Challenge the Floor Masters

Time passed bit by bit.

Oboro had become completely idle. Just as he had expected... he had no more matches to fight.

Without exception, every Nen user he encountered in the subsequent scheduled matches either surrendered or forfeited.

However... Heavens Arena never lacked newcomers.

Every day, large numbers of Fighters flooded in. Likewise... new people reached the 200th floor every day, including plenty of hot-blooded fools brimming with enthusiasm.

So... Oboro was not worried about that.

Besides, Wing had finally reached the 200th floor as well.

During this time, whenever he watched matches, he would sit with Wing and have simple discussions and exchanges... As for Biscuit, she seemed to be avoiding Oboro, that eyesore, and rarely showed herself.

According to Wing, she went shopping every day, either buying clothes or looking for gem dealers...

Oboro's pace began to slow as well.

He started training in new Chinese Martial Arts... including movement techniques, footwork, leg techniques, and more, enriching his offensive arsenal.

These included the movement techniques of Xinyi Liuhe Quan and God Fist, while his footwork included Zhen Jiao and Ta Bu. It was worth mentioning that movement techniques and footwork were two different disciplines.

His progress in Chinese Martial Arts had been slow before because he lacked a solid foundation. Now that he had experience, coupled with his considerable physical strength... he picked things up quickly. Oboro estimated that in about a year, he could master several new styles of Chinese Martial Arts.

As his body grew stronger in the future, and as his combat experience and understanding of Chinese Martial Arts improved, he would master other new moves increasingly quickly as well.

Martial arts should not be underestimated. Nen users were certainly formidable, but when everyone possessed the enhancement of Nen, martial skill—already one form of hard power—would show its value even more. Back when Netero was young, he had challenged countless martial arts schools, large and small... Furthermore, the Zoldyck family's assassination arts were also, in truth, the crystallization of combat techniques.

Once Oboro possessed a deep martial arts foundation, he might eventually reach the point where he could learn simple martial moves at a glance.

Just like Ging Freecss, who could take one look at all kinds of Nen abilities, understand their principles, and imitate them.

All of that required immense experience as support.

The accumulation of experience would also allow Oboro to easily judge an opponent's fighting style, strengths, and weaknesses, making it easier to spot their vulnerabilities.

He wanted to thoroughly understand the human body! Starting with his own! After waiting nearly two months, he finally welcomed a new opponent.

It was an unfamiliar face.

He did not know him.

He had probably just reached the 200th floor.

At first glance, the man looked like a sumo wrestler. When facing Oboro, his face was filled with the nervousness of confronting an "old veteran."

Oboro did not use his Nen ability. He merely played with him for a while using Nen techniques. Even so, the man struggled terribly, repeatedly being struck by Oboro and losing points in a thoroughly miserable state.

The group of old hands below the stage all took pleasure in his misfortune.

Even seasoned veterans like them avoided Oboro whenever possible, yet this fat man dared to fight him?

Was he courting death? Yet what left them dumbfounded was that, although his opponent had been beaten until he could not even stand... Oboro actually raised his hand and surrendered! Quite a few people had even thought Oboro would kill the newcomer...

After all, Echimilu and Zalon had set precedents. No one believed Oboro was a softhearted person.

After watching Oboro lazily raise his hand in surrender with both hands in his pockets, then voluntarily jump off the stage, the host and audience were all stunned...

Nen users who reached the 200th floor all had one goal: accumulate wins and become Floor Masters.

Yet he was turning down free points handed right to him!

Someone noticed that something was off!

And over the following period, their suspicions were confirmed.

Oboro was playing around... Or rather, he was simply using his opponents as lab rats, slowly familiarizing himself with the timing and methods of applying Nen techniques in combat. That was because he had never again revealed the unfathomable Nen ability known as the Game Treasury of the Endless Dreamer!

His losses also increased, most of them due to his own surrenders... Of every three matches, there would be one where he failed to gain the upper hand after using his techniques and lost to the other party's Nen ability.

In that match, Oboro's opponent... was also an experienced Nen user who had only recently arrived at Heavens Arena and begun to make a name for himself. He was quite skilled.

Although Oboro had lost... it had not been an ugly defeat. The veterans understood that Oboro had gotten serious, but not completely serious... They had seen what Oboro looked like when he truly got serious.

Just when everyone thought Oboro would challenge a Floor Master and might even become one himself, he was eliminated due to the rules and had to start over from the lower floors.

Then, not long afterward... Oboro appeared on the 200th floor again.

By this point... outsiders understood. This kid was not here to pursue the honor and prestige that martial artists valued so highly. He was here to "farm experience," treating the 200th floor as his "private training ground"! If one could make a name at Heavens Arena, whether as a Fighter or a Nen user, one could potentially establish one's own school... It was crucial to future development.

To some people, Heavens Arena was sacred, endowed with unusual significance and symbolic spirit.

