Heaven's Arena

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

Leo walked out of the terminal with his small bag and immediately looked toward the city center.

There, a towering structure stood as if it might pierce the sky—Heaven's Arena.

The fourth-tallest building in the world. A sacred place for martial artists. A stage where countless fighters' dreams and ambitions met.

Leo stood in the plaza outside the airport and gazed at the distant tower, excitement surging through his chest.

"This is what makes the Hunter world so incredible..." he murmured, a smile tugging at his lips.

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

As he drew closer, the tower's details came into focus. Its gray-white exterior gleamed coldly in the sunlight, countless windows lined its walls like a honeycomb, and its peak flickered in and out of the clouds.

A bustling commercial district surrounded the tower. Crowds filled the streets, with fighters in all kinds of martial arts uniforms everywhere he looked.

The crowd grew even denser at the arena's main entrance. Leo looked up at the towering archway, took a deep breath, and walked in.

Inside, it was louder than he had imagined.

A dozen or so giant screens hung all around, showing live matches from different floors.

Cheers, shouts, the commentators' excited voices, the dull thud of fists and feet connecting... Every sound blended into a charged atmosphere that set his blood racing.

The long line at registration wound all the way to the other side of the atrium. By his estimate, at least several hundred people were waiting.

Leo did not rush to join them.

Instead, he headed to the spectator seats by the first-floor rings and found a spot with a good view.

Since he was here, he might as well see what the competition was like first.

He spent the next three days doing just that.

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

On the first floor, fighters clashed with little more than brute strength and speed. Around the fiftieth floor, the beginnings of distinct fighting styles emerged. Above the hundredth, martial artists displayed refined skill even without knowing Nen.

He watched in silence, breaking down and absorbing techniques honed through countless real fights.

A veteran boxer's footwork, a wrestler's timing on a grapple... These skills were not as extraordinary as Nen Abilities, but each was the product of hard-won experience.

This trip was worth it, Leo thought with admiration.

Even without Nen, techniques refined through real combat hold tremendous power. There's a lot I can learn from them.

As an Enhancement Type fighter, close combat would be his main way of fighting.

These techniques could greatly expand his options, giving him more ways to handle different opponents.

When his three days of observation were over, 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 recorded his information mechanically and handed him a number card. "Number 2026. Wait over there until you're called."

Leo took the card and went to the designated waiting area.

It was packed with competitors of every kind: heavily muscled men, agile young fighters, sharp-eyed veterans, and newcomers who were plainly entering for the first time, rubbing their hands nervously.

He did not have to wait long. About twenty minutes later, an announcement sounded.

"Competitors 2026 and 1745, please report to Ring E."

Leo stood and walked onto the ring, looking entirely at ease.

His opponent was a heavily muscled man over two meters tall, with dark skin and a fierce tattoo on his shaved head.

When the man saw Leo's comparatively "frail" build, he grinned with contempt.

The spectators erupted in excited shouts and jeers:

"Bal! Crush that kid!"

"One round! One round!"

"Kid, there's still time to give up!"

The referee stepped to the center of the ring and recited the rules as a matter of routine. "...Begin!"

Bal was about to open his mouth and talk trash when, in the next instant—

A hand flashed.

Bal's grin froze. His eyes rolled back, and his massive body crashed to the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The whole arena went silent for a second.

Then an even louder uproar broke out:

"What just happened?!"

"I didn't even see it!"

"A one-hit KO?!"

The referee froze for an instant too, then hurried over to check Bal.

After confirming that Bal was merely unconscious, he tapped a few buttons on his device, and a ticket printed out.

"Competitor 2026, go to the fiftieth floor." The referee handed Leo the ticket.

"Thanks." Leo took it with a smile and stepped out of the ring.

As soon as he did, an even louder cheer rose from another ring nearby.

Leo turned to look. A blue-haired woman was lowering the leg she had just kicked with.

Her opponent had flown out of the ring and struck the safety barrier, where he lay unconscious.

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

"Number 1997, you advance directly to the fiftieth floor," the referee at her ring announced.

The woman bowed slightly, took her ticket, and left the ring.

Her movements were crisp and efficient, her face betraying nothing.

