Yare yare, the audience must be wondering why this strange scene suddenly appeared. Well, just think of this as taking place in some comedy-style parallel world, because this is a side story!

Actually, the author accidentally put a chapter into the side-story section and couldn't delete it, so now we've suddenly got an over 1,000-word extra chapter for no reason. Otherwise, the new chapter wouldn't upload, and there was no idea what else to replace it with!

Let me quickly explain what's happening today. It's winter, and Heavens Arena is holding a winter swimming contest that only people with Nen abilities can join! The venue is at the seaside!

Right now, you can see an excited Hisoka, the swimming-skilled Gon, the strong Phinks… Wait, why is the Phantom Troupe here? Did they come to rob Heavens Arena because they're broke?

Listen to the crowd murmuring—oh, that's why. The prize is huge. At the very top floor of Heavens Arena are all sorts of treasures, so it's no surprise we see a certain black-haired man with lightbulb earrings slowly leave the audience and step into the arena.

Earlier he was in the stands wearing a coat, and now he's still wearing that same coat as he appears again—also wearing the number 10 tag on his chest!

What's going on? He feels like someone who just jumped in last minute.

He doesn't even seem to have swim trunks, like he's planning to jump into the water with his coat on, which draws a lot of attention!

— What the hell, is he just here to mess around and quit halfway?

— A guy this unprepared is just waiting to get eliminated!

That's what many people who look down on the A-rank dangerous Phantom Troupe leader are thinking.

Saiki Kusuo picks up the contestant list beside him and scans it. There's no hunter name starting with "uk" on the page.

Sure enough, Chrollo isn't on the list. So where's the number 10 guy?

Did they really knock out one of the fifty contestants before the match even started?

[Number 10's ability was "Water Fish Fins," perfect for this contest. I don't have many abilities suited for water.]

What kind of thing is this thief saying? So a contestant with a guaranteed win-level ability just got their power stolen like that? And this was supposed to be a lighthearted event.

But I can say for sure—Chrollo is not going to take first place easily.

Not only is the prize tempting, there are also several of the Hunter Association's Zodiacs specially invited to compete. And most importantly… Hisoka is here.

[Hehehe… using Bungee Gum to freestyle swim with rubber elasticity…!]

To make sure contestants can move forward, the huge winter swimming course has many super-strong markers in the water, which will probably just become Hisoka's stepping stones!

Aside from Hisoka, Phinks also has a dangerous plan. He's already decided to twist his wrist to build up power, then punch the shore at the right moment so the shockwave blasts him forward for a huge first leap!

That means the two people next to him are probably already doomed.

And that's not all—many people in this contest aren't even aiming for the top ten prizes, but for the bounties being offered!

This match is being broadcast to many high-ranking people in the world, specifically the rich who know about Nen. That's why so many want to use this fight to make a big impression.

And showing off your strength doesn't mean swimming to first place. For many hunters, this whole winter swim is just a springboard. Winter swimming might seem special, but for Nen users, the bar is very low—Nen can keep their body warm, so they won't get cold in the water, and as long as they can swim, they can reach the finish.

The bounty missions are the real prize. Completing them is what makes you stand out as a top-tier Nen user.

The bounty rewards can be items or money, and new missions usually pop up during the contest. The tasks are often things like "stop XXX."

So now, with his swimming ability and front position, Chrollo is very likely to become everyone's main target!

The bounty announcements are handled by Heavens Arena's floating ability user and the broadcast lady. They hover over the sea with a mic:

"Everyone, the match hasn't even started yet, and not all contestants are here! But before we begin, the first bounty has been issued. Please listen—"

"Bounty order number one! Mission: Strip the coat off that guy who wears long sleeves, long pants, and a coat all year round! The bounty is… 3 billion!"

The Phantom Troupe members: ?

Hisoka: Hehehe~

Saiki Kusuo: 6

Who's rich enough to throw money into the sea like this? Saiki Kusuo looks at the grinning Hisoka.

In an instant, all those hungry-wolf stares lock onto Chrollo.

In just one second, Chrollo has become a man worth 3 billion.

