After the battle was over, after the adrenaline had drained and the immediate threats had been erased,
Conrad found it easier to see the shape of it all.
In most of the battles he had been through for some time now.
He did not feel as he felt when he was fighting with that woman today.
This was due to the fact that battles in Heavens Arena and battles in the real outside world are fundamentally different.
One was a battle of fame, training, and glory as long as it was not a death match like Chrollo and Hisoka had.
But, in real life, all men's battles are battles of death and life.
One mistake could change everything about the battle and how things are going.
It decided on who will live another day.
"All these things seemed simple when I had read the series."
"When I watched the anime, I felt like it was normal for people not to care about fighting for death."
"Now that I am living in it, I understand how different it feels."
Conrad started understanding that living a life on the edge and dueling, battling against the others with his life on the line, was really hard.
He did not feel it would be like this, but he knew that he needed to get accustomed to this feeling of death and life.
As he kept on flying while holding on to Anisa, he thought about everything and then made some summary within his mind.
At the same time, the State of Calm ability was already deactivated.
Not the fight itself—that had been clear even in motion—but the limits of his approach.
The way space constrained him.
It was clear and easy to understand when he said that he does not have any experience in terms of fighting in enclosed spaces.
After some thought, the duo arrived at the Heavens Arena.
He adjusted the angle of the flying orbs as they descended toward the upper platforms of Heaven's Arena.
"I still did well." Conrad thought as he kept on moving.
He handed Anisa over to the doctors stationed permanently within the arena.
They moved quickly, already guiding her toward a gurney before Conrad finished speaking.
"Training accident," he said.
The doctors nodded.
The Arena's medical staff had learned long ago that asking questions was not needed when the fighters were concerned.
Fighters arrived in many shapes, and there could be many reasons for it.
The cause was irrelevant; they were doctors, and their only purpose was to heal the person that came in front of them.
Conrad watched until Anisa was gone from sight, then turned away without hesitation.
Back in his room, he quickly ditched his clothes and nodded.
The shower water ran hot.
Melisand's half-second glance.
The orb's placement.
The shield collapses.
He cataloged it all.
By the time he stepped out and dressed, the fight had already been reduced to data.
A knock came at the door.
Conrad's eye expanded instantly, not aggressively, just enough to map the corridor.
Adarte.
Conrad opened the door.
"I dealt with everything," Adarte said as he stepped inside. "As much as I could."
He leaned casually against the wall, but his eyes were alert.
"I handed Maxwell's corpse to the Heavens Arena authorities. They didn't argue."
Conrad nodded.
"Our banks?" Conrad asked.
Adarte snorted softly.
"Already done."
He pulled out his phone.
"They transferred my share and Anisa's directly. They didn't have your account information, so your cut came to me."
He flicked his thumb once.
"Sent."
Conrad checked his balance.
The number appeared without fanfare.
500,000,000 Jenny.
He nodded once.
Half a billion for eliminating child traffickers and the mafia.
As long as there is not much of a risk, such an action could be taken just because of it.
Conrad still had some morality left in himself; in the end, his thoughts and emotions were not gray or neutral like most of the hunters or the people in Hunter x Hunter.
Adarte watched his expression.
"No complaints?"
"No," Conrad said. "It's accurate."
Adarte grinned faintly.
"I'll check on Anisa, then rest. Anything else?"
Conrad shook his head.
"No."
Adarte paused at the door, then added,
"You were right, you know."
Conrad looked up.
"About surrender," Adarte said. "She would've tried something."
Conrad didn't respond immediately.
"Guess we never know if she had any kind of ability that involved her surrender," he said eventually.
Conrad sat on the edge of the bed.
Fatigue crept in due to the mental power that he needed to keep on expending at the same time, due to vigilance and the constant need of attention all the time due to the nature of nen battles.
He lay back.
Somewhere below, new fights were already forming.
Conrad slept.