"Kurapika, there's no need for you to overthink these things right now. Just focus on perfecting your Nen Ability."
Moses interrupted Kurapika's speculation about the combat power of others in a timely manner.
This conversation with Kurapika wasn't just to clarify matters, but also to dissuade him from sacrificing his life unnecessarily.
Besides-
The Kurta Clan's bloodline advantage didn't have to be entirely tied to Emperor Time.
When in his Scarlet Eyes state, Kurapika's Potential Aura and strength naturally received a notable boost.
In Moses's opinion, that alone was already sufficient.
…
In the following days, in addition to improving his ability, Soul-Guiding Chain, Kurapika also fought with the prisoners in the Trick Tower every day.
These battles not only helped him accumulate combat experience, but also allowed him to learn various techniques and strategies from his opponents.
Every day, Kurapika pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion, yet he still felt there wasn't enough time.
If his physical condition had allowed it, he might have even forgone sleep altogether.
Watching Kurapika push himself so hard, Moses saw a reflection of his younger self.
Back then, in order to quickly rescue Hawk, who was trapped in the Nen Space, he had also poured everything he had into growing stronger, just as Kurapika was doing now...
'It's been a while since I've gone back.'
Moses's thoughts drifted to the temple standing on the top of the mountain in the scenic area.
After coming out of the ruins, he called and texted Hawke to report that he was safe, but he had never returned home.
'I wonder how is the flow of visitors to the scenic area in recent years? If fewer people were visiting, the temple would likely be quite lonely.'
When he thought of this, the image that emerged in Moses's mind was Hawk sitting alone in the yard, exuding the presence of an empty-nest elder, which brought a wry smile to his face.
"Rat Jewel, let's find some time to go back and check on Hawk."
Moses said with a smirk, gently stroking the blue bead necklace around his neck.
"Chu-chu!"
The blue bead shimmered briefly, and Rat Jewel's joyful cry came out from it.
…
Time passes-
On the 26th day after arriving at Trick Tower, Menchi, who had completed the task of teaching the newcomers, rushed to the tower to reunite with Moses.
"Why isn't it over yet?"
When Menchi arrived at Trick Tower, she was surprised to find Moses still training Kurapika, and was immediately puzzled.
Moses then briefly explained the whole story to Menchi, including his plan to deal with the Phantom Troupe.
However, after listening to this, Menchi only cared about one thing.
"Master, you've taken on a second disciple..."
"Uh…"
Moses found himself at a loss for words.
Technically, he and Kurapika hadn't officially established a master-disciple relationship yet.
However, in order to get corresponding rewards from Perception in the future, formalizing it was inevitable.
Although Menchi was visibly upset at first, her displeasure only lasted for two days before she accepted the reality of having a junior disciple.
"Finish every bite, don't leave even a trace of broth!"
In the days that followed, Menchi began preparing various fatigue-relieving and body-strengthening dishes for Kurapika.
Thanks to Menchi's Glowing Cuisine, Kurapika managed to squeeze even more time out of each day for training.
…
After staying in the Trick Tower for more than two months, Kurapika accumulated a lot of combat experience and improved his Soul-Guiding Chain.
The date was now June 11, 1999.
Moses bid farewell to Lippo and left Trick Tower with Kurapika, Shizuku, and Menchi.
Throughout his time training Kurapika, Moses had been receiving updates from the traitor, Hisoka.
According to the information provided by Hisoka, the Phantom Troupe had a hacker who specialized in intelligence gathering.
It is unknown what means this hacker hunter used, but in the absence of any key intelligence, he was able to lock down the approximate area where Moses was located on a map.
However, since he was unable to pinpoint Moses's precise location, they had to narrow it down gradually.
In addition to this intel, Hisoka also provided information about two new Enhancers within the Troupe.
Moses thus knew that the Phantom Troupe had recruited new members, but this was nothing strange.
Inside the spider's web, who was waiting for whom?
…
"What are you going to do?"
This was the inquiry message that Hisoka sent to Moses after gradually providing information.
Moses casually replied, 'Plan B', and then started leaving Hisoka on read, ignoring the messages from Hisoka asking what Plan B was.
…
'It's about time.'
Sitting on the airship heading to the Heavens Arena, Moses stared at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window.
In the four-plus months of training, Kurapika had undergone a complete transformation. From a novice who knew nothing about Nen, he had grown into someone capable of using Ken stably in battle.
His progress was undeniably fast.
However, in front of the core members of the Phantom Troupe, such strength is still not enough.
Even so, Moses did not refuse Kurapika's request to join him in defeating the Phantom Troupe.
'Although the master-disciple relationship has been confirmed, the reward still hasn't been unlocked.'
Moses withdrew his gaze from the window and musedto himself, 'Do I have to wait until the Phantom Troupe is annihilated...'
When he had taken Menchi as a disciple, Perception gave him a 'Zetsu +1' reward directly.
This time, not only did he teach Kurapika Nen for more than four months, but they had also formally established a master-disciple relationship. However, it seemed that there was no movement from Perception at all.
While Moses found this unexpected, he didn't worry too much about it.
His focus now was entirely on eliminating the Phantom Troupe.
…
A few days later.
The airship landed at the city's airport where the Heavens Arena was located.
Before getting off the airship, Kurapika suddenly requested a sparring match with Moses.
"Are you sure you want to fight me?"
Rather than declining outright, Moses asked back.
Kurapika looked particularly serious and nodded, "Yes."
"Alright."
Seeing that Kurapika was serious, Moses agreed.
The group then made their way to Heavens Arena.
A few hours after they left the airport, another airship touched down on the tarmac.
Shortly after, a cute girl with golden twin tails and a princess dress descended from the airship.
"Honestly, I've been so busy lately."
The girl with the golden ponytail was Biscuit. She took out her cell phone and sent a text message to Moses, saying 'I've arrived', then walked straight to the airport's lobby.
After arriving at the lobby, Biscuit suddenly thought of something, and her hands in white gloves clapped together, making a crisp sound.
"Oh, I remember that guy was hanging out with Ging for a while. Maybe I can ask him to help me secure a spot in the game. Yeah, let's do it. It'll be my payment for this trip."
Biscuit's eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her delicate, doll-like face.
"Hello."
Suddenly, a childish male voice called from behind Biscuit.
Biscuit looked back upon hearing the voice, and saw two boys of similar age.
One has black hair and golden eyes, the other has silver hair and blue eyes, and both of them look only about eleven or twelve years old.
The person who called her just now was the boy with a hedgehog-like hairstyle and golden eyes.
He looked at Biscuit and asked, "Excuse me, the Ging you mentioned just now, is his full name Ging Freecss?"
"Huh?"
Biscuit looked at the boy in front of her in surprise.