Chapter 21: Big Bang Impact
As the match approached, Ronin started seeing his own face plastered all over Heavens Arena.
The promotional posters read: "The Cool Supernova Ronin VS The Ugly Gareg."
It was the kind of poster that made Gareg want to skin Ronin alive the moment he saw it.
Miria had certainly done a thorough job of generating heat—mostly by infuriating the opponent.
During the five days of waiting, Ronin also witnessed Miria's terrifying efficiency and extensive network.
She brought him the news he had been waiting for: Information on the Scarlet Eyes.
"I received intel that someone possesses a pair of Scarlet Eyes. If the price is right, they are willing to sell," Miria said, handing a dossier to Ronin.
The photo in the file showed a pair of crimson eyes preserved in a glass jar.
Ronin recognized the jar immediately. It was identical to the one he had stolen from Uvogin.
This forced him to consider the possibility that the seller was the Phantom Troupe.
"Price?" Ronin asked, frowning.
"In recent years, the market price for Scarlet Eyes has hovered around 1 Billion Jenny. But this time, the seller is asking for over 1.5 Billion, potentially reaching 2 Billion."
To Ronin, the price seemed reasonable. Kurapika had paid 2.9 Billion, but that was largely due to a bidding war with a spiteful competitor.
Ronin's real concern was authenticity. If the Phantom Troupe was the seller, he had to worry about buying a fake.
"I need to conduct the transaction anonymously," Ronin stated his demand clearly.
There was only one reason for this: to avoid being scammed.
With his Sharingan, he could easily sense the unique resonance of genuine Scarlet Eyes. He doubted Kortopi's duplicates could trigger his evolution. If they could... well, then he would just kidnap Kortopi and farm infinite eyes until he awakened the Rinnegan.
Or maybe even surpass it.
But he doubted it was that easy.
As for hiding his identity, it was purely practical. Given his history with the Troupe, a face-to-face meeting would result in a deathmatch, not a sale. Without enough strength to guarantee a win, avoidance was the best policy.
When he was strong enough, then he would slaughter them.
Miria didn't object. She could guess part of his reasoning.
After a moment of thought, she nodded. "Feasible. Coincidentally, the earnings from your match with Gareg should be just enough to cover the purchase."
"Partnering with you was the right choice," Ronin smiled with satisfaction.
If he were relying solely on himself, earning 2 Billion Jenny in such a short time would have been nearly impossible.
If his cut alone was 2 Billion, that meant Miria had engineered the match to generate a net profit of over 4 Billion Jenny.
Truly worthy of the title "Golden Agent."
Then again, if the 190th floor offered 200 Million in prize money, making 4 Billion on the 200th floor with proper hype and betting pools wasn't unthinkable.
When you reach the top of any industry, making money becomes trivial. Nen users were simply the top of the martial arts industry.
"Actually, if you aren't in a rush, we could probably drive the price down," Miria couldn't help but add.
"How so?"
During their interactions, Ronin discovered that Miria had a unique philosophy regarding money. She was like a squirrel hoarding nuts. She loved earning and saving, and hated spending unnecessarily. But when spending was required for greater returns, she did it without hesitation—albeit while muttering her mantra: Spending money now is just to make more money later.
"Ever since the news of the Kurta Massacre broke, people have been secretly trading Scarlet Eyes. There are at least a dozen pairs in private collections. I heard several pairs will appear at the Yorknew Auction this September. If you can wait, you could probably pick them up for cheaper. I estimate the price won't exceed 1.5 Billion."
A pained expression crossed Miria's cool, beautiful face, as if it were her own money being wasted. Perhaps that was professional empathy.
Ronin smirked. "No need to wait. I'll be attending the Yorknew Auction too."
"Fine. It's your money. I'm just the agent," Miria sighed, reverting to her icy, professional persona.
April 25th arrived quickly.
When Ronin stepped into the ring, he saw banners cheering his name in the front row. There were even organized fan groups chanting for him.
On the opposite side, "Ugly Gareg" looked like he was about to explode. His face was a shade of purple that made him resemble a furious, one-eyed squash.
"Damn you! I'm going to rip you apart right here!"
Before the referee could even start the match, Gareg was already screaming curses.
"Understood, Mr. Squash."
Ronin replied with a polite smile and the nickname he deemed most fitting.
"ARGHHH!" Gareg roared, his face turning an even deeper red.
The referee's mouth twitched. He avoided looking at Gareg, afraid he might break professionalism and laugh out loud.
He quickly stepped back and shouted, "Fight!"
The moment the command dropped, Gareg exploded forward with surprising speed.
Ronin's expression turned serious. He focused aura into his eyes—Gyo—allowing him to see every subtle flow of Gareg's Nen.
Simultaneously, he flared his Ren, adopting a counter-attacking stance.
But when Gareg got within three meters, a brick suddenly materialized in his raised hand.
Using the momentum of his charge, he smashed the brick toward Ronin's head.
Ronin slapped the brick aside effortlessly.
However, Gareg's other hand, hidden behind his back, whipped forward, throwing a large cloud of lime powder straight at Ronin's face.
This guy really has no honor.
Perfect.
Ronin, who had already coiled his left fist at his waist, punched out instantly.
In that split second, his eyes flashed crimson.
A terrifying wind pressure exploded from his fist, blasting the cloud of lime powder backward into Gareg's face.
It had the same destructive force as the punch Uvogin used to clear the fireball in the airship corridor.
This was Uvogin's signature move.
Big Bang Impact!