Odin took the elevator to the 50th floor.
The staff member glanced at it, entered something into the computer, then took an envelope from beneath the counter and handed it to Odin.
Odin approached the counter and handed the slip to the staff member.
"Here are your winnings. Congratulations on advancing to the 50th floor. Would you like to begin your next match?"
Odin headed toward the waiting room, opening the envelope along the way.
Odin accepted the envelope and nodded.
After another flurry of work, the staff member told Odin he could head to the waiting room.
He tipped out the Jenny inside and counted it: 152 Jenny in total.
Just enough for a drink.
Odin entered the waiting room and found it packed. None of the people there looked like pushovers.
Without speaking or paying any attention to their appraising looks, Odin found a seat and waited.
Soon, the announcement called his name, along with another contestant's.
When Odin arrived at the ring on the 53rd floor, his opponent was already standing there waiting.
His opponent today was a young man of medium build who didn't look like a strength-based fighter.
Neither of them exchanged any trash talk. As soon as the referee announced the start, his opponent launched a fierce attack, charging straight at Odin.
After a moment's thought, Odin decided against winning immediately. Instead, he swiftly dodged the punches and kicks raining down on him.
He was learning the basics of fighting-or rather, practicing his dodging skills.
He evaded his opponent's attacks with ease, occasionally testing a block, looking utterly at home.
To ordinary people, their exchanges were already fast.
But to Odin, their attacks and defenses were as slow as snails.
This guy is so fast! The more his opponent fought, the more alarmed he became. He realized he couldn't touch Odin at all, except when Odin deliberately blocked.
After several minutes of "intense" fighting, Odin felt he had adjusted. He stuck out a leg to trip his opponent, then shoved him out of the ring as he left the ground. The man hit the floor with a thud.
Quite a few people took an interest in this newcomer, Odin, who didn't look particularly strong.
The referee loudly declared Odin the winner.
Applause and cheers rose from the stands, along with a few curses.
Those clearly came from gamblers who had bet against Odin and lost their money.
Yes, a place like Heavens Arena offered all sorts of gambling, much like betting on soccer in his previous life.
"Congratulations on your victory. Here are your winnings. You've advanced to the 60th floor. Would you like to continue competing?" The staff member handed Odin a fresh envelope and asked whether he wanted another match.
After the match, Odin left the ring and went to the counter on the 60th floor.
He had won easily and earned himself a little recognition.
"No."
"All right. Please come back before nine tomorrow morning for your next match." The staff member entered something into the computer and told Odin to return tomorrow.
Odin nodded and left the counter with the envelope.
Along the way, Odin checked the money inside. It was much more than the prize for the first floor: a full 50,000 Jenny, in five 10,000-Jenny notes.
Even converted into Renminbi, that was over 3,000 yuan-a month's salary for plenty of people.
Here, all he had to do to earn that was win a match above the 50th floor.
Reflecting on that, Odin left Heavens Arena.
Over the next few days, he followed his plan, climbing ten floors at a time.
He fought just two matches a day, giving himself some time during each to adjust and learn fighting techniques.
Now, on his fourth day of competing, Odin stood in the ring on the 114th floor, regarding his opponent with resignation. The man was enormous, at least two and a half meters tall, with a body practically shaped like a ball.
By the second day, Odin had already won on the 100th floor.
The prize money at that level was considerable. A single victory earned him a million Jenny, equivalent to 60,000 yuan in Renminbi. Sixty thousand a match-if you had the strength, making money was ridiculously easy.
"Kid, making it this far means you've got some skill, but this is where it ends." The fat man grinned viciously. "I'll show you the difference between the floors above a hundred and those below."
This was probably the kind of opponent Odin least wanted to face right now. The man certainly wouldn't be faster than him, but Odin knew he might not be able to budge that bulky body.
He was slower than any of Odin's previous opponents, but far stronger. Moving toward Odin, he was like a charging tank.
Odin said nothing, merely watching him calmly before letting out a sigh.
As soon as the referee announced the start, the fat man attacked.
Odin easily dodged his attack. His gaze sharpened, and his right fist shot into the man's cheek.
The fat man cried out and staggered back several steps. Once he steadied himself, disbelief spread across his face.
Speed was power. If Odin couldn't shove his opponent, he wouldn't bother. He would just punch him.
"How is that poss-" Before he could finish, Odin appeared in front of him and drove an uppercut into his chin.
The fat man fell onto his back, unconscious.
