The 200th Floor, a Classic Scene Recreated

Leo returned to his private lounge, Room 2079. The room was spacious and simple, with a separate training area.

Not long after he sat down, the electronic screen embedded in the wall lit up with a notification.

[Battle Date Confirmed!]

Arena, 220th Floor

April 16, 3:00 PM

Leo glanced at the date. "The 16th... so that's the day after tomorrow."

Over the next two days, he immersed himself in basic Nen training.

Although he made no breakthrough progress, his aura reserves increased.

On the afternoon of April 16, at the 220th-floor arena.

The venue was packed, with voices roaring all around.

Leo's "undefeated record" had long since spread throughout the arena. His first battle on the 200th floor drew far more attention than usual.

When he calmly stepped onto the stage, thunderous cheers nearly blew the roof off.

The commentator's impassioned voice boomed through the loudspeakers.

"This is one of the most highly anticipated battles! Contestant Leo, who has charged all the way to the 200th floor without a single defeat, has entered the arena!"

"His opponent, Tuba, boasts an impressive record of three wins and one loss. He is an experienced veteran!"

The referee stood in the middle of the arena. After restating the rules, he raised his right hand.

"Match—begin!"

A cruel, contemptuous smile hung on Tuba's face.

He flexed the metal gauntlet on his left arm as aura slowly began to emanate from his body—it was a sluggish process, taking at least three seconds just to complete basic Ken.

"Rookie, you're unlucky to have run into me."

Tuba licked his lips.

"But don't worry, I won't kill you~ At most... I'll make sure you never stand again."

Watching Tuba's slow, crude circulation of aura, Leo shook his head in disappointment.

Too slow.

It took several seconds just to activate Nen and cover his body. Against an experienced Nen user, those few seconds were enough to decide victory or defeat.

Still, it was no surprise—Tuba was clearly a "wild" ability user. He had awakened Nen only after narrowly surviving on the 200th floor. Without systematic training, he had been fumbling through it entirely on instinct.

Tuba noticed the shake of Leo's head.

His expression changed abruptly, anger shooting straight to his head.

Tuba recalled how high-spirited he had been when he first reached the 200th floor, only for his opponent to slice off his entire left arm in a single move during his very first match.

That crushing defeat had allowed him to survive by sheer luck, and he had unexpectedly awakened Nen.

To make up for his lost arm, he had painstakingly trained this manifested metal left arm—it was incredibly hard and could amplify his strength.

"You actually dare look down on me..."

Tuba's face twisted.

"I've changed my mind. I'll smash all four of your limbs and make you howl helplessly as you suffer through the rest of your life!"

He crazily poured aura into his metal left arm. The armguard glowed a dark red as he charged at Leo, raising his left fist and smashing it viciously toward Leo's head!

The punch ripped through the air, carrying enough force to shatter a concrete wall.

Leo stood where he was, unmoving. He did not even assume a defensive stance.

Only when Tuba's fist was about to hit him did he raise his right hand—the movement was not fast, but its precision was chilling.

His five fingers spread open and firmly caught Tuba's metal left arm.

The fist stopped five centimeters from Leo's forehead and could not advance another inch.

The vicious grin on Tuba's face froze.

He tried to pull his arm back, but Leo's hand remained as still as an iron vise.

He exerted more strength. The metal armguard creaked, yet he still could not break free.

"That's it?"

Leo looked up at him, a disdainful curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"You don't even have the strength to hit someone, yet you claim you can use Nen."

Before the words had even faded, Leo's right hand suddenly tightened.

"Crack, crack, crack—!"

An ear-piercing sound of twisting metal rang out.

Tuba's metal left arm began to deform and cave in beneath Leo's fingers, like a soda can crushed beneath a hydraulic press.

Tuba's eyes widened in terror. Before he could say anything—

Leo released him and, at the same time, threw a right punch wrapped in Ko.

A simple straight punch landed squarely on Tuba's chest.