Naturally, Oboro's actions also left the other competitors quite dissatisfied... Their faces burned with shame.

Yet no one dared to say it aloud.

No one wanted to invite trouble.

Sure enough, a month later, Oboro was eliminated again...

Then, he appeared again...

Under normal circumstances, when Nen users were eliminated from the 200th floor and knew they were not strong enough, they would not challenge it again... They would definitely leave to train for a while, perhaps a year or several years, then return to reclaim their place once they had enough confidence.

After all, the 200th-floor arena was too dangerous. If one insisted on competing, any given match might end with one's death in the ring.

As for those with strength, once they became Floor Masters, there was naturally no need for them to remain.

Very few people acted like Oboro...

Moreover, the current Heavens Arena did not yet limit the number of registrations as it would in the future.

The old hands on the 200th floor saw through Oboro's intentions, but the audience could not understand. What they wanted to see was the undefeated Suit Thug, not one voluntary surrender after another.

Thus, gradually... Oboro's reputation began to plummet, and his fanbase was nowhere near what it had once been.

The Suit Thug had somewhat become a faded "legend"...

Heavens Arena also began promoting newcomers. The uproar did not last long before everyone's attention shifted to new "dark horses." That was reality—new waves pushed old waves forward. Newcomers with something explosive to offer would always draw attention.

People got tired of watching the old faces...

Loving the new and tiring of the old was a universal human trait.

However, aside from training his Nen techniques, Oboro was naturally doing this to make money...

The balance in his bank account rose every day...

In these one-on-one arenas, he could completely control the outcome. Although the odds were no longer as high as they had been at the start, a little money was still money.

Who would ever think they had too much money?

Having a certain amount of assets would also benefit his future plans.

If he joined the Hunter Association and became a Hunter in a particular profession, there would be countless places to spend money while completing missions and achievements, and none of those expenses would be small... To prepare for the future, he naturally needed to build up a solid fortune.

A Hunter's "professional expenses" were beyond anything ordinary people could imagine...

A year later, inside the 200th-floor arena.

The host passionately announced the winner of the match before them: Wing.

On the stage, Wing smiled, wiped the sweat from his cheek, and bowed respectfully to his unconscious opponent, looking exceedingly humble.

Oboro leaned against the railing in the aisle, yawning.

Over the past year, Wing had fought eleven matches in total, with eight wins and three losses. It was not bad.

Most of his time had been spent following Biscuit's teachings, absorbing combat experience and training bit by bit.

As for Oboro, he had fought too many matches to count. Once people discovered that they could earn wins from him, more and more challengers came to face him... Oboro naturally welcomed it. The increase in combat volume was exactly what he needed.

"You're back up here again..."

Wing had spotted him early on. Instead of immediately returning to the passageway after leaving the stage, he waited until the audience had dispersed, then walked straight toward Oboro and raised a hand in greeting.

After speaking, Wing shook his head with a bitter smile.

It looked like... Oboro had just fought his way back up again.

He could no longer remember how many times this had happened... In any case, he was used to it.

Master Biscuit had said that Oboro was strengthening himself through an astonishing number of fights and an intense level of competition, like a shriveled sponge endlessly absorbing water.

Ordinary people could not endure this level of training... Their bodies and energy would not be able to handle it.

Then there was the fact that Oboro could "control the match." Even if he truly encountered an expert far stronger than himself, he could ensure that he would not die and could retreat unscathed.

That was crucial.

Biscuit had also emphasized that he was not Oboro. The method better suited to him was to advance step by step and build a solid foundation... What he pursued was not speed, but a certain degree of "slowness," fully integrating everything he learned.

As for Oboro... he was an exception.

Only Oboro could enjoy and accomplish this kind of arena training... It was not suitable for Wing.

"Your strength has improved quite a bit..."

Oboro said with a smile.

"It's decent, I guess. I can't compare to you."

Wing scratched his head, then joked, "So how long are you planning to stay up here this time?"

"That's about enough. I'm not planning to play around anymore." Oboro raised an eyebrow.

"You mean..."

Wing's expression changed slightly, understanding the implication.

"Yeah... I can feel the bottleneck... It's hard to improve any further."

Oboro nodded. "I'm preparing to leave, but before I go, I'll become a Floor Master first."

Seeing how casually he spoke of becoming a Floor Master, Wing could not help but laugh.

But he truly admired Oboro...

"With you, it should be easy."

Wing said.

"Not necessarily. Ever since I first reached the 200th floor, those people have been secretly watching me. After seeing so many of my matches, they must be extremely familiar with me by now... They're probably afraid of the day I challenge them. I don't believe they haven't made preparations."

Oboro grinned.

"You say that, but actually... you're looking forward to them putting you under pressure, aren't you?"

After spending so much time together, Wing had gained some understanding of Oboro's personality.

Oboro smiled, clearly admitting it.

"Pressure... makes things more interesting, doesn't it?"