. It's not bad—better than some newcomers. And I can tell you're intentionally polishing your combat techniques, and you're improving quickly. You're a genius."
She added, "A fighting genius."
"Then I need to know this," Ronin asked the key question. "Is your 'strengthening' something that gives me temporary power… or are you helping me improve my own strength faster?"
Ronin didn't actually care whether he became a Floor Master.
Like Milia said, he came to Heavens Arena to sharpen his skills.
Becoming a Floor Master wouldn't change much for him either way.
Milia's only real appeal to him was twofold: either she could help him train faster like Biscuit, or she could help him earn more money.
Ronin didn't think Milia could necessarily do the former, but he believed she probably could do the latter.
So he deliberately pushed the "training acceleration" angle as what he wanted, and downplayed money—trying to gain a bit of leverage in negotiation.
Milia frowned slightly, but still answered:
"Temporary."