The day of the battle arrived quietly.
Conrad was seated on the floor of his room, legs crossed, breathing slowly.
The screen on the wall flickered softly.
A new profile appeared.
Conrad opened his eyes and looked.
His opponent was a woman this time.
She was tall, with long hair that fell past her shoulders.
Her posture in the still image was relaxed.
But Conrad thought that she looked like someone who knew how to stand her ground.
Her name was displayed beneath the image.
Anisa Atvi
Record: 5 Wins – 2 Losses
"Slightly better than Adarte."
Conrad studied the screen for a few seconds longer, then reached out and closed the profile without opening the additional tabs.
He ignored all of it.
He had made this decision long ago, and he did not intend to break it now.
In the real world, enemies did not announce themselves with detailed explanations of their abilities and their style of battle, as well as habits and many other things.
Enemies in the real world did not give time to prepare counters tailored to them, at least in most cases.
If Conrad wanted true experience in battle and to learn how to "strategize" in a battle like Biscuit said to Gon and Killua.
He needed to learn how to read an opponent in real time and plan a combat strategy according to the opponent.
"Five hours later, the battle will start."
Conrad exhaled slowly.
"I should get started."
He rose to his feet and extended his hand.
The three steel orbs lifted from the table one by one.
They hovered in front of him.
He reached out with his senses.
As long as the distance between himself and the orbs did not exceed five hundred meters, he could feel them.
If one moved, he knew. If one was disturbed or destroyed, he felt it.
He already tested it.
The orbs responded instantly to his wishes, gliding through the air, or he could have them orbit him, as well as spread them out.
When Conrad designated a target, whether a location, an object, or a person, and issued the command within his mind or will, the orb would basically activate the Nen program stored within it.
Once fired, a charge was gone.
Three charges per orb.
Conrad dismissed the orbs and allowed them to settle back onto the table.
He returned to his seated position and closed his eyes again.
This fight would be different from Adarte.
"Adarte had been direct."
"Basically, a Nen fighter that is accustomed to fighting opponents that like to fight in close combat, Uvogin and Phinks would be his preferred targets and enemies."
"Shalnark and Chrollo-type nen users, on the other hand, would clean him out with their intelligence."
Anisa Atvi, judging by her record alone, felt more balanced; it was also some sort of feeling that Conrad sensed.
The woman was more threatening than a brute like Adarte; he could not explain it directly via words, but he felt it as he looked at her eyes on the screen.
Conrad activated Black Ring—State of Calm.
The familiar dark-gray aura settled around him.
He reviewed his priorities.
He would not rush.
He needed to see how she moved, how she used her aura, and whether she favored close combat, mid-range pressure, or distance.
"If I can get the sense of her aura control and mastery over advanced applications and basics, I can move with more freedom."
The time passed quickly as Conrad got ready for this second official Nen battle against a proper Nen user.
Conrad showered, dressed simply, and ate a light meal.
When the time came, he gathered his belongings and placed the three orbs into their prepared slots, concealed beneath his clothing.
When he reached the waiting area, he caught a glimpse of Anisa Atvi from a distance.
She stood alone.
Her posture was loose, with arms at her sides, but her aura was contained, tight around her body.
"She seems good. Clearly better than Adarte."
Conrad thought as he looked at the woman for one or two seconds at the most.
The announcer's voice echoed through the arena, calling their names.
Conrad stepped forward.
As he entered the light of the stage, he felt the familiar pressure.
His attention was already locked onto his opponent.
Conrad also noticed that Anisa, too, was locked in and looking at him.
She was not like Adarte, who spoke and started talking too much and trying to talk with his opponent; instead, both her hands glowed a little.
"I suppose she is a conjurer." Conrad thought as he waited.
When a conjurer category Nen user wants to conjure an object in their hands, the color of the aura slightly changes; this phenomenon is also apparent if they dominantly use one hand more than the other hand.
The time passed, and the battle time has arrived.