"Bang!"

The muffled impact boomed like a drumbeat.

Tuba was sent flying, tracing an arc through the air before falling off the stage and crashing heavily onto the floor.

A clear fist mark caved in his chest. His body convulsed violently as blood poured from his nose and mouth. He looked unlikely to survive.

Leo calmly withdrew his fist as the aura around him slowly receded.

The entire 220th-floor arena fell silent in an instant.

The audience stood with mouths open, their expressions frozen.

Those who had expected an intense clash were all dumbstruck.

The referee took two seconds to recover before hurriedly jumping off the stage to check on Tuba. Ten seconds later, he returned to the arena and raised his hand to announce the result.

"Contestant Tuba has lost the ability to fight! Contestant Leo wins by KO!"

The silence shattered, erupting into even fiercer cheers.

The commentator roared excitedly.

"Congratulations to Contestant Leo on securing his first victory! His undefeated legend continues!"

Leo did not linger and walked straight off the stage.

As he passed through the contestant tunnel, the tattoo on the back of his hand turned warm.

[Level: 27 (76%)]

It had increased by 15%.

Leo would not hold back against people like Tuba—if he survived, it meant his fate had spared him. If he died, he could only blame his own lack of strength.

After securing one win, Leo went to the registration desk and filled out another form, once again checking "Available to compete at any time." Then he returned to his lounge and continued training.

Five days passed without any new match notification.

Leo's debut had been too shocking—he had nearly killed a three-win, one-loss veteran with a single punch. Such overwhelming strength made the other contestants on the 200th floor wary of him.

Those lacking confidence could not gauge Leo's true strength and chose to wait and see.

Leo was more than happy to enjoy the peace.

He set a strict training schedule. In the morning, he worked on physical conditioning and polished his combat skills. In the afternoon, he trained in the four major practices of Nen. At night, he meditated and recovered.

On the afternoon of the sixth day, Leo decided to watch some matches to relax and see whether Wing was still at the arena.

He arrived at the 190th-floor arena area.

A match had just ended, and the winner was a blue-haired woman—Sophia.

Her face was stained with blood, and her right eye was somewhat swollen, but her eyes were bright.

Her opponent lay unconscious on the stage.

The referee raised Sophia's hand and declared her the winner. She had earned the right to advance to the 200th floor.

Leo raised an eyebrow.

A week ago, he had defeated this woman in an instant, but now it seemed that rather than being discouraged, she had clearly improved.

She had abandoned those flashy high kicks. Her attacks were cleaner and more efficient, while her defense was steadier as well.

Sophia faced the audience and gave a slight bow in thanks.

When she lifted her head, her gaze met Leo's in the stands.

Leo smiled faintly and waved at her in greeting.

Sophia froze for a moment, then nodded before turning and walking off the stage.

"Hmm—she made it to the 200th floor too."

Leo muttered to himself.

"Should I try to talk her out of it?"

He knew how brutal the 200th floor was. For those who could not use Nen, their first battle there usually ended badly.

Broken arms and legs were commonplace. With good luck, they might barely survive and awaken Nen. With bad luck, they would die directly in the arena.

Sophia had both talent and determination. It would be a pity if she were crippled on the 200th floor just like that.

After thinking for a while, a mischievous smile appeared on Leo's lips.

He decided to show a little "kindness" and help this lost lamb.

Sophia packed up her belongings and changed into clean casual clothes.

Standing in the elevator, she watched the floor numbers tick upward, and her heartbeat unconsciously quickened.

"The 200th floor. I finally made it!"

The elevator doors opened. She took a deep breath and stepped out.

The corridor was wide and quiet, completely different from the noise of the lower floors.

Following the signs, she headed toward the registration desk.

After walking about twenty meters, something changed abruptly.

An invisible pressure came from deep within the corridor, enveloping her as if it had substance.

Sophia's hairs stood on end. She instinctively took two steps back, her heart pounding wildly.