"Boss! Why don't you just take it off yourself and claim the money?" Phinks, number 15, shouts from not far away.

"From that description, it's someone who knows me. Phinks, you should be able to come up with 3 billion." Chrollo stays calm, but can't figure out who put the bounty on him.

Yare yare, Hisoka really does have too much money. Saiki Kusuo thinks—3 billion, that's enough to pay for eight high-level Nen kill missions, isn't it?

[3 billion, that's enough to pay for eight high-level Nen kill missions, isn't it?]

Who?

Who just had the exact same thought as me?

Saiki Kusuo looked toward the field and noticed that contestant No. 6 suddenly left, then came back not long after.

The swim trunks and face were the same, but the body's muscles had clearly gotten much stronger.

[The height of the others nearby doesn't match, so I can only go for No. 6. Even though there's some distance, I can manage it.]

[To catch up with Chrollo, it's better to keep the same build as before.]

…

Illumi!

Big brother, what are you doing, big brother!

"Hmph, Gon, are you ready?"

"Yeah! For 10 billion, we have to win! I've been great at swimming since I was a kid. What about you, Killua?"

"I'm fully charged!" [With my speed, I can run on water. I'll definitely be the first one there.]

Ah, Killua.

He's in lane 3, Gon is in lane 2.

What's going on with these two, they're so far up front.

[Didn't think Chairman Netero would really get us these spots…] Gon was excited. Even if the opponents were all adults, he was determined to win! The prizes for the top three could all be traded for 10 billion!

Just look at the three members of the Zodiac right next to you. You've taken the place of two Zodiac members who were supposed to compete.

With this pairing, I can say for sure—you have no chance of winning. Saiki Kusuo covered his face.

By the way, what exactly are these prizes? Can they really be worth that much? A full 10 billion?

Saiki Kusuo glanced at the prize list and found it interesting. The rewards for the top ten were fixed, and there were also flexible prizes afterward to give the sponsors room to play.

To show everyone the value of these prizes, each one even had a rough market value listed. The first item for first place was boldly marked at 15 billion!

Second and third were 12.2 billion and 10 billion.

Oh, no wonder it's so tempting.

Saiki Kusuo wasn't moved at all. Even though he was still in debt, money was nothing more than numbers to him.

After checking the prizes, he took a look at the sponsor list. The sponsor rankings were jumping quickly, but once the race officially started, they would be locked forever. Sponsors aiming for the top were frantically adding funds at this very moment.

Saiki Kusuo glanced at it casually—and that one glance made him spot a familiar machine.

That's… that's…

A milk pudding machine!

Wait a second, who came up with such a creative idea? With milk and pudding solved, all that's missing is coffee, right? Could it be… could there be a chance to make…

For the first time, Saiki Kusuo realized coffee pudding was within his reach.

The milk pudding machine was ranked 23rd. Would it drop before the race started?

"And now, the third Winter Swimming Tournament hosted by Heavens Arena is about to begin! Let's count down together—ten! Nine…"

Twenty-five, twenty-one! The milk pudding machine's sponsor just added more money! There's hope!

"Five, four!"

On the field, the contestant standing to Phinks' left suddenly collapsed, and just as they were about to fall, Saiki Kusuo possessed them!

"…One! The race begins!"

Phinks had been charging up through the whole countdown, and now his punch exploded into the ground, sending himself flying into the field. The impact spread at least ten meters from where he stood, hitting everything around him—including Chrollo, who had just entered the water!

"Hahaha! Boss! I'm going ahead… wait, what?"

Bungee Gum stuck to Phinks, and Hisoka burst from the water, unable to contain his excitement: "Ah… hehehe~ let's make this even more exciting~?"

Illumi was already silently approaching underwater. Chrollo noticed and quickly swam away, dodging the assassin's strike on his coat with agile movements!

Completely unharmed, Saiki Kusuo stayed just under the water, watching everything. The milk pudding machine had ended up at rank 25, and already four contestants were out right at the start. Would the rest really all make it to the finish line? He had to make sure there were exactly 24 winners ahead of him!

—end—

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