Heaven's Arena

Two days later, the airship slowly landed at an airport in the Republic of Padokea.

Leo carried his simple luggage out of the terminal, his gaze immediately drawn toward the city center.

There, a towering giant structure that seemed capable of piercing the heavens stood between earth and sky—the Heaven's Arena.

The world's fourth-tallest building, a holy land in the hearts of martial artists, and a stage where the dreams and ambitions of countless fighters intertwined.

Standing in the plaza outside the airport, Leo gazed at the massive tower from afar, unable to suppress the excitement swelling in his chest.

"This is what makes the Hunter world so captivating..." he murmured, the corners of his lips curling up on their own.

Without wasting any time, he hailed a taxi and headed straight for the arena district.

As he drew closer, the details of the massive tower gradually became clear—the gray-white exterior gleamed with a cold, hard sheen beneath the sun, countless windows arranged like honeycombs, its peak half-hidden among the clouds.

A bustling commercial district surrounded the tower, packed with crowds. Fighters in all kinds of martial arts uniforms could be seen everywhere, each wearing a different expression.

The crowd at the arena's main entrance was even denser. Leo looked up at the towering archway, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

The interior was even more bustling than he had imagined.

More than a dozen giant screens hung in every direction, broadcasting live footage of matches on each floor.

Cheers, shouts, the commentators' passionate voices, the dull thuds of fists and feet colliding... all the sounds blended together, creating a unique atmosphere that made the blood race.

The line in front of the registration desk wound back and forth, stretching all the way to the other side of the atrium. At a glance, at least several hundred people were waiting.

Leo did not hurry to join the line.

He turned and headed toward the spectator seats by the first-floor rings, finding a spot with a decent view.

Since he was here, he might as well observe the level of competition first.

That observation lasted three days.

Over those three days, he moved between rings on different floors.

From the raw clashes of strength and speed on the first floor, to the fighting styles around the fiftieth floor that gradually began to show the rudiments of technique, to the martial artists above the hundredth floor who possessed refined skills even without knowing Nen.

He silently observed, analyzed, and absorbed the essence of those techniques, tempered through countless real battles.

The footwork of a veteran boxer, the timing of a wrestler's takedown... Though these techniques were not as miraculous as Nen abilities, they were all distilled from countless real fights.

This trip was definitely worthwhile, Leo praised inwardly.

Even without Nen, these battle-tested combat techniques contain immense power. They're worth learning from.

As an Enhancer, close-quarters combat would be his main fighting style.

These techniques could greatly broaden his offensive options, giving him more choices when facing different opponents.

After three days of observation, Leo headed to the registration desk.

The line was still long, but it moved quickly. Half an hour later, it was his turn.

"Name?"

"Leo."

"Age?"

"Eighteen."

The staff member mechanically recorded his information and handed him a number tag. "Number 2026. Go wait over there until your number is called."

Leo took the tag and headed to the designated waiting area.

The place was crowded with all kinds of contestants: heavily muscled brutes, agile young people, veterans with sharp eyes, and newcomers who were clearly competing for the first time and nervously rubbed their hands together without stopping.

The wait was not long. About twenty minutes later, the announcement sounded.

"Contestants number 2026 and number 1745, please proceed to Ring E."

Leo rose to his feet and stepped onto the ring with an easy expression.

His opponent was a massive man over two meters tall, muscles bulging beneath dark skin. His shaved head was covered in ferocious tattoos.

Seeing Leo's comparatively "scrawny" build, the large man grinned disdainfully.

The spectator stands immediately erupted with excited shouts and taunts.

"Bal! Crush that kid!"

"One round! One round!"

"Kid, you can still surrender now!"

The referee walked to the center of the ring and routinely announced the rules. "...Begin!"

Bal was about to spout some trash talk when, in the next instant—

A hand flashed.

The smile on Bal's face froze, his eyes rolled back, and his massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire venue fell silent for a second.

Then an even greater uproar erupted.

"What happened?!"

"I didn't even see it!"

"One-hit KO?!"

The referee froze for a moment as well, then snapped out of it and hurried forward to check.

After confirming that Bal had merely fainted, he tapped a few times on the machine in his hand. A slip of paper printed out.

"Contestant number 2026, proceed to the fiftieth floor." The referee handed the slip to Leo.

"Thank you." Leo accepted it with a smile and stepped down from the ring.

Just as he got off the ring, even louder cheers came from another ring nearby.

Leo turned to look—a blue-haired woman was drawing back her right leg after delivering a kick.

Her opponent had already been sent flying out of the ring, crashing into the barrier and falling unconscious.

The woman was slender and wore a red martial arts uniform. Her features were delicate, but her eyes were cold.

"Contestant number 1997, you advance directly to the fiftieth floor," the referee at that ring announced.

The woman gave a slight bow, accepted the slip, and turned to leave the ring.

Her movements were crisp and efficient, with no unnecessary expression.

Leo raised an eyebrow slightly. He had never seen that face in the original work. Judging from the power and speed of that kick, she was no weakling.

