Chương 89: First Floor

"Both contestants, please enter Ring E." Aren followed the stairs to the central arena area and reached Ring E under a staff member's guidance. Standing in the middle of the ring was a bald man with a large belly, greasy skin, and heavy features. After Aren stepped up, the man looked him over. His gaze finally stopped on Aren's face. Jealousy flickered across his face as he sneered.

"I suggest you surrender. It'd be a shame if that pretty face got smashed." The nearby spectators noticed a new match about to begin on Ring E. One man poked his companions.

"Hey, look over there. Ring E has a pretty boy." Their attention turned toward Ring E.

"Pretty boy, run while you can."

"This isn't playing house. Surrender before you cry."

"Hey, big guy, lucky you."

"Knock him out with one punch." More and more people in the stands noticed Ring E. For some reason, many of the men began mocking Aren at once. Neon, sitting farther back, grew furious. She jumped onto her seat and shouted, "Master is not a pretty boy. Master is very, very strong. He can beat all of you until you roll away with one finger." Unfortunately, Neon's young voice was too small compared with the noise of the venue. Only a few people nearby vaguely heard her.

Even if the others heard, they would probably only laugh harder. For example, a man sitting two rows below Neon looked back at her with mockery in his eyes. Only mockery. He was not foolish enough to cause trouble inside Heavens Arena, and Neon was only a child. He was not going to bully her for no reason. Of course, where there was mockery, there was also support. Among the women and older ladies in the crowd, many faces flushed faintly as their eyes fixed on Aren.

Heavens Arena had too many strange-looking fighters. Most looked unusual in their own unpleasant ways. Its audience had suffered ugly men for far too long. Once Aren appeared, women throughout the stands were immediately smitten. An older woman with curled hair shouted first.

"Young man, don't fight. If you need money, I've got money. You don't need to work so hard." Another older woman beside her called out too. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"That's right. Come here, sweetheart. I can save you years of struggle." A young woman nearby could not stand it.

"Please, have some shame. Even if he wanted someone, he'd look for someone like me. You two should go home and sleep." The two older women immediately exploded.

"You little brat, what did you say?" In short, the people supporting Aren always found some reason to start fighting among themselves. The noise outside the ring continued. The referee in the ring had long since grown used to this kind of scene. He calmly spoke to Aren and the bald fat man.

"On the first floor, matches determine the contestant's level based on victory and performance. Please display your ability as much as possible within three minutes."

"Then... begin." The referee crossed his hands and swung them down before quickly retreating to the edge of the ring. His practiced motion was almost admirable.

"Hmph." The bald fat man laughed.

"Three minutes? I don't need that long. In ten seconds, one punch will put you down." As he spoke, he dragged his body forward like a mountain of flesh pressing down on Aren. His right hand pulled back near his waist, then punched straight toward Aren's face. It seemed he genuinely hated good-looking people. Aren's expression did not change from beginning to end. Whether facing the bald man's mockery or the spectators barking like wild dogs, he remained calm. Blank, even. He lightly waved one hand.

It was as casual as swatting a fly passing before his eyes. Splat. Aren's hand moved later but arrived first, striking the fat man's head. The bald man's skull burst like a blooming firework, sending a spray of blood, bone fragments, and brain matter through the air. A few pieces even flew toward the neighboring ring. Aren stepped aside lightly, avoiding the headless body as it collapsed. For a moment, the entire venue fell silent. The men who had mocked him. The women who had been arguing.

Even fighters in nearby rings. Everyone stared in terror at Aren, whose face now carried a faint, unreadable smile. They had all thought they were used to blood and violence. Only now did they realize they were far from it. No one knew who started it. Someone suddenly stood up with a flushed face.

"Holy hell! That was insane!" The whole venue erupted like it had been injected with fire.

"That was unbelievable!"

"That slim body had that much power? Too damn cool." Heavens Arena was that realistic. No matter what kind of person someone was, strength ruled here. The people who mocked you like you were nothing one second could praise you to the sky the next if you won. They changed sides faster than a headline. And they were not ashamed of it. They considered it pride. Admitting someone was excellent was not difficult. Of course, some people were still vomiting below.

The people around them immediately looked over with disdain. Their eyes clearly said, 'Weakling. Go home to your mother.' Hearing the crowd praise Aren, Neon immediately became smug. She stood on her seat with her hands on her waist and looked around the audience. Her proud little expression seemed to say she had been right all along. Master could blow all of them up with one finger. The man who had mocked Neon from the row below swallowed hard and glanced toward her with lingering fear.

'She didn't see my face earlier... right?'

'If she did, will my head become a firework when her master comes back?' On Ring E, the referee finally recovered from the crowd's wild cheers. Even though he worked in Heavens Arena almost every day and had seen countless fights of all sizes, Aren had still stunned him. The look in Aren's eyes treated human life as nothing. Killing a person and killing a fly seemed no different to him.

"Two... 2042." A drop of sweat seeped from the referee's forehead and fell to the floor. Beep. The machine beside him gave a prompt, and a ticket slid out. The referee tore it off and handed it to Aren with a trembling hand. Aren noticed his panic. He smiled lightly, as if none of this had been his doing, and accepted the ticket.

"Don't be nervous. Thank you." Then he turned and walked down from the ring, ready to take Neon up to the fiftieth floor. What Aren did not know was that his casual behavior only frightened the referee more. The man's legs were already shaking. After leaving the ring, Aren walked straight to Neon.

"Master, Master, you don't know this, but when those people laughed at you, Neon argued with them very angrily." Seeing Aren return, Neon immediately asked for praise.

"Oh? Is that so? Neon was very brave." Aren picked her up and praised her along with her words.

"But later, they all realized how strong Master is. Since they knew they were wrong, Neon forgave them."

"Mm. Good girl. There is no need to argue with people who don't know any better." Aren glanced down at the crowd.

"They are only ants I could crush whenever I want." That glance alone made the man who had mocked Neon shiver and hide behind his seat. Although Aren's gaze was not aimed at him, he still felt as if a demon had looked his way.

'Mom, the outside world is too scary. I'm never coming to Heavens Arena again.'