Odin had already attracted plenty of attention. Now, even more people acknowledged his title as this month's "top rookie."
KO!
The referee declared Odin the winner, and the stands erupted in enthusiastic applause.
This money would support him for a while, but he knew that if he wanted to secure his place in this world, he needed greater strength.
After collecting his winnings, Odin continued competing, entering a match on the 120th floor.
His opponent on the 120th floor was easier to handle than the one on the 110th: a woman who specialized in grappling techniques.
Against an opponent like that, Odin easily flung her out of the ring without even giving her time to react.
After collecting his winnings again, Odin returned to the room Heavens Arena had provided.
Yes, he had already moved into Heavens Arena the night before.
From what he had learned, Heavens Arena allowed two runs through the competition. If he withdrew after reaching the 190th floor, he could earn another 400 million Jenny when he competed again.
Aside from money and glory, accommodation after reaching the 100th floor was another very attractive benefit.
Some contestants even used all sorts of methods to secure their wins so they could stay above the 100th floor.
One win, one loss, and your finances stayed steady.
He counted his money. He had accumulated nearly ten million Jenny-a full 600,000 yuan.
That was why so many martial artists came to challenge Heavens Arena.
"Next, I'll keep going until I reach the 190th floor, then withdraw," Odin murmured, looking out at the towering city beyond the window.
By then, speed alone might no longer be enough.
Two runs would bring in 800 million Jenny, totaling 48 million yuan.
How many chances did a person get to make 48 million yuan in a lifetime?
"Phew..."
Odin exhaled and gathered his thoughts.
He needed to prepare for the challenges ahead.
Not just physically, but tactically and mentally as well.
No one disturbed him in his room. Although it wasn't large, it was a good place for Odin to practice his ability.
I need to develop some combat techniques to complement the Rabbit Talisman as soon as possible, Odin thought.
He had considered this before, but over the past few days, he had focused more on training his body, hoping to make it stronger.
Perhaps people in this world had a higher physical baseline, or perhaps he had decent talent.
Over the past few days, Odin had noticed his body rapidly growing stronger as long as he had plenty of food.
Looking back on his training, Odin was thoroughly satisfied.
On the lower floors, he could win easily through speed, but Odin understood that higher up, he might well encounter opponents who knew how to use Nen.
He came up with two techniques: Vibrating Hand Blade and Afterimage Fist.
This worked much better. Odin soon mastered the technique and could easily slice a piece off a wooden stick.
For Vibrating Hand Blade, he practiced vibrating his palm at high speed to increase its cutting power.
During his first few attempts, the vibration frequency was wrong and his palm wasn't strong enough. Forcing himself to continue could injure his hand.
So Odin chose to abandon the hand blade and switch to a dagger, developing High-Frequency Dagger.
After repeatedly adjusting his movement rhythm and posture, he successfully extended the afterimages' duration to two seconds, making their movements smoother and more natural.
It was powerful, but Odin realized he couldn't use it in matches at all, so he had to set it aside for now.
Next came Afterimage Fist, inspired by the battles in Dragon Ball. It used persistence of vision to create multiple afterimages through extremely rapid movement, confusing his opponent.
At first, the afterimages lasted only a fraction of a second, and their movements were stiff and unnatural.
He needed to learn the traits and abilities of potential opponents to prepare for the coming matches.
Although Odin's speed seemed to make this unnecessary, he was thinking about the Nen users he would face in the future. Against them, it would at least be somewhat useful.
Of course, it also looked damn cool.
After a day of practice, Odin was exhausted, but he had gained a great deal.
His control over the Rabbit Talisman had improved, and his newly developed techniques were more refined.
Odin took a hot shower, then lay down on the bed to rest.
He took out the phone he had bought with his second prize payout and tapped away, searching for information on contestants on Heavens Arena's higher floors.
Some contestants possessed unusual fighting techniques, while others seemed to know how to use Nen Abilities.
"Looks like there really aren't any Nen users below the 190th floor," Odin murmured as he read the information on the screen.
Nen was all about mechanics. He needed to become someone who played by those mechanics too.
But after carefully analyzing what he had found, Odin concluded that they weren't Nen users.
Even if they weren't, Odin knew that relying solely on the Rabbit Talisman's speed would make him far too easy to counter.
In a world filled with supernatural abilities, he would eventually encounter opponents speed couldn't handle.
"Forget it. I'd better focus on the matches ahead for now." Odin turned off his phone and closed his eyes.
Before you continue