The two of them headed toward the elevator area at almost the same time.

Inside the elevator, a uniformed receptionist explained the rules to them.

"In this building, up to the two-hundredth floor, every ten floors form one level."

"In other words, contestants who win on the fiftieth floor advance to the sixtieth floor. If they lose, they are demoted to the fortieth floor."

"Additionally, every match carries a corresponding prize. The higher the floor, the greater the prize."

With a ding, the elevator arrived at the fiftieth floor.

The blue-haired woman stepped out first, while Leo followed at an unhurried pace.

The fiftieth floor had a layout similar to the first, but it was more spacious and more elegantly decorated.

Several rings stood in the center, surrounded by spectator seating and contestant rest areas.

Leo walked up to the reception desk. The receptionist behind the counter gave a professional smile.

"Welcome! Ms. Sophia and Mr. Leo, correct? Please show your slips."

So her name was Sophia.

Leo handed over his slip and accepted the envelope the receptionist gave him.

Opening it, he found several coins inside, totaling one hundred and fifty Jenny. This was the basic prize for a first-floor winner.

Sophia gave a slight bow. "Thank you." She took her prize, turned, and left without sparing Leo another glance.

Leo put away his prize and headed for the fiftieth-floor contestant rest area.

Quite a few people were already seated there. Some rested with their eyes closed, some warmed up, and others quietly discussed tactics.

He found a seat in the corner and waited silently.

About half an hour later, the announcement sounded.

"Mr. Leo and Mr. Damian, please proceed to Ring C on the fifty-fifth floor."

Leo stood and followed the signs toward the designated ring.

The spectator seats on the fifty-fifth floor were nearly full, and the atmosphere was even more heated than on the fiftieth floor.

The large screen beside the ring was playing highlight clips from both contestants' previous matches: Leo's hand chop flashing as his opponent fell, while Damian sent his opponent flying with a single hard headbutt.

The commentator's voice boomed through the entire floor.

"Everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting! This next match is sure to be spectacular!"

"Mr. Leo strikes as fast as lightning—one flash of his hand chop, and his opponent drops! As for Mr. Damian, with his incredibly hard headbutt, he sent his opponent flying with a single blow!"

"Everyone, are you ready to place your bets? Then press those buttons now!"

A flurry of button presses sounded.

The large screen displayed the betting results: Leo's odds were lower, indicating that more people favored him.

"Looks like everyone has more faith in Mr. Leo!" the commentator shouted excitedly. "This match will be three rounds of three minutes each, using the point knockdown system!"

The referee walked to the center of the ring and swept out a hand. "Begin!"

Damian immediately lowered his center of gravity and assumed a charging stance. But Leo was faster—

Another hand chop.

Damian did not even have time to take his first step before his vision went black and he collapsed straight to the ground.

Less than two seconds had passed from the start of the match to its end.

The commentator froze for a second before erupting into an even louder shout.

"Ah! Mr. Leo wins with another single strike! That speed! That precision!"

The referee stepped forward to inspect Damian. After confirming that he had lost consciousness, he rose and announced, "Mr. Leo wins by KO!"

The spectator stands erupted in a mixture of astonished and disappointed noise. Some had won money, while others had lost it.

Leo accepted the slip handed to him by the referee—it read, "Advance to the sixtieth floor. Prize: eighty thousand Jenny."

Heaven's Arena rules stipulated that a contestant could fight at most two matches per day.

Leo had finished his matches for the day.

He stepped down from the ring, passed through the noisy crowd, and headed for the elevator.

After three days of observation, he had roughly grasped the average level of contestants on the first hundred floors—for his current self, they really were too weak.

But that was normal. The real experts were above the hundredth floor.

The elevator descended and returned to the first-floor lobby.

By the time Leo left the arena, it was nearly dusk.

He needed to find somewhere to stay.

There were many inns around the arena that catered specifically to contestants, ranging from cheap to luxurious.

Leo chose a mid-range one and used today's prize money to pay for a room.

The room was simple and clean, with a private bathroom.

Leo took a shower and changed into casual clothes.

Lying on the bed, he closed his eyes and reviewed today's matches.

Those two opponents had been so weak that he had not even used one percent of his strength.

Still, that was good. He could gradually adapt to the rhythm of the arena and observe more opponents.

"Starting tomorrow, I won't use Nen until I reach the two-hundredth floor," Leo muttered.

With a level twenty-five body and awakened Nen, his true strength could take him directly beyond the two-hundredth floor.

But he was in no rush.

Heaven's Arena was not merely a place to earn money and level up. It was also an excellent place to accumulate combat experience and hone his fighting skills.

He would build a solid foundation here, preparing for the more dangerous challenges ahead.

Outside the window, the lights of Heaven's Arena lit up floor by floor. In the night, it resembled a massive pillar of light pointing straight toward the stars.

Leo turned off the lights, and the room fell into darkness.

Tomorrow, the matches would continue.