What was that?

It was clearly an ordinary corridor, yet she felt as if she were standing in a forest, watched by a ferocious predator.

Cold sweat formed on her forehead. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep moving.

The farther forward she went, the greater the pressure became.

That presence was cold and heavy, carrying undisguised malice.

Sophia's breathing became ragged. Her legs felt filled with lead, and every step was extraordinarily difficult.

She understood—it was directed at her.

By the time she reached the middle of the corridor, she was nearly unable to hold on.

Every instinct in her body screamed for her to run, but her willpower firmly suppressed the urge.

Sophia stopped and roared toward the front of the corridor.

"Who the hell is it? Get out here! Stop playing games!"

The instant she finished speaking, the pressure surged.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows at the end of the corridor.

His hands were in his pockets, his steps casual, and a half-smile rested on his face.

Leo!

Sophia's pupils contracted, her face filled with shock.

She knew Leo was strong, but she had never imagined... that he was this strong.

Just the aura he released was enough to leave her almost unable to stand.

Leo stopped ten meters in front of her and shrugged.

"It's me."

His tone was relaxed, as though that terrifying pressure had nothing to do with him.

"As your senior."

Leo continued, his smile unchanged.

"I don't want you throwing your life away for nothing, so here's a piece of advice—you're still too early for the floor you're about to enter."

After saying that, he raised his right hand and casually extended it toward Sophia.

Even more overwhelming malice swept over her!

Sophia felt as though the air around her had solidified. An invisible force pressed against her body, against her will.

She staggered backward again and again. In the end, unable to endure it any longer, she dropped onto the floor, bracing herself with both hands as she gasped for breath.

Cold sweat soaked her back.

Leo secretly laughed.

He had copied Hisoka's classic move—using powerful Nen pressure and killing intent to intimidate Gon and Killua. The effect was indeed quite good.

But to his surprise, Sophia struggled and stood up again.

Her legs were trembling, her face was deathly pale, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth from biting down too hard—but she still stood, supporting herself against the wall as she stared fixedly at Leo.

Leo raised an eyebrow. This woman's tenacity exceeded his expectations.

With a thought, he slightly increased the pressure of his Nen.

Sophia's body swayed, and the fingernails of the hand braced against the wall turned white from exertion.

She did not fall again. Instead, she used every ounce of strength she had to hold herself up, the stubbornness in her eyes not weakening in the slightest.

Leo shook his head helplessly and gave her a hint.

"When you have mastered the strength to face me head-on, you'll be qualified to set foot on the 200th floor."

A flash of light appeared in Sophia's eyes at those words.

She took a deep breath and made a decision that caught Leo off guard—

She dropped to both knees and bowed deeply before him.

Using all her strength, her voice trembled, yet it was exceptionally firm.

"I want to reach the 200th floor! I want everyone to stop looking down on me! I want to become even stronger! I want to master this power—!"

She raised her head, her eyes gleaming with an almost crazed light.

"I want to take you as my master! Please, you have to teach me!"

Leo fell silent.

He looked at Sophia kneeling on the ground. Her face was smeared with blood and sweat, filled with defiance and longing.

He had seen that look before...

In the secret realm, in the mirror, in his own eyes.

After a moment, Leo smiled helplessly, withdrew his right hand, and turned toward the lounge.

Sophia watched his retreating back, unwillingness flashing through her eyes.

She looked toward the registration desk not far away, then at Leo's increasingly distant figure, her fists clenching tightly.

Just when she thought all hope was lost, Leo's voice came from ahead.

"What are you standing there for?"

Sophia whipped her head around.

Leo stood at the corner of the corridor, looking back at her from the side with an indifferent expression.

"Come on."

Joy instantly burst from Sophia's eyes.

She hurriedly scrambled to her feet, not even bothering to brush the dust off herself before quickly following after him.

One after the other, the two disappeared into the depths of the corridor.