Leo raised an eyebrow. He had never seen her in the original story. Judging by the force and speed of that kick, she was no pushover.

They reached the elevators at almost the same time.

Inside the elevator, a uniformed attendant explained the rules to them:

"In this building, floors up to the two-hundredth are divided into ten-floor tiers."

"That means a competitor who wins on the fiftieth floor advances to the sixtieth. If they lose, they drop to the fortieth."

"Each match also has a cash prize. The higher the floor, the larger the prize."

The elevator chimed as it reached the fiftieth floor.

The blue-haired woman stepped out first, with Leo following at an unhurried pace.

The fiftieth floor had a layout much like the first, but it was more spacious and more finely furnished.

Several rings occupied the center, surrounded by spectator seating and waiting areas for competitors.

Leo approached the reception desk. The attendant behind the window gave them a professional smile.

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

So her name is Sophia.

Leo handed over his ticket and accepted an envelope from the attendant.

Inside were a few coins totaling one hundred and fifty Jenny, the basic prize for a first-floor winner.

Sophia bowed slightly. "Thank you." She took her prize and left without giving Leo another glance.

Leo put his prize away and headed to the competitors' waiting area.

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

He found a seat in the corner and waited quietly.

About half an hour later, an announcement sounded:

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

Leo stood and followed the signs to the designated ring.

The spectator seats on the fifty-fifth floor were almost full, and the atmosphere was even livelier than on the fiftieth.

A large screen beside the ring played clips from the fighters' previous matches: Leo's hand flashed, dropping his opponent, while Damian sent his opponent flying with a single hard headbutt.

The commentator's voice rang across the floor through the speakers:

"Everyone! Sorry for the wait! This next fight is sure to be spectacular!"

"Mr. Leo strikes like lightning. One flash of his hand, and his opponent goes down! Meanwhile, Mr. Damian sent his opponent flying with a single blow from his incredibly hard head!"

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

A flurry of button presses followed.

The betting results appeared on the big screen. Leo had lower odds, meaning more people expected him to win.

"Looks like the crowd favors Mr. Leo!" the commentator shouted excitedly. "This match will have three three-minute rounds, with points and knockouts deciding the winner!"

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

Damian immediately lowered his center of gravity and braced for a charge. But Leo was faster—

Another hand strike.

Damian did not even manage to take his first step. His vision went dark, and he collapsed.

Less than two seconds passed between the start and end of the match.

The commentator fell silent for a second, then shouted even louder.

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

The referee checked Damian, confirmed he was unconscious, and stood to announce, "Mr. Leo wins by KO!"

The spectators erupted in a mix of amazement and disappointment. Some had won money; others had lost it.

Leo accepted the ticket from the referee. It read: "Advance to the sixtieth floor. Prize: 80,000 Jenny."

Heaven's Arena allowed competitors to fight no more than two matches a day.

Leo had fought both of his matches for the day.

He stepped out of the ring, passed through the noisy crowd, and headed for the elevator.

After three days of observation, he had a rough sense of the average fighter's level below the hundredth floor. For him as he was now, they really were too weak.

That was only natural, though. The good fighters were all above the hundredth floor.

The elevator descended to the first-floor lobby.

By the time Leo left the arena, dusk was approaching.

He needed to find somewhere to stay.

Plenty of hotels around the arena catered specifically to competitors, ranging from cheap lodgings to luxurious ones.

Leo chose a midrange hotel and paid for his room with that day's winnings.

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

Leo took a shower and changed into casual clothes.

He lay on the bed and closed his eyes, reviewing the day's matches.

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

But that was fine. He could ease into the arena's rhythm and observe more opponents along the way.

"Starting tomorrow, no Nen until I reach the two-hundredth floor," Leo murmured.

With a level-25 body and his Nen awakened, his true strength could carry him straight past the two-hundredth floor.

But he was in no hurry.

Heaven's Arena was not just a place to earn money and level up. It was also an ideal place to gain combat experience and sharpen his skills.

He intended to build a solid foundation here before facing the more dangerous challenges ahead.

Outside the window, the lights of Heaven's Arena came on floor by floor. Against the night sky, the tower looked like a giant pillar of light pointing toward the stars.

Leo turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness.

Tomorrow, the matches would continue.